A friend (and fellow turner) mentioned in church last Sunday that he’d watched a youtube vid of someone using a lathe tool with a curved end for easier access to the inside of a bowl.
I had made him a carbide tool last year and he asked me if I thought I could make a curved one. He thought that because I have been using that thick 5/8” aluminum bar stock that I might not be able to bend it.
Well, challenge accepted ! Here’s the progression of how it went…
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The handle (still not positive what this wood is. That’s a 12” ruler with it )
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The bar. Apply a little heat with a propane torch and used a 15” adjustable wrench to bend the tip.
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Grinding the 5/8” square to just under 5/8” round.
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Making sure I’ll have enough wiggle-room so the JB Weld will fit in there too. I used hand files to square up the transition where the square meets the rounded part
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Used a 4.5” grinder to cut a few grooves in the rounded end so the JB Weld has something to hold onto.
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Mixed up some JB Weld and clamped it tight. Leave overnight to set.
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And here’s several views of the finished product. I used my BLO mix on the handle (BLO, mineral spirits and Teak oil mixed in almost equal parts. I go heavy on the BLO.)
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Here you can see how I ground the tip and how much clearance the bit will have on the sides.
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And as Porky Pig used to say … “Th, tha, tha, That’s all, folks! “
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Thanks for takin’ a peek. Comments always welcomed !
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13 comments so far
Porchfish
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#1 posted 03-26-2016 01:16 PM
Go get em’ Joe !
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doubleDD
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#2 posted 03-26-2016 01:48 PM
Good achievement Joe. Next you will be making a curved hollower tip like the EWT. That may be your next challenge. Now tell the truth, was it really a challenge from a fellow turner or something you have been thinking about also? LOL. Looks like you made your hollowing easier. Let us know how it works.
-- Dave, Downers Grove, Il. -------- When you run out of ideas, start building your dreams.
htl
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#3 posted 03-26-2016 02:08 PM
Been thinking about getting some turning started and making some cool tools would make it that much more fun.
Nice job and how about a how to with it. LOL
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Woodknack
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#4 posted 03-26-2016 03:12 PM
Looks good Joe. I’ll be making a new tool soon. ;)
-- Rick M, http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/
Jerry
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#5 posted 03-26-2016 07:22 PM
Really nice, useful and informative post. Thanks for taking the time.
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Dave G
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#6 posted 03-26-2016 09:45 PM
Wow I’m going to copy.
Regarding the tip: You don’t seem too concerned about the strength of the screw joint holding the tip on – not that I have thought of anything better. 10-32 steel into a tapped hole? Hard to tell from the picture. Did you know the grade of Al?
-- Dave, New England - “We are made to persist. that's how we find out who we are.” ― Tobias Wolff
JoeinGa
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#7 posted 03-26-2016 11:06 PM
Thanks all for the comments. I actually hadn’t thought about doing this till he mentioned it. So I figured as long as I’m gonna make one … :-)
Soon as I try it out I’ll let you know if I like it, or if I’m gonna ship it to one of you guys who really turn out some beautiful bowls !
Yes that screw is a 10-32 and so far I haven’t had any issues with the threads or the tips coming loose. Here’s the bar stock I’ve been using…

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lew
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#8 posted 03-27-2016 12:05 AM
I need to make on of these!
-- Lew- Time traveler. Purveyor of the Universe's finest custom rolling pins.
Roger
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#9 posted 03-27-2016 01:08 AM
Gr8 fabrication Joe. Turn on.
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Dutchy
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#10 posted 03-27-2016 10:30 AM
Joe I liked to read this blog. Looks very good and I have learned how to put the rod in the handle. THANKS. What knive did you used?
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Dave G
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#11 posted 03-27-2016 11:07 AM
Thanks. It looks like 2024 Al is a good choice for it’s strength. It is the hardest possible alloy to bend! http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pdf/aluminumalloy.pdf But you managed it. By heating it some of the temper and strength may have been lost at the bend. It’s probably thick enough to tolerate that. 6061 seems a better choice if we’re bending it and expecting high strength too. I’ll get some of that.
I just placed the following order at McMaster-Carr
9008K11 Multipurpose 6061 Aluminum, Rectangular Bar, 5/8” x 5/8”
8826A312 Carbide Round Insert for Use on Carbon Steel
Thanks again.
-- Dave, New England - “We are made to persist. that's how we find out who we are.” ― Tobias Wolff
JoeinGa
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#12 posted 03-27-2016 01:39 PM
Any one who wants to copy, please feel free to do so. That’s why we share here, isn’t it?
Jan, I put a round tip on this one. At 16mm it might be a bit large (in case it grabs) but it’s what I had. The nice thing about the aluminum is I can easily re-grind it to fit a smaller cutter if I want.
Truth is Dave, I didn’t know the differences in the aluminum alloys (as far as which would be better for this ). It just so happens that quite a few years back someone gave me two 6-foot sticks of it, so I used what I had.
The bending was actually pretty easy. I kept the propane torch farther away than I would have for steel and I also tried to not keep it on any one side of the bar too long.
And yeah, I’m hoping that the thickness will give me plenty of strength in case of a catch. Time will tell.
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Dave G
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#13 posted 04-13-2016 08:56 AM
Hi I made one too:

It uses 5/8 6061T651 Aluminum from McMaster-Carr and cherry handle. I was able to bend the Al in a vice using a carbide burnisher as a fulcrum.
-- Dave, New England - “We are made to persist. that's how we find out who we are.” ― Tobias Wolff
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