Recently I bought an Easy Wood Tools 3/8" rougher lathe tool to use for smaller projects like pens. The tool has interchangeable / replaceable carbide cutter tips and the one that came with the tool was a square cutter. I bought a 2" radius cutter at the same time as that particular cutter was supposed to be good for just about all the operations in basic pen turning.
That left me with a spare cutter and no handle to mount it on. After getting a good look at the Easy tool I decided that I could make a handle and tool holder for a lot less than the $59 the whole tool cost.
As it turns out I could get all the materials for about $4.50. With the cost of the cutter itself being $14 that meant I could make my own whole tool for about $18.50. Quite a bit less expensive than the $59 store price.
Here's the finished tool. Click it to see the full sized picture.
The whole process is detailed on my blog (see my signature for the link).
The handle is turned from red oak. I used red oak because I wanted the pores so I could try a finishing technique I recently read about in a newsletter. Sorry, I didn't save the email so I can't point to it.
What I did after final sanding on the lathe was apply ebony Briwax with a rag. The black wax fills the pores in the grain and darkens the smooth parts of the wood giving this two toned look. I top coated it with bees wax and the handle has a nice aged look to it and feels good to my hands.
That left me with a spare cutter and no handle to mount it on. After getting a good look at the Easy tool I decided that I could make a handle and tool holder for a lot less than the $59 the whole tool cost.
As it turns out I could get all the materials for about $4.50. With the cost of the cutter itself being $14 that meant I could make my own whole tool for about $18.50. Quite a bit less expensive than the $59 store price.
Here's the finished tool. Click it to see the full sized picture.
The whole process is detailed on my blog (see my signature for the link).
The handle is turned from red oak. I used red oak because I wanted the pores so I could try a finishing technique I recently read about in a newsletter. Sorry, I didn't save the email so I can't point to it.
What I did after final sanding on the lathe was apply ebony Briwax with a rag. The black wax fills the pores in the grain and darkens the smooth parts of the wood giving this two toned look. I top coated it with bees wax and the handle has a nice aged look to it and feels good to my hands.
