I was in a used tool store yesterday and the owner was pricing a bunch of recent acquisitions. On the table was a bundle of Robert Sorby lathe tools -- 10 in total, all with ash handles and maroon script Robert Sorby logo. None had been used much, 3 still had the original factory grind, and there was a Texturing and Spiraling Tool with an indexing tool rest platform, a texture wheel, and 3 spiraling wheel cutters. All of this in the plastic display packaging, never been so much as unpacked from what I could tell. I asked the owner what he would sell the bundle for and he said $125. I almost broke my arm reaching for my credit card. I looked up the spiraling tool on the Internet, and it alone was priced at $131 with the four wheels. There was also a roughing gouge, 2 bowl gouges, 2 spindle gouges, 2 scrapers, a parting tool, and a skew chisel.
Now my question:
Has anyone ever used the Texture and Spiraling Tool? I am curious if it is as easy to use as the instructions indicate? The packaged instructions are minimal, but I printed off some more complete instructions from the Sorby website.
Yep. It's a nifty tool. Some things take a little practice to get a good, even effect but it's not bad at all. You need to adjust not only the tool wheels/cutters but also lathe speed, contact angle, and speed sweeping across the work with the tool. Works on endgrain and sidegrain. The only problem is not wanting to use it on everything. Remember, "restraint" and less is more. Never could get a good spiral out of it though. Didn't work on it too hard on that one either.
I've made several posts on this tool and other Robert Sorby tools on this newsgroup over the last several years. There is a lot of information to be gathered by going to DejaNews.com and chosing "Power Search", enter Robert Sorby as topic, rec.crafts.woodturning as the newsgroup, and Fred Holder as the author. I picked up one of my old posts on this newsgroup on the texturing and spiralling tool and post it here again:
The Sorby Spiral Cutting Tool was facinating to watch, so much so that I had to have one. Personally, I didn't think the texturing part of the tool would interest me at all; however, I found it can provide a texture much like sand blasting that is very attractive. You still have to have the part you are texturing smooth, but not highly polished. So far, I've textured several pieces with very satisfactory results. Sorby says the tool is only limited by your imagination, I'm sort of short on this item, but it's fun to use and it does a real fine job of texturing.
The Spiralling setup is even more fasinating. You push the tool in straight until the wheel spins, then tilt it down until the tool starts to cut. You then move it slowly along in the direction of spiral until you reach the end of your area to be spiraled. At this point, you can check for depth. If you want to go deeper, come back to the beginning and gently push the tool in horizontally until you feel it grab into the grooves, then tip it down to cut. You can move it back and forth along the spiralled area to deepen the cut, but move it slowly. The lathe should run less than 500 rpm according to Sorby, but I've been cutting spirals on bottle stoppers at top speed on the RPML-300 (about 2400 rpm). I think it does work a bit better at the slower rpm's but the tool seems to be speed independent. You can incidentally texture with the spiralling cutters also.
I honestly don't know how the tool works, but it does. When cutting spirals, the cutter is near horizontal, when texturing, its near vertical. The instructions say that if it is horizontal, it will cut a series of beads. I simply haven't tried that so far, I've been having too much fun making spirals and texturing surfaces. I haven't tried spiralling the outside of a bowl surface, but that is in the planning for the future.
As far as sharpening goes, lay the wheel on the grindstone at the proper angle and let it spin. Its sharp in a jiffy. Or you can hone it with a diamond hone. I haven't tried, but you might be able to spin the wheel on a piece of rotating wood while holding on the diamond hone.
This is about the most versitile tool that I've purchased so far in my turning experience. I sometimes think that I'm a turning tool collector more than a turner, because a lot of the tools I buy don't get used on a regular basis. I believe this tool will get regular useage, however.
When I ask Sorby if the tool would work inside, because it is so near to cutting threads, they said no, but they're working on it. If this tool could be made to work on the inside of an area and you had the right cutter, it would cut excellent threads. A real extension of the thread chaser to be used by everyone.
Hope this helps you people who have been eyeing this tool and didn't know whether to purchase one or not. I was in that boat until I saw the tool demonstrated at the Sorby demonstration in Seattle, I was so impressed with the demonstration that I devoted a page to that demonstration in More Woodturning.
