Thread: Making your own pseudo-Oland tool

Thanks for the ego booster Ern, but Rodent is the bloke who got me started on 'em.

Just a couple of other minor hints:

If you sharpen both ends of the HSS bit it's a good idea to poke a small bit of rubber, wood, etc. inside the end of the bar to act as a buffer.

Square HSS stock will fit inside a suitably sized round hole quite nicely; the grub screw will hold it in position. So, within reason, you can use whatever HSS bits you have at hand.

An alternative bar can be made by gluing (I recommend expanding foam glue... I forget it's "proper" name. ) a square rod inside a square tube. Sadly, you can only find matching ID & OD in imperial stock. (ie. happy hunting!) Square tube is too thin for a grub-screw, but it's a simple matter to braze a nut on the outside.


FWIW, I use the rounded profile in scraper mode for hogging out end-grain very, very quickly. Bevel rubbing it gives a cleaner cut for finishing, but can be difficult to finesse around tight curves.

Ern,

Nice one. have built a few mainly using round stock HSS, only because I have a fair amount of it. But square is the better option as you get sharp edges along the length. Then you only need to sharpen the end. With the round I have to grind alot more steel away to get the same effect.

I agree with Skews comments re grub screws, used 20mm round bar [see pics].Never tried tube too much hassle with wall thickness.

I like the idea of the rubber stop inside the bar for double ended tools, good tip

Ah, many thanks.

Re tip no 1, will find a bit of neoprene to pack the socket bottom.

Re matching imperial squares, yeah, they think I'm peculiar already at the local steel supplies place.

Jeff ... hope you're reading this.

I glued the 5/16" rod into the shaft but didn't have the preferred Selley's Superglue type - shock resistant, good for metal, blah blah - so used 5 min epoxy. Same deal; just heat it up to remove the bit.

Jeff, why not bring down an outside shaped lidded box and with the tutoring talent down at 's for the turn-on I reckon you'll come back stoked about what one of these puppies can do with hollowing.

Watching.

Damn, Hughie types quicker than me ... so read mine b4 his ;-}

Yeah, Jeff's spare handle has a half inch socket (non-adjustable) so that limited the design choices. Well, he gets to try the two bits and if the shafts just dropped into the handle do turn in use a T-bar style of 2ndary handle using vise grips should sort it.

Hmm, that's a neat setup you have there.

Something else I've been wanting to try is to make one with the bar drilled out to around 12mm. That'll take an 8mm sq. HSS bit (I think - I really should double-check the maths) and it's a simple matter to turn brass/copper collets to fit smaller stock.

Oh... and one other thing. When using larger dia. round bars, such as 20+ mm, it's a good idea to bevel/round over the end edge so that it doesn't mar the timber in case of accidental contact. I've a big beast that works well if I only have around 8mm of the HSS tip exposed and I rub the bevel of the bar when doing final cuts!

Yoiks!

You're a braver man than me Gunga Din.

I'm pretty sure I mentioned this in another thread about Oland tools, but can't find it now, of course: Best to drill and tap for the grub screw, then drill for the cutter. Otherwise, the walls flex while tapping so as to encourage tap breakage - learned the hard way. Threading all the way through allows switching the grub screw to the other side when/if the threads become hosed.

For the offset cutter a little like hughie's first pic (except for grub screw orientation), I use a small vise-grip pliers for a torque control handle. Easy to relocate along the shank.

'pseudo' seems like splitting hairs to me regarding scraping vs bevel rubbing. IIRC, Oland intended these to be DIY for those interested.

Just in case it isn't obvious, sharpening both ends of the cutter reduces the number of trips to the grinder. I use a short piece of shank to hold the cutter for sharpening (reduces the amount of space needed for swinging); when not sharpening, I store the Allen screw in the short shank so it's easier to find. (Flat head machine screw in the short shank).

Joe

Thanks Joe. Yes, I recall your post on this.

As it happens my drill press shaft is sloppy and the hole in the mounting shaft usually ends up uncentred. Not a good look but in this case it left enough meat on the thick side to do a good tapped hole.

As for 'cutting' vs scraping with this kind of tool, I do think it's more than hair splitting as the applications, technique and finish vary.

This type of tool is the only thing I use but the purists who spend mega$ for high end tools scowl at them for some reason. I don't understand how a $150 tool can work any better just because it has a label attached. I can purchase the square HSS tool bits for $2.85 each and oil hardening 12mm drill rod for $11.00 per 1M length. I use fish tank tubing for handles just to make it a bit larger.
I'm going to steal a couple of the ideas shown here.

Originally Posted by oldiephred

.... I don't understand how a $150 tool can work any better just because it has a label attached. ....

I agree with most of what you said except this bit.

There is something about my Henry Taylor HS1 Super Flute HS1 that makes it better than tools the same shape made by somebody else at half the price.

It might be superstitious but I also reckon that the one I bought about 16 years ago is better than the one I bought last year.

There is something different in the steel.

I have also noticed the same thing with Sorby steel, the older stuff is better.

And IMO a bowl gouge is a far better tool for bowl turning than a scraper.

So here's one of the shafts fitted to Jeff's spare Rougher handle.

To give him a chance to switch between the two tools I've fitted grub screws through the ferrule on both sides, following Joe's advice to drill right through in one go. The screws only sit in the wood (I couldn't source a length that would also sit in the ferrule without an ugly overhang) which I reinforced with several applications of Loktite. That also means the screws shouldn't disappear into the shavings.

The Rougher handle btw is a very nicely finished bit of kit. This one's the dyed Maple.

(Added: the fixing method described here is only meant to be temp, til Jeff decides which tool he prefers. I'm not sure how long it would last. The socket is 75mm deep, the wood is presumably Maple, but at some point the forces will open up the socket. Any case, when Jeff's made his choice he can just epoxy the shaft in.)

The pressure appears to be on. Will a novice turner like me measure up? I hope so.

Ern is bringing the new play things to the next turn-on, oops, mini-turnfest, so I guess I'd better bring some good and not-so-good blanks down to turn. Some unseasoned 4 by 4 redgum, plus some rock hard stuff. And maybe some soft pine to get started.

I am of course hoping that some of the leading hands give me a fair demonstration first on end-grain hollowing. Starting of course with Ern, followed by and DJ.

Failing that, I guess I'll send some lumps spinning out of the chuck. Lord knows I'm getting good at it.

Aside from some trepidation, really looking forward to the new tools! It's such a shame that Ern likes a decent red, as there's not much in the way of decent wineries up this way. At least if I look north!

Jeff