Thompson Turning Tools Up for Review

Over the years of exploring wood turning forums, a name began appearing, Thompson Lathe Tools.  

You know how it goes, you see a reference of a new tool and think "Huh, wonder if its any good?"  After seeing this brand pop up more and more, I visited his website and took a look around.  I realized that Id been missing out.  Id read others rave about the extreme edge holding ability of these tools, but I didnt realize that a lot of the professionals that make a living by turning more and sharpening less were using these tools too.  Thats when I told myself that when I could, I was going to check out these tools for myself.

I still had a few questions before my decision to purchase was set.  

Such as: 
Do I have to have a CBN wheel for sharpening these tools? 
Which 3/8" spindle gouge with a fingernail grind is used for small finial work?
Whats the advantage of the U shaped or V shaped bowl gouge?
Ill be turning some large platters.  What scraper would you recommend for cleaning up the inside?

I called the company owner, Doug, on a Friday at a quarter to five and had to leave a message.  I figured he was doing the same thing I was and had called it an early day.  To my surprise he called back that evening around 6 and answered all of my questions and then some.  He said that sure, some people use CBN, but you dont have to.  Youll get a finer edge with a CBN wheel, but that the edge created by a 80 or 120 grit aluminum oxide wheel will serve you just fine.  Doug recommended his regular spindle gouge with a sharp fingernail grind for creating delicate finials.  He also recommended the V shaped bowl gouge for the large pieces I was planning to make.  The V shaped bowl gouge is a bit more stout than the U shaped and has proven to be an excellent choice.  I also have a fingernail grind on this tool and have enjoyed every minute of it.  We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the three larger sized scrapers that Doug offers for some time and decided on the 1 1/4" scraper. This size is large enough to reach a fair amount over the tool rest and flatten a big platter, but not so big that I cant use it for 5" plates or bowls.  

After mulling it over for a while, I purchased the 5/8 V shaped bowl gouge, the 3/8 spindle gouge, and the 1 1/4" scraper.  Upon the arrival of these tools, I was quickly impressed.  I feel that packaging says a lot about a person, and while this has nothing to do with edge holding ability, it does enforce the message that Thompson Lathe Tools sends.  These tools are of utmost quality and pride is reflected by each item being shipped in sturdy plastic tubes or sleeves.  Of all the tools Ive purchased, these are the most sturdy.  Even before placing these tools in handles, they just have more presence than any other gouge or scraper Ive handled.  The bowl gouge and spindle gouge both have a heavier cross section than my other gouges, which makes them incredibly sturdy and resistant to chatter.  I cant say enough about the 1 1/4" scraper though.  Wow, just wow.  Its made from 5/16" thick stock and doesnt even attempt to fuss when youre cleaning up the bottom of a big platter or bowl.  It should be noted that this isnt the heaviest scraper that Doug carries.  The two larger scrapers are made of 3/8" and 5/8" steel.  WHAT?!  

Doug Thompson sells his tools unhandled, which keeps costs down.  If youre a do it yourself kinda guy like I am, you can make your own handles and save some cash.  However, what if youre too excited about trying out your new toys?  Cough cough.  Sorry, tools.  You can purchase interchangeable handles from Doug as well.

So, I quickly made some metal handles to try out my new gouge.  The first victim that fell prey to this awesome 5/8" gouge was a piece of hickory that was 21" X 4".  I was absolutely amazed with the results.  I had to sharpen my gouge once after starting this piece and had never had so much fun burying myself with shavings.  I was floored with the edge holding ability of this tool and knew that the other tools were sure to be just as amazing.

About a month later, it was time to get started making ornaments.  I pulled out my new 3/8" spindle gouge and went to town making finials.  This tool has great control and quickly felt like an extension of my body to shape wood with ease.  Again, I was impressed with this tools ability to retain a sharp cutting edge.  Making small finials requires a lot of repeated cuts with the 1/8" tip of a fingernail ground spindle gouge.  I could complete numerous finials per sharpening before performance was even noticeably compromised.

Like most scrapers, these are equipped with a rectangular tang.  For this tool, I made a wooden handle and enlisted the tool for active duty.  Anyone who has used a scraper knows that the heart and soul of a scrapers viability is the burr that creates the cutting edge.  With my standard M2 HSS scraper, I was constantly going back and forth to the grinder or burnishing the edge to bring the burr back to life.  Ill never go back!  You cant make me use an M2 scraper.  Maybe Im over reacting, but geez, this thing just keeps going.  Now, youre not going to see that same time interval as you would with a gouge, but its a scraper, people, and the Thompson scrapers are the ones you want next to your lathe.

Thompson Lathe Tools doesnt just provide tools, they provide satisfaction and excitement.  These tools are just fun to use.  They respond as expected and seem to become an extension of your body that acts and responds instinctively.  Doug is a great person to do business with and I will happily continue to support him with future business and reviews.

