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How often do you use a Bedan

Bill Blasic said:
I have seen and been at Escoulen's demos and he uses a square bedan.
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Did he specifically say the tool was Square or were you close enough to see the shape up close?


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As always though, it’s quite possible some turners use a square section tool and legitimately call it a Bedan. Over here at least though, a square section tool is normally just called a parting tool, which may have a single or double bevel.
 
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Pascal Oudet says here that the Bedan can be either shape:


I don’t see any advantage to a square shape, apart from ease of manufacture, but as I admitted earlier, I couldn’t get on with my Robert Sorby Bedan.
 
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I think you can search You Tube channels by typing in the name of the person, and/or channel after that.

I am curious, Richard has responded to my comments about stropping the skew. He doesn't strop, but I do. It seemed to make a big difference for me. I do try to use a very light touch when I resharpen, and I NEVER hone inbetween sharpenings. With my platform, it is easier to just touch it up on the grinder. Anyone else strop?

robo hippy
 
robo hippy said:
I am curious, Richard has responded to my comments about stropping the skew. He doesn't strop, but I do. It seemed to make a big difference for me. I do try to use a very light touch when I resharpen, and I NEVER hone inbetween sharpenings. With my platform, it is easier to just touch it up on the grinder. Anyone else strop?
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I strop nearly every tool after sharpening. I use the non-profiled leather wheel on the Tormek with a bit of their honing compound. This is after sharpening on 600 or 1200 grit CBN. I realize the grinder burrs for those sharpening grits are small and don't last long, but I do what I do. I strop just enough to knock off the grinder burr and put a barely detectable polish on the edge - I want "shaving sharp", especially on skews and spindle gouges. I test by shaving hairs from my left arm.

I sometimes examine cutting edges under my low-power stereo microscope to help evaluate my technique. I also have a sharpness tester, Edge On Up, that will provide numbers of the absolute sharpness of an edge.

Scrapers and NRS also get the grinder burr removed and a burnished burr added. After trying various burnishers over the years the only one I use now is the French Arno.

For gouges, I use the narrow profiled leather Tormek wheels to remove the burr from inside the flute. All this takes just 3-4 seconds. (Since I'm quite lazy I use a foot switch with the Tormek for instant on/off.) To touch up inside the flute of a gouge before resharpening I use a very fine conical diamond hone.

Since all my tools are sharpened on 8" or 10" wheels they have slight hollow grinds so when the tool gives a hint of losing it's edge, and depending on what I'm doing, I'll touch it up very lightly with an EZE-Lap extra fine (blue) paddle hone and can use it a bit more before sharpening again. I do this with gouges and scrapers and with skews in the past.

However, a few years ago I started using a different way to touch up the edge of skews. I make stropping boards by resawing MDF on the bandsaw, leaving the bandsaw tooth marks. Rub the end or corner of a stick of some kind of honing/polishing compound onto the surface - doesn't seem to matter what kind, color, grit - it's all very fine. Then strop the skew by placing the bevel flat against the board, raise the handle a microscopic amount, and draw the skew back while pressing the cutting edge against the board. I don't raise the handle much so the edge won't be rounded over. It's easy to see that steel is being removed from the black marks on the compound. Replenish the compound occasionally.

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This gives me a shaving sharp edge I like. Everyone has their favorite methods. Don't know if this is the best way but it works for me.

I've given some of these boards to friends and they use them.

JKJ
 
I have a Thompson bedan. I use it turning mortise on the foot of green turning. It's nice to have a fixed angle with a set start to always get the dovetail right. It makes the cut consistent and only takes a moment.
 
I sharpen turning tools up to 800g on a belt grinder but don’t strop, maybe I should, if only for finish cuts.
I do though strop knives, and made this many years ago from Ash and Veg Tan Leather.

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I think it was in 2010 at the Hartford, CT AAW Symposium that I not only saw Escoulen's bedan I actually held it. It was square. I actually tried many many times to get Doug Thompson to make a bedan, so much so that he really got mad at me. So I started asking customers to ask Doug if he makes a bedan. 🤣
 
John Grace said:
Sorry guys but from many of your comments they almost read like you're looking to buy a tool in need of a project. No offense meant...j
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That sounds like introspection... And most threads for most hobbies. Sometimes we love turning except one step we botch. Come on this forum and ask wtf... And the answer is: a tool made to solve that problem...

All things considered; saying no offense typically makes it worse, not better.
 
Bill Blasic said:
I think it was in 2010 at the Hartford, CT AAW Symposium that I not only saw Escoulen's bedan I actually held it. It was square. I actually tried many many times to get Doug Thompson to make a bedan, so much so that he really got mad at me. So I started asking customers to ask Doug if he makes a bedan. 🤣
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If you want a Square Bedan just buy some off the shelf square section HSS?
 
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