# 2nd homemade lathe tool



## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

The other day I posted a thread about my first homemade lathe tool. Here's the second. I used the first to do the handle on the 2nd, which is a little bit nicer piece of cocobolo. Again, no finish, just cocobolo turned with the first tool and then burnished with the shavings. I didn't burnish or polish the ferrul so the copper looks pretty crappy. This one was glued up but didn't have to be split open like I did on the first one because after I turned it just drilled a round hole for the tang.

This one uses round bar stock instead of square bar stock because I want to try one of each, but the round bar stock (3/8") was a little skinny to take the screw so the machinist welded on a square piece to take the tip and this works really well.

This one has the sharp-cornered insert instead of the "radius corner" insert I showed on the other one. I bought 10 of each for $1.20 each from Global and counting the $20 I paid the machinist for his help, I figure the pair of them cost me about $40 and I just LOVE the way the first one works and have every expectation of loving this one as well. A full breakdown of the costs was given with the first one.

Based on a direct comparison by a fellow on a turning forum I'm on, the savings on the inserts (over the $13+ to $15 that you can pay for better ones) is really only about 2 to 1 since they don't last as long. He also states that they don't cut as well, but I've found that they give a very fine-surface cut when the tip edge is fresh and a better-than-roughing cut even when it starts to dull.

I haven't used the 2nd one yet so don't have a comparison for the feel of the square shank vs the round shank.

Paul


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

Paul you may have stated in your first post but I didn't see it. What did you use for the copper? It looks like a cooper sleeve from water line.

Oh thanks for the update on the quality/value of the different cutters.


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

Yep, it was in the first post ... just a cheap pipe coupler (about $1 at the hardware store) that was about 2" long and got me both ferrules.

Paul


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Another good looking tool. Your handles really stand out in my opinion. How's the weld holding up to the force of the cut?


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

ACP said:


> Another good looking tool. Your handles really stand out in my opinion. How's the weld holding up to the force of the cut?


Thanks. The weld is rock solid near as I can tell, and I've had a couple of catches that tested it. I WAS at that time using the tool when it was just a steel shank w/ the rip but no handle, so when there was a catch, there probably wasn't as much force on the weld as there will be when I'm holding onto the handle about 12" further back from the tool rest, but I don't expect to see any difference.


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