Pros and cons of carbide tools

[Tim Elett]

Would it be good idea to purchase a few GOOD carbide tools for different cuts, the cost is not much more than a quality turning tools.
I have a bowl gouge and a scraper both HSS.

[Jason Edwards]

There's certainly a lot of different ones out there. Perhaps the first, and perhaps the best, (IMHO anyway) are the ones from Easy Wood Tools. They're made in the USA and a sister company also makes the carbide inserts here in the USA. They're kind of pricey, but you said that quality is more important. Excellent customer service too, they answer the phone when you call.

[Bill Howatt]

I primarily use HSS tools but I do have a couple of Easy Wood tools. Not my favorite for a lot of things but every now and then it seems to bail me out so I just consider it one of the things to have in the tool arsenal just in case. They do a scraping cut and they must be very sharp for best results.
The Hunter carbide tools seem to be very well regarded and I think are capable of a shearing cut. I would investigate them.

[Barry McFadden]

I have 5 of the Easy Wood tools and think they work great.... never had any issues with them.

[Reed Gray]

Some part of me doesn't like the concept of 'throw away' tools. With the carbide cutters, they can be touched up, but they never get back to good as new. Most are scrapers, but the Hunter tools are cutters which cut at a sheer angle so you get good finish cuts. With the other cutters, since they are flat, at best, they are difficult to get good clean finish cuts with. Scrapers do have their place though, and are my favorite tool for roughing out bowls. You do need to learn gouge skills, and even I as a bowl turner can do a fair job with a skew. The carbide tools are efficient little scrapers, and size doesn't really make a difference with scrapers. I don't like any scraper bigger than 1 inch wide.

robo hippy

[Edward Weber]

I don't use them and have never been in a situation where I couldn't make a certain cut without them.
They may have their place for some but I personally don't have a need to have any.

[Richard Coers]

You can usually spot the use of a scraping cut off a carbide tool and mile away. Torn end grain and irregular sweeping cuts tell the tale. With a traditional bowl gouge, you get to lean on the bevel and you can get a wonderful sweeping shear cut. You can't get that with a carbide tool. A freshly sharpened bowl gouge with a super light cut will give you a super clean cut, especially on softer wood. You also can get an extremely clean shear scraper by dropping the handle of the gouge way down and do that with a pull cut. I have a couple Easy Wood, but prefer the Hunter Tools for the shearing cuts.

[Robert Henrickson]

I have a couple Easy Wood tools from back when they first appeared. I haven't used either in 10 years. FWIW the EW factory is a mile or so from my house.

"Carbide tools" is a near meaningless term since it includes so many types of cutters. Hunter tools and their cutters are a very different thing from Easy Wood. More accurate would be tools with replaceable cutters. I have a number of Hunter tools, but by far the one I use the most is what I think is now called the Badger -- straight shaft tapering from 5/8.

[Tim Elett]

I would like to try a bowl with the rim undercut ,I haven't tried this yet because I don't think I can do this with a bowl gouge a scraper or can I ?
I am thinking a swan hollower would be a better choice, I don't have any interest in hollowing at this point.

[roger wiegand]

I have a couple of Mike Hunter's tools that I use for hollowing and sometimes for cleanup on the inside of bowls where my usual methods aren't working. They will take a very nice shearing finish cut when presented at the right angle. I wouldn't be patient enough to use them for bulk material removal. I also use carbide cutters in my coring rig and some of my deep hollowing tools. For the rest I've always found traditional tools to be much faster with much better results than the carbide scraper type tools.

[Edward Weber]

I would like to try a bowl with the rim undercut ,I haven't tried this yet because I don't think I can do this with a bowl gouge a scraper or can I ?
I am thinking a swan hollower would be a better choice, I don't have any interest in hollowing at this point.

Are you talking about a semi-closed form or vessel?
A swan neck hollower (scraper) will definitely help depending on the depth of the undercut.
Also, if you are able to turn or slide your head stock to a better position where you can more easily access the undercut, traditional tools can do a portion of the work.

[Tim Elett]

Maby 1/4 to 1 /2 inch under cut, I like the way dark bowls look,I have sume walnut I would like to turn with a undercut rim. Thanks for the replys.

