Leaning toward Hurricane wood turning tools but skeptical

[Steve Mathews]

In another thread I asked for suggestions on a starter wood turning set. A few responded recommending the 8 piece set by Hurricane Turning Tools, which apparently is a proprietary brand from The Woodturning Store. This set seems like a good fit for me but I'm skeptical about a few things. After doing a little more research online there seems to be no shortage of starter sets using high speed steel but prices range from about $80 to a little over $200. The sets I'm referring to including the Hurricane set do not give a specification on the HSS and are most likely made in China. Is it fair to say that these will vary in quality and if so what assurance is there that one is better than another other than anecdotal evidence?

[Matt Schrum]

I did not buy the set from Hurricane, but individually I did purchase one of their bowl gouges, two skews and a scraper. All in all they have held up well and I have no regret with my purchases. They are HSS and seem to hold a pretty decent edge-- maybe not as good as my Sorby tools, but close enough I don't really notice much of a difference. On top of their tools, I also purchased a HTC125 chuck-- it's a nice hunk of metal, solid, and hasn't let me down yet. If I need to in the future, I wouldn't have any qualms buying from them again.

If they fit your needs and price point, I don't think you'll have any issues with the Hurricane stuff.

[Dok Yager]

Steve I have two of their scrapers, one skew and an HTC125 chuck. All have been good tools and held up well. Hard to beat for the money. My first complete set was a Benjamin`s Best that I still use, just added to it.

[Joe Kaufman]

First of all, I don't own any of the Hurricane Turning tools. I do have 2 of Steve's chucks (Hurricane). I purchased a set of 8 of the dark red handle Harbor Freight tools when I started over 10 years ago. I still use a few of them like the skew. One had never been used and a couple of years ago I decided to make a scraper out of it. It was dead soft and I left a deposit on a CBN Wheel that took a lot of work to get cleaned off. I then checked the hardness of the rest of the HF tools and found that the heat treating only is in the first 1.5 to 2" of the tool. As long as check and are aware of this you can work accordingly. They are serviceable. My point is that the end user will have to perform the QC function to know what you are getting with the lower priced tools. If you receive a bad one from Steve, I'm sure he would replace it. I'm pretty sure that he doesn't check them before shipment.

[Brice Rogers]

Steve, I originally bought a set of three thick Hurricane round nose scrapers. Amazon, three or four days, free shipping. I really liked them so a bought a set of three bowl gouges. I really liked them, so I bought an additional 5/8 inch bowl gouge that I turned into a bottom feeder (80 degrees). The catalog sheet from Amazon says that they are made of High Speed steel M2. I don't own any high-end tools so perhaps I don't know what I'm missing. But I'm satisfied with the Hurricane tools.

I did a file test on one of the tools and noticed that at least the first three inches (by the end) are hardened. The base is not. But my thoughts are two fold: (1) Maybe it is safer to have the softer/more ductile steel at the base and (2) when I wear down the tool by 3 inches or more, I will have got my money's worth out of them. At that point I can either toss it or re-harden the remaining stub (if I can figure out some purpose for such a stubby tool).

[Jamie Straw]

Buying a relatively inexpensive set is a good way to go when you first start, IMHO -- I still have several of the Benjamin's Best tools I bought when first "tooling up." As far as Hurricane goes, I may be the only person who's received a dud -- a 1" skew that was just awful. I would suggest that you buy them from Amazon if possible, because they make returns extremely easy. That way, if anything isn't right, you don't have to argue with a customer rep -- just print off the return label and drop 'em off at the UPS store.

Once you've turned a bunch of stuff, and are finding yourself needing another bowl or spindle gouge for different specific purposes, you might want to drop some money on better tools -- better steel, and hardened all the way up the shaft. D-Way Tools (http://d-waytools.com/)by Dave Schweitzer are my favorite bowl and spindle gouges, and his narrow parting tool is supposed to be the cat's meow. Not to mention his beading tools. They all come hand-sharpened by Dave, ready to go. But there are several very good and well-made brands out there!

[Lee Watermann]

I have three of there scrapers that are heavy duty and they are just fine.

[Bill Blasic]

Buy quality to begin with and you will save yourself a lot of pain. Buy a 1/2" Thompson or D-Way bowl gouge, a Thompson or D-Way parting tool and perhaps a 3/4" Thompson or D-Way scraper. These three at least from Thompson will fit one of his 1/2" nose handles, not sure about D-Way and handles. These two companies use very good steel, Thompson uses A-11 and D-Way uses M-42 which are made here in the US. Just one thing, no tool is any good unless you have a way to sharpen it. I have mainly Thompson tools but have just bought a couple of Dave's beading tools. Buy either of these two companies tools and you won't be looking to try anyone else s.

[Michael Schneider]

FYI, I am a fan of both D-Way and Thompson. It does't impact performance, but a 1/2 D-Way gouge is slightly bigger (will not fit in Thompson 1/2 handle). Dave Thompson starts with the same larger diameter stock as the D-Way tools, but turns them down to excactly 1/2 inch .

1/2 D-Way gouge is .515 in diameter
1/2 Thompson gouge is turned down to .5 inches in diameter where it goes in the handle.

Just something to be aware of when making/buying handles.

Take care,
Mike

[Aaron Craven]

...found that the heat treating only is in the first 1.5 to 2" of the tool...

Well, you just saved me a bunch of trouble. I had been thinking about re-purposing some of my HF tools like this, but based on that, I'll just leave them as is! How do you check hardness on a tool?

