Question about Carbide tipped tools

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Jon-wx5nco

Jon-wx5nco

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Oct 29, 2009
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Tulsa
All,
Last week I received a carbide tipped tool for my b-day.
(http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080216/28282/Ci1-Easy-Rougher-wEasy-Grip-Handle.aspx) I used it yesterday (Sunday) to make some pens. I did a leather wallstreet 3 and it worked wonderfully. I then made some acrylic cigar pens. I noticed REAL QUICK that the tool and the blank got hot. I've turned acrylic before and I have had the tool nor the blank getting hot like the ones I did yesterday. My question is, have any of you used the carbide tipped tools to turn acrylic? If so, did you notice any heat?
Thanks
Jon
 
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You can melt acrylic with a paper towel and plastic polish,first hand knowledge.
When I use my easyrougher, I only use about a third of the cutter or less,
but mostly use a skew for pens.
 
I was turning some Alumilite the other day using a carbide tip tool. I felt the ribbons coming off were pretty warm when they hit my hand. It didn't seem to affect the turning but I have never noticed that before.
 
It is normal for the cutter and blank to get warm to down right hot . You are scraping the tool against the work which generates allot of heat due to friction . With most acrylics this won't be too much of a problem but with some it can cause the plastic to melt instead of cut . There really is no way to avoid this other then to let the tool cool off every so often .
These tools , as the name of this one implies are for roughing cuts . For finishing cuts a sharp skew still can't be beat . A shearing cut will always be cleaner then a scraping cut .
 
"Shape" of the carbide inserts will affect how "hot" or how "cool" the tool performs. THe square inserts generate "more" heat than say a "round" insert. Carbide run best at high RPM's and as such generates greater heat. You can turn down your RPM speed and thereby run "cooler".

From a personal standpoint I prefer turning down "plastic" blanks with a round carbide insert since it performs better on this type of blank. Antler and very hardwoods I use the 15mm square inserts. YMMV.
 
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