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!!!Source for Ci1 2" radius carbide insert found!!!

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Joined
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Craig(Ci1 guy) sells 3 types of inserts for Ci1:

1
Ci1 Square Roughing Cutter
http://www.easywoodtools.com/images/store/ci1_insert_sq_lg.jpg
2 Ci1 R4 Roughing/Finishing Cutter
http://www.easywoodtools.com/images/store/ci1_insert_r4_lg.jpg
3 Ci1 R2 Finishing Cutter
http://www.easywoodtools.com/images/store/ci1_insert_r2_lg.jpg

The last one(I like it the most) till now was nowhere to be found other than at Craig's at $14 a pop.
Square or 4" radius inserts are available everywhere for about $3.

I don't know the price of 2" radius insert yet but I am sure it'll be around $3-4 each. You'll probably will have to buy 10 pack though.
 
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Alex,
Do you know the price? Also, what do you mean by 2" radius?

I'm still trying to find small round inserts.

Thanks for the link,
Burt



Burt, I was confused on this for a while too; the edge is curved, which will match up to the curvature of a circle with a 2" radius. in other words, not very curved, but moreso than the other two mentioned.


I made my ez rougher from the cutters I got off Ebay, but in all honesty I was expecting something totally different. It cuts great, don't get me wrong, but it is no substitute for a big bowl gouge for getting the piece round to start. I haven't read any of the reviews or suggestions, this may be advised against, but I was expecting to be able to take big cuts when getting a piece roughed to round, but it really gives you a beating. I made the bar from 1/2" stainless, and a superhard black locust handle, but I was a little disappointed. It definitely does a great job once the piece is round for roughing out a shape, but a good sharp bowl gouge with a pull cut can too. I'm still in the air about this one. I have no doubt the carbide is good quality; it was as sharp after using it as it was to start. It will no doubt be really useful for people that buy blanks already round, but i cut everything I turn from raw logs, and sometimes bandsaw them round afterwards when I have a lot of non natural edge pieces.
 
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My interest in this is for hollow forms. I'm hoping I would find a cutter that would get that wood out faster. Funny about hollow forms: I spend the majority of the time "taking the garbage out" rather then design and shaping.
 
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Nate, it may be that the cutters you got off e-bay are not the same ones that Craig Cil sells. The cutters I got from Craig will true up a out of round piece of wood much faster and easier than a bowl gouge.
If a carbide cutter is made for metal then it is not likely to work that good on wood.
 
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Nate, it may be that the cutters you got off e-bay are not the same ones that Craig Cil sells. The cutters I got from Craig will true up a out of round piece of wood much faster and easier than a bowl gouge.
If a carbide cutter is made for metal then it is not likely to work that good on wood.

Tom,

these cutters made for wood and are very sharp.
I have Craig's cutters and similar cutters($3 each) from 2 different manufacturers. They all perform the same.
Not sure why Craig called his tool Easy Rougher. You can easily have very nice finish with it. Just go very slow.
I am a newbie and can attain at least an equivalent of 200 grit finish with these cutters.
 
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Nate, if you're having trouble (and getting beaten up) roughing non-round blanks with a Ci1 you're doing something wrong. If it's a home made knock-off, then I'd suspect that Craig's research and development work found something yours hasn't. ;)
 
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Nate, if you're having trouble (and getting beaten up) roughing non-round blanks with a Ci1 you're doing something wrong. If it's a home made knock-off, then I'd suspect that Craig's research and development work found something yours hasn't. ;)



Vaughn and others; the carbide I got is definitely made for wood, not metal. It is made almost identically to Craig's tool. When I'm talking about non-round blanks, I mean very out of round pieces. Once the piece is round, or less out of round, it does a great job. What I was saying, and I really stick by this, is that with a well sharpened bowl gouge and an aggressive angled pull cut--pulling a 3/8-5/8" shaving, I can take a more aggressive cut than is possible with any carbide cutter oriented horizontally, in a hand held tool. To be fair, I don't think the tool was intended for what I tried to do with it. My bandsaw has a 12" resaw capacity, and the piece was larger than I could fit under it. I think I'll be buying an electic chainsaw. I'll have to re-visit this this morning to try it again.

Again, it is AMAZING after getting a piece round. It goes much faster and with less effort, and yes, the lack of needing sharpening is pretty wondeful.
 
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Has anyone done a side-by-side comparison between an out-of-the-box EasyRougher and a home made rougher?