[Steve Mathews]

I posted a similar comment in another related thread but thought it appropriate to give some closure to this one, at least with respect to my original question. I just ordered a small assortment of tools from Thompson Tools as recommended by Mr. Thompson. The Hurricane or equivalent set also made sense but earlier today I was also given a small number of old lathe turning tools by a neighbor. They're not the quality of a Thompson or even the Hurricane but should at least be useful in finding out the differences in tool quality. I can't wait to get started. Thanks again for all of the excellent comments and suggestions. I think this is one of those rare situations where I followed everyone's advice.

[Joe Kaufman]

I have never noticed a problem with 3/8, 1/2 & 5/8 D-Way Gouges in Thompson Handles. Measured the D-Way Gouges and they are; .392, .516 & .632. The age of the Thompson Handles vary from 2 years to 5 years. Maybe Doug made a change prior to my oldest ones.

[dave hulett]

thought I'd respond to this thread even though the last comment was over a year ago. It's still a relevant topic. I started turning about 4 years ago and realized that all the experienced turners I know have 15-20 tools, yet when asked they all have their favorite 4-6 that are used 99% of the time. So I decided early on I would focus on learning with inexpensive tools and when I figure out what type of tool I prefer to use, then I'd spend the extra money. After all the primary difference is the type of steel which simply determines how often you sharpen it.

That said, I have found the Hurricane tools to be a huge bargain. I have two of their 5/8 bowl gouges, three of their scrapers (3/4", 1", and 1,1/2", parting tool, and side scraper and a straight scraper. The 5/8 bowl gouge ($35 on Amazon) has been my primary tool for 2 years now. My first lasted 1 1/2 years before there wasn't much left to sharpen, so I bought another one. Recently I had a chance to get a Crown PM David Ellsworth 5/8" gouge for $75 from a friend who bought it new but hadn't used it. (It's about $135 new) Although the shape a little more of a V, than a U, I like a lot better than the Hurricane, as far as holding it's edge, I can't see any difference between it and the $35 Hurricane. Both have to be sharpened about as often. I also have a Doug Thompson 3/8" bowl gouge and it's the same story. The hurricane's hold up just as well.

[Damon McLaughlin]

I have three of the Hurricane scrapers and like them a lot, they seem to hold their edge nice enough. When I bought my first tool set it was marked Savanah HSS. I think starting off with an inexpensive set allows a new turner to find out which tools he uses a lot and which he doesn't. I also found inexpensive tools a good way to practice different grinds on until I found one that I like. I would have hated to waste metal on expensive tools to do this. What I learned is that out of the set of maybe six or seven tools there are two that I use regularly, the bowl gouge and skew. When these are ready for replacement I'll get better quality tools. I don't use the spindle gouges too often so what I have will work for now. Anyway, don't worry to much about which starter set to get, get one to see which tools you favor and don't be afraid to regrind until you find a profile you like.

[Jack Lilley]

I purchased the set of three bowl gouges when I started and a Hurricane 100 chuck. I have since acquired a Thompson bowl gouge and a Crown PM bowl gouge, I still use the Hurricane tools as much as the others. I also have a nova chuck but prefer the hurricane and just got the 125 last week. Based on my experience they are great tools.

[terry mccammon]

I have mostly Hurricane bowl gouges as well as three hurricane chucks. I like the hurricane chucks as well or better than any others I have used (Vic Mark, Nova), I find that my gouges hold an edge "good enough" and at the price point that is half to a third that of name brands, works for me. Plus, in my experience the sales support and so forth are first rate. If I were a production turner, or time was so limited that trips to the grinder were taking away from my fun, I would feel differently perhaps.

[Reed Gray]

I haven't used any tools that are not V 10 (Thompson) or M42HSS (D Way) for years. Recently tried a standard M2HSS and couldn't understand why it was getting dull so quickly. If you can afford them, the difference is like the difference between standard grinding wheels, and CBN wheels. You pay more, but you get way more for your money. Only other difference is flute shapes...
robo hippy

[John K Jordan]

...How do you check hardness on a tool?

Aaron,

I didn't read every word of this thread, but did you ever get your question answered about how to test the hardness of a tool?

In case not, this is how I do it: Take a file (I use a fairly fine triangular file) and try to file across the tool shaft. Start near the working end, maybe an inch back and work your way towards the handle. If the steel is hardened properly, the file will skate across the metal and not cut a groove. Where the tool is not hardened the file will easily cut a groove.

I have a box of mostly cheap tools I acquired for free or at a low price, mostly to loan or give to beginners. I checked a bunch of them once and more than I imagined were hardened only a inch or two from the sharpened end. This is fine, of course, if you never grind away the hardened end! Some of the cheap tools (and all of the better tools) are hardened down the entire shaft.

JKJ

[Bob Bouis]

I have a hurricane gouge that I often use for finish cuts since I don't mind sharpening it frequently. Maybe it's just me, and certainly not everyone agrees, but I think M2 makes a better finish cut than the fancy cpm steels. It might just be that the general profile of the tool is slimmer; I don't know. At any rate the hurricane is a very nice gouge for the price.

[Thom Sturgill]

... After all the primary difference is the type of steel which simply determines how often you sharpen it. ...


I beg to differ. There is more difference than just the frequency of sharpening - which is largely determined by wear resistance which in turn is determined mainly by the chemical composition of the steel (Vanadium in Doug's V11 or Cobalt in Dave's M42). The hardening/tempering process affects the quality of the edge that can be achieved, and that is possible more important. Carbon steel will take a sharper edge (just will not hold it) than HHS and IMHO, crucible steels will too. Ask people who have owned both and use CBN or Diamond wheels to sharpen.

[Dueane Hicks]

I like crown cryo tools. They hold an edge like nothing else and you can get them very sharp on a tormek. It's hard to compare low cost HSS offerings as they all seem to be made from Chinese steel, which is his or miss. I have not tried hurricane but since they have a good following with lots of turners buying them; they must be pretty good?

[Matt Schrum]

Dueane,
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