Customer Reviews

PSI Woodworking LCHSS8 HSS Wood Lathe Chisel Set, 8-Piece

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am pretty happy with this set. I will be comparing this set to a 5 chisel set I previously purchased from Woodcraft at a sale price of $86 after tax, original price was $130 + tax. The PSI set cost me under $50 with free shipping and no tax. The blades on the PSI chisels measure between 6.25 to 6.5 inches from ferrule to tip, which is the same as the more expensive Woodcraft set. The Woodcraft set came with what I felt were clumsy, overly large, overly long, and slippery handles that felt too light, while the PSI handles are made with denser/harder/heavier wood that IMO handle better for more detailed work. The overall fit and finish of the PSI set is better, except that the Woodcraft set is sharpened better. For some reason, the edges of the PSI chisels that are supposed to be flat (not the ground cutting edges) round over near the tips of the new tools. Grinding/sharpening gets rid of the problem for good but that means you'll have to spend more time preparing the tools for use. This is the reason I gave it 4 stars out of 5. The PSI set also comes in an softwood/plywood case while the Woodcraft set came in a sad cardboard box. Funny enough, the PSI case needed some fixing just as I had read from the other reviews here. It wasn't broken though, there just wasn't enough glue applied to the lid and bottom of the case. A tiny bit of glue and some light clamping pressure fixed it up like new - a job that really should be a piece of cake for anyone. Amazon did a good job of packing it. The case is actually a nice touch. It's good enough to use on it's own, but I keep all my tools in a large rolling chest with drawers. The tools will roll around even if your drawers are lined with the good tacky drawer liners, so I unscrewed the hinges of the box, removed the lid and placed the box in one of my shallow drawers. This saved me the trouble of having to make individual partitions for each chisel inside my drawers to keep them in place. The PSI set was overall better, cost about 40% less, and came with three extra chisels, so I returned the more expensive set. I found all the tools included useful, except I don't need two skew chisels of similar size so I plan on grinding the tip into a different shape when the need arises. The well known Sorby chisels are good, but I couldn't justify spending $30-$40 for just one tool when an extra $10-$20 buys me eight of these.

I occasionally mentor novice turners and so bought all sets of the Benjamin's Best tools--four of the penturner's set. As I sharpen and test these tools to get them ready for use, I find that, in many cases, the quality of the steel compares favorably with steel costing up to four times as much, and it's the steel you're after, not the handle or the case! (The most expensive tools come indiviually packaged in a plastic sheath and many of them are unhandled.) If the B. B. handles come loose bang the end opposite the ferule down on a hard surface. If the handle cracks make a new one out of a $2.00 piece of ash (or a hardwood stick out of your woodpile). You can shine the metal with 0000 steel wool or crocus cloth if you are worried about appearances. Some have said they have to sharpen the B. B. tools often. So do we all! Experienced turners working on hard wood sharpen their tools (even the expensive ones) several times an hour (I said sharpen, not grind) because dull tools don't perform. Keep these babies sharp and clean and they will serve as well as Sheffield steel for almost as long. Happy turning!

After using several of the tools from this selection three of the tools began to loosen from the handles. I have been turning some seasoned stock and maybe these tools can't handle hardwoods. They seemed to work fine with green stock. Other than the loosening of the handles they perform fine. I solved the problem by shimming the tool stock back into the receiving end of the handle.

We really haven't had the chisels long enough to tell how well they hold up. I got them as a gift for my husband, and he likes them a lot, though he's only used them a few times, and you can't beat the price. I can, however, highly recommend the company for its customer service. One of the chisels developed a crack in the handle a little while after we got them. I emailed the company, and within a little over a week, we had a replacement chisel mailed to us.

This set seems like a good beginner set, not extremely expensive, but it doesn't stay sharp for very long. I am quite happy with it though. would recommend.

This is a high quality set of chisels for a great price. I looked at many other sets, some for twice the price, and I'm am really happy I purchased these. The wooden handles have a great feel, they are nice and long which gives good leverage when cutting. The blades hold an edge for a long time. I highly recomend these chisels.

It is true that they require sharpening often...but for the money, you really can't go wrong...unless you"ve been turning for a while and are ready for the next step. I've turned dozens of piece (exotic hardwoods - we're talking hard wood) and I am happy with the tools. I need to resharpen about twice per piece...but I'm ok with that.

Overall good set of chisels - I would recommend esp for those new to turning or sharpening. I was very concerned about the loose handles as others have described, but fortunately my set were all secure. I think the picture led me to think they would be longer than they are, but had I paid attention to the "Product Details" that stated the shipping dimensions are only 18x2x13, my expectations would have been more realistic. Regardless, they are still comfortable and fun to use. All pieces needed sharpening before using especially the 2 larger gouges, so be sure you have access to a grinder (slow speed) or somewhere you can get them honed - I think Woodcraft offers a sharpening service. Given the free shipping and $30 savings for opening an Amazon credit card, the cost was only $19.99 - about $2.50 per chisel for M2 steel! Bottom line, I'm glad I got them and I'd get them again.

For what it's worth, I have a set of Rockwell lathe tools that I bought new in 1973 but needed some specialty tools so I bought a set of Benjamin's Best HSS tools from Amazon for them. I am also selling my old Rockwell lathe and thought I'd get new general purpose tools to go with the new lathe and include the old tools with the old lathe. So I bought a set of Windsor Design HSS tools so I could compare the old and the new before I parted with the old ones.

There is very little cosmetic difference between Benjamin's Best HSS and Windsor Design HSS - same size, and the same wood handles. Finish was not as good on the WD and the labeling was painted on the blades rather than etched into the blades as they are on the BB chisels. But are they any good?

The method - both of the sets came semi sharp and will cut wood as delivered but I wanted to compare and keep the best tools. So I used the skew chisel from each set as the reference, re-ground and honed the edge of all three chisels. First I shaved aluminum with each of the skew chisels because I'm impatient and wanted them to dull quickly. After 4-5 slices each I checked and decided aluminum wasn't dulling them fast enough so I got a brass rod and shaved some off it with each chisel - now they showed that there was some wear. Then I took a chunk of 45# particle board and shaved on the edge of it with each chisel until I had an observable defect.

The results - the Rockwell chisel looked sharp (no chips) but did not cut very well. Benjimin's Best cut fine but had tiny, un-feelable (seeable with a magnifying glass) chips in the edge. Windsor Design's had noticeable chips in the edge. But both of the HSS tools were still sharp enough to cut particle board! (Or at least knock chunks off it.)

Good luck with your decision.

Really decent quality set. Nice handle length and a great set - especially for a starter.