Benjamin's Best Rockwell rating?

[Ron Bontz]

Sorry for yet another dumb question. Some unexpected cost came up in the form of a 140 ft. fence in the midst of my kitchen project, of course. :mad:Another thread. Soooo Instead of those bowl turning tools I was going to get I thought I could save some bucks and get some less expensive ones for the time being. I already have pretty good spindle tools. Any way, does any one know the hardness of those Benjamin's Best HSS tools? Bowl turning specifically. I sent an e-mail to PSI but you never know when you are going to get an answer. Thanks:)

[Don Eddard]

Don't know the Rockwell rating, but the BB bowl gouges I've used were pretty decent, especially considering the cost. They don't compare to the Thompson gouges, but they are still a good value IMHO.

[Gordon Seto]

Summer 2008 American Woodturner (Vol 23 No.2) article by Alan Lacer, "Putting Steel to Test"
The Benjamin's Best from EBay has a hardness of Rc 65.0, and the steel failed high-speed steel test.
The Benjamin's Best from PSI has a hardness of Rc 58.0, M2 steel.

[Ron Bontz]

Thanks for the quick answers. I was not aware there were two different BB's on the market. It is much appreciated.:)

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Thanks for the quick answers. I was not aware there were two different BB's on the market. It is much appreciated.:)

Wow. Neither was I. That is good to know!

Thanks!

Joshua

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ron I have BB bowl gouges and have had them for 3 yrs now. I don't know the hardness but they are really decent. I have had no trouble keeping them sharp. I bought the set of 3 (5/8", 1/2", 3/8") and use them all the time.

[Gordon Seto]

The picture is the casting of two Benjamine's Best LX230 flute profile.
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o83/gbseto/f9e95cd2.jpg
The flute shapes are totally different. One is an open U and the other is a V shape. Both are LX-230 bought at different times.
I don't know what conclusion one can make.
It seems to me that the company is willing to stick their label to anything; there is no consistent standard.

The tests were done on one sample from each brand by Alan Lacer only. Quote, " Costs for each test ranged from $50 to $150 per turning tool, ..." They may not represent what are on the market.
That was an informative article. Not all HSS are suitable for turning tools. The Sears Craftsman sample was made out of M50 HSS (a HSS, primary used for bearings, but with low-wear resistance.)

[Dick Strauss]

I'm a big fan of the BB tools for the money! They are definitely not like Thompsons, but are good bang for the buck.

Like Bernie, I bought the three bowl gouge set. Unfortunately one of them was labeled a bowl gouge but the gouge shape shouted "spindle gouge" because the flute was way too shallow. I exchanged the suspect tool for the right one with no issues. Check your product to make sure they are as ordered.

[robert hainstock]

I have and am using several BB tools, Thompsons they ain't. But they are better than the HF HSS set. You get what you pay for. I wish all the money I spent on all the other tools had been spent at Doug's shop.:)
Bob