I quit turning for a year or two, but just recently starting turning again. Before I took my hiatus, I'd purchased some carbide cutter tools and used them on a very limited basis for specific purposes. In coming back to my hobby and reviewing a lot of you-tube videos of others turning, as well as watching some television shows, I've noticed a fair number of people using carbide cutter tools for both spindle and bowl turning.

I'm definitely not trying to start any argument(s), don't want to list the names of the people I've seen on media turning, and I'm not about to speak negatively about carbide cutting tools or manufacturers of same, but in noticing some very experienced turners using them, it raised a question I wanted to run by others. When I returned to the lathe, I found myself increasingly picking up carbide cutting tools for different types of turning, and I had to force myself to use the regular spindle and bowl gouges to re-gain my cutting techniques. It seems it's getting to the point to where you can find a tool to create a cove, a bead, dig into end-grain, etc, just by sticking a tool against your stock, rather than having to manipulate a gouge to do the same thing.

Again, this is not meant to be a thread knocking those manufacturers who've created these new tools-only a survey to see if others feel the carbide cutting tools are causing us to lose some of our skills, or making it so much easier for us that we're losing some of our desire to use the "old gouges". So here are the questions;

1. Do you use carbide cutting tools (with replaceable cutters), spindle and bowl gouges?

2. Do you turn exclusively with roughing, spindle and bowl gouges?

3. Do you think the use of carbide cutting tools is causing us to lose some of our "craftsmanship" in creating our turnings?

4. Is it your desire (in turning) to create a pretty piece, or to increase your turning skills? These aren't always mutually exclusive, I know, but just curious to get the forums' turners to give some thoughts on the subject.

I'd be interested in any comments as well.