Incidentally, I have no ties to Robert Sorby, other than I've personally been using their tools for about 10 years and am rather fond of their tools.
I've used the Serious texture tool which is about the same. I was able to cut some nice spirals, but not without some tearout. Looking at Sorby's instructions, I think I had the wheel upside-down. I had the wheel's bevel facing down, with the wheel at about 45 degrees. Instructions aren't very clear either from Sorby or Serious Tools, but thinking a little more about it, the wheels might give better results with the bevel upwards. The teeth are cut at 90 degrees to the cutter wheel faces, so it kinda makes sense. I'll try it tomorrow. Would like to hear other opinions/experiences on that.
I am turning a hummingbirg feeder and am wondering what a good finish would be for it. This is from a piece of found wood. It looks like mesquite.
I've only been addicted to the lathe since January so I have much to learn. Lesson 1 the scew chisil is my friend. I can do so many things with it I am starting to think it is one of the most useful tools I have found yet.
In decreasing levels of protection (but not necessarily looks or ease of use)...
1) Epoxy. If you can get a good-looking finish from it.
2) Spar Urethane or other "outdoor urethane" / "Marine Finish".
3) Catalyzed or Pre-Catalyzed Lacquer.
4) "Normal" Lacquer
5) Polyurethane
6) Varnish
It doesn't hurt to put a drying/curing oil (pure tung, boiled linseed, walnut) underneath any of these. Just make sure it's completely dry or else it might affect the covering finish depending on what you use for that.
Absolutely! If you can't do it with a skew, it probably doesn't need to be done.
After looking at it in natural light this looks like walnut, not mesquite. A little more of a rare find in this part of the world. The hummingbird feeder is for my mother who is going to want a mirror finish on the wood. she hates the look of weathered wood. Back when my late father was ranching I can remember her asking why he didn't paint the cedar fenceposts or something so they wouldn't look so tacky.
I also fixed the typos in the header. I've got to learn not to type after a visit to the pain management clinic. them drugs do things to your brain. too bad they don't do as much for your spine.
Some things look good when left unfinished and allowed to weather (crack, grey, darken, mottled, mildewed, mossy) naturally but it really depends on the specie of wood, where it's going to be displayed and just what the person likes to look at. Many of my garden-series turnings are left unfinished. They are intended to get that look and gain the properties of the surrounding environment. Some people, though, just don't like it. That's fine too. My dad had a friend that was in the military that told him for years that "if you can't move it ... paint it!"
Outdoor things like your hummingbird feeder 1) Won't sell well if just left "natural"; 2) Don't hold up well over a period of time without some kind of protection and 3) Just don't have that "look" of a pretty-thing which is what that kind of project is intended to be.
With proper and common-sense care (a wipe-down every month or so), your mothers' birdfeeder will look good AND be protected for many years. Made my own mother a birdbath 5 years ago and finished it with Spar Urethane. She takes it in during the winters and just wipes it down at that time. Still has a shine and looks great. Made bunches of other outdoor "pretties" to sell over the years and the ones in this area that I see regularly still look great (although I can certainly tell how I've progressed as a turner by just driving around!).
Well its off to woodcraft I go. I am going to try some Spar Urethane. I thing my mother can give it a wipe now and then and I can get it off the lathe and go to the next piece of wood. My chisels are getting cold.
That's why event the shop is under AC. It does get down in the 20s sometimes in the winter here. Of course up in the panhandle it snows about 40 inches in the winter
I'd tend to think that a long-oil marine varnish would be #3. I really don't know much about lacquers, but I'm unaware of any particular UV resistance they might possess. Or did the slash (/) indicate a separation between urethane varnish and long-oil "Marine" types?
Au contraire. Simply sand lightly with 220 grit every spring and apply a refresher coat of varnish or urethane, whichever. Will look great forever. Also gives Mr. Ewing an excuse to visit Mom.
This applies to an original coating of epoxy, as well. In fact, exposed to heavy UV epoxy probably will dull as fast as unrefreshed varnish will peel.
They are epoxies or two-part linear urethanes. They will dull in time if exposed to UV. Everything will, for that matter, including human skin. Don't ask . . .
Visit Mom each spring and sand the finish lightly with 220 or coarse Scotchbrite and apply a fresh coating of whichever marine urethane you choose. It will look good indefinitely.
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