Also, I was not compensated in any way by Doug or Thompson Lathe Tools for writing this review.

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Steel Wool and Vinegar Does What

What do you get when you mix steel wool with vinegar?  Yes, you get steel wool that smells like vinegar, but thats not the point.  Ill give you a hint.  You can use the results to stain wood.  Believe me?  Find out for yourself with my tutorial.

You too can enjoy the dark color of ebony without the high price of commercial stains or ebony!  You will need the following items.

• Vinegar 
• Steel wool (0000 is best)
• An old jar (plastic is better)
• Solvents (I used Mineral Spirits and Lacquer Thinner)
• Coffee filter and rubber band (optional)

The process is pretty simply.  First, find your steel wool and douse it with mineral spirits.  I followed up with lacquer thinner to remove the mineral spirits because Im a bit impatient with things.  The solvents are used to remove the oil that most steel wool is coated with to prevent rust.  Most any solvent will work.  If youre really desperate, you can swipe your wifes nail polish remover or use gas (I dont recommend this and if you catch yourself or property on fire, thats just your own fault.  Im glad you understand.)  Let whatever solvent you use fully evaporate before you proceed.

Now shred your steel wool into dime sized pieces.  Wear thick gloves if you like.  You can get splinters from tearing steel wool.  Find your jar and toss in the steel wool and add enough vinegar to cover your steel wool mountain. Put on the lid and give the jar a shake.  Be sure to loosen the lid afterward so that the mixture can off-gas.  Wait at least 24 hours and shake the jar occasionally. Dont forget to tighten the lid before shaking, just speaking from experience here...  "Vinegar Steel" isnt going to be the next cologne to hit the shelves.

If you wait long enough, the steel will completely dissolve in the vinegar bath.  Regardless, once your waiting threshold has been reached, you are finished up and can either filter the solution, or use it as is. I noticed that there was debris in the jar and decided to let it soak through a coffee filter.  This takes forever.  Youve been warned.  I ended up poking holes in the filter with a awl, which didnt seem to speed up the process...  Drat!  

Ready for filtration!

Filtering

This is not coffee

Now go ebonize!  Woods with higher tannin content will react more than woods with lower tannin content.  All you need to do is apply more ebonizer if one or two of the applications is not dark enough. Apply this just like you would any other wipe-on finish.  The grain will likely raise some amount, so be sure to touch up the surface before moving on to a top coat.  Also, the solution does not go on black.  It will look like really dirty water, but just give it a minute and youll be surprised.

Here are a few pieces I grabbed to test out.  From top left to bottom right the samples are cherry, white oak, spalted maple, and rock maple.  You can see that the cherry and oak pieces darkened to near black.  I think with some good surface prep and an extra coat, these two would end up very dark.  You can see a color variation on the oak between the sap wood and heart wood.  Maple didnt react to the ebonizing solution as much.  It turned a weathered grey, which could still be quite useful. 

If you have any questions, feel free to email me.  If you use this on a project, let me know how it turned out! Thanks for reading!

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Making a Wooden Tool Handle

Today Ill walk you through making a handle for a tool that has a square tang.

This could be achieved in a similar fashion to the metal handle I made, but now I get to tell you how to turn your own handle.  When selecting stock, you want to pick out a piece of straight grained hardwood.  I used a piece of Maple that was 3x3 and 18" long.  Remember, this is a tool.  My approach to making tools is to not get caught up in how your tool looks, but rather how well it works.  Dont waste time and effort on beautifying a tool when you could use that extra time to make more bowls.  More bowls equals more money!

Start out with a spindle roughing gouge to knock off the corners and get the piece running true.  I used the spindle roughing gouge almost exclusively to shape this handle.  Also, one thing I did for this handle was to make faster passes on the wood to create a helical texture on the handle.  This effectively creates a better surface for gripping the tool.  Remember, this handle isnt meant to be very smooth, as this would remove some gripping ability.  I normally turn two bulbs on a handle and leave a bulge at the end so that I can feel the end of the handle without looking.   Also, turn a recess at the tool end of the handle to accept a ferrule to reinforce the tool holding end of the handle.

The tang of this tool is just under 5/8".  I placed a drill chuck with a 5/8 forstner bit in the head stock and put my spur drive in the tail stock.  I set the lathe to its slowest speed, advanced the quill slightly to apply pressure to the head stock, held the handle with my right hand and turned on the lathe with my left hand.  Once the lathe was running, I grabbed the handle with my left hand and began advancing the quill with my right hand.  During this process, I kept one hand on the handle at all times.

Once the hole was drilled, I made a dowel 5/8" in diameter and as long as the hole was deep.  This piece will fill in the open space above and below the tang of the tool.  I then cut out the center of the dowel with the band saw.  I used a clamp to hold the dowel while I was cutting it.  This required two cuts because the material being removed was approximately 3/8" in thickness.  