[Jim Tobias]

Tim,
I'm going to speak up and say there is not "one choice" or "one way" to do it. I have been using carbide scrapers(Easy Woods and Simple Tools) and also conventional bowl gouges(Thompson, Carter and Sons). There is a time when one tool does what you are looking for better than another tool ......so use that tool when you need it and feel it is the best. It, of course, depends on experience and skill level and that only comes with trying different tools and figuring out what each does best for you. Bottom line is....getting the results you want.....and that can be with any tool you find gets the job done to your liking.

Jim

[richard shelby]

I have a Easywood which I use every day, mostly for roughing. I do all the final cutting with HSS gouges, etc. The carbide is esepecially useful when turning decoration made of epoxy and mineral powder. I use a lot of chrysocolla which has a hardness close to wood, and turquoise which is much harder. Either of these in epoxy will immediately dull the shapest, hardest HSS gouge. The easywood takes a Ci3 insert which I get (from China, of course) They are about $2 apiece in lots of ten. I've tried sharpening them with a diamond hone, but they are nevert as good as new.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

The only carbide tools I have are Hunters - an Osprey and one for my hollowing rig. The osprey is good for cleaning up box interiors. I learned on traditional tools and don’t have a need for the replaceable tip carbide tools. Sharpening takes literally seconds on cbn wheels, I just don’t see the benefit. Scraping for anything but roughing cuts leaves way too much work.
I’ve seen comments that anything that gets new turners successful sooner is a good thing, but learning how to use traditional tools isn’t rocket science…

[Randy Heinemann]

I started out using carbide tools (mostly Easy Wood). They are good solid tools and I still use them for some work like creating a tenon with the square and diamond cutters. Hunter tools makes great carbide tools and there are other good quality carbides also.

However, I think you'll find that the finish you can produce with HSS tools is superior to most carbide tools once you develop your skills to a certain level. Hunter tools do seem to produce a superior cut, but I have found that HSS bowl gouges are the most versatile of my turning tools and I get the best results for most work.

The biggest advantages to carbide are no sharpening and they tend to be extremely easy to use. I think that makes them very desirable to beginners. However, from experience, I would advise you to just do types and designs of bowls you want to do and you'll find that, over time, you'll just get better. Read some books on technique, watch some videos, and, if possible, take an in-person class with a known professional. Then, practice, practice, practice.

As another responded, all turners have their preferences of tools and techniques. There is no one way, but there are some basics, which I found it was extremely helpful to know, that will give a solid starting point.

[Neil Strong]

However, I think you'll find that the finish you can produce with HSS tools is superior to most carbide tools once you develop your skills to a certain level. Hunter tools do seem to produce a superior cut, but I have found that HSS bowl gouges are the most versatile of my turning tools and I get the best results for most work.



I much prefer to turn with traditional style bowl gouges myself. I have no objection to carbide, per se, just the style of tool they come in.

I couldn't find anyone who is making a traditional bowl gouge made from tungsten carbide, so I've been making my own...


510232


It cuts, at least, two to three times longer than my 10% vanadium or M42 HSS gouges.



510233

[David Walser]

Tim -- The kind of bowl with an undercut rim can be turned with conventional tools. If you look at woodturning magazines from more than 20 years ago, you'll see the turners from yesteryear were making such bowls without the aid of carbide tools.

We are in a golden age for woodturners. We have an abundance of tools and technologies that weren't available to prior generations. Yet, there's really nothing that we make today that wasn't being made back then. My recommendation is to learn how to use traditional turning tools before trying carbide. As others have said, with most materials, you can get a better result with a traditional tool than with carbide. So, it pays to learn how to use traditional tools. (It's really not that hard. If it were, most of us wouldn't be able to use them!)

Having said that, there is a place for carbide tools in my shop. I use them when turning something that's particularly abrasive -- such as wood that has a high silica content or when turning off the bark. Carbide stands up to such abuse better than my HSS tools. But, I still use my traditional tools to finalize the shape and make the finishing cuts. I also use carbide when turning resins. Most resins respond to scraping better than bevel rubbing cuts. (My theory is the heat from rubbing of the bevel softens the plastic, causing it to tear rather than cut.) With the exception of Hunter tools, carbide tools are scrapers. So, they work well when turning resin. This is particularly true of the new negative rake carbide inserts from EWT.

HTH