Inserts Tooling - Why Not For Wood?

They work just dandy - as scrapers. I used old ones from the machinist up the way on my Sorby. The tool steel pieces are easily sharpened and pretty tough, the carbide has to be a fairly thick section to work without breaking. Pretty brittle. I have had edges chip from knots in maple.

Since it's so much easier on the turner and the turning to cut, they're relegated to those angles and places where cutting's impossible.

We call them inserted tip tools or Oland tools after Knud Oland who was an advocate for their use back in the 1970's. The use of x-y vises is counterproductive for wood turning except in the hands of someone like Michelle Holtzappfel who is a law unto herself when it comes to using a metal lathe for wood. Carbide is brittle for wood use and does not sharpen as well as high speed steel but may have a place for roughing work. Take a look at my web site for info on the use of Oland tools.

indexable tooling would be one of my last choices for wood - carbide is brittle and abslutely will not take a sharp edge - medium sharp yes, but not sharp - try an experiment - get a carbide tipped tool (I have some carbide tipped gouges and whatnot), a HSS tool of similar shape, and a carbon steel tool - sharepen each as well as you can and cut some shavings - you will find

the carbide will kinda cut and you can get a poor and torn surface finish

the HSS will cut pretty well and you can get a nice finsh

the carbon steel will cut like a razor and give you an almost polished finish

BUT

The carbon steel will dull quickly

The HSS will last for much much longer

The carbide, if you don't break it, will last several days of continuous turning

But the longevity of carbide does not make up for its inabilty to take a sharp enough edge

Now, if you are cutting steel, and it is not an interrupted cut, carbide is great

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BUT. The carbon steel can be sharpened quickly.

I use carbide toothed table saw blades, sliding compound miter saw blades and a sh*t load of router bits - all on wood. Clearly cardbide cutting edges WILL can make glass smooth cuts, both ripping, cross cutting and routing - including acrossed end grain. Of course, in these applications, the RPMS are in the 5K range for saw blades and 20K-30K for router bits. Knots don't seem to be an issue with these cutting tools. Perhaps the rpm range of most turnings is the problem.

As for the surface left by a carbide cutter, what I was talking about is roughing, both outside and inside a piece. Use the finest edge tool when it makes a difference, and the carbide tool to do the grunt work required to get cose.

But if you enjoy sharpening . . .

charlie b

The proper analogy would be sandpaper, not a gouge for those actions. Many and small bites. The gap at the center of a split knot can bite off carbide, of course.

Dont use the finest tool to rough? THAT is an excellent philosophy. Why use that powdered metal gouge where it might lose the lasting edge from an encounter with crud under the bark? Use a pattern that removes stock quickly - and here's where scraping falls by the wayside - and with little effort by the turner against the wood. Won't matter if you're cutting acid wood and the edge pits and corrodes, either, because it it a short-lived one.

Compared to being beaten to death trying to force a dull tool - I love it.

I thought the Oland tools were square bar HSS ? ('60s lathe tooling). We're talking here about '80s lathe tooling - replaceable carbide squares or triangles, pre-sharpened at the factory.

IMHE, carbide tooling is too brittle for most woodturning. A big catch and you'll chip it. Spending money on better carbide grades can improve this though.

Actually Knud Oland used mostly square tip tool bits but also a parting tool set up and round tips. I agree that HSS is better for wood.

Damn, I've got a yin in my yang.

Ahuuuum-it awy ;-)