Lathe tools

When using a lathe there are several different tools that are used to create different effects on wood that you are turning.

1. The first type of lathe tool is a gouge. Gouges are the most commonly used lathe tools, and are employed for roughing out stock and reducing stock to a cylindrical shape. They are also used for cutting coves or grooves on spindle turnings, or for making rough cuts or concave cuts on faceplate turnings. Gouges are beveled on the convex side of the tool. The bevel is approximately 30 degrees, or twice as long as the thickness of the steel. Gouges have a rounded cutting end, extending well along the sides of the tool.

2.Another tool is the skew chisel. Skew chisels are given that name because the cutting edge is at an angle to the side of the tool. The cutting edge is ground at an angle of 70 degrees to one side of the chisel. Normally, both sides of the cutting edge are bevelled with the length of the bevel being approximately twice the thickness of the stell. Skew chisels are used to make V cuts, beads, and tapers, and to smooth round shoulders or cylindrical stock. The skew may be used weither as a cutting or scraping tool. Some skew chisels have only one side of the cutting edge bevelled, and are used only for scraping.

3. Parting tools are used to make narrow recesses or grooves to a desired depth. The cut has flat sides and a square bottom. These tools are thicker at the center of the blade than at the edges. Their center thickness determines the width of the cut, which is normally 1/8" or 1/4". The tapering from the center to the edge gives the tool clearance and helps prevent friction and head buildup from harming the tool or the stock.

4.The diamond point is a scraping tool used whener its shape is needed to fit the shape of the stock. Its use is simialr to that of right and left hand skew chisels. The cutting angle is 30 degrees to the side of the tool, with the bevel 30 degrees to the surface of the tool.

5.The square nose is a scraping tool, usually used in smoothing flat or convex surfaces. As its name suggests, the tool is square across the front, with a 25 degree bevel ground on the underside of the cutting edge.