Robert Sorby gouge

[Steve68]

I've been making my own tool handles today as I have ordered some HSS steel to make some skew, scrapers and a few knives.
My Sorby 1/2" gouge was pretty much ground to a nub so I thought I'd remove the tang from the handle and insert a new chisel. I never really looked closely before but the ferrule wasn't a complete , it was just a thin piece of brass wrapped around the handle with a little pin dent to hold it in place. It pretty much fell off. Then I tried to remove the tang....now as you've all gathered I'm no expert on woodturning, tools, lathes etc but I didn't expect a Sorby HSS steel chisel to break so easily. It was literally like breaking a piece of cheese. The handle was very, very cheap wood and I'm now wondering why I paid so much for it or if it was a knock off????

Am I expecting too much? Is HSS steel easy to snap?

I honestly thought the handle would break before a steel tang especially as the handle was so light and cheap feeling. But a few wiggles and the metal snapped as easy as a twig.
Looking forward to making my own tools even more now.

 

[pittswood]

Hi Steven,
High speed steel grades generally display high hardness (above HRC60) and abrasion resistance. It is superior to the older high-carbon steel tools used extensively through the 1940s in that it can withstand higher temperatures without losing its temper (hardness). This property allows High Speed Steel to cut faster than high carbon steel, hence the name high-speed steel.
I, in 37 years of an engineer, never had a tool steel piece break, only if it got hot, hence cooling liquid. It may have been a fault in the heat treatment at the time of making up of the different steel compounds.
Kelvin

 

[Penpal]

Hi Steve strangest experience I have heard from this Companies products. Some of my prized tools were not even Tool Steel but held a good edge and are strong as. Yes you have a weird one alright,completely out of character with the brand.Definately wrongly branded mate.Somewhere along the way I used to check steel at the grinder by the colour and sparks resulting while sharpening. Its not too late to look up the details and check your old chisel.

Peter.

 

[wm460]

Isn't RS chisel handles made from ash?
They use to make lances out of ash for the pommy army till they discovered bamboo in the India.

 

[21William]

Yes I think RS handles are Ash. If it’s old and dried out though it will get brittle like any wood. Ferrules are just thin tubes of metal to prevent the handle splitting, they will get loose if the handle dries out. More than one of my ferrules is now held in place with Epoxy. HSS is not easy to snap as far as I know.

 

[Steve68]

I just re-read my first post and I missed out a word I meant to say the ferrule wasn't a complete ring. It was an extremely thin strip of brass that was wrapped around the handle and the ends didn't even meet.
Thinking about it, the chisel itself never held an edge for long and needed constant sharpening even when turning wooden pen blanks. I have a feeling I was done over by an ebay seller who's buying cheap tools, knocking a brass button on the end of the handle and branding them with the Sorby name. If I'm wrong it's put me off buying another gouge. My Sorby skew is tough as nails.

 

[Dalboy]

This sound like a bit of a lemon as all of the sorby tools that I have are of good quality. The brass should be a complete ring. If you paid by paypal I would start an refund as it is not as described if it was stated as being a robert sorby chisel. And if they insist on it being returned after you get money back tell them to pay for the return postage up front.

Have you still got the auction number

 

[Steve68]

I bought it quite a while back, probably around June. I have nothing to return now apart from a few broken bits of steel which are somewhere in the wheelie bin, and a handle with no ferrule. I reckon this is a "learn your lesson" situation and put it down to experience.

I've just bought an Axminster gouge to see how it fares. Anyone else use their tools? I'm not expecting miracles but it can't be any worse than what I just threw away

 

[Gadget-UK]

I have a couple of the Axminster Gouges and to be honest they are not that bad.
They work well, sharpen nicely and seem to be lasting (had them over a year now) and were not that bad on price

 

[AllenN]

I have quite a few Robert Sorby tools and all my handles are ash even the old ones. None of them have ferrules such as you describe and I have never has any problem with the steel, they have always been excellent. I have to say I fear you have a fake.

 

[Phil Dart]

It's looking increasingly more like someone on eBay ripped you off Stephen. My own experience of Sorby gouges are that they are extremely good, although I did once have a spindle gouge from them that didn't seem to want to holds it's edge. At the time I was turning a lot, and I sharpened away the gouge in about two months. In fairness to Sorby, when I told them the problem they replaced it without hesitation. It's the only instance of a problem I've ever had with a Sorby tool, and I've certainly never had one break on me.