Thoughts on carbide tools

[martin.pearson]

Since discovering that cross cut blanks showed the wood in a different way I have been cutting nearly all my blanks this way or at 45 degrees, problem doing this is that I now seem to be spending more time sharpening my gouge than actually turning lol, some woods like Oak seem to dull the edge very quickly & the other drawback is that the sharpening wheel doesn't stay flat so more trueing up required.

So the question is would buying a carbide tipped gouge be a good idea just to use for roughing down the blanks. Not looking to buy a set of carbide tools but just one spindle gougle which is what I use to rough them down just now.

As usual I look to you experts for advice lol

 

[nimrod]

I make my own it's a lot cheaper than buying them


Robin

 

[DaveP]

+ 1 with Robin....

Buy a cutter, a length of bar or rod then file / drill & tap, make a handle and bobs your uncle with a saving of many £.

If you only want to use 1 tool, then I would recommend a round cutter .... as its kinda the most versatile for both roughing and finishing, when dull just rotate it a bit...
the good news is that its simple to resharpen them.

However I would advise a smaller cutter (12mm) for pens than for turning larger lumps of wood (16mm), but its not the size that's important

 

[Lons]

Hi Martin

You probably won't be surprised that I don't like them much :wink:

I do have a couple of home made ones and use them occasionally, usually for very light cuts on hard plastic or corian and rarely for wood. I find that my roughing gouge copes very well and a skew chisel even better with little or no tear out.

Expensive, but if you can run to it I'd get a proedge which you never need to true up and is easy to use taking only seconds to touch up an edge. Axminster have just introduced a similar machine but don't know what it's like.

Plenty of posts on the forum.

 

[martin.pearson]

Thanks for the replies, hadn't really thought about making one but shouldn't really be to much of a problem for me, 20 years in the RN as an engineer, trained as a fitter/turner so if I can't remember enough to do a simple job like that I have more problems than I thought lol, not sure if I have round bar but easy enough to pick up, have files, taps dies etc & lots of suitable machine & cap screws, lots of bits of wood to make a handle which just leaves the round tips, will buy 12mm as advised.
Still very new to hand turning so my handle might not be the smartest but if it does the job its good enough for me lol

Bob I asked about sharpening in another post & the proedge was mentioned in that, bit out of my price range to be honest & I already have a sharpening systen that works so don't really want to have to buy another one if I don't need to. I tend to rough the blanks down with a spindle gouge & then just clean them up really with the skew, don't have the experience to use the skew from start to finish lol.

 

[DaveP]

P.S Easy sharpening of carbide cutter bits ..

P.P.S .. There are many ways to skin a cat (so the cat told me, and here's just one)

 

[martin.pearson]

Thanks DaveP will have a look at both of those

 

[21William]

There is a big difference between the flat carbide inserts and the cupped ones. Both work well provided you know what to expect. The flat ones work more like scrapers whilst the cupped ones work more like gouges. HSS is about 65 Rockwell hardness and I think carbide is about 95 so its great for roughing out. The straight shank tools are very easy to make if you have the right tools, I’ve made quite a few for myself and friends. This is a good place to get the inserts:

Replacement Carbide Cutters

He sells most inserts apart from the 6mm & 8mm diameter cupped inserts but you can get those on eBay. If you decide to make your own tools have a look at some of the manufacturers tools before cutting any metal.

Hunter Tool Systems | Carbide Woodturning Tool
https://hopewoodturning.co.uk/tools-handles/hope-carbide-cutting-tools/?p=1
Products << Easy Wood Tools

The cupped inserts are generally not presented flat to the work as they can be too aggressive. This means mounting the insert at an angle on the tool or tilting the tool when you use it. Some folks use ordinary Pozidrive screws for mounting the cutters but I much prefer using proper Torx Insert screws whenever possible.

These are some I made a while back.

 

[Lons]

Thanks for the replies, hadn't really thought about making one but shouldn't really be to much of a problem for me, 20 years in the RN as an engineer, trained as a fitter/turner so if I can't remember enough to do a simple job like that I have more problems than I thought lol, not sure if I have round bar but easy enough to pick up, have files, taps dies etc & lots of suitable machine & cap screws, lots of bits of wood to make a handle which just leaves the round tips, will buy 12mm as advised.
Still very new to hand turning so my handle might not be the smartest but if it does the job its good enough for me lol

Bob I asked about sharpening in another post & the proedge was mentioned in that, bit out of my price range to be honest & I already have a sharpening systen that works so don't really want to have to buy another one if I don't need to. I tend to rough the blanks down with a spindle gouge & then just clean them up really with the skew, don't have the experience to use the skew from start to finish lol.