To assemble the tool, you absolutely want to have the ferrule in place before setting the tool in the handle.  For this size tool you would have a terribly hard time fitting the ferrule over the business end since it is substantially larger than the ferrule.  Now that you have the ferrule set (glue if necessary), test the fit of the spacers and tang in the tool handle.  This needs to be a press fit.  Too loose and you will need to either use lots of epoxy or remake the spacer.  I did not require any glue for this tool.  It is only a very tight press fit.  If this ever begins to loosen, Ill add ample amounts of epoxy or CA glue.  

Another option would be to drill a hole through the handle and tang.  Then drive a split pin or dowel through both items, tying them together. 

My method of assembly is to align the spacers and tang with each other and then start setting them into the handle.  I wiggle the tang and spacers farther into the handle and use a separate block to drive the spacers into place, as they will not sit as deeply on their own.  I will also place the business end of the tool on a scrap piece of wood and hit the opposite end of the tool with a mallet.  

The scraper used here is a 1 1/4" Thompson Lathe Tool.  This is a beefy piece of 10V steel.  I am here to tell you that this line of tools is top shelf and you will not be disappointed if you decide to follow my advice to invest in these tools.

Let me know if you make your own handle and how it turns out.  As always, dont hesitate to contact me with questions or suggestions.  Thanks for reading and happy turning!

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Making a Tool Handle From Pipe!

Want a handle for your turning tools without the big price tag?  Ill show you how and have a bit of fun in the process!

I was able to find all of the necessary components at my local Home Depot to make 2 handles. Interested?  Heres what you need to get going!

• Determination to save some greenbacks
• A tool for which to make the handle
• 1/2" pipe nipple (I used 18" and 12" long pieces)
• A 1/2" cap for one end of your pipe...  I mean handle
• Two 1/4-20 set screws per tool  1/4-20 x 1/4, 1/4-20 x 1/2   
• 3/4" ID hose to provide grip.  I used braided vinyl, but you can use whatever you like.
• Nylon spacer (This one is optional)
• 5/16 set screw (Only if you buy the spacer)
• BBs!  Dont shoot your eye out!

(Not all of the links are exactly what I used, but the discrepancies shouldnt cause you any trouble.)

Alright, ready to make a tool handle?  1/2" pipe is "supposed" to have a nominal ID of 5/8".  Mine did not.  Apparently, the manufacturer didnt get the memo.  So, I had two options here.  I could either put my piece on the wood lathe and free hand the cut or take it to my friends shop and borrow his metal lathe.  I chose the latter.  Here Im using a boring bar to open up the ID of my pipe.

After boring the ID to just the right size, I drilled and tapped two 1/4-20 holes for my set screws. Sorry, no picture.  I got too excited to finish up my new toy!

Note: Dont be like me and tap the threaded section of your pipe.  No, my drill didnt break, but there is barely enough wall thickness for your set screw to bite into.  However, just one set screw is holding my 5/8" gouge just fine.

Now, back at the home shop I brute forced the vinyl hose onto the pipe.  This kinda looks like a snake shedding in reverse huh?  This was by far the most time consuming part of the whole process.  I would recommend a heat gun and petroleum jelly.

Here Im making a bushing for my 3/8 detail spindle gouge.  Ive turned the OD of a piece of cherry so that it will be a press fit into the pipe.  Im now drilling out the bushing to accept the tang of the gouge.  I drill this slightly undersized as to have a good snug fit.  After this, I drilled the holes to allow my set screws to lock the tool in place.

Now, I make a pilot hole with an awl.  This allows me to drill the hole in the right spot.  Novel, I know...  The last picture is running the set screw into place before inserting the tool.  Trying to start the set screw through the hose with an allen wrench proved futile.

Back out the set screws before installing the tool.  Oh, the face? Yeah, I was goofing around after a long day at work.  I didnt think my wife was taking the picture yet...

At this point you will add the spacer and BBs, if you opt for it.  What is the spacer for? Good question.  The spacer isolates the BBs from the tool.  This way you can remove the tool for sharpening or to switch tools without your BBs running all over the floor.  Also, the 5/16 set screw is just threaded into the spacer to close the hole.  You could always just turn a small cylinder to fit the ID of your pipe and forgo the $1.96 to buy it at HD.  You may notice the tool Im using is from Thompson Lathe Tools.  I will go into further detail about these tools in another post, but let me just say for now that they are AWESOME!

3/8 Detail Spindle Gouge

5/8 Bowl Gouge

To buy a premade handle for your new lathe tools, its gonna cost you at least $45 for a decent one.  My total for this project with tax was $37.86.  When you consider that the most expensive item was the hose at $18.50 and I bought 10, Id say this was a pretty good project.  Just take a look at comparable handles and youll see that you cant even buy one for the cost of materials to make two.  That works for me! 

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