Easy wood tools ...... anything that compares ?

[David Weaver]

Any grinder will work fine, a $60 grinder from home depot would even be fine.

I don't turn as much as a lot of you guys, but I went from grinder, to tormek and now to freehand on the belt grinder with a trizact belt. About the only things I use are a roughing gouge, a skew, a spindle gouge with a shallow primary grind and much steeper secondary bevel and a parting tool.

I tried making a carbide tool with some carbide cutters and didn't like it. The tools that are set to cut catch more than my regular tools, and the ones that have scraper cutters on them....I'd rather make a continuous shaving than dust.

[Will Winder]

I got one from Eddie Castelin for $45 shipped with 3 cutters:
http://eddiecastelin.com/products_and_services

[Robert Henrickson]

It seems like I would be in about 400-500 into a sharpener with jigs then a 8 set of sorbys and some hollowers thats a easy 1k ... Or I could just spend that 600-700 on easy wood tools and then hollowers .

Grinder plus Varigrind jig etc would probably be less than you fear, especially when Woodcraft has one of its periodic sales on the stuff.

Once you have paid the 600-700 for EWTs you envision, you are still going to be shelling out for replacement cutters, which are not cheap (at least from EWT). They can be resharpened but not indefinitely. Once you buy several gouges and sharpening gear, you are set for a long time without further expense related to those tools. If you look back at earlier discussions, Woodcraft grinders are considered worthwhile. They do the job, but they are not a Lexus or Jag. I'm still using the first two bowl gouges I bought 5-6 years ago, though one is about done for. But that is after hundreds of bowls, plates, etc etc. And the Woodcraft grinder I bought at the start is still going fine with the original wheels. Each of the tools cost far less than the EWTs, and I don't have to spend money to keep them functional. For almost all the turning I do, I use two gouges and a parting tool. Total cost around 250. You can get fine tools for less than the cost of Sorbys. Packard's house brand are good tools and I prefer the ones I have to other makers. For 700 you ought to be able to get a basic set of tools and sharpening setup, and be done spending on tools. As I said earlier, I have 2 EWTs and occasionally use them. But for the final cut on the bowl or whatever, it is a gouge I use -- the cut is better.

[Reed Gray]

If you want to turn, the two must have skills you will need to develop are tool technique (how to cut the wood while it spins without blowing things up) and sharpening. There is no way to progress without these skills. Any number of tools can do the job, and there are many ways to sharpen from small 6 inch grinders that you can find at garage sales, to belt sanders equipped with metal grinding belts, to abrasive discs that you mount on the lathe. Of course, as with all our toys, you can be very frugal (cheap) or there are plenty of solutions for those who have more dollars than they do sense. Best buy set up I can recommend is the no name grinder from Woodcraft and the CBN wheels from D Way. You can learn to free hand sharpen, which is really pretty simple once you try it a few times, and that will save you the trouble and expense of buying the gouge jigs. The CBN wheels are a bit more money to put out at first, but more than pay for themselves in the longer run.

robo hippy

[Kyle Iwamoto]

My $0.02. I also got a Hunter carbide before the Easy tools came out. I have to agree with the group that the carbides should be a supplement to your "traditional" tools, and sharpening is a skill set that you need to learn. The carbides, they seem great and wonderful, but do require replacement. The Hunter replacement is 25 bucks give or take, and my gouges have years of life still in them. That is fairly stiff when I think about it. I use my Hunter, but much, much less than any of the other tools. It excels at a couple tasks, but not all. I think the OneWay Termite (not cheap either) does nearly the same job as the Hunter, and I can sharpen it.

[Mike Tilley]

Jordan
Just received an email from craft supply they now have some new tools from easy wood tools called easy start the price is below $60 they are for mid size and mini lathes check them out

[Denny Rice]

Jordan, I have several of the Easy wood tools and they work great. However, they are only one tool in your tool bag. It is really important to learn to sharpen your traditional tools. Most woodturners are afflicted with the shiney tool disease or the one tool away from excellence disease.

Couldn't of said it better.....

[Eric Gourieux]

I just received an email about Easy Start Tools at Craft Supplies. You might want to check them out.

Having said that, I'll have to agree that they have a place in turning, but you will limit yourself if they are your primary turning tool. I have just about every variation of carbide cutter tool (most are really scrapers) from Easy Wood tools, Eddie Castelin, Pro-Forme, home made, etc and have come full circle and now use one of my gouges 90% of the time.

[David DeCristoforo]

One small point to consider is that the cutters on the Hunter tools and those on the "EZ" tools are not the same animal. The Hunter cutters are cupped and are, as mentioned, very aggressive. Those on the "EZ" tools are plain flat cutters. Getting a catch with them is very unusual.

[Jordan Gilbert]

I went to my local woodcraft today after thinking about some of the stuff you guys advised me and asked some of the workers ( They are very smart and make nice stuff) . I know them and told them straight up I was buying tools offline to save tax and some cash and they didn't really care because I have spent like 2k in the last week . They all said the ewt are the best for various reason and I looked on them and I was amazed by the quality and thickness of them and I looked at them and compared them to the quality and build of the sorby tools and the sorbys looked like they were made in china . So I looked on ebay when I got home and scored 3 full size brand ewt for 289.99 2 of those tools alone cost that . I wished I would have saw the easy start tools at first , I may still order them anyway so I can do little things . I think I will be very pleased , I will let you guys know how I like them .

[Michelle Rich]

I just got an email from Craft Supplies..they have 2 on sale for 59.00 ea, they are small, but if you want to try, it's a smaller investment than you were thinking

[Terry Quiram]

Here are some of the carbide tools I have made. There is 3/8" round bar with a 6mm cutter. 1/2" square straight and bent with 8mm cutter and 5/8" straight with 10mm cutter. Also shown is a 3 point tool.

[Jordan Gilbert]

I just got an email from Craft Supplies..they have 2 on sale for 59.00 ea, they are small, but if you want to try, it's a smaller investment than you were thinking

I might buy them but I already bought 3 full size tools , the rougher , the finisher and the detailer .

[Ian James Webster]

I have all three. Would not trade them for anything. My old bowl gouges are sitting gathering dust. Obviously not the 'traditional' way of doing things but they work for me. I am very pleased with the items I've made with them, my customers don't seem to notice that I didn't use a traditional tool - and best of all - I really enjoy working with them

[Bill Boehme]

I have a couple of the EW tools, the large hollower and the finisher. They both look very "pretty" and are well built. I originally got them to finish hollowing an extremely hard post oak burl that had lots of pith along with heartwood and interrupted cuts where about 3/4 of each turn was cutting air followed by rock hard wood. Other scrapers went dull too fast to be very useful. The EW tools did much better for this job, but I wore out one cutter and half of another on this one project, making this turning rather expensive for a piece of free wood.

Now that I have heaped praise on these tools, would I use them for everything or would they rank amongst my favorites? No, I am afraid that they only see limited use from me. While they're certainly well made and more than just a one-trick-pony, for me they are relegated to a few specific tasks for which I only occasionally have a need. And, for anybody considering a carbide tipped tool, it wouldn't hurt to consider the Hunter tools as well. If you had both, I think that you would appreciate the Hunter more once getting beyond the beginners fear of a catch being only one revolution away.

My opinion is that it is all too easy to allow carbide tools to become a development limiting crutch. While using a carbide scraper can be an enjoyable turning experience, I think that it pales in comparison to the pleasurable experience of using all turning tools proficiently.

So my question to a newbie would be, "do you want to turn or just barely scrape by?" For an experienced turner, I would say that carbide tools have a place and don't "dis" them just because they are the new kid on the block.