Yep a proedge is a lot of money for what it is, I got mine s/h which saved a little and was lucky that Grump who used was a member here kindly picked it up and posted on for me. If you tried one though it's pretty certain you'll be lusting after it.

I often do just use a skew start to finish Martin but probably too lazy to swap tools . As you probably know you can get a nice polished finish from the skew as the bevel burnishes the wood and minimises sanding. It's just practice! You'll already have found that crosscut means end grain which is prone to tear out and a carbide tipped tool is just a scraper. There are turners here who use little else but carbide tools and produce some excellent work.

 

[Penpal]

For me the use of Carbide cutters is both convenient and essential in some circumstances,particularly when using plastics and super hard timbers. Disregard the initial cost if you are unable or unwilling to make the extra tools. Amortise the conveniences and advantages over time. I use two vehicles one made in 1999 and the other in 2001 ,both give excellent service and convenience with features that suit us and our independant lifestyle, and immediate availability. I only use the square Carbide cutters since I mostly make pens it was invaluable when I made the pen from Ancient Wooly Mammoth Tooth and the Jawbone from an Alligator etc.Circuit board pens are tedious without the carbide cutter.

Peter.

 

[wm460]

I use both carbide and HHS, but for pens I like my 1/2" skew.

 

[Dibbs]

Hi Martin

... Axminster have just introduced a similar machine but don't know what it's like...

I've just had a look at that. It looks OK and they do a variable speed version. I would love my proedge to be variable speed. It would allow me to trim the ends of pen blanks on it a bit more safely. The pro-edge is too fast and it's too easy to burn them. I don't like barrel trimmers either so I face them off on my metal lathe.

 

[Paul hd]

There is a big difference between the flat carbide inserts and the cupped ones. Both work well provided you know what to expect. The flat ones work more like scrapers whilst the cupped ones work more like gouges. HSS is about 65 Rockwell hardness and I think carbide is about 95 so its great for roughing out. The straight shank tools are very easy to make if you have the right tools, I’ve made quite a few for myself and friends. This is a good place to get the inserts:

Replacement Carbide Cutters

He sells most inserts apart from the 6mm & 8mm diameter cupped inserts but you can get those on eBay. If you decide to make your own tools have a look at some of the manufacturers tools before cutting any metal.

Hunter Tool Systems | Carbide Woodturning Tool
https://hopewoodturning.co.uk/tools-handles/hope-carbide-cutting-tools/?p=1
Products << Easy Wood Tools

The cupped inserts are generally not presented flat to the work as they can be too aggressive. This means mounting the insert at an angle on the tool or tilting the tool when you use it. Some folks use ordinary Pozidrive screws for mounting the cutters but I much prefer using proper Torx Insert screws whenever possible.

These are some I made a while back.

I must say William, you make a fine looking tool.

 

[21William]

Thanks, a few more for you. A 9mm flat and a couple of 6mm cupped hollowing tools.

 

[wm460]

I must say William, you make a fine looking tool.

Just to make the rest of us jealous.

 

[Paul hd]

Thanks, a few more for you. A 9mm flat and a couple of 6mm cupped hollowing tools.

Very nice. On the 6mm straight tool, do you taper the bar or do you buy it like that?

 

[21William]

It’s just turned on the lathe Paul, it started out as a 1/2” stainless rod.

Round shank tools are good if you need to vary the angle of the insert as you work. Square shank tools are more stable though, say for flat inserts.

If you look at this tool the bar is nice and flat for stability but the 8mm cupped inserts has been set at an angle to help prevent catches. Click on the picture for a closer look:

https://hopewoodturning.co.uk/tools...utting-tools/103/8mm-heavy-duty-straight?c=11

Hope use a variety of inserts both flat and cupped.

One of the easiest tools to make, and it works great for basic hollowing, uses the 9mm flat insert. I’ve made several of these for friends. The 9mm flat inserts are also quick and easy to resharpen on a diamond hone.

 

[21William]

A mate wanted to use both flat and cupped 12mm cutters so I made this for him on a hexagonal bar.