Customer Reviews

Delta 46-730 Set of 8 Wood Lathe Turning Tools

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4 star:		(3)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this set to replace the tools when I sold my Shopsmith. I have lathe chisels made by Sorby, Henry Taylor, Woodcraft, and Delta. I use the Delta for the majority of my turnings, mainly pens. These are High Speed Steel tools with excellent handles. I sharpen them on a Delta vertical water cooled sharpener. They hold their edge as well as any of the others. They are definately NOT Carbon Steel as the previous reviewer claims. I have been very pleased with these tools and would recommend them to anyone doing spindle turning.

Carbon steel for lathe tools have be mostly replaced by high speed steel. Carbon steel needs to much more frequently sharpened. Sharpening carbon steel on a high speed (greater than about 400 rpm) grinder is very tricky. Is is very easy to overheat the carbon steel and ruin its hardness. Amazon.com should consider adding high speed steel turning tools to it's tool selection.

I have used my this set for over 2 years. Yes, they need to be sharpened, yes, they do 'blue'(when run hot) however, for the price they can't be beat.

I got these free with the purchase of a Delta lathe. While they are certainly not professional quality they are a deal at the price of...FREE! Reading the previous review regarding the "bluing" of the tools; he must have gotten a bad set or is pushing the tool too hard. Mine are nice and sharp, I have yet to have one "blue" at the tip. I especially liked the nice case they come in, that was an unexpected bonus.

(...) There was the option of getting these tools, or getting the bed extension. After reading these reviews, I chose to believe the optimistic review. Wrong choice. I wish I had chosen the bed extension.

The tools are not HSS steel. They do not blue as fast as carbon steel, but they are not quality HSS steel either. I purchased a Sorby bowl gouge & scraper, and the quality of the steel in the Sorbies is far beyond that of these Delta tools. What do I mean by quality? The HSS in the Sorbies will not blue, it holds an edge much better, and the edge is sharper. This adds up to a much more enjoyable turning experience. I have not purchased Crown tools, but my guess is that they would probably also be far superior to the Delta tools as well.

Bottom Line: Don't waste your money on these tools, buy something of quality instead.