Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Cheap "Chatter Tool"
Russ Fairfield
>There is nothing magic about a chatter tool. It is a flexible cutting tool in a holder. The same thing can be accomplished with a pair of pliers and a piece of a hack-saw or bandsaw blade.
I substituted an old pair of long-nose "Vice Grips" for the pliers and have never had a need to change. And I can still use the Vice-Grips for other things.
Re: Cheap "Chatter Tool"
Sean Troy
>Any chance of a picture or building steps. Thanks, Sean
Re: Cheap "Chatter Tool"
Brad Vietje
>Russ may have other thoughts, but I've made chatter tools from hacksaw blades and spring steel (heavy metal strapping used on shipping crates). I just cut a 3" to 4" length, and sharpen/shape to a variety of profiles from gently rounded to a small, tightly curved round tip, to a sharp V point. I grind a little undercut bevel, as with any scraper, and experiment by holding the piece in the vice grips.
I have had good results with the lighter, more flexible spring steel on softer woods, and the stiffer metal used on harder woods. After a few minutes playing with the end grain on a nice hardwood like Maple or Cherry, you'll quickly develop a feel for what works to your liking.
You can vary the overhang of the tool over the rest, how much you hold in the vice-grips, the speed, the angle, and the cutting direction, in addittion to the cutter shape and stiffness to get different effects. Usually you want the pliers to contact the rest, but you can also work with the cutter against the rest to get a different, though muted, pattern -- avoid touching the vibrating tool with your fingers (deadens the vibration). A horrible sound means its working well !
Safe Spinning,
Brad Vietje
Thetford, VT
Thanks for the "Rest of the Story"
Russ Fairfield
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