hollowing tool W.I.P

[mike s]

im using 1/2" mild steel round bar for the body of the tool. the length of the bar on this tool is 40cm.

10-12cm down from the top i used a club hammer to make the first bend

the first bend done

the second bend done

the handle ferrule is 22mm copper pipe, i cut off an inch long section

i dont currently have any nice wood big enough so for this handle i used pine

turned to round

fixing the ferrule

turning done. i copied the easywoodtool handle, only time will tell if i like to turn with it or not.

next there was the problem of drilling a straight hole down the handle
i did this by putting the drill chuck in the lathe with a 12mm drill bit and pretty much put the handle between centres while turning the tailstock handle to drive the handle into the turning drill bit
as the tailstock is supporting the handle on the point it was turned on, the hole is directly down the centre of the handle. (or near enough)

the drilled hole. a few mm less than the 1/2" stock so it is a very tight fit

the completed handle

i forgot to take photos of the drilling
the hss tips im using will be 1/4" so i drilled a 1/4" hole about 3cm down the tip of the tool and tapped a set screw to hold the tip in place

the holes and set screw, the end of the steel is a bit battered from the hammering it took when bending

the finished tool
when the hss rod arrives i will cut a 1" section off, sharpen it to the profile i want and then put it into the tool and crank down on the set screw


thanks to silverbirch, jason, chas and others for the tips and advice i needed when making this tool.

 

[paulm]

Looks like a good job Mike.

If you drill the handle blank first, before turning, and use the hole to centre on the lathe, you're pretty much guaranteed to have it central when you're finished.

Look forwards to see'ing the finished article and your first hollow forms from it !

Cheers, Paul

 

[jasonB]

when the hss rod arrives i will cut a 1" section off, sharpen it to the profile i want and then put it into the tool and crank down on the set screw

Sharpen it first then cut off as it gives more to get hold of.

J

 

[mike s]

ok will do
what would i do without you?

 

[Philip Streeting]

Mike,
My undertstanding of hollowing tools requires that the cutting tip on curved stems to be inline with the straight part of the stem. This one appears to me to be back from centre and may cause issues. Others more experienced in hollowing and tool making may well be able to offer better advice or descriptions.

Philip

 

[Philip Streeting]

Oops! Having looked again I can see there is no cutting tip present so ingnore my previous comment.

On your questions about carbide tips if you want to experiment take a close look at existing tools on the market and at both the type and the way cutters are angled on the stems. The angle/s used to 'set' the cutter can have a significant effect on how or if they cut when used with wood. I am having success with round cutters but finding them at reasonable cost, is difficult. Generally speaking you have to buy them in 10's from suppliers so experimenting can be expensive.

Philip

 

[mike s]

heres another tool i made today

i put a wooden skewer in the hole to show the angle the cutter will be facing (hss cutters are in the post)

im leaving the set screw long until the hss rod comes

i am aware the cutter cutter cant stick out too far away from the tool or it will twist so this tool will be used for opening up the hole for the bigger tool

 

[tinytim1458]

I was just thinking could you also grind a flat on there and then use the hardened tips that you can replace.
Thanks Tim

 

[mike s]

a few days ago i posted a thread asking about the flat replaceable cutters but they are too expensive for a tight git like me so im using round and square hss bar instead.

 

[Ron Rutter]

I have two tools I made using 5/8 square keysteel & 1/4" x4"long HSS. drilled the hole straight in & 3" deep. The bars slip out of the handle for easy sharpening. If the handle is fixed, just loosen setscrew & remove bit to sharpen. One bit has a relief on top at tip. I am going to flatten the side of the other end of one bar & drill at the angle to make an angled cutting tool using a shorter piece of bit.They work great. Ron