Easy Wood cutters

[Jeff Eckrich]

I am collecting Easy Wood carbide cutters at an alarming rate.
Is there any easy way to put a new edge on them?
Thanks ,
Jeff

 

[Gary Chapman]

Use a diamond sharpening stone and lay the cutting side dow and using a circular motion, rub around in circles a lot of times. Wholla---sharp Gary

 

[Jeff Gilfor]

You can do that a few times, but I find that they are not as sharp afterwards. I wonder if the "nano coating" has been sharpened off.

You know, you can buy replacement blades (non-EWT brand) at a relatively low cost on-line. Search for "carbide woodturning inserts". Several suppliers have them. Carbide depot has some of the Thompson tool type carbide inserts for about $5 a piece (the cup-shaped ones that actually cut, rather than scrape). Alternatively, Eddie Castelin sells 'em pretty cheap as well. Lastly, Harrison Specialties (http://www.harrisonspecialties.com/...GY&Store_Code=HS&Category_Code=Cutters_Screws) sells them cheap as well.

 

[Harry Robinette]

Doug doesn't make a carbide tool.

 

[Bill Boehme]

You can do that a few times, but I find that they are not as sharp afterwards.....

That is because the wear occurs on both the top and the tapered side of the cutter. The wear makes the corner rounded and sharpening the top only addresses half of the problem.

There is no "nano coating". The tungsten carbide used in the composite matrix consists of super fine particle sizes (or to use the current popular buzzword, nano -- meaning 10⁻⁹).

 

[hockenbery]

I am collecting Easy Wood carbide cutters at an alarming rate.
Is there any easy way to put a new edge on them?
Thanks ,
Jeff

In one of my past jobs companies wanted to give us printers just so we would buy their ink.
Not quite the same but a gouge can be sharpened and sharpened and sharpened.
The carbide tips have to be replaced. I use a few of them but sparingly.

If you are turning a lot you might want to spend the time to master spindle and bowl gouges.
With a good teacher the basics take a couple of hours.

Gouges are pleasurable to use and leave a great tool surface.
Scrapers have their place and every turner needs them for one job or another.
I just find the gouge is easier on the body, faster in removing material, and leaves a cleaner surface.
Sort of a win win win.

However there are places where a gouge won't out perform a scraper.

Have fun,
Al

 

[Owen Lowe]

That is because the wear occurs on both the top and the tapered side of the cutter. The wear makes the corner rounded and sharpening the top only addresses half of the problem.

I suppose two ways to truly sharpen the cutter would be to: hone the top edge enough that it is abraded below the unsharp roundedness of the side; or, if one could securely spin it in the lathe or another machine, a diamond "stone" could be used on the side taper to remove the roundedness directly.

At $10-$20 a pop, I'd certainly give it a go!

 

[Bill Boehme]

In one of my past jobs companies wanted to give us printers just so we would buy their ink.......

I've been pushing a similar idea about woodturning -- if, after intense examination and rehab treatment, and being officially certified as being a hopelessly incorrigible woodturner, that person should be issued a lathe free of charge for therapeutic purposes on the condition that the afflicted person use it regularly and purchase every tool and accessory ever conceived thereby keeping their suppliers gainfully employed.

I've been holding up my end of the deal by buying every tool, accessory, and gadget that comes down the pike, but I am still awaiting the free lathe.

 

[Jeff Gilfor]

Oops. Mea culpa. I meant Hunter not Thompson. I somehow always get them confused in my brain. I think it has something to do with my remembering reading Hunter Thompson (the journalist/writer).

 

[Paul M. Kaplowitz]

Carbide Cutters

I use the Easy Wood Tool to rough out very large bowls( 22" +) and will use up a cutter per bowl. At $14 a bit this was not doable. I was in a local cabinet shop and noticed that the same cutters were used in the spiral heads in there planing machines. They sold me 100 cutters for $2.50 each. Check your local wood working places and see what they can do for you.

 

[Bob D]

Source for cutters

I have found http://globaltooling.bizhosting.com/products/carbide-insert-knives.html to be a good source for square cutters. Very reasonable in boxes of ten. Haven't been able to determine which size will fit the round or diamond tools. If you can figure it out I would love to know.

 

[jschnell1203]

Munro Tools has a sharpening jig for his cutters. I might make something like this to use in a drill and use a diamond card or maybe even my CBN wheels.

http://www.woodworkersguide.com/2009/04/16/the-rolly-munro-articulated-hollower/

http://www.rollymunro.co.nz/index.html

 

[jschnell1203]

Here is a video showing how it works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_xhE9dxavo

 

[Andy Chen]

Carbide Inserts

I have found http://globaltooling.bizhosting.com/products/carbide-insert-knives.html to be a good source for square cutters. Very reasonable in boxes of ten. Haven't been able to determine which size will fit the round or diamond tools. If you can figure it out I would love to know.

Bob, I ordered a box of ten "square" cutters from them about a year ago for my home made scraper (just a 1/2" square bar with a notch on the tip ground on a bench grinder to receive the cutters). I was happy with their service: ease to order online, promptness in delivery. I ordered "For "Byrd" Shelix ® Journal (Helical) Heads -- 15mm x 15mm x 2.5mm - 4-edge - Radius Faces 100mm face radius - 15mm x 15mm x 2.5mm. Fits "Byrd" Shelix ® Heads - Byrd Ref. P/N 1791212 (Priced per knife, sold in boxes of 10.) Knives marked with 'BT' ". I wish I had ordered the item two lines above, 15mm x 15mm x 2.5mm - Square Corners - 4-edge, 15mm Length x 15mm Width x 2.5mm Thick - Sq Corner 4-edge Carbide Insert - (Priced per knife, sold in boxes of 10.) because I don't like the radius edge. (At the time I ordered, I don't think they showed the pictures in detail, thought.)

