Rosette Cutters

[BOB OLINGER]

Does anyone have any experience they'd like to share using the rosette cutters from Rockler, Woodworkers Supply, or other similar suppliers? My application is on oak. There are some specialized shops that also supply rosette cutters that cost substantially more (usually come as removable knives sold separately). Thanks.

[Robert Parrish]

I use a set from MLCS that works very well in oak. I believe there are 7 different cutters and a cutter hear.

[Byron Trantham]

I have a rosette cutter. I used it on oak. I has to turn slow, >400rpm. I set up my blank so I could cut more than I needed. It was a good idea. I got to keep about 80% of them.:o The cutter I used has a replaceable blade though i Haven't replaced it. I used a diamond sharpening stone and it quite sharp.:D

[pat warner]

Have yet to find one, big or small, that didn't want to tear my drill press apart. Checked 5 pieces from 2 suppliers. Not one of the five was centered to the shank or starting point.

I suspect you have to pay >$100 to get a good one.

[Lee Schierer]

I have a wheel maker for wooden toys and it works pretty well if you keep the cutters sharp and use the right drill press speed. Even so, you tend to get a significant number of reject pieces due to tear out. I suspect a rosette cutter would have the same issues.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
I have one - 2 1/2" in diameter - in my GMC 1/2 HP benchtop drill press.
I'm running it ~ 1000 RPM.

A couple of months ago I made up a dozen 3" x 3" squares ot of 1/2" thick red oak using it.

I had zero problems with tear out, splintering or burning or the DP trying to run away on me - once I got the hang of the proper feed rate.
I believe - IIRC - I "trashed" two pieces getting the hang of the proper feed rate.
Too fast, and it stalled the DP. When that happened, the bit tore out sections when I lifted it so the DP could turn again.

No doubt a slower speed would have prevented that.
However - it's a GMC drill press & changing speeds is a nightmare.

I bought it from Hartville Tools on closeout for half price. IIRC, I paid about $25.00 for it, so it's not a high end bit & I'm using a farily low quality DP.

Make a jig that hold the stock firmly in place against a heavy rock solid fence.
I used a set of Jorgenson clamps to hold the squares, then clamped the Jorgenson clamps to the DP table and fence.
For a feed rate, I nibbled a little out at a time using a shop vac to clear the chips.

[Kirk Poore]

I have a 3" one from Woodcraft. It does a good job--with the right drill press. It would shake my old Taiwanese drill press pretty badly--in fact, so badly that it was a primary reason I went out and found a Powermatic 1200 to restore. On the Powermatic, I have to secure the workpiece very well, but it cuts right through with no issues. I do get some tearout in the two parts of the circle where it's going badly against the grain, but I think you have to expect that. (Of course, my PM weighs about 400 lbs and has a 1-1/2 horse motor, so it's no shrinking violet.)

Kirk

[John Downey]

Speed and feed are important with big cutters in a DP, so don't be too discouraged if you have to experiment a bit. The slop in the DP splines causes no end to chatter if everything's not just so. More slop means its even more important to get everything right. I even once took mine to work and cut some rosewood rosettes using the milling machine - and had problems with that too! Cutter was spinning way too fast, even in a super tight machine.

[Paul Atkins]

I have a rosette cutter holder that Del Stubbs made years ago. It goes in the tailstock of my lathe and does not turn. No rotating mass of destruction. The blank is put on with a screw chuck or a few dabs of hot glue. Since I make dozens at a time, it has to be fast. Sometimes I make a faceplate with a centering pin and use the hot glue. I can start turning in a few seconds and the rosette just pops off with a chisel. The screw chuck is faster, but I can't use it with thin rosettes. Here is the holder with a few cutters I've made. The 'handle' rests on the tool rest and the cutter cuts on the far side of the spindle.

[Jim Champaigne]

I have been using the same model cutter with a heavy duty 22" drill press, but still have problems with the cutter shaking the Oak board causing tear out. I took the cutter back to place of purchase and tried it on a delta drill press, and got the same bad results.

Is the problem located in the cutter itself?
I'm confidant the blade is centered left to right correctly, but have no way of knowing if the blank sets into the body correctly or if the body was correctly made. If the blank was offset a few thousandths of an inch, that would account for the runout and the gyrations of the operaton.

Would a solid one piece steel cutter have a better chance of a precision cut?
I use Red Oak, have a very heavy vice on a very heavy drill press. Very few attempts to create a good looking block have been successful.

Any suggestions from anyone?