Anyone Here Making Round Steel Tool Rests?

"buck" wrote: (clip)Anybody around here fabricating them by welding round stock? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I use one on my Stubby, which I made by welding two pieces of 1" rod in an L shape. I made the legs of the L unequal, so I can insert either leg in the banjo, and use the other as the rest. It is very easy to swing the rest either right or left, so I have a compact rest which doubles as a long rest most of the time. In fact, I hardly ever use the stock rest any more.

I had a couple made for me by a friend for my Nova Mercury.

He had some 1" stock that was bent to curve I needed. I bought three steel bolts that fit my lathe. We cut the screw thread off the bolts and he had a flat head bolt to weld to.

I should have had a couple more made but did not know what I really needed at the time. One straight and two curved have worked well, Cost was a bottle of good wine.

Rex

Hi Buck Do a google search, there was a post of someone making and selling tool post, I don't remember the name, didn't pay attention since I can and have made a couple bend tool rest myself for my outboard turning platform, You should be able to find it I think.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

buck wrote:

========================== I think the guy you're thinking about is Art Ransom, near Dallas. Also, James Johnson used to sell some toolrests at a good price, but I don't remember if it was round or not. Also don't know if he's still doing them.

Ken Moon Webberville, TX

John Lea makes round tool rest. I have bought from him, like them, and use them. His site is below if you would like to take a look. Glenn Hodges Nashville, GA

Remember - a round rest automatically places your fulcrum farther from the work than the traditional - wonder why it's the traditional - quarter-round type. I hate to give leverage I don't have to give.

Best Wood Tools, located in Kentucky sells round tool rests. They have a website.

George....... I didn't put too much thought into the fulcrum point. Do you really think that a one inch diameter round rest would be much more critical than the standard rest? My thought on this is that the round rest would allow for a much smoother glide along it with the chisel. But maybe I am leaving myself open for more catches. I can see where the fulcrm point could be back another 1/4 inch or so.... hmmmmmmmm...maybe I should rethink this.... LOL I am turning mostly 2 inch spindle stock.

-thanks for input

quarter-round

"buck" wrote: (clip) Do you really think that a one inch diameter round rest would be much more critical than the standard rest? My thought on this is that the round rest would allow for a much smoother glide along it with the chisel. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ My experience is that the small extra distance from toolrest to cut does not become important unless you are doing miniatures, using very small tools. The broader, smoother contact of the tool on the toolrest does reduce the tendency to get nicks--generally the motion of the tool is smoother, and I like it.

I once attended a demo by Mike Darlow, in which he made a point of pulling the tool rest back from the work, just to make the point that it does not matter. I can't see any reason to do that, but his turning quality does not seem to suffer from it.

On a 1" round, you start back 1/2" greater if the tool is perpendicular to the rest, further if it's not. I also consider slope important. It's the constant slope I get from using my toolrest which determines the optimum angle for grinding the ears on a gouge. With a round rest, that would have to be determined by body position, something I use for fine-turning.

The smoothness of the glide is determined by the smoothness of the rest, not its shape. People who routinely give away leverage and let their tools chatter on the rest (and the piece) are likely to ding up a soft rest. People who don't, won't.

Do you ever watch Roy Underhill on PBS? He's got an end-grain oak toolrest, but he cuts the wood, rather than chopping it, so it works just fine. I try to do the same.

Oh yes, Leo, there is only one point of tangency (contact) available on any circle, so a round toolrest has no "broader" contact. Now if you filed a flat on it, you'd get broader contact. you'd also have a constant mechanical reference angle which would make it easier to maintain a continuous shaving angle.

Leo.... thanks for the info. I didn't mean to start a flame war here and have people picking on people. I was just wonder is all. I thought that maybe the "normal" toolrest being real close to the wood was to keep the operator's finger from getting jammed down between the rest and the wood. In the end, I suppose that we all use what works best for us.

-thanks again.

If you add that to a distance you already are away from the wood it does not help, I have a couple of round bar rests but only use them to get closer inside a bowl turning and then I'm not to keen on using them. Just draw a circle on a piece of paper,( that will be your turning ) now draw a 1" circle right close to the other one, (that's your rest ) draw below center a little, now draw a line that would be your turning tool, now measure, unless you use a scraper you are going to be at least an inch away for your optimum, if you would do the same again but use a

1/4" bar instead of the 1" round bar you'll notice the difference. Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

George, me thinks you and others here are right. With that being said.... A

3/4" round (which is commercially sold also) would put you slightly closer to your work.... but only 1/8" I realize. Have you ever used a round rest? I would think that there would be a different feel as far as your hand goes sliding along it.... Maybe a better hand contact. As far as Roy Underhill goes.. He is truly amazing. But I would rather have my fingers than his :~)

Yep, used, sold a straight and curved. They were 1/2 stock, but I found myself going back to iron all the time.

Note of how little I love to give up leverage is that I own curved rests for working inside. Allows use of flatter forged gouges at high skew angles to make the final trims. I hate scraping unless I have to.

My hand feels the tool, not the rest. By using the off hand to anchor, I can pivot with body English to change angle of attack more easily. Real help when you get a bit too aggressive, or the wood moves a bit, causing chatter. You back English, and bring forward again to smooth, taking a finer cut. Since you're moving with a 20:1 ratio, you can make extremely modest inputs smoothly.

You've obviously never seen my knuckles after a few hours of carving. Littlest slip can get you, and I'm not on speed, like Roy seems to be.....

I've never worried about the slight additional distance, but what I do mis w/a round rest is the ability for my hand to 'hide' behind it. The nova rest is a couple inches of flat which I can use as a guide as I cut, and more importantly as a fence for my hand to stay behind . I especially like that security when turning natural edge bowls. I know if I'm hehind the 'fence' my hand is safe. With a round bar it's less obvious where the safety zone is since the wings on a natural edge bowl sorta disappear when up to speed.

Maybe it's just a perception thing, but I've always figured if something doesn't feel safe, it is inherently less safe than something that does...

...Kevin

"George" (clip) Oh yes, Leo, there is only one point of tangency (contact) available on any circle, so a round toolrest has no "broader" contact.(clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The theoretical point contact between an arc and a tangent is a mathematical concept, which ignores the elasticity of the materials. I'm not going to look up the equations, but there is something called a "Hertz stress." The less curvature the less stress and the smaller the deflection. Intuitively, I think you will agree that your tool will be easier to move over a 1" radius than over a knife edge.

Did you just change windmills in mid-tilt?

contact.(clip)

mathematical

Intuitively,

"George": wrote: Did you just change windmills in mid-tilt? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ George, I thought I was making a valid response to your post. Let's drop it--it doesn't have a lot to do with woodturning anyway.