Harbor Freight Wood Turning Tools Surprise-NOT Pittsburgh or Windsor

Greg G. · 2004-10-09T02:12:03+00:00

Now, before you scoff, allow me to elaborate. I don't buy HF stuff,and generally consider it one step below worthless. With that said,however, I was pleasantly surprised by this set of tools. This is NOTthe Pittsburgh or the Windsor tool sets listed in the HF catalog.I was in need of a 1/2" round nose scraper, and ran across an 8 pieceset of tools at a local Harbor Freight store. I went there purely outof desperation after finding the only other tools available locallywere carbon steel / alloy AND vastly overpriced for their quality.This set does not appear in the HF catalog, and appears to be the sameset sold by The Woodworkers Choice as Item 3494.The handles are well contoured, and dyed a dark rosewood color.(Presumably to emulate a Crown or Sorby handle.)They blades are marked HSS and are, of course, made in China.The blades are securely mounted, and there is a tight fitting, thickbrass ring around the shank/handle junction.The 8 individual tools are sold in a lined, finger jointed wooden box.The set includes 3 gouges, 1 round scraper, 2 skews, 1 flat partingtool and 1 half-diamond parting tool.The business end of the tools were well shaped and smoothly ground.I took these things home, expecting the worst, but after using themfor a few hours, found that they held their edge well, the handleswere comfortable, and they were sufficiently well ground that theyrequired no sharpening before use. Out of the box, I could shave anice ribbon of green cherry from a mounted blank.Whether they are truly HSS remains to be seen, but they areconsiderably higher quality than the Buck Brothers tools I picked upon closeout at the BORG for $10.I can find no mention of a brand name, or another source for thesetools. Only a similarity to the aforementioned TWC tools.The box is labeled:HSS Chisel Set Wood Turning 8PCHigh-Grade QualityProfessional Quality Lathe ChiselsSKU P35444Wood Turning Set-HSS 8PCMade in ChinaUPC 7 92363 35444 8The set sold for $39.95.A winner in my book -...

Oct 09, 2004 23 Replies

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AAvK 21 years ago

Oh yeah? Take a look through these links of tools made by Oneway. With the steel grain structure they profess... awesome. Snobbery not intended, just impression.

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if I were beginning turning and at my financial level I would go to HF, even for the lathe.

Alex

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George 21 years ago

Oddly, it's grain size in the castings which gave us fits with Grizzly stuff at school. Castings were apparently quick-cooled versus properly annealed, and they broke in _huge_ crystals.

Maybe that's one of the shortcuts that makes apparent clones different?

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RonB 21 years ago

Anyone notice that running into a neighbor or fellow woodworker at Harbor Freight is probably like running into them at an adult theater or bookstore?

"Well.......I don't come here very much. Just curious." (sheepish)

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George 21 years ago

We're so far in the boondocks we don't have either.

I just whip the Lee Valley catalog under the covers when SWMBO enters the bedroom...

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