Parting Tools

[Tim Thiebaut]

Ok so in my adimtedly limited experience with parting tools it seems to me that the very tip of the parting tool should be at least minimaly wider then the shaft of the tool to allow for a smoother cutting action while parting off stock, it seems as if I am always getting a slight bind, even a little heat burn on the sides of thick stock I am trying to part off. Your thoughts on this? Is it just me?

I saw a video on Sorbys site where he used what he called a Fluted Parting tool, the under side of one half of the tool was ground back to allow waste to flow through cleanly it looked like, has anyone used one of these, do they work better then a regular parting tool? Has anyone made one by grinding off part of an older parting tool to see how it works?

[David E Keller]

I've got a couple of parting tools with some being homemade. The trick for me is to open up the cut a little to prevent the binding and burning.

[Roger Chandler]

Ditto to what David advised...........when parting off, open up the cut by making a second pass beside the first........alternating between the two as you go to the bottom of the cut. This gives you a wider kerf removed and prevents binding and burning.

[Dale Bright]

I have several parting tools and the one that cuts the best and I use the most is a Sorby 2mm fluted tool. This tool is used for deep cuts and actually parting off. If I am using a parting tool for bulk removal, I pick one that is much wider.

Dale

[John Keeton]

Tim, I use the HF parting tool, and I also have one that is 5/32" that I made from a planer blade. I think there is a little bit of a learning curve with parting - getting just the right amount of "wiggle" to keep the kerf open enough. I usually do as the others have commented - make a couple of passes, alternating as I go.

[Thom Sturgill]

Most 'sets' include a diamond parting tool that is wider in the center so that the sides do not grab, but most turners seem to discard them in favor of narrower blades and 'wiggling' the blade to make a wider cut. I think the narrower blade gives a cleaner cut as you can run it down the face to clean it. The fluted tool should give a cleaner cut on the sides.

[Jim Burr]

I picked up a tip on Ted Sokolowski's Pepper mill DVD. He rocks it in his hand...a slight left to right twisting motion, when parting. Used it ever since with no complaints

[Lionel Mercier]

Hello Tim,
Like others, have made mine (one of mine) with a planer blade. Section is not the same on both sides. I use for cutting the wider (of course) and make too a couple of pass.
I have a very thin parting tool made from an old knife blade. Cutting edge from the back...(intended for little pieces sure...)
Friendly, Lionel.

[Bryan Morgan]

I just wiggle it a little to widen the slot a little bit or make two cuts to have a double wide gap.. Seems to work fine for me. Still managed to snap a Sorby right off the handle though... the Windsor (Harbor Freight) HSS tools seem to last a little longer.

[Jon McElwain]

In addition to the above, I would add that a very sharp tool will cut much faster and allow less time for heat buildup. In addition, present the tool high on the piece and lift your tool handle up to make the cut rather than push it in like a pool stick.

[Curt Fuller]

I have a diamond parting tool (can't remember the brand) that works well. But my favorite is one made from an old butcher knife. The blade is widest at the top (back side) and tapers toward the bottom (cutting edge) It's thin and makes a great parting tool. But like the others, I also work it around a bit to keep the cut open and prevent binding.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have 3 parting tools.

The diamond parting tool I don't use much.

The Sorby thin fluted parting tool I use when the occasion calls for it. Usually that means I'm running short of material and if I don't cut a narrow part...I get to reorder material and do it again.

My favorite is a Robert Larson 1/8" parting tool given to me by tod evans, a former Creeker. It's a standard parting tool and like the others I make a slightly wider kerf and slide it back and forth to keep a consistant depth of cut without binding.

Two things I do...when I start a cut I use the parting tool as a scraper...in a scraping mode. This prevents the fuzz building up you get if you use the parting tool in a shear cut mode. Once I get below the surface say 1/32" , I then use the parting tool in a shear cut mode and slice my way the desired depth.

Like my skews, I diamond hone my parting tools so they are sharp!