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Turning Tools???

John Terefenko

John Terefenko

Joined
Oct 7, 2009
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Does anyone make their own turning tools??? Where do you get the rod material from??? I was wanting to make a tool that I have seen before but I can not remember what it is called. Maybe someone here has made one. It looks like a pointed diamond shape. It can be used for fine detaling and has a cutting edge on both sides plus the point. If someone has one can you post a photo??? Thanks
 
If you do a forum search for [oland], you'll likely find several examples.

Basically, a round steel shank of appropriate size, with a small HSS cutter attached. The cutters are usually square cross section, 1/8", 3/16", 1/4" etc. The steel shank from any steel supplier. Cutters from Grizzly, Enco, and/or local machinery suppliers. Turn your own handle.

The cutter is usually straight on, but 45 degrees works well too for limited undercut. I use a dedicated vise-grip pliers for torque control on that.

Attachment via set screw or epoxy (set screw is easier to replace cutter). Drill and tap (all the way through) for the set screw before drilling the hole for the cutter - big oops otherwise.

Shape the end of the cutter to your heart's content. Reshape whenever desired. Replace when it gets too short.
 
Homemade tools

I make my own hand held hollowing tools for greater reach. I buy 3/4 inch cold rolled steel, drill into the end of it and CA a HSS blank that has been ground into a small scraper and turn long handles with various diameter sections to avoid grip fatigue.
 
I think you are talking about the pyramid tool.

I made my own. If you have a place that supplies metalworking tools then you can probably find some HSS toolbits. If I cant find what I am looking for locally, Wholesale Tool (www.wttool.com) usually has what I need. I've made an oland, some ellsworth hollowing tools, pyramid tool, bedan and carbide rougher like the C1 from EWT to give you a few examples. I am working on a skewchi gouge because I am skeptical of how it will work and would rather pay $5 for it than $50. Gouges can be made if you go through the trouble of contouring a grinding wheel.
 
Thanks for asking this question amd thanks MM for the citation. I've been wanting to make one of these and I would just have winged it without seeing these nice instructions.

There are several other places to get high speed steel to make tools. Enco. MSC and maybe McMaster-Carr come to mind. The mentors in our local club suggested I buy some oil hardened drill rod and I'm learning to quench and temper. Quite challenging as a beginner, but very interesting and useful.

Dean
 
I thought I posted this the other day but must have gotten interrrupted since I was at work. To grind the 3 point tool there is a very easy way. Take a hex nut that fits over the shaft (I use water hardening Drill rod because it's easy to use and no oil needed). Drill one side of the hex nut and tap it. Put a set screw in the threaded hole. Now slide the nut down the shaft to where it will ride on the tool rest of your grinder. Lock it in position. Now you simply place in on every other flat and grind that side. This gives you 3 perfect sides. If you file a flat area where the set screw goes it's easy to go back and refresh the edge and get the exact angles because the nut will go in the same place.
I sharpen my 3 point tools with a diamond hone but soon the flats get flat again (they were hollow ground from the grinder) and it takes too long to get a really sharp edge. That's when I go back to the grinder and the hex nut and flat area really pay off.
 
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