Fred in NC
Member
Well, it looks like the first few trial sets of my beading tool set have been received, so I want to post a few tips. Hopefully I will be able to post some pics of my own work with these tools soon. My photo setup needs to be assembled again.
HANDLE. The shaft of the handles is about .010" under 3/8", and has a shallow spiral groove for the glue to hang on to. The handle I made for my first tool was made from a scrap of rosewood, 7/8" square, about 8" long. I used a center drill to make a pilot hole in one end, and then I drilled a 3/8" hole (right on the lathe) about 1/2" longer than the shaft. I used a live center in the hole, and a chuck in the solid end.
After shaping the handle and putting on some finish, I turned the end with the hole, parting off about 3/8" waste at that end, and . The I parted off the end being held in the chuck. Final shaping of the ends was done with a belt sander, and put some finish on the ends. A heavy coat of wax went on the end with the hole to make gluing easier.
I used epoxy to affix the handle, making sure to remove all surplus glue.
BITS: These beading tools are actually scrapers, also known as forming tools because they cut a shape. The cutting edge is the tip of the bit, in other words, the point that sticks out. This should line up with the set screw. It is best not to leave too much of the bit sticking out from the handle, 3/4" works for me.
Being basically a scraper, the tool is used pointing down at an angle, about 30 degrees works for me. This requires the tool rest to be set a bit higher than usual. The point of contact with the barrel will be just a bit lower than the centerline. A medium lathe speed is good, scrapers produce some heat, and you don't want to burn the barrel. A light touch works great.
SHARPENING. A drawback of many shaping tools is that they cannot be re-sharpened, or that you need a special grinding stone with the proper shape. It took some experimenting to come up with a beading tool that can be re-sharpened without any special jigs.
The reason these bits can be re-sharpened is that the shape runs all the way across the end of the bit. Therefore, when you sharpen the bit and take a bit of metal off the top, the cutting shape remains the same. This means that you can sharpen and reuse these bits quite a few times before it gets too thin.
The correct way to sharpen these bits is to use a diamond stone FLAT on the top of the bit. The top is the longest side, what cuts the wood. If you don't have a diamond stone, lay some fine emery paper on a flat surface, and run the top of the bit on it. Only about 3/4" from the tip needs to be rubbed with the stone.
CARE: The tips of these bits have very fine ridges. Since all hardened steel is somewhat brittle, these fine ridges should be protected when not in use. A cap can be made from wood, plastic tube, etc. for the bit that is in the handle.
I thank the purchasers of the first few sets, and appreciate if you take the time to post your comments and pics.
ADDED 11/15/05:
There will be a few more sets this year, however, they have all been reserved for people who already emailed me. The bits have been made, and still need to be hardened. You will be notified when I am ready to ship.
The next batch after that will be made in January.
The handle for this bits can also be used for micro-turning bits. These can be plain bits that you can grind according to your needs, or specialty bits, such as for hollowing, that I will offer next year. Handles for other sized bits will also be available next year.
Thank you everyone for ordering these tools. Feel free to suggest other tools that you would like to have made.
ADDED: Pic of my latest handle. Rosewood.
Image Insert:
HANDLE. The shaft of the handles is about .010" under 3/8", and has a shallow spiral groove for the glue to hang on to. The handle I made for my first tool was made from a scrap of rosewood, 7/8" square, about 8" long. I used a center drill to make a pilot hole in one end, and then I drilled a 3/8" hole (right on the lathe) about 1/2" longer than the shaft. I used a live center in the hole, and a chuck in the solid end.
After shaping the handle and putting on some finish, I turned the end with the hole, parting off about 3/8" waste at that end, and . The I parted off the end being held in the chuck. Final shaping of the ends was done with a belt sander, and put some finish on the ends. A heavy coat of wax went on the end with the hole to make gluing easier.
I used epoxy to affix the handle, making sure to remove all surplus glue.
BITS: These beading tools are actually scrapers, also known as forming tools because they cut a shape. The cutting edge is the tip of the bit, in other words, the point that sticks out. This should line up with the set screw. It is best not to leave too much of the bit sticking out from the handle, 3/4" works for me.
Being basically a scraper, the tool is used pointing down at an angle, about 30 degrees works for me. This requires the tool rest to be set a bit higher than usual. The point of contact with the barrel will be just a bit lower than the centerline. A medium lathe speed is good, scrapers produce some heat, and you don't want to burn the barrel. A light touch works great.
SHARPENING. A drawback of many shaping tools is that they cannot be re-sharpened, or that you need a special grinding stone with the proper shape. It took some experimenting to come up with a beading tool that can be re-sharpened without any special jigs.
The reason these bits can be re-sharpened is that the shape runs all the way across the end of the bit. Therefore, when you sharpen the bit and take a bit of metal off the top, the cutting shape remains the same. This means that you can sharpen and reuse these bits quite a few times before it gets too thin.
The correct way to sharpen these bits is to use a diamond stone FLAT on the top of the bit. The top is the longest side, what cuts the wood. If you don't have a diamond stone, lay some fine emery paper on a flat surface, and run the top of the bit on it. Only about 3/4" from the tip needs to be rubbed with the stone.
CARE: The tips of these bits have very fine ridges. Since all hardened steel is somewhat brittle, these fine ridges should be protected when not in use. A cap can be made from wood, plastic tube, etc. for the bit that is in the handle.
I thank the purchasers of the first few sets, and appreciate if you take the time to post your comments and pics.
ADDED 11/15/05:
There will be a few more sets this year, however, they have all been reserved for people who already emailed me. The bits have been made, and still need to be hardened. You will be notified when I am ready to ship.
The next batch after that will be made in January.
The handle for this bits can also be used for micro-turning bits. These can be plain bits that you can grind according to your needs, or specialty bits, such as for hollowing, that I will offer next year. Handles for other sized bits will also be available next year.
Thank you everyone for ordering these tools. Feel free to suggest other tools that you would like to have made.
ADDED: Pic of my latest handle. Rosewood.
Image Insert:
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