The concept of woodturning to a beginner right from the onset is that nothing is inexpensive and my guess is that 90% of beginners know what they are getting into. Nothing about this pastime is inexpensive and most of you folks know that. What most of us do know is that usually everything you by from the beginning has been replaced especially if you started on the low price end of the aisle. How many started with a lower price lathe and have upgraded as well as tools etc. How many agree that a place like this helped but also lent to a lighter wallet. Now think about what it took Mike Hunter to bring out the Korpro. First a lifetimes work in the carbide industry including staying on the cusp of what happens in the industry. I don't know what it cost to get the Korpro up and running but I'll guarantee it was not cheap! Now take a Korpro and start coring. How do you expect you'll do? Would it surprise you that you got 50 cores, or 60 cores before having to turn the cutter around? Well folks have done that and they do it with a lot less angst. I happen to know Mike Hunter and I do consider him a friend and I am quite aware of things he has done and for sure I have had no qualms about putting 4 Korpros on my four cutters. Do the Oneway cutters work? Yes they do but do they work as well as the Korpro? Not even close in my estimation. Now about Tim over there in Kiev there is not a lot I can do. I suspect that it would be pretty difficult to get something there as there is so much turmoil in country and countries around with hoops to jump through. All I know is that woodturning there with I'm sure air-raid sirens going off has to be difficult. Again I'm happy for Tim and his Dad for getting this done. And again I and I hope many of you STAND WITH UKRAINE!
I agree with the concept that this is all not inexpensive, and after a short time of working with it, you realize you made the wrong choice and should have bought something else from the start. That’s exactly what happened to us with turning tools. We spent a long time choosing and reading. We decided on an 8-piece Robert Sorby set, but after a couple of weeks of work, we realized we needed something different. In the end, we settled on tools from Carter and Son and Stu Batty, which are what we use all the time now. It’s not that Sorby tools are bad; it’s just that my father and I immediately felt they didn't sit right in the hand. I think it’s subjective.
Regarding Korpro, perhaps there is also a subjective denial of the effectiveness of carbide cutters. While exploring the world of chucks, I was very impressed by Easy Wood Tools chucks. They seemed very modern, fast, and convenient. And that’s how it turned out—the feeling didn't fail me this time. An excellent choice. However, their hollowing blades were a bit disappointing. Replaceable cutters cost a fair amount of money, but because they are round, you don't always remember how much or in which direction you rotated them. I was making small vases from oak and small roots, and to my disappointment, their lifespan was extremely short. I remember my father prepared large and small fruit tree roots. No matter how thoroughly he washed them, sand still remained. After the very first root, a brand new cutter went dull. I had to rotate it immediately. It makes you wonder if such expenses were worth it. The cutter is not cheap and is supposed to work for a long time, but under these unfortunate circumstances, it dulled instantly, leaving a subconscious feeling of disappointment. On oak blanks, the cutters work well, but for some reason, not very long either. After 8-10 medium vases, they have to be rotated. Perhaps I lack experience, but I can't even dream of one side lasting through 50 small vases. To me, that’s pure fantasy right now.
I read Robo Hippy's post from yesterday and immediately felt the truth in what he said, which I probably understood subconsciously. Looking at the picture, the square shape of those [Korpro] cutters is a bit intimidating because of the amount of material they can remove. Standard Oneway cutters remove 6 or 8 mm (I don't remember exactly), but as Robo Hippy pointed out, these remove a full 12.5 mm! That is a lot. Not every blank will allow for such heavy removal when working with the full set of 4 cutters. I looked further into his post and read about AZ Carbide products, and I immediately noticed hollowing sets somewhat similar to Korpro. On one hand, I want them; on the other, I wonder if it will be another unsuccessful experience like we had with our Easy Wood Tool. These are just my inexperienced and subjective observations, but that’s why I’m here—to clear these things up for myself.
