Homemade texturing tool idea's

[Greg Bender]

I have turned a few platters and I'm thinking that they need some embellishments. I was wondering what the creative turners had come up with as far as homemade texturing tools. Sawzall blades ,hacksaw blades ,what else could I/should I use? Pictures of your creations would be great.
Greg

[Michael Mills]

I haven’t made one but a lot of people have made a chatter tool using what you described.
I also considered using small gears with ball bearings mounted on a heavy shaft like the Sorby and others. The size/number or teeth on the gear can vary as well as the way you shape the edge (sharp like a spiraling or dull like a texturing).
Just a possibility? :confused:

Did a search and found this link.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?8215-Shop-Built-texturing-tool&highlight=Shop-Built+texturing+tool

[Greg Bender]

Mike,
Thanx for the link,that is what I'm trying to do.Got me thinking about old bicycle sprockets and similar gears. Gotta go look through the junk drawer.
Greg

[Bill Bolen]

My foogy mind seems to remember reading an article on the around the woods site where he used an old star wheel dresser as a texturing tool. Posted results looked pretty good.

[Jeff Nicol]

I have done the chatter tools with different blades, it just takes getting the speed and the angles right to get the patterns you desire. The easiest one I made was by taking a washer (1"or so in dia) take it to the grinder or use a dremel tool etc to cut teeth around the washer, then I took a piece of 3/4" board cut a slot in it to clear the teeth then drilled a hole through for a bolt so the teeth stick out about 1/4" to place on the wood. You can make the teeth sharp or blunt or a combo of each and put to the wood and vary the pressure against the wood and you will get a nice dimpled effect that works well for simple texturing, great for acorn tops. Another thing is to use knurling tool parts mounted in a handle in the same fashion, you can use some simple bronze bushings for the bolts that fit the hole in the knurling wheels.

Have fun,

Jeff

[Peter Fabricius]

Hi Greg;
I made a texturing tool using a single wheel from the Grinding Wheel star dresser. Just set the wheel in a slot cut in a 1/2" round steel bar. Drill a hole to bolt the wheel in the slot and make a nice wood handle to hold onto. Works great and produces nice "textured" paterns.
I did sharpen the teeth on the wheel to get a deeper and more pronounced cut.
Easy to do and virtually no cost. $2.00 for a replacement set of Star dresser wheels.
Good luck
Peter F.