Using a chatter tool

Re: Using a chatter tool

John Lucas

>Practice,practice, practice. I thought I knew how to do chatter work. I'd done it before on several boxes and ornaments. I decided to do a demo for the club. It had been a while but one never forgets. Boy was I surprised. I went to the shop and succeeded in mauling several pieces of weed.

What I did was stick a piece of hardwood in the chuck and chatter the end grain. It doesn't work on side grain and doesn't work very good on softer woods. Anyway I would try to produce a pattern part that off and try again. Everything you do changes the look. How much pressure you use, the speed of the lathe, the extension of the "cutter" the angle of the cutter. I probably did 20 little discs before I got a feel for it again. For the most part here is what helped me.

Angle the tool. Tilt the tip down and angle the tool to the left . Start your cut at about 7 oclock on the wood. To start off with run the lathe between 1000 and 2000 rpm. Vary the amount of pressure for your first experiments. Once you get a feel for the chatter then try changing speeds but I generally leave the speed alone now.

Tool angle and whether you approach the cut moving out or in will affect the look.

There are several good articles out there by either Bonnie Klien or Micheal Mode. If you get to see either of them demonstrate they will probably teach it.

Re: Using a chatter tool

Dinyar Chavda

>Jonathon:

Bonnie Klein shows how to use one on one of her videos---check at your club, if they have a collection. Also, I was ata demo, yesterday, by Eli Avisera---incredible turner, IMOWISNU. He demo'd texturing, and suggested using a convex shaped tool, as that allows you to vary angles and points of contact much more. He sells such a tool, but recommended putting such a shape on your own chatter tool. He was working on small pieces, and he turned up the speed pretty high, worked from the center to the edge (on end-grain). The other difference between him and me is what I can best descrribe as how confidently he did it, as opposed to the tentative approach I use. I'll have to try it out (when I have some time!)

Oh yes, he will be demonstrating for either Craft Supplies or Packard (I'm not sure which) on the AAW floor.

Re: Using a chatter tool

John Lucas

>A quick shot of some of my chatter tool work. I make these little buttons and then inlay them into other work. The white ones are Tagua nuts and I use various colored pens to highlight the chatter work. The Gold one didn't come out well in this photo but that is the best one of the batch.

Re: Using a chatter tool

RonZ

>The best explanation I have seen is Bonnie Klein's on the AAW video 'Fundementals of sharpening' While she explains it on her earlier video, this is easier to follow.

The lathe should be at high speed and the toolrest pulled back partially so you will have freedom of movement. Ideally you should be going from center towards you at a 70 degree angle. Since the toolrest won't allow it, angle your chatter tool at a 70 degree angle, about somewhere between 7 and 8 o'clock and pull towards you along the toolrest. The slower the lathe the wider the chatter and visa versa. I preffer the tool that Bonnie uses over Eli's. I also prefer the pointed blade shape to Eli's. What are you using for a chatter tool? I did not like Sorby's and ended up getting the Dennis Stewart one that Bonnie uses.

I suggest starting off with maple and use a spindle gouge to clean of the such as I do for my tops. Then try it. If it doesn't work keep trying. You can also use the edge of a skew to score/highlight the beginning and end of your chattered area. It's simple once you get the hang of it.

Re: Using a chatter tool

Guest

>http://www.woodturnersofswmo.org/Articles/Shopmade_Chatter_Tool.htm