UNDERCUTTING TOOL

Re: UNDERCUTTING TOOL

Phil Joines, Krum, Tx

>If I understand you want to undercut the finial of the ornament. I use a 1/4" spindle gouge with a long fingernail grind. It's used with the flute almost vertical.

Re: UNDERCUTTING TOOL

Dennis Taylor (Akron, Ohio)

>Problem being I can't seem to get the point of the gouge into the alloted space to undercut as if in a spindle cutting mode, someone recommended a modified parting tool, it looked like a standard parting tool but had been layed flat on a grinder and a scraper bevel ground into it..didn't get a chance to see how it was used but the guy was using it, and it seemed to work great..I have tried to use a standard parting tool, but it just is still fat right at the bottom of the tenon, and it won't sit in the hole flat..help...dennis

Re: UNDERCUTTING TOOL

Joe Herrmann

>When I did the Christmas ornament demo at the Akron club last year I used a gouge that I had ground to a fairly sharp point to do this. It works well.

Joe

I made a right radius scraper

John Crissman

>that has a pretty dramatic arc that goes to a point at the top left hand edge of the tool. It works pretty good for getting in those areas. It worked so well I made a left hand one too!

Imagine a tool shaped like a sail fully extended and you get the picture.

How about this?

Phil Joines, Krum, Tx

>Make it from a 1/4" allen wrench. Cut most of the short end off and grind to shape. Don't get it too hot while grinding. I keep a half dozen long allen wrenches around for this kind of thing. They also make good hollowing tools for ornaments.

Re: UNDERCUTTING TOOL

John Lucas

>Dennis

I use a 1/4" round skew. Take the toe of the skew and just arc it in. I turn the finial so the bottom is on the tailstock end and then turn a 3/8" tenon on the top. I leave enough waste wood to turn the top finial out of this. It already has a 3/8" tenon because I left some from the bottom finial. Then I undercut the finial with the skew. You can check fit the globe if needed at this stage.

I start rounding over the other side of this cut and then turn the rest of the top finial. I use extended jaws on my vicmarc that will hold a 3/8" or larger piece. If needed I insert my 3/8" tenon into the jaws and finish turning the outside of the finial. The shape of the top finial dictates whether I can finish it as is or have to turn it around. You can use a jacobs chuck for this if you take light cuts.

Re: UNDERCUTTING TOOL

John Trant (Baltimore/WashDC)

>I use a detail gouge or the toe of a skew (my preference). The skew leaves a crisp edge and can undercut more than is required.

John

Re: UNDERCUTTING TOOL

Duane Hill

>We just had a demo from Bob Rosand. He made an undercutting tool from a small parting tool. He showed me how to grind it, but it might be hard to explain. I suggest you contact him for instructions.