Shopsmith Forums

When I bought my Shopsmith, I didn't expect to be interested in turning. Wrong I was! I've barely gotten my feet wet so far, but really enjoy it.

Yesterday, I scored a nice Ringmaster 730 (for a Shopsmith) for the princely sum of $20. The CL seller actually knew the true value. But he didn't have a Shopsmith, didn't want to mess with shipping it, wanted it to go to a good home, and apparently didn't need the money. Super-nice guy; we talked woodworking for upwards of an hour.

At present, my lathe tools are limited to the basic 5-piece Shopsmith set. This set just popped up nearby on Craigslist. Sixteen tools and four books for $80.

[ATTACH]25073[/ATTACH]

There's quite a bit more info in the Craigslist ad.

So, experienced wood turners:
1. Do I need these?
2. Are they reasonably good tools?
3. Is this a good deal?

Not a bad set especially if all are HSS.

The craftsman that look like Sorby probably are. As you most of us know Sears does NOT make their own tools. They are made by other companies under contract.

Nothing wrong with Buck Bros either.

The opportunity for experimenting with your own custom grinds is worth it. I have several copies that now have different grinds.

Especially skews which I have put a radius grind ala Alan Lacer. I really like the radius grind on the skews. but it's good to have some straight ones too.

Bowl gouges are very good to have and need not be limited to bowls.

Low ball at 50 and start from there.

Good score on the RM for $20

Thanks, Terry. I checked out Sorby tools, and your private-label theory makes sense. If accurate, the asking price is a good deal for those alone.

These fall into the category of nice-to-have, but no immediate need. Which is when I can wait for a great deal. So I'll give it a few days, and then make the $50 offer. Will let you know what happens.

Dennis,

Last fall I was in a class led by Alan Lacer. A couple folks brought in their chisels. The consensus was that Sears sets that looked like the dark handled ones could be challenging to sharpen using the typical turner style of grinder due to the short blade length, but were otherwise okay enough tools. Maybe they would sharpen easier on the SS using the lathe chisel grinding jig.

If the 3 light handled chisels are indeed Sorbys, then even the asking price would be a bargain. A 1/2" Sorby bowl gouge runs $90 at Woodcraft.

Looks like Buck makes some lower end tools, may not be HSS, so be careful about assuming they have much value or that you'd even want to use them much.

Good luck,
Roy

Welcome to the world of turning. I have been turning a wide variety of items large and small for many years. A couple of years ago I tried the new carbide cutters like those shown at this attached link.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... hisels.htm

I now possess a variety both large and small. They are far superior to any other lathe chisels I have ever tried. I experimented with three different sizes. My preference is the large pro size even for pen turning. The preference is largely due to severe shoulder and upper arm problems (lack of rotator cuff). The longer chisels are easier to hold and I feel safer using them. I also like the fact they have cutter tips that one can rotate and replace. Jim




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