My Tools #1: A very Robert Sorby birthday

Everyone’s going to hate me for this, but I just fell – not literally – into a lot of new Robert Sorby turning tools. The 18th (3 days ago) was my 32 birthday (for you programmers, that’s 100000 in binary – I no longer fit in 5 bits!). Mom sent me a box of Rockler goodies from my wishlist. In typical (for my mom) fashion, she overdid the gift-giving. She’s always been very supportive of my endeavors. Thanks, mom! I’ll have to make her several nice things now to try to repay her a bit. I’ve got a lot of new stuff to try out! Hopefully I have a lot of new, or enhanced abilities now, as well.

The exciting moment:

The even more exciting moment:

One of the things I was most excited about was the Sorby Sandmaster, a circular foam sponge on a bearing to which you attach velcro sanding discs of varying grits:

This should make bowl sanding, and exterior vase and hollow-form sanding much more enjoyable, and less burny. She also got me 10-packs of 4 replaceable grit pad levels (60, 180, 240, 400):

She also got me 3 of the Sorby Spindlemasters. Here’s where I made a mistake. I put the 1/2” on my list, but I have, and have been continuously using the 1/2” already. I kept thinking I had the 1/4”. If I’d thought a bit more about it, I’d have realized. I’ll be returning that one to the store, and picking up another tool. There are 3 left on my wishlist (she really cleaned that list out!)...

1/2” (which I have and will exchange):

3/4” (excited to have a broader, stronger surface to use here):

1” (very excited – this is essentially a nice, big, solid, scraper, with extra powers):

I also got 2 Sorby micro, modular handle tool sets, including this micro Sandmaster:

And this Sorby hollowing kit with 3 different replaceable heads, great for small cups, vases, and hollow-forms:

The [unexpectedly] largest of the tools was the Sorby Hollowmaster. This will finally let me try getting up under the lip of my turnings, which opens the doors to hollow-form turnings, something I’ve been a bit eager to try! This thing must be over 2’ long. It has a replaceable tip, and comes with a pointy one installed, and a circular smoothing disc:

And just for a little color, she got me a pack of the new Rockler Bench Cookies, which steadily hold projects up off the table such that they may be finished, or even chiseled and routed without clamping:

I’ve got my wor… play cut out for me! Mom just propelled me so much farther forward in my woodworking goals than I imagined for myself by this point. It’s strange to look at the remaining wishlist items and see the pile so diminished. I mean, it’s still ridiculous – large battery charger, cabinet belt/disc sander, new miter saw, bigger, gas-powered chainsaw, replacement ROS, alaskan mill, hollow-chisel mortiser, bigger lathe, better 18” band saw (hoping for cast iron one day, instead of thin steel), and on and on, but still, this was like she took a shotgun to one big chunk of the list, especially in the turning category.

Thanks, mom!

-- Gary, Los Angeles, video game animator