barrel trimmers

[dachemist]

I bought the barrel trimmer set (with the differnt sizes of shafts) from PSI a number of months ago and bought the 3rd replacement cutter head for it a week or so ago. I tried the new cutter today and it cut no better than the dull ones I already had (and helped dull by trying to sharpen them). I also noticed that the shaft wiggles some in the tube which makes me think that the cutter head isn't square with the tube and blank. Is it worth the (considerably) extra money to by the individual components from CS or AS? The "Apprentice" trimmer set that CS sells looks just like the one I bought from PSI (same price too). I'm assuming it's safe to say it is a lower quality than the separate componants since to buy the individual pieces would cost approximately twice as much as the kit for the same pieces (minus the 8 mm metal sleeve).

I'm thinking of investing the higher quality trimmer parts if they are worth it. I don't want to keep buying cheap replacement cutter heads for the PSI trimmer (they're around $20 a shot with S&H).

Thank you.

Mike

 

[JimGo]

Mike,
If I recall correctly, Paul in OK was offering to sharpen barrel trimmers for about $5 each, and several people have used him and been very happy with the results. That might be a better investment than trying one of the other trimmers.

You can also check out this thread:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=7891&SearchTerms=sharpen,barrel,trimmer

 

[KenV]

Much of the import tools have a crude edge on them. Sharpening by a pro with the right gear can make a dud into a good performer. You can move up to really high quality for about $50 plus shipping with a cobalt steel counter bore, but those are so sharp that they are a danger.

 

[dachemist]

I'm planning to contact Paul at some point but I figured with the holiday it would be faster to order a new one for the time being. I'm trying to solve some "out of round" issues (still not sure I'm using the term correctly) that were the subject of a previous post of mine. I recieved a number of good tips from the group that I hadn't seen when I searched the archives. However in order to try them I needed a sharp barrel trimmer to continue with the process.

I also re-read the link you included Jim, and this time I kept reading until I understood what was being discussed. I touched up the new trimmer head with a diamond file and it did indeed cut better after that. Unfortunately all was still not well. I took a close look at the trimmed portion and saw it was not trimmed consistently around the tube. In some spots the wood was flush with the top of the tube and in other spots the wood was higher than the top of the tube. No matter how much I continued to trim (I'm sure I ended up going to far) there was no noticable change in the cut surface. I'm thinking this may be part, if not all, of my problem. At that point I looked a little closer at the drill I had the trimmer in. It's a cordless Black & Decker, not the highest end model, and I noticed the chuck has a disticnt wobble to it. I've also tried using barrel trimmers in my HF drill press (which I also suspect has a wobble) with the same result.

I'm at a loss for what to try next.

Mike

 

[Thumbs]

<b>Mike</b>, have you rotated the blank 90 and/or 180 degrees when you're trimming. Keeping the blank at the same height and fixing the drill quill extension locked to the same length.

FWIW.

<b>Edit:</b>
BTW, I would recommend/endorse <b>Paul in OKC</b> as well; having gotten one of his centering vises, I can say the quality of his work is simply outstanding![]

 

[Thumbs]

Mike, one other thought, I was thinking that if you paid more for the other set, you'd just be paying more for the same thing. However, nobody has ever done a comparison on these things(that I'm aware of), so......?

So if you do go ahead and buy another set, please let us know hopw they really do compare! Thanks![}][]

 

[HuskyDriver]

I noticed my shaft wiggled alittle also. I then noticed that the flat area on the shaft has to be aligned between the jaws of the chuck to stop the wiggle. Worked for me.

Greg

 

[Trapshooter]

I started with the PSI kit and also sharpened it myself with diamond files. I have recently purchased trimmer heads from CSA and AZ that seem to be similar. I seem to notice a better cut and finish from the latter. The PSI kit has a larger pilot shaft than the CSA and AZ and one setscrew. The CSA and AZ have two setscrews and a better fit into the cutter head. I have just bought the 7mm pilot and have made bushings from bakelite material I had from work. That works for me. I will continue with the CSA and AZ cutters and outsource their sharpening to proffesionals.

 

[Mikey]

I had also made tons of pens with the cheap barrel trimmer, but mine came from Woodcraft. To me, the ones they sell are big POSs. Last week, because of the need to make several large pens (expensive) I broke down and bought the precision trimmer from CSUSA. The head was $20 and I bought 4 different size shafts with it to start. All I can say is WOW! Super sharp, accurate, and simple to use. I already tossed the crappy one I had been using.

 

[Paul in OKC]

Originally posted by JimGo
<br />Mike,
If I recall correctly, Paul in OK was offering to sharpen barrel trimmers for about $5 each, and several people have used him and been very happy with the results. That might be a better investment than trying one of the other trimmers.

I still do. Price is $10 for the first, $5 each for any additional ones. Will also do a couple of drill bits if you want to send them with the mills.