Stewart Batty Vortex tool *LINK*

Re: Stewart Batty Vortex tool

Ed Davidson

The tool looks like a solution in search of a problem. I'm thinking that the point on a skew would work just as well for V-cuts.

Re: Stewart Batty Vortex tool *LINK*

David Walser

John - Cindy Drozda sells a version of this tool. (I believe she developed it in conjunction with Stewart.) She uses it in a number of her DVDs and in YouTube videos. I've not tried it, but she makes it look impressive.

Here's a link to a video in which she instructs how to use the tool:


Using the Drozda Vortex Tool

Re: Stewart Batty Vortex tool

Ed Davidson

Well, I'll have to take back what was said earlier. Cindy's tool use certainly shows it getting into tight places much better than some skews will do.

Some of these "signature" tools are.....

JamieDonaldson

......of most value only to the person whose name they carry! There are often several substitutes we already own, or can easily make, that will do the same job!

It didn't take touring pros to figure that out

Dick Coers

I don't know who the first guy was, to show up for a demo with a hand full of signature tools, but it didn't take long for all of them to follow the same path. I don't blame them a bit. It's a great way to add profit. And we all know how woodturners love to buy!

Re: Stewart Batty Vortex tool

Dave Delo

I used Stuart's vortex tool to put offset splits into sphere's that spun in my homemade sliding eccentric vacuum jig. Put a very nice crisp "V" groove into the sphere but the offset rotation was pretty hard on the point of the tool. Had to reshape the tool after just about every slice. Works pretty good when not taking a direct hit from the offset like at the right side of the sphere in the picture. Switched over to an off-brand diamond shaped carbide cutter. Not quite as nice V-groove but doesn't wear the tip out either.




https://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z132/davedelo/Sliding%20Eccentric%20Vacuum%20Jig/vsec5_zpskm58s27s.jpg

Re: Stewart Batty Vortex tool

Dave Delo

just another pic

Re: Stewart Batty Vortex tool

john lucas

that's what I use is the skew. Same thing for reaching into tight places. the toe of the skew does it wonderfully.

Re: Stewart Batty Vortex tool

john lucas

I've looked at Cindy's tool. It actually has bevels on the side where this one is totally radiused.

Re: Stewart Batty Vortex tool

john lucas

I use the toe of the skew when I do those kind of offset cuts. I either take 2 cuts to make the V or will lay it on it's side and do a scraping cut. Depends on how clean I want the cut and how steady my hands are that day.

I made a little pyramid tool from .........

JamieDonaldson

.... 1/4" HSS rod that does that just fine for about $2 !

Re: I made a little pyramid tool from .........

John C Lucas

I have a.pyramid tool but sometimes it doesnt leave the cut as clean as i would like. If you think about it the included angle is 120 degrees. Not very sharp compared say the toe of the skew which is 50 to 70 degrees. Cindys tool appears to have a more acute edge. Hard to measure Stewarts tool but appears to be 70 to 80 degrees.

Re: I made a little pyramid tool from .........

John K Jordan

John, do you have one of those machinists protractors, pretty thin, might work to measure the angles?

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61Tkc4D5TfL._SL1500_.jpg

If you don't have one, maybe bring the tool to the club meeting and I can bring the protractor. Come to think of it, I'd like to see the tool myself if it would be convenient to bring it.

I recently made another "wicked" point tool and a little round skew from round rod from Doug Thompson. One of them is ground with a flatter top and looks a bit more like the Batty and Drozda tools. I might try to grind it back much further on both the top and below and see how that works.

I don't have a picture of the latest one but here is an older version not ground nearly as much and with straight bevels.

This kind of grind seems to cut better than a pyramid point tool. I haven't tried a bevel-rubbing cut.

JKJ

Re: I made a little pyramid tool from .........

Dave Delo

Stuart's is 25 degrees off the flat top surface.

Re: I made a little pyramid tool from .........

John K Jordan

>>>Stuart's is 25 degrees off the flat top surface.



Great picture. Is it 25-deg all the way around the bevel or just at the tip?

JKJ

Re: I made a little pyramid tool from .........

Dave Delo

It's a little difficult to get an exact reading from my protractor because there's a slight hollow grind when trying to measure the angle right at the tip. Not much evidence of a hollow grind once you get off the pointed centerline. But upon further inspection, I'd say the bevel angle is closer to the 22.5 degrees mark throughout the grind. Polished bevel, sharpening done with a card on the top flat surface.

Re: I made a little pyramid tool from .........

john lucas

I still haven't used the Vortex tool yet but i like the design of yours better.

Re: I made a little pyramid tool from .........

john lucas

I was measuring the bevel on the side like you would rub the bevel there. The angle of the tip may be 25 but it seems like it would be hard to rub the bevel. I will play with it in a little while and see what I can learn. I was measuring I guess what we would call the wing portion.

Re: Stewart Batty Vortex tool

Reed Gray

The first version of this type of tool I ever saw was at a work shop with both Stuart and Alan Batty. It was one of Allen's tools. It was half round stock, and ground more like a spindle detail gouge, so bevel angle at about 25 degrees or so, and a round bottom side. He let me play with it and I liked it, so when Doug Thompson came out with his fluteless gouges, I made one. A skewchigouge could be ground to the same profile. Amount of sweep could vary a lot. My main use for mine is for a finish cut on the vertical wall of my dove tail recess. Cuts very cleanly.

robo hippy

Re: Stewart Batty Vortex tool

David Walser

Wait! What? You mean that it's not a brand new idea? Impossible!

/sarcasm

More seriously, I'm sure we could all learn from what old-time turners did only a few years ago. The only real differences between then and now are the quality of the steel, the use of 4-jaw chucks, and variable speed.

Re: Stewart Batty Vortex tool

John K Jordan

>>>More seriously, I'm sure we could all learn from what old-time turners did only a few years ago. ...

Just look at some of the amazing turnings from 2-300 years ago.

JKJ

Re: I made a little pyramid tool from .........

Mike Stafford

My long point tool looks very much like yours John with one exception. I actually grind the bottom and the wings with the tool mounted in the Wolverine jig.

The top bevel is essentially flat and I hone it with a diamond hone between grindings which are infrequent. I use the 1/4" long point tool to turn the beads next to the flange on the shoulder of my boxes.

I also have a 3/8" skewchigouge type tool that I grind using the Wolverine but the tip is more rounded like a gouge. The top bevel is almost flat and can be honed when needed.

Here is a picture of my long point tool.

Re: I made a little pyramid tool from .........

Mike Peace

I use a 1/4" pyramid tool a lot. Handy as a scraper when doing small threaded boxes, making small Vee cuts and making small beads. . I tried this grind after seeing your picture. It seems to cut a Vee cut easier than my more traditional pyramid tool, but I found it more difficult to cut small beads with (Frank Penta does this a lot). So I will stick with my more traditional ground pyramid tool.

Re: I made a little pyramid tool from .........

Mike Peace

You are dating yourself, Jamie. Now that Enco got bought out by MSC Direct, they are up to almost $8 for that 1/4" x 8" HSS rod. I have found some 4" HSS rods 7mm in diameter for less than $2 on the internet.