"A COURSE IN WOOD TURNING"
By ARCHIE S. MILTON,OTTO K. WOHLERS
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.- Introduction
CHAPTER II. - The Lathe
CHAPTER III. - Wood Turning Tools
CHAPTER IV. - Spindle Turning
CHAPTER V. - Tool Processes in Spindle Turning
CHAPTER VI.- Oval Turning
CHAPTER VII. - Duplicate Turning
CHAPTER VIII - Finishing and Polishing
CHAPTER IX - Face-Plate and Chuck Turning
CHAPTER X - Tool Processes in Face-Plate and Chuck Turning
CHAPTER XI - Spiral Turning
WOOD TURNING TOOLS
A wood turning kit should consist of one each of the following tools.
Fig. 2 shows the general shape of these tools.
1¼" Gouge
¾" Gouge
½" Gouge
¼" Gouge
1¼" Skew
¾" Skew
½" Skew
¼" Skew
⅛" Parting Tool
½" Round Nose
¼" Round Nose
½" Square Nose
¼" Square Nose
½" Spear Point
½" Right Skew
½" Left Skew
Slip Stone with round edges
6" Outside Calipers
6" Inside Calipers
8" Dividers
12" Rule
½ pt. Oil Can
Bench Brush
GRINDING AND WHETTING TURNING TOOLS
Skew Chisel
The skew chisel is sharpened equally on both sides On this tool the
cutting edge should form an angle of about 20° with one of the edges.
The skew is used in cutting both to the right and to the left, and
therefore, must be beveled on both sides. The length of the bevel should
equal about twice the thickness of the chisel at the point where it is
sharpened. In grinding the bevel, the chisel must be held so that the
cutting edge will be parallel to the axis of the emery wheel. The wheel
should be about 6" in diameter as this will leave the bevel slightly
hollow ground. Cool the chisel in water occasionally when using a dry
emery. Otherwise the wheel will burn the chisel, taking out the temper;
the metal will be soft and the edge will not stand up. Care should be
exercised that the same bevel is kept so that it will be uniformly
hollow ground. The rough edge left by the emery wheel should be whetted
off with a slip stone by holding the chisel on the flat side of the
stone so that the toe and heel of the bevel are equally in contact with
it. Rub first on one side and then on the other. The wire edge is thus
worn off quickly as there is no metal to be worn away in the middle of
the bevels. The chisel is sharp when the edge, which may be tested by drawing it over the thumb nail, is smooth and will take hold evenly
along its entire length. If any wire edge remains it should be whetted
again.
Fig. 2. - Lathe Tools
Gouge
The gouge used in wood turning is beveled on the outside and is ground
so that the nose is approximately semi-circular in shape. The tool is a
combination of the round nose chisel and the ordinary gouge. The bevel
should extend well around to the ends so that the cutting edge extends
to each side. This is necessary to avoid the abrupt corners which would
be present if the nose were left straight across as in the ordinary
wood-working gouge. In making shearing cuts the round nose permits the
tool to be rolled to the side to avoid scraping the work. The length of
the bevel should be about twice the thickness of the blade at the point
where the sharpening begins.
The sharpening of a gouge for turning is rather difficult for the
average student. The ordinary gouge which has a square nose may be
beveled by merely turning it half way around and back again. In working
out the round nose of a gouge for wood turning, it is necessary that the
handle be swung from one side to the other while, at the same time, the
chisel is revolved to cut the bevel evenly. It is sometimes necessary to
allow some pupils to use the side of the emery wheel in sharpening the
gouge. This kind of grinding, however, does not leave the tool hollow
ground as when the face of the wheel is used.
To complete the sharpening the rough edge is worked smooth on a slip
stone, the cross section of which is wedge-shaped and the edges of which
are rounded. The toe and heel of the beveled side of the gouge are
brought into contact with the flat side of the stone. As the sharpening
proceeds the wire edge is worked to the inside of the gouge. The rounded
edge of the stone is then placed inside the gouge and is worked back and
forth until the rough edge disappears. Great care must be taken not to
bevel the inside of the gouge when whetting with the round edges of the
stone, as the result will be the same as with an ordinary chisel or
plane bit.
Parting Tool
The parting tool is sharpened on both sides. This tool differs from the
ordinary chisel in that it is between ⅝" and ¾" thick and only about
⅛" wide at the widest point, which is in the center of its entire
length. The bevels must meet exactly at the center, or the widest
point, and should make an angle of about 50° with each other. If the
bevels do not meet at the widest point the tool will not clear, and the
sides will rub against the revolving stock; the tool will be burned and
will thus lose its temper. The bevel should be hollow ground slightly as
then comparatively little metal need be removed when whetting.
Scraping Tools
The round nose, square nose, spear point, right skew and left skew are
scraping tools, used chiefly in pattern work and sometimes in face-plate
work. They are sharpened on one side only, and the bevel is about twice
the thickness of the chisel at the point where sharpened. These tools
should be slightly hollow ground to facilitate the whetting. Scraping
tools become dull quite easily as their edges are in contact with the
wood almost at right angles. After sharpening, the edges of these tools
may be turned with a burnisher or the broad side of a skew chisel in the
same manner that the edge of a cabinet scraper is turned though not
nearly to so great a degree. This will help to keep the tool sharp for,
as the edge wears off, the tool sharpens itself to a certain extent. The
chisel is of harder material than a cabinet scraper so that it will not
stand a great amount of turning over on the edge. Small pieces will be
broken out, unless a flat surface is rubbed against the edge at a more
acute angle than was used in the whetting. If a narrow burnisher is
used, pieces are more likely to be broken out from the sharp edge and
thus make the tool useless.
