Woodturner--Les Roberts The Pen Turners Corner A Terrible Tool ...

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A Terrible Toolby Bob Heltman, CMW, AAW © 3-2012About 25 years ago, when I had a coal fired forgein my back yard, I fashioned a number of woodturningtools...and other objects. An old railroad spike was usedto make a ring cutting tool. The head was cut off first,a slight bend made, and then about 4 inches from theother end I heated and hammered an area 1/4” thick.This I ground flatter and smoother, and then, withfurther grinding, formed a very sharp and narrow tip.See Figure 1.Figure 4 shows a “store bought” ring making tool,compared to my Terrible Tool. Frankly, my tool makestinier rings with less loss of undercut wood.Figure 1. The Author’s home made tool.Figure 2 is a close-up of the metal end. Here youcan see the split handle held together with nylon cordsoaked in glue. I was in a hurry back then, a conditionlittle abated with time. FOGwood was used for thehandle (FOG = Found On Ground).Figure 4. Comparison of the Author’s tool to astore bought captive ring tool.A 1/4” spindle gouge was used to cut the sideslopes to allow clearance for the ring tool, which canbe seen in Figure 5 as cutting in from the right handside.Figure 2. Close up of the metal end.Thus ugly and embarrassing “terrible” tool has hadonly one virtue; it WORKS GREAT! Some day, probablynot soon, I ought to make a proper handle. And,next time I have my side grinder handy, and the weatherallows, I will probably grind a better tip, as shown inFigure 3. The red area would be removed.Figure 3. Closer view of tip.Figure 5. Shows the tool cutting the right side ofthe captive ring.Another option would be to heat the tip of the tooland bend the point to a more inward angle. In such acase the initial cutting would require the tool’s handleto start much farther left, and as the tool cut inward thehandle would slowly swing to the right.Page 18 More Woodturning July 2012
As in the commercial ring tool in Figure 4, thecutout in the tool could be round so the inner part, duringinitial cutting inward, would form the ring, withthe tool’s handle then swung to the right to begin undercutting.Figure 6. The photo shows the tool cutting the ringloose on the left side.Figure 6 shows the Terrible Tool having cut in fromthe left and slicing the ring free. For the purpose of thisdemonstration I did not take extra time to shape andsand the outer curvature of the ring; this photo simplyshows that Terrible Tool really does work. Sharpeningis done with straight and round diamond hones...andnot often needed.And, this tool was ideal for making a series ofdiscreet centering rings on a locust wood base made tohold statuary. The sharp point was lightly touched tothe wood, while the base was reverse chucked, makinga series of ever larger circles about 1/4” apart. SeeFigure 7. When not used as a base, and flipped over,this becomes a wide bottomed snack bowl - 2 uses forthe price of one!On a whim I inlet a 1” mirror in the center, aroundwhich I marked in my name, wood type, and date. Mostany art object displayed on this stand would cover thecenter items.Making tools can become a significant part ofwoodturning. I had a lot of fun with my anvil, hammers,tongs, and coal fired forge. Especially on a hot summer’sday one could really appreciate our forefathersworking around their forges, shoeing horses, makingbeam hooks, forming many other tools and artifacts,and building a strong America.These days, on a smaller scale, I can use my benchvise, MappGas+Oxygen torch, various hammers andpliers, and at least form or adjust tool tips. One importantpoint applies. YOU are at your own risk whenmaking and using tools. Use common sense and goforward in steps so you can see results. You are on yourown, and this author assumes no responsibility in yourcase. Such is the legal climate in which we live thesedays. Have safe fun. ??Chinese Ball ToolsI am a dealer for the Crown Chinese Ball Toolsand have an inventory of sets and extra handles onhand for immediate shipment. A set includes onehandle, four cutters, a tool to make a tapered hole,and a pamphlet written by David Springett. Theseare priced at $125.00 for each set.The handles include a wooden handle and ametal piece to attach the cutters and ride on the ball.These are priced at $40.00 each. I recommend threeadditional handles.Shipping is $5.00 in USA.Figure 7. This tool was excellent for making aseries of rings on a wooden base.Fred HolderPO Box 2168, Snohomish, WA 98291360-668-0976More Woodturning July 2012 Page 19
Page 1 and 2: Volume XVII, Number 6 July 2012 Pri
Page 3: ContentsAustrailian One Arm Woodtur
Page 6 and 7: Continued from Previous Pagement fr
Page 8 and 9: Continued from Previous PageHere ar
Page 10: Questions and Answers from the Inte
Page 13 and 14: Some of Fred and Mildred’s Pieces
Page 15 and 16: container sizes: pint ($17.95), qua
Page 17: Figure 7. This is a chart that repo
Page 21 and 22: Figure 3. This photo shows the new
Page 23 and 24: Figure 3. Carving the pattern into
Page 25 and 26: Figure 12. The sanded leaf pattern
Page 27 and 28: Mike MahoneyNew VideoTo Orderwww.bo
Page 29 and 30: More color, I believe it was black,
Page 31 and 32: Area 9 had Joe Wagner doing an on-g
Page 33 and 34: This is a close up view of the cutt
Page 35 and 36: The next demonstration that I watch
Page 37 and 38: Stuart Mortimer demonstrating the c
Page 39 and 40: The machine became available in May

Woodturner--Les Roberts The Pen Turners Corner A Terrible Tool ...

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