Thread: Easywood tools

Originally Posted by clarky

Hi I have a couple of easywood carbide cutting tools. I use the square shaped cutter all of the time with a lot of success, but can’t use the round cutter without getting a catch.
Any suggestions?

What are you turning, spindles or cross grain work, like bowls?

If bowls then they make a round tipped tool specifically for that called a bowl gouge.

With the bevel rubbing a bowl gouge is far less likely to give you a catch.

Bowls at the moment, I mostly use suitable bowl gouges. I find the square
carbide cutter tool is good for removing the rough stuff, just wondering why I can’t use the round cutter.

Clarky, is the tool horizontal to the tool rest?

With the tool horizontal, and perpendicular to the job, turn the cutter 45° to the left. This will give the effect of "Shear" scraping and if you are gentle and allow the tool to do the work, minimise catches.

Don't just stick it into the wood and try to remove huge hunks at a time, the wood will win and the tool will break, DAMIKT!

I will try that, thanks

+1 for what Pat said!

There is only one professional bowl turner that I know of that roughs down bowls in full scraping mode. He is a big chap... and I'm not... so it is not for me, but everyone to their own!

Here he is using big scrapers to green turn a bowl...

robo hippy turns a bowl with scrapers - YouTube

Occasionally I have to get out a carbide tipped tool to remove dirt filled bark from a blank and stones in root balls. That saves the good steel in my BGs, but I don't enjoy using it and I put it away as soon as I can and get back to my clean cutting BGs.

However, most of us do use fine finishing shear scraping cuts and they are quite a different thing altogether!