New toolmaker (new to me)

[Dan Moerman]

I recently ran across info regarding "Hurricane woodturning tools." Comparing similar tools between Hurricane and Sorby, the most obvious difference is cost; the Hurricane is about a third the cost of a Sorby. Googling, I find very little info about the company. Does anyone know where they are made, and by whom?

cheers, Dan.

 

[Jamie Straw]

I recently ran across info regarding "Hurricane woodturning tools." Comparing similar tools between Hurricane and Sorby, the most obvious difference is cost; the Hurricane is about a third the cost of a Sorby. Googling, I find very little info about the company. Does anyone know where they are made, and by whom?

cheers, Dan.

Don't know where or by whom, but last year I did buy their 1" skew. Looked like it was made by a high school shop student. Grind was awful, skid marks over both faces, and inserted in handle quite off center. Who knows how good the metal is given the bad machining.

 

[odie]

Don't know where or by whom, but last year I did buy their 1" skew. Looked like it was made by a high school shop student. Grind was awful, skid marks over both faces, and inserted in handle quite off center. Who knows how good the metal is given the bad machining.

Wow.....that doesn't sound good!

I've bought a few off-brand tools, and all are usable, but the main difference seems to be the edge holding ability of the steels used. Specifically, some of the Woodcraft tools named Wood River and another that escapes my memory at the moment, but is no longer available. These are made with steels from China, and the quality seems to vary quite a bit. It's a gamble.

For cost saving purposes, one brand I've come to like is the Artisan brand from CSUSA. These are the same Henry Taylor tools, but without the factory polishing. The polishing means nothing to me, since I do my own polishing of lathe tools. Polishing is an enhancement for the ability to slide on your tool rest.

This is what is said about the Artisian tools:

Artisan® woodturning tools provide an economical alternative to other more expensive high-speed steel tools without sacrificing quality or performance. Though not as highly polished as standard Henry Taylor tools, Artisan® tools are made of the same top quality heat-treated M2 high-speed steel and premium ash handles as standard Henry Taylor tools, but at a lower price.

 

[Roger Chandler]

Hurricane tools are sold by Steve Fulgoni at the Woodturners Store in New York. I have two Hurricane chucks in my arsenal of chucks- an HTC-125 and an HTC-100 and both are fine pieces of equipment. I also have two of their CBN wheels, a 180 grit and an 80 grit on my Grinder. I had a 180 grit D-Way CBN wheel, and liked it very much.........these Hurricane wheels are every bit as good, and you can get them direct bore size for the arbor you have on your grinder and not have to use a bushing, which is all the better.

I do not own any of their gouges at this point, but numerous turners who have used the bowl gouges speak very highly of them over on SMC. I would encourage everyone here not to make a judgment based on one post. I have no interest in Hurricane products other than I am an experienced turner and a satisfied customer with the products I have gotten from The Woodturners Store, and Steve, the owner is a turner himself and has been good to do business with.

 

[Jamie Straw]

Hurricane tools are sold by Steve Fulgoni at the Woodturners Store in New York. I have two Hurricane chucks in my arsenal of chucks- an HTC-125 and an HTC-100 and both are fine pieces of equipment. I also have two of their CBN wheels, a 180 grit and an 80 grit on my Grinder. I had a 180 grit D-Way CBN wheel, and liked it very much.........these Hurricane wheels are every bit as good, and you can get them direct bore size for the arbor you have on your grinder and not have to use a bushing, which is all the better.

I do not own any of their gouges at this point, but numerous turners who have used the bowl gouges speak very highly of them over on SMC. I would encourage everyone here not to make a judgment based on one post. I have no interest in Hurricane products other than I am an experienced turner and a satisfied customer with the products I have gotten from The Woodturners Store, and Steve, the owner is a turner himself and has been good to do business with.

Roger, I've heard good things about their chucks also, and the chucks from PSI. I think if I were needing a chuck on a tight budget, I'd certainly consider them, even though I've had bad experiences with both. If, today, I were to receive a tool that was as bad as the aforementioned skew, I'd take it up with the company. At the time, I didn't realize how messed up it was. I've talked to at least one turner in our club who's been happy with their gouges, after a great deal of shaping and sharpening (which isn't unusual with most tools).

 

[Dean Center]

I have purchased a 3 piece set of the Hurricane bowl gouges. They are very similar to the Penn State tools: Made in China, M2 steel, shortish handles, but overall functional tools which I use as niche tools. (i.e. every once in a while you want a tool ground differently than your usual to do something that doesn't come up every day) They have a flute shape similar to Doug Thompson's. I don't know if the steel is comparable to European M2 turning tools, but the sharpness lasts about 1/3 as long as my Crown PM tools and about 1/2 the duration of my Thompson gouges.

The one caveat I would offer is that the ferrules are smaller diameter than comparable European tools and there's not much wood between the tool steel and the ferrule.

 

[Mike Johnson]

I have several of Hurricane's HSS turning tools and they seem to keep their edge about the same as my Sorby tools.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

I have a large SRG, skew and detail gouge. No issues with the business end at all. I usually replace handles anyway so it isn't a factor for me.

I bought them on Amazon. Never had heard of them and looked at reviews which were mixed. But I've been pleased. They take and hold an edge well.

By comparison, I mostly buy Thompson and Crown PM. Last Crown I bought was a skew. I sent it back because there were issues with the steel itself. I had to send a photo to get an RMA and when they received it, issued it without delay. I was truly afraid of that tool. Striated surface looked like metal fatigue accident waiting to happen.

Point being it can happen to anyone. But it never should have made it past QC. and it cost what all three of my Hurricane tools.

 

[Zach LaPerriere]

I bought a few Hurricane tools from Amazon almost two years ago when I first started to get serious about turning. It was an upgrade for me from some old high carbon Record tools, and I was blown away by the difference. I haven't touched the Hurricanes in well over a year. When I went to Crown PM gouges, I was blown away again. Then I started using Thompson tools this last March, and I was further blown away.

My conclusion: you are getting exactly what you pay for. That said, the Hurricane tools are cheap and pretty good steel, though short and with wimpy handles, as already mentioned. For turners on a budget, they'll do the job well—though I would recommend investigating Odie's suggestion of the Artisan Line from Craft Supply first.