How to make Oland tools ?

Andy I have been making my Oland tools after the manner of Knud Oland but whatever works for you, works for you. He made his tools as I illustrated on the web site by drilling a round hole in the end of a round, not square, tube and inserting a square tool bit in the round hole. It was held in place with a set screw. This is a simple arrangement that works well. I drill a hole about 2" deep for a 2 1/2" tool bit so that as it shortens I release the set screw and bring up some more tool bit. When it gets too short for the set screw to hold, I insert a new tool bit. If you braze it on, after it gets sharpened down you have to remove it and braze on a new one. For that matter, the set screw lets you take a half dozen inserts for a demo without having to take a grinder to sharpen, just use a new tip. If you occasionally need a different grind you could make a new tool or just switch tips.

If you're not a fancy, well-equipped person with a broach or an EDM, a plain old file does the job of getting from round to square, or square-enough.

You can swap tips easily, with one handle.

Darrell, just to clarify, you mean 'rod' not 'tube'?

I was told, but have never done it, that if you drill the hole ever so slightly smaller than the tool bit, you can then drive a sacrificial one in little by little and make square corners. I would think you would have to be careful since the bits are hard and could break. I guess this is poor man's broaching of sorts.

billh

Lobby Ooops! I meant "rod" not "tube". i have to quit answering these things late at day or night or whatever :-)

This is HSS and I have tons of it (literally a few bucketfuls, collected from ton quantites handled as scrap over the years). I was thinking about being a bit more careful with a grinder, putting a few sharp edges onto it and making a real broach tool out of it. Only problem with that is that you really need two-sided access for broaching, so I'd have to make a tube and then weld it onto the handle - this might then distort to be less accurate than a more crudely cut hole.

I'm not that keen on the grubscrew because I'm really a metalworker. I can probably make more handles and braze inserts into them faster than I can drill and tap good sockets.

I had pictured driving it in about an 1/8" or so then pulling it out with say, vise-grips, and then doing a further 1/8" until I'd gone in far enough but I am not a metalworker.

There is no right or wrong way to do this. Try your brazing method and if you are happy then that's all that matters. If you find it's a pain then you'll do something different.

billh

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Darrell, Since you are the group guru on Oland tools, how many different grinds do you use on your Oland bits? Also, do you normally use square tools bits like metal working bits, or round bits made from drill rod? TIA

Ken Moon Webberville, TX.

Ken I use three grinds on the Oland tools.

1) standard grind is a 45* bevel with the tip slightly rounded 2) a 70* or so bevel with the tip slightly rounded to get around that angle from side to bottom in a bowl 3) a 45* bevel with a narrow center and the sides longer. This works best in 3/8 and larger although I have done it on the 1/8 and 1/4" as well. The sides are ground back about the width of the tool, for example a 3/8" side on a 3/8" tool and the center 1/8" is gently rounded. I suppose it is analagous to the Irish grind on a bowl gouge.

The standard grind is the most useful most of the time, however, it is easy to have a separate tip handy with a different grind.

Ken Sorry, I use square tool bits in the Oland tools.

Ken.. Darrell gave you the best possible answer, let me give ya the mickey mouse way.. (my specialty for years)

My 2 favorite Oland type tools are 3/4" dia bolts, about a foot long, with 3/8" holes drilled in the threaded end and a hole at a right angle to that one that's threaded for a set screw... Gives me a nice weight and feel and was very quick and inexpensive...

My reason for a round hole for the square peg, besides not being equipped to drill a square hole in a bolt, is that the set screw sitting on the flat of one side of the bit keeps it from rotating... since I grind the threads off of the bolt and grind off excess thickness around the bit hole, i tend to orientate the set screw in an "up" position and always put the bit in to fit that..

As to grind, I like to have several tips (cheap in bulk or from Harbor Freight) available.. a few sharpened roughly as Darrell points out, but mostly I grind whatever shape I want at the time for what I'm turning.. They're cheap and hold an edge well, so I might turn most of a box with a rounded tip and then re-grind the tip to a flat skew or box scraper to finish the inside of the box... YMWV

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Hi all,

I decided to make one and followed Darrel's directions on his site. It was fairly quick and was easy. I love it. I was working on a fir burl that had wild grain, bark, voids, termite tunnels, and was rock hard. I had worked it off and on for two years and quit every time it chose to go for a walk around the shop. The oland tool was the first one that really worked on it and didn't try to knock it loose. I have also used it to rough out Christmas ornaments before hollowing. I did drill the round hole and used a set screw. It was quick, easy and holds the bit securely.

Thanks Darrel

Brian

You are welcome, Brian.

Set screws don't bite well on the hard HSS inserted bits, so they sometimes slip enough for vibration to loosen the set screw. You might want to roughen or grind a tiny slot down the 'set screw side' of the bit.

Slower to remove/replace and perhaps less secure, but CA glue can be used to fix the inserted bit. Again, roughen the bit for a better bite. There may be better adhesives.

You might want to try having the set screw on the under side of the shaft. I think it may help to keep dust/crud from packing into the hole for the hex wrench.

A short, 4 or 5 in. piece of aluminum or steel bar, bolt or whatever, maybe 7/16" or so, that duplicates the bit's hole and set screw's threaded hole makes a handy holder for sharpening the bits.

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

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Darrell, Mac, Thanks for the input. I have been using a home made tool using 1/4 & 3/8 in drill bits in a piece of cold roll 5/8 in bar stock. In the business end there is one hole drilled straight in from the end and one at about 45 degrees so they intersect so I get by with one set screw. The grinds I've been using mostly are similar to a minature round nose scraper. When Darrell mentioned Oland grinds , I thought There might be a lot more than I'd been using. Thanks.

Ken Moon Webberville, TX.

I've never had one loosen on me, Arch.. and I use a single set screw where 2 might be better..

It could be that I change the length fairly often... either adding a little reach or shortening the bit for close work...

I guess it could be that because I'm loosening and tightening the set screw a lot and not giving it a chance to loosen?

It might also be that because the set screw is forcing the square bit towards the side of a round hole, it wedges well and therefor less vibration??

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

With this type of tool, I assume you can't really rub the bevel since it is a scraper that must be presented with neutral or negative rake. I would think a bowl gouge would make for a much smoother finish since you can rub the bevel behind the cutting edge. I have an Ellsworth hollowing video and what he uses seems about the same unless it has a steeper grind. I have a tool like this with a fairly long handle and have used it for certain chores, but I can't see how they can replace a bowl gouge. Am I missing something?

Derek

Yep, you can rub the bevel. Shear "scraping" isn't really scraping, as in across the surface, rather cutting on a very narrow face.

Truth is, a broad gouge will make a smoother finish than a bowl gouge wing because you can rake it rearward and inward to minimize ridging. What you do is mostly what you were taught, rather than the "only" way.

Derek This is a cutting tool, hence the 45* angle. It is similar in appearance to the Ellsworth scraping tools, hence the confusion. I doubt that there is a coincidence here since Knud Oland and David Ellsworth were good friends. Ride the bevel and cut.