• Sections

  • Recent Articles

  • Hottest Threads

    Dave Anderson NH

    Time for some levity

    Thread Starter: Dave Anderson NH

    With all of the negativity and political stuff going on with the Covid-19 virus it is time to look at the humorous side of things. Feel free to add more, but keep it clean or it will be deleted.

    Last Post By: Jim Allen Yesterday, 4:39 PM Go to last post
    andrew whicker

    Milling machine as a mortiser

    Thread Starter: andrew whicker

    Hi all, I don't look often, but when I do it seems there are absolutely no used mortising machines out there. Something I've always wanted (someday) was a knee mill. There's a place near me that has had a Cincinnati Contour Master for sale forever (years and years). They re build these...

    Last Post By: Wes Grass Yesterday, 9:10 PM Go to last post
    steven c newman

    Lumber supply

    Thread Starter: steven c newman

    Has been restocked.. Bought 10 planks...for $30...had to cut a few of the 10 footers down, to fit into the Trunk of my Chevy Equinox... Eight 1 x 6 x 6' Five 1 x 4 x 6' And he threw in a stack of shorts And a 3/4" x 8" x 39" slab..

    Last Post By: steven c newman Yesterday, 9:54 PM Go to last post
    Tim Andrews

    Adhesive with a long open time

    Thread Starter: Tim Andrews

    Greetings All, I’ve done a search here, but all the threads I have seen are old. I would like a recommendation for an adhesive with a long open time for complicated glue ups, minimum 30 minutes,. I typically use Titebond 3 but would like more time for some projects. Sometimes it’s possible to do...

    Last Post By: Jimmy Harris Yesterday, 9:48 AM Go to last post
    Jay Houghton

    Harvey ST-1500 Sliding Table question

    Thread Starter: Jay Houghton

    I recently sold a machine I didn't need and now can repurpose that money into something else. I recently got a Sawstop and was thinking of the Harvey sliding table attachment for it. Expensive but it sure looks like the build quality is first class. You essentially get the Harvey miter gauge as...

    Last Post By: Michael Burnside Yesterday, 3:27 PM Go to last post
    Ken Fitzgerald

    Vietnam veterans....

    Thread Starter: Ken Fitzgerald

    About a year ago I was reading and found that Vietnam veterans qualified for VA medical benefits. About the same time, I was talking with a neighbor who came over to ask me about hearing aids. I have bimodal hearing; I have a cochlear implant (CI) on one ear and a hearing aid (Ha)on the other ear...

    Last Post By: Tom M King Yesterday, 9:55 PM Go to last post

  • Sorby Micro Spindle Set

    by
    Trevor Walsh
    Rate this article
    Published on 01-05-2011 3:17 PM  Number of Views: 13294  
    0 Comments Comments
    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.