The LCHSS8 set of lathe cutting tools from PSI is a great buy. These tools handle well, and feel balanced and evenly weighted when cutting, which is not always the case with inexpensive tools, which can sometimes be flimsy or overly light. The blades are made with high speed steel, and should be able to take a lot of punishment, though only time will tell on the final workmanship.
PSI LCHSS8 chisel set

PSI LCHSS8 chisel set

This set comes with 8 chisels included, which is nice as similar priced sets often have only 5 or 6 chisels, and the extra variety can come in very handy. These are the pieces in the set:
  • 3/16″ Parting tool
  • 5/8″ Spear scraper
  • 1″ Skew chisel
  • 5/8″ Skew chisel
  • 5/8″ round nose scraper
  • 1/2″ bowl gouge
  • 3/4″ spindle gouge
  • 7/8″ roughing gouge

The handles are 10 and 3/4 inches long, nicely turned and finished hardwood. The chisel blades all measure around 6 and 1/2 inches, which is very nice, as cheaper tools often have short blades that can be awkward to use.

The set comes in a wood box, with slots for all the chisels, which most people wouldn’t think is a big plus, but it’s actually very helpful, and keeps you from losing track of your tools. Some reviews have noted that their boxes were not well put together, but in any case it’s nicer than getting your tools in a cardboard box or a roll of bubble wrap.

The set includes enough tools, with a fairly wide range of sizes and functions that is should be to tackle a lot of jobs. It should be good for most anything you need to turn from small pens, to bowls and larger spindles.

The only complaint that I’ve seen about these tools is that they might not come as well sharpened out of the box as more expensive sets. I haven’t seen this widely reported so it’s probably just a quality control issue. It’s not a big problem in my mind, since I like to give my tools a once over before I use them in any case, but it’s something to be aware of.

Overall this set provides a nice number and range of tools at a very good price. You might pay 40$ per chisel for premium american made tools, but this set gets you a similar level of quality at a much lower price.

I don’t think there’s much you won’t be able to do with these tools, and I definitely recommend taking a look. They are available on Amazon right now with free shipping. You can see the listing below.




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