CHJ
Established Member
12345Peter":19e30tsq said:I am not a traditionalist as I have only recently started turning, I was advised by many turners to stay away from carbide chisels as they need sharpening more often than HSS, I have no idea if that is true, but none of the turners recommended carbide so I took their advice. I have learnt to sharpen my HSS tools and it is not a black art as far as I am aware.
Peter i think you may be confusing Carbide with Carbon Steel.
Older wood turning tools were made of High Carbon Steel, nothing wrong with them and for some things folks prefer to use them, in fact most pole lathe turners will be using Carbon Steel tools.
High Speed Steel tools are a relatively recent innovation in wood turning terms and are far superior at keeping their edge, they are or were the workhorses of metal turning also.
Carbide Tools are in the main made in the form of sintered cutting bits formed under extreme pressure in molds, although some can be obtained in solid shank form.
They are much harder, will withstand considerable pressure and hold a good edge, they are also far more brittle than HSS and can easily be chipped if not handled correctly, in metal turning they do not like interrupted loads and will fail if misused this way.