Carbide barrel trimmers???

[jttheclockman]

I saw the thread on barrel trimmers and it got me thinking.

At one time there was a member here Nolan who use to take HSS cutter and turn them into carbide cutters. At that time I bought 2 from him and have used them ever since but it seems I lost one some time ago ( have no idea where it is) Does anyone still make them or can you buy a 4 or 6 blade carbide cutter anywhere?? They are the only trimmers I would use.

 

[thewishman]

chrisk was working on a new source in Europe. I got to test a few last fall, but I don't know what happened after the rest of the testers were done.

I wish we could just find out where Nolan had them done. I am afraid of my trimmer getting damaged and losing the use of it.

 

[Paul in OKC]

One of those things on my bucket list of things to try to make, some day.............

 

[wood-of-1kind]

I have a "diamond" tipped trimmer that was converted from the original HSS frame. It cost just under $100 CAD to convert to diamond trimmer but it "slices" through pen blanks like nothing else. It is however fragile, must be careful not to drop the trimmer on the hard pavement.:wink:

 

[sschering]

Is this any different than the carbide trimmers sold by woodcraft or penn state?


never mind.. I see we are talking about 4 blade trimmers.

 

[jttheclockman]

Is this any different than the carbide trimmers sold by woodcraft or penn state?


never mind.. I see we are talking about 4 blade trimmers.

Yes world of difference.

 

[Fish30114]

Heck JT, I would jump on the wagon if you could find a source for these--is there any outfit that would put carbide onto one of the steel ones--or fakey carbide ones from Woodcraft?

 

[jttheclockman]

Heck JT, I would jump on the wagon if you could find a source for these--is there any outfit that would put carbide onto one of the steel ones--or fakey carbide ones from Woodcraft?

That is what Nolan used to do. You send him as many steel ones as you had and he would convert them.

 

[lwalper]

I've converted over to a lathe-mounted sanding disk. Much better than barrel trimmers for squaring the end of the blank.

Glue a nut appropriate to your lathe spindle on the back of a piece of wood. Mount that on your lathe and face it off flat. Stick a bit of sandpaper on that disk and you've got a sander that is square with the tailstock. Now, mount your blank in a 3-jaw chuck in the tailstock and you can easily square the blank without fear of tearing it up with a barrel trimmer.

 

[jttheclockman]

I've converted over to a lathe-mounted sanding disk. Much better than barrel trimmers for squaring the end of the blank.

Glue a nut appropriate to your lathe spindle on the back of a piece of wood. Mount that on your lathe and face it off flat. Stick a bit of sandpaper on that disk and you've got a sander that is square with the tailstock. Now, mount your blank in a 3-jaw chuck in the tailstock and you can easily square the blank without fear of tearing it up with a barrel trimmer.

I have a sand operation on my lathe also but a carbide trimmer does a great job getting down to the point where you do not have to sand so much especially when doing braiding blanks as I make.