Thread: DIY drill bit end grain tool - any success?

100% guarantee it'll snap. Where the broken off, and quite sharp, piece ends up is anyone's guess.

Good luck!

YouTube again!!!

Following on from wP's comment we had a newbie come a cropper last week. A big lump of timber 200mm diameter in the chuck, Forstner bit shoved hard about 50mm into the other end. As he turned the lathe on he applied pressure on the forester bit. Unknown to him was that someone else had used the lather earlier and put the belt onto its fastest setting.

The thing took off like a North Korean missile. The Forstner bit (30mm) snapped off with the cutter disappearing - later found 10 metres away. Having suddenly lost anything like stability the big lump (the one on the lathe not the one using it) promptly got fed up with the whole foul jamboree and decided to make a bolt for the door, smashing into the other lump's chest on the way through.

Fortunately no harm other than bruising.

Regards,

Brian

They work well I have a made several, you need to grind a round tip on the end and depending on the dia maybe some of the land will grinding away. Breaking isnt too likely if your using HSS drill bits and a decent diameter. I generally stick to 10mm and above, in fact I think the ones I made were 12mm and 1/2". Dont forget its made out of the same steel most or your gouge are made of and

There are several grades of high-speed steels, including M1, M2 and M50 HSSs. M1 HSS drill bits are the most expensive, hardest type of HSS drill bits available. but they are brittle and can easily break or fracture if used improperly. An M2 HSS drill bit contains more molybdenum than an M1 bit, making it more flexible than an M1.

What Hughie said. Also, as with any any 'oland style tool' where you insert a cutter into the end of the shaft, you want to keep the cutter short to minimise flex & the risk of breakage.

When I first discovered oland style tools I experimented around with a variety of alternative cutters, including broken drill bits, taps and a few other items I won't admit to. I had (probably more than) my fair share of catastrophes when using 1/4"(ish) drill bits but the larger sizes seemed to work alright

I remember cursing as I tried to grind the drill bits to what I considered a usable profile, basically the same as a bowl gouge centred about the flute with the whole at a slight angle to the axis of the bit shaft. Not difficult, but fiddly as hell and if it worked AND saved me a few bucks... right?

Personally, I didn't like the asymmetry of the drill bits in use and found that they didn't cut any better than my normal hollowing tools. Eventually I gave the whole idea away.

Further experimentation may have improved things... however it's probably safe to say that the same is true for my most all of my alleged skills.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

What Hughie said. Also, as with any any 'oland style tool' where you insert a cutter into the end of the shaft, you want to keep the cutter short to minimise flex & the risk of breakage.

When I first discovered oland style tools I experimented around with a variety of alternative cutters, including broken drill bits, taps and a few other items I won't admit to. I had (probably more than) my fair share of catastrophes when using 1/4"(ish) drill bits but the larger sizes seemed to work alright

I remember cursing as I tried to grind the drill bits to what I considered a usable profile, basically the same as a bowl gouge centred about the flute with the whole at a slight angle to the axis of the bit shaft. Not difficult, but fiddly as hell and if it worked AND saved me a few bucks... right?

Personally, I didn't like the asymmetry of the drill bits in use and found that they didn't cut any better than my normal hollowing tools. Eventually I gave the whole idea away.

Further experimentation may have improved things... however it's probably safe to say that the same is true for my most all of my alleged skills.

Yeah I cant even remember where they are now.

Thanks everyone, so you think I should be looking at "normal" hollowing tools.... like this?

Carbatec 3PC Tungsten Carbide Deep Swan Neck Hollowing Woodturning Chisel Set | Carbatec

Originally Posted by Silver Capsicum

Thanks everyone, so you think I should be looking at "normal" hollowing tools.... like this?

Carbatec 3PC Tungsten Carbide Deep Swan Neck Hollowing Woodturning Chisel Set | Carbatec

If you're going to do blind turning through a small hole they are a must. You'll need to fashion up a finger guage that will allow you to determing wall thickness as you turn... Should be plenty of examples on the internet to follow. For carbatec the price seems good.

Originally Posted by Silver Capsicum

Thanks everyone, so you think I should be looking at "normal" hollowing tools.... like this?

Carbatec 3PC Tungsten Carbide Deep Swan Neck Hollowing Woodturning Chisel Set | Carbatec

yes, that scares me! though not as efficient but maybe safer, try off lathe chiselling out.

Originally Posted by Silver Capsicum

Thanks everyone, so you think I should be looking at "normal" hollowing tools.... like this?

Carbatec 3PC Tungsten Carbide Deep Swan Neck Hollowing Woodturning Chisel Set | Carbatec

What you have here is largely a scraping action, although its still a cup cutter you may find it hard to ride the bevel in order to achieve a good finish, ok its a set so its inviting to get a whole set. But maybe you're better off with something like a Pro-Forme from Woodcut, if the whole set is too dear they will sell you just the head and then you make your bar and handle. The head used to be around $80 whereas a full setup will set you back 3-4 times more.
Is it any good? Yes, I have two of them for over ten years and they are my go to bulk hollowing gear. Two because I find the adjustment a bit fiddly when going from roughing to a fine cut. The other hollower I use extensively is the Rolly Munro Wounderkut 10. The two are in IMHO some of the best hollowing tools if not the best.

Wow those Pro Formes look very smooth! I can definitely see the advantage over scraper based concepts. It's going on the list.

Originally Posted by hughie

Is it any good? Yes, I have two of them for over ten years and they are my go to bulk hollowing gear. Two because I find the adjustment a bit fiddly when going from roughing to a fine cut. The other hollower I use extensively is the Rolly Munro Wounderkut 10. The two are in IMHO some of the best hollowing tools if not the best.

Ditto.

The Pro-Forme Scraper tip is also a nice addition to those Woodcuts hollowers. It's the only scraper tip that I know of that will allows you to rotate it to whatever angle you prefer for shear scraping the inside of hollow forms, including right up under the shoulder.

CWS Store - Woodcut Pro-Forme Scraper kit