Carbon Steel Pole Turning Tools

Foot-powered lathes are back! Pole, treadle, and every other style of person-powered lathes are experiencing a big resurgence. But this exciting news means that turners need tools that are specifically designed to work with non-electric lathes. Foot-powered lathes rotate at a much lower speed than your typical electric lathe, which enables you to turn more safely, with new effects, and at a calmer pace. With slower turning speeds you won’t need the heat resistance that regular HSS has, but you will need incredible sharpness – the kind you can get with traditional carbon steel tools. Carbon steel tools are also far easier to sharpen in the field and forest – important if you’re setting up your pole lathe away from the power mains.

In conjunction with a group of eminent English pole turners, Ashley Iles has created a basic set of tools, all of carbon steel, designed especially for manually powered lathes. Tony Iles hand-finishes each and every turning tool himself and is proud that every tool is shipped with its surfaces ground and edges broken. These are tools that will feel wonderful in the hand, with a heft makes them feel very solid – a real aid in turning. All the tools are shipped sharp and ready to use, although we fully expect many of you to customize the grinds to your particular working methods.

High carbon steel, with 9″ beech handles. For more information on Ashley Iles – tools in the old tradition, Click here. All Ashley Iles Tools are made in England.

Note: These tools, like all turning tools, have no shoulder on the tangs and therefore can’t double up as carving tools.