There is a tool company not far from me that may have cutters in single amounts. All sites I've found so far sell in lots of 10 only.

As soon as I can get to this store I'll post my results here.

Burt
 
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Has anyone done a side-by-side comparison between an out-of-the-box EasyRougher and a home made rougher?

There is a tool company not far from me that may have cutters in single amounts. All sites I've found so far sell in lots of 10 only.

As soon as I can get to this store I'll post my results here.

Burt

Burt, there is nothing special about EasyRougher that you can't do at home.
The only non obvious feature EasyRougher has is a milled little step that won't let cutter rotate and hit(it'll chip cutting edge) back of the seat wall
 
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Nate, if you're having trouble (and getting beaten up) roughing non-round blanks with a Ci1 you're doing something wrong. If it's a home made knock-off, then I'd suspect that Craig's research and development work found something yours hasn't. ;)




Well, as it turns out I was doing something wrong. It takes a man to admit when he was wrong, and boy was I. I'm pretty much a self-taught turner; I don't own any DVD's, and have just a couple books. I usually watch someone once & then try it at home.....well, I'd only seen a few videos a long time ago of the ez rougher, and when I tried out my homemade knock-off again tonight I realized something significant...you have to come at the turning head-on, and not from the side. I've more or less developed a style of lots of 'side stance' pull cuts to rough out a shape, then a push cut from the tailstock to the rim as a finishing cut on the profile, then on to the inside..... through some chance, I came at the piece the "correct" way, and realized that my homemade tool worked VERY well even on pieces that weren't perfectly round yet. So, I'm impressed after all, but its a little hard sometimes to break habits of turning from the side....;)
 
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Nate,
There are some really excellent DVDs out there that will improve your skills with just one watching. You don't even have to buy them. You can rent from smartflix.com.

I rented the David Ellsworth DVDs on his signature gouge and hollowing. His book has changed my entire concept of design. Richard Raffan's "The Art of Turned Bowls" has put pieces of my brain on the ceiling.

Everyone, pros and joes, has a unique style but it never hurts to see how others do things. Heck, I get terrified turning a piece of wood of rare beauty thinking I'll end up with pencil shavings. Why? Because my technique is still hit or miss, that I still do stupid things like turn away from a spinning piece of wood with my gouge point right at it, that I make cuts knowing in the back of my mind, "here comes trouble."
 
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Nate,
There are some really excellent DVDs out there that will improve your skills with just one watching. You don't even have to buy them. You can rent from smartflix.com.
I rented the David Ellsworth DVDs on his signature gouge and hollowing. His book has changed my entire concept of design. Richard Raffan's "The Art of Turned Bowls" has put pieces of my brain on the ceiling.
Everyone, pros and joes, has a unique style but it never hurts to see how others do things. Heck, I get terrified turning a piece of wood of rare beauty thinking I'll end up with pencil shavings. Why? Because my technique is still hit or miss, that I still do stupid things like turn away from a spinning piece of wood with my gouge point right at it, that I make cuts knowing in the back of my mind, "here comes trouble."

I think I might have to start renting or borrowing some DVD's. I hope I didn't come across as sounding like I was too good to watch them! I just have been very budget limited and have always tried to get the most turning bang for the buck, and everything I made in selling went to saving for the powermatic. I'll have to check out what the turning club has to borrow.
 
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Try Utube

Nate: wander around Utube there are some very good videos on almost any aspect of woodturning.
Peter
 
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Dehart tools has the cutters and i have bought a box of 10 square - tried them out over the past couple days and they work very well and appear to be the exact same cutters. They also sell the radius cutters......
 
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Inserts off ebay

Alex, your memory is slipping you didn't get those inserts off of eBay you got them from me, remember! you even bought one of the the 11mm round. The inserts are C-6 Micrograin carbide you bought some 15 x15x2.5 mm square and 15 x15 x 2.5 with a 4 in radius, the 15x15mm have a 30 degree relief, I'v spoken with Dehart tooling and will have the 2 in radius inserts as well. BUT the Easy Rougher and My Woodchuck II are excellent tools for roughing (even and especially out of round stock) if you read the instructions and keep the tool on center and the handle parallel to the floor,. Let the tool rest get beat up not the wood turner.
Neither of these tools is a substitute for a good powdered metal bowl gouge not even with the 2 inch radius inserts,
Ken Ferrell
Woodchuck Lathe Tools
 
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