I also ordered some screws just in case they needed some sort of special type of screws like Hunter cutters, only to find out that they are just standard 10-32 but with Torx head.

I hope this information helps.

 

[john lucas]

Well Like Al I'm a firm believer in the bowl gouge. I've used my Thompson 1/2" V gouge for almost every project I've done in the last 2 years I've owned that tool and I've only ground off 1" or so. It cuts cleaner and requires less sanding of the work.
That being said I have an Easywoodtool. I seldom use it. It works OK for rough scraping but it seemed like it lost it's edge fairly quickly and now doesn't work worth a darn for shear scraping. I use a diamond hone to sharpen it, It's one of the square (actually a large radius edge) cutters. The round cutters can be easily sharpened by simply building a jig that fits on the drill press.
I use my Hunter tools quite a bit more. Unlike the Easywoodtools they can't be sharpened. I tried a bunch of different techniques. However they hold an edge for a very long time and even when the edge gets chipped they still cut like crazy just not with as little effort as a fresh tool. I often use them for finishing cuts on woods that give me trouble with the bowl gouge.

 

[Scott Austin]

I have to agree with al and john. I have a 1/2 crown pro bowl gouge that I use for everything. I've even become comfortable with using it in a lot of spindle work. That gouge does 75% of my work. I used a easy tool in a class once just playing around and I believe with a little practice you can do the same or better with gouged and scrapers and you can sharpen all you want. I guess a lot of it is personal preference.

 

[MichaelMouse]

I use my Hunter tools quite a bit more. Unlike the Easywoodtools they can't be sharpened. I tried a bunch of different techniques. However they hold an edge for a very long time and even when the edge gets chipped they still cut like crazy just not with as little effort as a fresh tool. I often use them for finishing cuts on woods that give me trouble with the bowl gouge.

I wonder if the particle size of the nano carbide isn't smaller than the 800 diamond paddles I use on router bit faces. The process of making the cutter is like sintering a bearing, so particle size and sharpness limit is predetermined. http://www.todaysmachiningworld.com/how-it-works-–-making-tungsten-carbide-cutting-tools/

Note there are tools which are effectively "nano-coated" as well. Like those golden bits at the Borg.

 

[john lucas]

MM I tried some very fine grit polishing wheels I got from Rio Grande jewelry supply houses. Like you I just thought it needed finer grit than my 1200 grit diamond hones. I simply could not get it to polish up without chipping the edge.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I wonder if the particle size of the nano carbide isn't smaller than the 800 diamond paddles I use on router bit faces. The process of making the cutter is like sintering a bearing, so particle size and sharpness limit is predetermined. http://www.todaysmachiningworld.com/how-it-works-–-making-tungsten-carbide-cutting-tools/

Note there are tools which are effectively "nano-coated" as well. Like those golden bits at the Borg.

Very good point to think about. I doubt that the actual cutting edge qualifies as nano -- just the tungsten carbide particles. However, smaller particles do mean that the edge can be sharper than a cutter with large particles. Whatever diamond grit we have is probably not good enough.

I don't know what they call the Titanium Nitride coating other than over-priced. I read that it is several micrometers thick on twist drills so maybe it hasn't been invited to the nano club. I have not heard anything lately about the Sorby tools with the TiN coating. I had a hard time accepting any worthwhile benefit of the coating being only on the channel side of the cutting edge of a gouge. I am still awaiting the TiN skew.

 

[Andy Chen]

TiN

I am still awaiting the TiN skew.

As is so often the case, these discussions get sidetracked but I'll join the crowd here. Bill, I agree with you that TiN coating is over-priced and I presume you meant TiN-coated skew here, not solid TiN. If that's the case, I wouldn't waste my money on one when they come out. I had always been skeptical about TiN-coated drill bits and thus never wanted to waste my hard-earned money just to proof that they are worthless. A couple of months ago, a friend kindly loaned me one for a special project that involved drilling low-carbon soft steel. The coating all but disappeared (except in the flutes) even before I finished that project. On the other hand, I have some regular twist drill bits that I have had for over 30 years, and the black oxide coating is still on most of them. As far as I am concerned, that TiN coating on any cutting tool is just a hype.

 

[Bill Boehme]

.... and I presume you meant TiN-coated skew here, not solid TiN. ......

It was just an absurd comment based on my thoughts about the value of TiN coatings. If a gouge with a TiN coating on only one edge is beneficial then how about a TiN coated tool where neither bevel is coated (skew)?

 

[Sandy Jarrell]

Bill, it's kind of like gold rims on your ride; don't make it any faster, but they make you look soooo good in it.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Oh yeah, I forgot about the bling-bling effect.

 

[Jeff Eckrich]

Easy Woodcutters

It was just posted that these threads can get off message.
If this thread gets anymore off message we will be talking about meat loaf recipes.
By the way I tried a 1200 diamond stone and it's not as good as a new cutter but it will do for roughing out.
Thanks to those of you who kept on message.
Jeff

 

[Bill Boehme]

That is what can happen if the OP decides to not be an active participant in his own thread. Folks start to figure that it was just a "drive by". Glad you returned to at least acknowledge the on-topic replies.

 

[Don Thur]

Nano Grade carbide cutters

One could also look at Nano Grade cutters at www.knotsburls.com/kilian .

Don Thur

 

[Bill Boehme]

Munro Tools has a sharpening jig for his cutters. ....

The jig might be for the HSS cutters. In the past year or two, he has also had carbide cutters. The jig and diamond "stones" might work on carbide. I could not tell from the video if the cutters were HSS or carbide.