What do you guys suggest for a spindle tool?

[Jack Gaskins]

I was thinking of getting the Cindy Drozda tool for small finials and pedestals and such. My 1/4 inch spindle gouge just doesnt get into tigth enough spots.

Jack

[Scott Hackler]

I have and use a 1/8" gouge. For the finial delicate tips. It is ground to a pretty sharp point (detail gouge) and it works well. Mine is a Sorby, but others make gouges this size as well. A point tool is also VERY handy. I made one from a piece of 1/4" drill rod. I also use this to define lines.

[Glen Blanchard]

The grind on Cindy's spindle gouge allows access to some pretty tight areas. I really like mine.

[Jack Gaskins]

I have and use a 1/8" gouge. For the finial delicate tips. It is ground to a pretty sharp point (detail gouge) and it works well. Mine is a Sorby, but others make gouges this size as well. A point tool is also VERY handy. I made one from a piece of 1/4" drill rod. I also use this to define lines.

I have an 1/8 gouge in my mini delta set but when I grind it the metal disappears to fast for me to figure out the grind I want. I also need to figure out how to make a small rest to get close to the spindle. My 4 inch rest can only get so close due to the live center and the chuck. A 2 inch rest would be great.

[Glenn Barber]

Jack- I have seen where others use either a bar magnet on the tool rest (approx. 1" x 2" x 1/2") near the the wheel as a platform for small tools or make a platform of similar size out of wood (baltic birch ply is good) with magnets countersunk in the bottom to keep it in place.

For grinding: Some let the wheel come up to speed, then turn it off and wait a second or two or three before sharpening the tool on the wheel. With no power, the wheel doesn't "eat" the small diameter tool as quickly. Also, one of the circular magnifier and light combos above the grinder is supposed to aid with seeing the shape/grind of the smaller tool.

Hope these are of some help.

Glenn

[steven carter]

I have a 1/4" tool steel rod that I made a flutless pointed tool from that can get into some tight spots and does a good job on fine details. I just epoxied it into a round handle.

[Jack Gaskins]

I'll see if I have any tool steel laying around to make a small pointy with. Guess I can make a tiny rest out of some wood and a piece of metal attached for the tool to slide on.

[Scott Hackler]

Jack,

I had to re-read your post about the tool rest. I use a 4" tool rest for all of my small finials and found that extending the tailstock / live center out a couple inches, allows for the tool rest to get right up to the wood. After the tip is defined, I usually remove the tailstock completely out of the way. Of course my technique of finial turning requires the left arm/hand over the work and holding counter pressure against the wood as I cut or sand.

[Jack Gaskins]

I usually leave the tail stock up to the tip of the finial till I am almost done with shaping the finial. The problem with the tail stock is I am using a nova live center and it has a large diameter. Guess I could make a long narrow tip to fit in it allowing me to position the tail stock further back from the spindle.

[Glenn Barber]

Jack/et al- The tips I gave had to do with sharpening a tool on the grinder. The wording may not be the best. Hopefully, no one confuses them for something else.

Glenn

[Thomas Canfield]

I have a 1"post for my Powermatic to allow me to get close with parting tool or close point. On a mini, the post would only be 5/8" or something and not much support so a horizontal bar would be best added. I took a 1/4" Benjamin Best spindle gouge and sharpened it to a sharp angle and then did a secondary grind to only have a very short cutting bevel to improve the clearance so that I could cut the recess in some goblets. Just a suggestion. A friend also make some round skews out of 1/4" M2 bar. Detail work is not my normal thing.

[Rick Markham]

I finally got around to getting the D-way tools Tear drop (it's with the beading tools Dave makes) I'll be honest, it's pretty sweet! You can get into all kinds of tight spots, it works so good that you can clean up details with it too. For other spots I have a 1/4" detail gouge that's sharpened at a 30 degree angle, It's perfect for sneaking in almost anywhere, but you have to pay attention or you will get a catch. Almost all of my finials are turned with my 3/8" spindle gouge, the heel is removed from the grind and it's kept razor sharp. I'm like Scott, I turn my finials without the tailstock. Once the tip is defined the tailstock is removed. I generally don't have to support the piece with my left hand, but I create mine in very small sections (including sanding through finish sanding) and I don't go back and touch anything.

[Thom Sturgill]

I bought some 1/4" drill rod and made a point tool with a long point. I also have a 3/8 commercial point tool with a much shorter point. They work well for defining lines and getting into some tight spots. I also use a P&N detail gouge sharpened at 25 degrees as my 'goto' detailer. The detail gouge has more metal under the point than a regular spindle gouge. Thompsons site has good pictures showning this.

Then there's the skew...