You also need to consider the materials you will be cutting.
If you're a pen turner and are working with acrylics or Inlace Acrylester, or incredibly brittle materials like some of the darker TruStone blanks or M3 metal composites, then the EWT and similar carbide scrapers are ideal.
For example, I know turners who complained that with the purple TruStone material (a very brittle stone/resin composite) that I just used, they were resharpening their skew every 30 seconds. Carbide tools are perfect for this.
The other thing to consider is that although using the EWT and other flat carbide cutters as scrapers (flat on the toolrest, parallel to the floor) is advised for beginners, it's by no means the only tool presentation.
If you've ever watched Steve Sherman use a flat round carbide bit on a Nano tool, you'll see how you can ride the bevel with these cutters and do work that you might ordinarily do with a skew or a spindle gouge
For example, in this video, Steve starts with some HSS tools but starting at around the 1:50 mark in this video he switches to a round carbide tool, and really makes the most out of it.
I am fortunate enough to be a tool junkie and enjoy working with very good carbide tools (EWT and Nano) as well as some great conventional tools (Thompson and D-WAY). Then again, I'm also into sharpening, having several options available to me (grinding 8" wheels, 2x72" belt grinder and JoolTool).
It's hard to recommend one approach over another. They all work, some work better than others, depending on the turner and what's being turned.
Last edited by Alan Zenreich; 03-14-2012 at 6:27 PM.
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