Anyone have luck with this tool? I got one but it doesn't seem to cut well in green wood. Any suggestions?
Woody
Anyone have luck with this tool? I got one but it doesn't seem to cut well in green wood. Any suggestions?
Woody
Hi Woody
I have > Anyone have luck with this tool? I got one but it doesn't seem to cut well
Are you referring to the tendency to pack with its own shavings? Can be a problem with the smaller loops that the larger can help. It's a gouge at 90 degrees to the shaft, so the technique you use with a gouge is the one that gives best results. The handle is elsewhere, which is handy.
Cross-grain demands a lot of pressure to maintain the depth of cut. Ring tools, or the hook tools under discussion, can get enough metal under the wood to hold themselves, but the termite is just too small to be effective. The tutorial Leo referenced has either a misleading camera angle or a technique I don't favor, that of cutting above centerline inside a shape. Cutting below helps keep air above the tool instead of advancing, and possibly catching, wood.
IMHO, it's a tool that you have to not only read the instructions (gasp) but experiment with...
An easy beginning for a vase, etc. is to drill a pilot hole to the approximate depth you want, and widen it with the termite... mush easier than using the ring to bore the hole.. I think that the scariest part of using the termite is at the middle of the "hole", where you almost have to touch the "up" side a bit and the pilot hole eliminates that hassle...
The instructions regarding ring positioning are clever, the "if you see it, you're in trouble, if your belly button does, you're cool" is pretty accurate, but I don't think ( as I remember the instructions) that they address riding the bevel of the ring...
You don't want the handle straight out from the opening you're cutting, you want it pulled quite a bit towards your "turning muscle" and gently work the handle out towards the lathe bed a bit as you make your cut...
If you play with angle, tilt, etc. a bit you'll find it making nice shavings and working well... it you cut too aggressively, it will pack the ring... Before I became a follower of George and the "peel not poke" religion, I kept a
1/4" dowel with a pencil sharpener point near the lathe top clear the shavings out of the ring..mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
Thanks for the responses. I think that my problem is that I hadn't angled it properly (towards me), so I'll give that a try...
Woody
I bought the bit but not the handle. I made my own handle out of a larger diameter and longer piece of steel than that of the manufacturers. I also increased substantially the length of the wood handle . I find that I have good control over the tool and all but the most stupid catches (you know the kind I mean) are a none issue.
Hi Tom, I see you got your termite finished. Wouldn't mind seeing it.
Ralph in QB
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