I was trying to part-off a section from a 5" diameter piece of wood using a diamond-shaped parting tool. The wood was in spindle-turning orientation. Everything was going fine until I got about 75% through the piece. At that point, the wood grabbed the parting tool and pulled it (and my hand) forcibly into the side of the wood. You can see in the picture where the ferrule of the parting tool dug into the wood and took a chunk out of it. I made some initial widening cuts to help prevent the tool from binding but apparently that was not enough. So..... how are you supposed to safely part-off a piece of wood like this?
This forum’s rules are in line with the DAW organization. It is dedicated to the art and craft of woodturning and seeks to promote an environment of freely sharing our experiences and knowledge with one another in a setting that welcomes all people, skill levels and ages to participate. As such, please when posting/commenting, keep it free of offensive language, profanity, name calling/argumentative behavior, inferred innuendo or otherwise graphic posts. There will be no political oriented commentary allowed.
To post topics, reply and view images, you must be a registered member (free or paid).
Ron,
There are others who would know much better than I, but the first thing I noticed is that there is a lot of the tool overhanging the tool rest. With that much tool overhanging the tool rest it's very easy to lose the proper angle on the tip of the tool and cause a catch.
It is also possible to have the tool lose it's parallel position to the sides of the slot. A small degree change or a slight twist of the shaft would cause a catch on the side of the tool which can be exacerbated by the smaller piece 'flexing' or wobbling as it loses contact around the edges. Even though it's supported by the tailstock, the tailstock applies pressure to the center, not the edges and really does more to help it stay in the chuck. If I had to guess, it looks like this is what happened. When I have a piece like this with a deep parting cut, I just grab a saw when I'm getting close. Whatever works is my motto.
You must be logged in to post a comment.