Micro Tools

[minis4meau]

Hi All, Thanks for a great site. I am a newcomer to woodturning with a serious problem. (I guess that takes in 95% of all woodturners depending on your point of view) All you macho guys out there please hold the chuckles. Problem being how do I beg, borrow, steal or preferably make tools smaller than my Henry Taylor miniature set. We are talking half inch or smaller inside diameter bowls. I work in 1/12th scale so wine goblets become pretty small items. I am very aware of the safety aspect but surely because of the limited size and my little Carbatec Lathe there should be a method of making what I need economically and safely.
Any miniature woodturners out there (whoops, sorry, woodturners of miniatures out there) to send out the lifeline?
Otherwise having a great time!!
Barbara

[ubeaut]

G'day Barbara - Welcome to the BB. The size of work you are talking about means that in most instances the safety aspect of making your own tools is not an issue.

I have some made from masonary nails, they work well, the plain end of small drill bits work very well and I have even seen the ribs from an umberella used. You really don't need gouges for this kind of work. A couple of skew chisels and some good sharp scrapers will do pretty well all you need.

If you can get your hands on some old dental probes you will have the best thing going they are very strong and sharpen to a razor keen edge.

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers - Neil http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

[Sir Stinkalot]

Hey,
I have an article on this issue that I was reading the other day. I will have a hunt around. I have a feeling that the guy was turning small items of wood and bone with modified allen keys. I will have a search around.

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May the stink be with you :)

[Sir Stinkalot]

Found it already http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif
Thank God for the kitchen table. (yet to be replaced)
I found the article in a book called:
Intermediate Woodturning Projects
The Best From Woodturning Magazine.
The author of the article is John Berkeley.
He is using Crown Micro turning tools, modified allen keys and even bent and ground piano wire.
Its 3 pages so I will try to scan and email.

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May the stink be with you :)

[minis4meau]

Thanks fellas, Looks like I have plenty of scope to improvise. Had heard about the allen keys somewhere. Others sound promising. Would appreciate a copy of that article by John Berkeley if you can manage it.
Any other pointers would be much appreciated.
When I get my act together I will post photos. Most impressed so far with a wood with the strange name of dead finish. Can this be for real? Has a lovely red blush on the side of the vase at the most prominent point and the range of colour in the rest is a treat. Love it.
Thanks again. Barbara

[ubeaut]

G'day Barbara - This will probably mean nothing to you as it does me but there are 3 trees with that common name.
Dead Finish - Acacia tetragonophilia http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/eek.gif (sounds like some kind of disease you really don't want to catch.
Dead Finish - Eucalyptus cloeziane http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/biggrin.gif Ah.. a Greek godess maybe.
Dead-finish - Albizia basaltica http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/confused.gif Hmmmm... I guess it grows amongst the rocks.

By the way. I think you will find it is called Dead Finish because of the flat dead looking finish you get on the wood. Nice stuff to use though.

Cheers - Neil http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

[lacewood]

When no other trees will grow, Dead Finish thrives, in the most inhospitable places.It is a very prickly small tree/shrub in the inland, larger in other areas. There are grasslands, forest areas and DEAD FINISH.

When you have a block of land with more thickets of Dead Finish than anything else - it's a "dead finish" !! http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/eek.gif