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    Malcolm Schweizer

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  • Sorby Micro Spindle Set

    by
    Trevor Walsh
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    Published on 01-05-2011 3:17 PM  Number of Views: 13278  
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    I was very excited to fiddle with my new Sorby Micro Spindle Set. I thought I'd put together an article as well.

    I'll start with the blurb from the manufacturer,

    The set features aluminum handles and the following interchangeable blades: a 1/2" (13mm) gouge for roughing down and basic shape and design, a 1/4" (6mm) skew for fine detail, a 5/32" (4mm) beading and parting tool for detailing or parting off and one Allen key.

    Turning fine intricate spindles or just plain, small spindles? The Micro Spindle Set is the right size, with just the right tools for the job. The set features aluminum handles and the following interchangeable blades: a 1/2" (13mm) gouge for roughing down and basic shape and design, a 1/4" (6mm) skew for fine detail, a 5/32" (4mm) beading and parting tool for detailing or parting off and one Allen key. This set is also ideal for pen turners.

    - Anodized aluminum handle
    - 3 interchangeable blades
    - Ideal for pen turners


    Here's a shot of the Spindle set and some extras, Most are there for marking out a pen blank. Next up is a roughly 8 minute video of me turning a small peg with the set. I know it's a bit, but I decided not to edit to show all the steps as tool changing takes place.



    Still with me, good, now for the reviewing part.

    Pros: Sexy handle, I find the color, balance and size of this tool really comfortable. It's responsive to touch and gives really good feedback on your cut.

    I looked at the other accessories for the handle as Sorby says, they all look very well made. I'd be really interested in testing the sprialing tool.

    Fit and finish: the blades are all nicely polished, and only needed a few swipes on a stone to remove small burs. The cutting geometry is great. The set screws also lock down very tightly and don't allow for any movement of the blades.

    Cons: The knurling on the handle is a little sharper than I expected, it's by no means uncomfortable to me or a deal breaker.

    The second thing (which I think potential users will critique) is you have to change blades, well I bought a tool with interchangeable blades, that's kind of a given. From the video you can see it's not an insane amount of time. If you're a hobby guy, no big deal; if you're a production guy, investing in more handles or making some extras may not be a bad idea, or a different set entirely. I'll work with it for a while as is, and see if I start to hate changing tools, then I might thing about making extra handles.

    Here is the finished and waxed cherry peg. It's 1 1/4" long, 3/8" diameter with a 5/16" by 5/16" tenon.


    Overall I think the Sorby Micro Spindle set is a great buy and recommend it, it will work great almost right out of the bag. If you're looking into getting other accessories, I'd suggest getting them with handles, even if you swap out specialty tools like the sanding and spiral attachments I think you'd appreciate having a handle on the gouge and skew at least.