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Tool Mystery
- Thread starter Johnnie Johnson
- Start date
My Guess would be a homemade tool for small curfs, like would be needed for the basket illusion beading separations. Is the tip pointed or square??
It is the tool used for Jason Clark's Saturn bowl class. I have this same tool, 99% sure that's what it is.
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Link to Jason Clark's web site. For those among us with the curiosity to investigate further.
Link to the micro parting tool on this web site. Additional evidence to support Gabriel Hoff's conclusion above.
Link to the micro parting tool on this web site. Additional evidence to support Gabriel Hoff's conclusion above.
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- Joined
- Apr 27, 2004
- Messages
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- Location
- Lakeland, Florida
- Website
- www.hockenberywoodturning.com
Before reading @Gabriel Hoff note
I was going to suggest it might be a Hans weisflog type tool.
He cuts concentric rings in offset patterns on opposite sides to make a see through patterns.
I was going to suggest it might be a Hans weisflog type tool.
He cuts concentric rings in offset patterns on opposite sides to make a see through patterns.
Those Saturn bowls are something very different. Thanks for the link.
Seems like Hans uses little bitty finger held cutters, at least that's what it looked like when I once wandered by while he was doing a demo. (And his face is about 3" from the bowl
)This very thin parting tool was originally developed by Hans Weisflog.
It's either a grooving or cutoff tool (or both). Looks home made possibly from a file.
Thin parting tools have been in use for centuries......
It's kinda interesting the tool is attributed to several turners. I don't accept any of them unless they were born about 1850.
As far as basic tools like this go, nothing much new has been introduced to turning in the last hundred years or so. One of my older books on watch making lathes talks about the angled tip and which way it's angled will either leave a nub on the part in the chuck or the parted off piece. It also goes into detail on the needed width of the blade with respect to the angle for various materials since the angle tends to cause too narrow a blades to deflect (bend) off one way or other.
This tool was likely not made in a factory because of the heat marks from grinding which could cause softening of the metal. Professionally made tools would be ground with a cutting fluid to prevent tool over heating.
As far as basic tools like this go, nothing much new has been introduced to turning in the last hundred years or so. One of my older books on watch making lathes talks about the angled tip and which way it's angled will either leave a nub on the part in the chuck or the parted off piece. It also goes into detail on the needed width of the blade with respect to the angle for various materials since the angle tends to cause too narrow a blades to deflect (bend) off one way or other.
This tool was likely not made in a factory because of the heat marks from grinding which could cause softening of the metal. Professionally made tools would be ground with a cutting fluid to prevent tool over heating.
It looks like it’s been made from a MW parting tool blade? I’m not sure why there is so much of the tool sticking out of the handle, it surely doesn’t need to be so long?
As has been mentioned both Hans and Jason use these very small (micro?) parting tools to make extremely shallow cuts in spinning wood. The tool rest is kept very close to the work for tool control and to prevent snapping the tip of the tool off (DAMHIK) and the cuts are maybe 1/16" deep. The one I have is made from small round bar stock (sharpened by Hans).
Yes. Hans uses the tool to make his Saturn Boxes. Jason took the "Saturn" idea and evolved it further. Most recently he's been making pattern changing basket illusion pieces.
I'm sure, many, many have made such tools over the ages for special uses. I made a similar one myself for cutting tiny grooves on small things. Looks like the worked end of the one shown only about 1/4" long. Some tools I make for one purpose and maybe only use them once. That's a nice reason to keep a stash of old tools to reshape as needed.