Crown PRO-PM

Re: Crown PRO-PM

Joel Hunnicutt

>I have the 3/8 bowl gouge and like it a lot. I think it is a good value.

Re: Crown PRO-PM

John Trant (Baltimore/DC area)

>I have their large bowl gouge and their 3/8" detail gouge. I like them alot and prefer them over the Sorby tools.

John

Re: Crown PRO-PM

Dick Parr

>I have the 1/2" bowl gouge and love it. It is really a work horse. That is about all I will buy from now on.

Dick In Knoxville

Re: Crown PRO-PM

Brad Vietje

>I have a 3/8" detail gouge and I like it a lot.

I'm always the stick in the mud that points out that the increased edge life is only of value if you don't have an easy, quick, and reproducible way to sharpen your tools. I don't think you gain much by sharpening less often, unless you are a production turner, wherein time is money. I think you gain more by sharpening more often, and learning to do so in a way that doesn't grind up all that tool steel, and removes just the slightest bit of steel. Just one fella's opinion, and hey, opinions are like belly buttons -- everyone's got one, but nobody knows what its good for !

Safe Spinning,

Brad Vietje

Thetford, VT

Re: Crown PRO-PM

jeff jilg

>I have 2 of the large PRO-PM gouges. They do indeed last longer. I like the flute design over flute designs from other companies.

I somewhat agree with Brad, but how long you want your edges to last is up to you. I do a lot of woodturning. I sharpen both gouges at one time and then use one until dull, then I use the other. Saves sharpening trips.

Another thing to consider is if you turn real hard woods. I do, and the longer wearing edges help.

Re: Crown PRO-PM

Gary Evans, Tallassee, TN

>I agree, Dick. When I bought mine, I had no frame of reference. It was the first tool I bought. I have found nothing wrong with it at all. Like John T, I prefer it to the Sorby gouges that I have bought subsequently.

Gary

Re: Crown PRO-PM

Mike Rubes, Apex, NC

>Hi Chris,

I have a Crown PRO-PM and a regular Crown 3/8 spindle gouge. They are both my "go to" tools and I use them on every piece I turn. To be honest, I can tell that the PM keeps its edge a bit longer, but I find that the greatest benefit over the regular Crown is the longer handle. It really lets you snug the tool up to your body and I find I get a smoother, more uniform cut with it than the shorter handled tool.

Insofar as the price, given how long either one of these tools will last, $20-$30 more for a tool seems pretty trivial to me when you spread that money out over the lifetime of the tool.

Good luck,

Let us know what you decide!!

Mike

Re: Crown PRO-PM

Don Henthorn

>I have th 3/8" bowl gouge but have used it very little. What grind is most preferred for the 3/8"gouge?

Re: Crown PRO-PM

MP Wall

>I use mainly P&N tools, but have the 3/8 bowl gouge as it was my first bowl gouge. I use it for finer finish, and tighter situations than the 1/2 P&N bowl gouge that is my work horse. I like the sharpness and the duration of the edge in the pro-pm and the shape of the trough in the gouge. It takes an Ellsworth style grind very well and is very useful in a shear scraping mode with that grind on it. MP Wall

Re: Crown PRO-PM

John K Jordan

>Same here, I have a number of these and the gouges are probably my favorites.

JKJ in East TN

Re: Crown PRO-PM

Pat Mulligan

>They are great tools.Hold an edge really well and have nice handles.I use a 1/2" bowl for rough turning and a 1/2" spindle for roughing and spindle work.You won't regret buying these.

Re: Crown PRO-PM

Mike Schwing from Md.

>I bought their "Ellsworth gouge" a while back - the 5/8" superflute. It holds an edge well, BUT, the "Ellsworth" profile that was ground on it out of the box was horrible. It barely, if at all, resembled the profile David Ellsworth puts on his gouges. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it was a worthless grind, too pointy at the tip and flat wings. I had the thought that they should be embarrassed with themselves for calling that an Ellsworth gouge. But the tool steel is just fine, regardless of the factory grind.

Re: Crown PRO-PM

Bruce Wiseman

>I was told by a rival tool rep that the Powdered metal tools have a crystalize structure and will fracture or break off if you drop them onto a concrete floor. This may be just sour grapes as his company did not make any powdered metal tools. Any one have any experience with this? I can't imagine they would be delicate and no one mention that.

Re: Crown PRO-PM

jeff jilg

>Alright Bruce, I confess that in fact I've dropped the ProPM gouges on the floor more than once. So far no chipping, but maybe a bit of cussing. The cussing is because usually it means I have to touch up the edge on the grinder.

Hasn't happened in the last 2 months because I put down more foam floor padding to make turning easier on my feet.

Also like the others I have found that 120grit on the grinder sharpens best. But if you use a jig you're only dressing the surface anyhow. I like the 120 grit also on the M2 tools...just dressing the previously shaped surface.