Off The Shelf
I'm teaching a ball and claw class this week and we were talking about using tools right out of the box. In my opinion it's pretty much impossible.
The conversation got me thinking about some of the carving tools we're using, and so I photographed a few from my assortment that have been modified from their original shape.
The most difficult but essential to modify is the v-tool. I've illustrated it earlier on the knee carving blog, but the theory is that, as supplied, the cutting edge of the tool will cut a notch that the rest of the tool will not pass through easily. An unmodified v-tool is good for cutting shallow notches in the edges of leaves, for instance, and not much else. In order to make it work, the bevel has to be ground way back so that the rest of the tool can follow the leading edge at a fairly low angle and the handle can be lowered to a position that is more in line with the cut.
If you haven't been able to cut those long runs that define the leaves on knee-carving, for example, it may not be you, but the tool that is malfunctioning. Grinding the tip of the tool so that the wings cut before the bottom of the V will also improve the performance. Most of mine are ground this way. A few are ground back the other way so that he point leads, allowing you to cut right up to other elements, and a couple are ground straight for setting in patterns. The modified grind in the v-tool does remove a lot of metal at the base of the tool, so don't go hammering this thing into oak, you'll break the tool in half.
Illustrated here is a bent V modified to improve its performance.
If you haven't been able to cut those long runs that define the leaves on knee-carving, for example, it may not be you, but the tool that is malfunctioning. Grinding the tip of the tool so that the wings cut before the bottom of the V will also improve the performance. Most of mine are ground this way. A few are ground back the other way so that he point leads, allowing you to cut right up to other elements, and a couple are ground straight for setting in patterns. The modified grind in the v-tool does remove a lot of metal at the base of the tool, so don't go hammering this thing into oak, you'll break the tool in half. Illustrated here is a bent V modified to improve its performance.Another modification that comes in handy is to grind a gouge in-cannel, with the bevel on the inside.
If you also hollow the end profile you'll find you can do some pretty impressive rounding of inside curves with this tool, especially on the inside of ankles for carved feet.
If you also hollow the end profile you'll find you can do some pretty impressive rounding of inside curves with this tool, especially on the inside of ankles for carved feet.Grinding the ends of gouges, especially 9's and 11's, with the wings leading like the v-tool will also make your life easier when using these tools on cross grain or diagonal grain situations. Small veiners can also be ground this way. First image is about a 3.Second is an 11-7.
For volutes and leaf detailing, I find that grinding some gouges in left and right angles is a big help. These small 7's came to me like this with a batch of carving tools I bought in 1976 and I left them that way figuring they had a purpose.
At some point I picked them up and used them for the centers of small volutes and other specific stuff, and I've left them that way.
At some point I picked them up and used them for the centers of small volutes and other specific stuff, and I've left them that way.Aside from carving tools, planes are something that usually need some attention in order to function. Bench planes usually need sharpening and the corners rounded in order to work. If you're getting long rabbet-like tracks from your plane, you need to move the corners of the blade back into the body of the plane while the rest of the blade is cutting. This requires either rounding the corners of the blade very slightly, or grinding the blade in a long shallow arc. What you intend to use the plane for will dictate which you do. I think the only planes I have in the shop with "factory ground" profiles are rabbet planes, dado planes, and an old no.6 I use for edging before I glue.
The bottom line is that if you want exceptional performance from a tool, be prepared to put some exceptional effort into getting it ready.-Al
Views: 121
Comment
-
Comment by al breed on June 12, 2010 at 2:12pm -
Howard- I just noticed your comment. Grinding back 9's and 11's enables you to tip the tool from side to side to put the wings of the tool parallel with the grain , which will actually enable you to cut into oncoming grain in certain situations, like in the concave lobes of a shell.In addition, you can easily cut across the grain with no ripout, especially in any situations with figured wood-Al
-
Comment by Howard Steier on June 8, 2010 at 3:51pm
-
I can understand reshaping V-tools and veiners to reduce the heel to lower the angle of attack so that you have less wood to push. But what's the point of grinding back 9's and 11's to have them lead with their wings? How does this help cross-grain or diagonal carving?
Howard Steier
© 2012 Created by Tom Edwards.
You need to be a member of The Breed School to add comments!
Join The Breed School