Dale Allen
Member
I am presenting this for the benefit of all those who may have ventured into bowl turning as well as others who may find it of interest.
I call this tool the LR30 because it presents the cutter at a 30 degree angle while having a flat on the bottom against the tool rest.
Also, it can be used pointing to the left or to the right and used on the inside and outside bowl surface.
The bar is a 3/8" hex 12L14 steel, rounded on the end and milled with a flat for a 12mm round carbide cutter. The flattened area is milled so that it is at a 30 degree angle to the flat on the opposite side.
So, when the blade is presented to the wood, it is at a 'negative rake' attitude and thus acts like a negative rake scraper. But, because it is a round cutter, it is only cutting a small area at a time. This is what several tool manufacturers are offering, but not with a hex shank. No doubt they will eventually!
The pictures below show a bowl that was roughed out and then after some work was done with the LR30. There is more work to be done on the inside before I sand it. However, there will be far less sanding needed. The rough surfaces and sanding ridges are what has kept me from turning very many bowls. Now I can do better and need less sandpaper.
One key point is that you need to go slow. You can see in the #2 image that there are very fine shavings produced. It takes many very light passes to get the rough areas worked down.
None of the images have had any sanding done.
The first area I worked on was the outer rim and it now needs very little sanding. The outside surfaces were much better afterward and will require some sanding.
This is not an all purpose tool. It can however be used other ways but it seems best suited for this task.
Also, it will not make you the 'bowl turner of the day'. It will help, I hope, if you decide to make one.
Penturning is great and I have enjoyed making them, and this may find a use there as well. Bit I realize there are methods of making pens, and other items, that cannot be reproduced with my limited resources. So, I'll never have a bowl or pen in any renowned collection. But I'll be able to make better bowls than I could before and enjoy it more. I'll be content to watch, learn and be part of the 'average' crowd.
I call this tool the LR30 because it presents the cutter at a 30 degree angle while having a flat on the bottom against the tool rest.
Also, it can be used pointing to the left or to the right and used on the inside and outside bowl surface.
The bar is a 3/8" hex 12L14 steel, rounded on the end and milled with a flat for a 12mm round carbide cutter. The flattened area is milled so that it is at a 30 degree angle to the flat on the opposite side.
So, when the blade is presented to the wood, it is at a 'negative rake' attitude and thus acts like a negative rake scraper. But, because it is a round cutter, it is only cutting a small area at a time. This is what several tool manufacturers are offering, but not with a hex shank. No doubt they will eventually!
The pictures below show a bowl that was roughed out and then after some work was done with the LR30. There is more work to be done on the inside before I sand it. However, there will be far less sanding needed. The rough surfaces and sanding ridges are what has kept me from turning very many bowls. Now I can do better and need less sandpaper.
One key point is that you need to go slow. You can see in the #2 image that there are very fine shavings produced. It takes many very light passes to get the rough areas worked down.
None of the images have had any sanding done.
The first area I worked on was the outer rim and it now needs very little sanding. The outside surfaces were much better afterward and will require some sanding.
This is not an all purpose tool. It can however be used other ways but it seems best suited for this task.
Also, it will not make you the 'bowl turner of the day'. It will help, I hope, if you decide to make one.
Penturning is great and I have enjoyed making them, and this may find a use there as well. Bit I realize there are methods of making pens, and other items, that cannot be reproduced with my limited resources. So, I'll never have a bowl or pen in any renowned collection. But I'll be able to make better bowls than I could before and enjoy it more. I'll be content to watch, learn and be part of the 'average' crowd.
