About Lathe Chisels

A lathe chisel is a metal tool with a sharp beveled edge used to cut and shape wood. Lathe chisels are used when working with a wood-turning lathe. They come in a variety of different types. Lathe chisels include bowl gouges, spindle gouges, ruffing gouges, parting tools, scrapers and skews. Woodworkers use chisels to form designs and patterns in wood as it turns on a lathe. Lathe woodworking tools to a woodworker are like construction tools to a contractor. Each woodworker has a different set of lathe chisels, sharpened and used to their own preference. Each chisel serves its own purpose and has a specific design for use.

Identification

Lathe tools are made from solid stock steel. Most of the tools are forged into shape. They are hardened and tempered after being heat treated. The lathe chisels are then machine and sometimes hand ground. After the chisel blades are carefully ground, they are then hand glazed and polished with abrasive impregnated rubber wheels. Lathe chisel handles are made with a beaded firm and comfortable grip. They are usually made from quality ash wood with an oil finish. The blades, or cutting edges, come in different shapes, depending on what the chisel is used for. They are straight, concave, rounded, angled and pointed.

Features

Lathe chisels come in a variety of sizes. They range from very small hand tools for tiny detail, all the way up to slick chisels used for working with timber in construction. Butt chisels have straight edges and beveled sides. Carving chisels include gouge, skew, parting, straight, paring, and V-groove. These chisels create delicate wood carvings. Corner chisels have an L-shaped edge and is used for creating 90-degree angles. Paring chisels have long blades and are used for cleaning grooves. Skew chisels trim wood with their 60-degree cutting angle. Most woodworkers start with larger lathe chisels and work down to smaller tools as the designs become more intricate.

Types

Spindle gouges are lathe chisels used for creating detail. A roughing out gouge is used to round out uneven or square wood pieces. Bowl gouges are used for hollowing out wood for bowls. Round nose scrapers create intricate flowing curves on bowls and spindles. An oval skew chisel is used on spindles for detail. Finish flat bottomed forms with a square end scraper. Create semi-circular beads with the bead chisel. Standard parting tools are ideal for fine detailing and finish work. A diamond parting tool reduces the risk of binding and heat build up. A fluted parting tool creates two sharp spurs on the face of the workpiece.

Function

Scraping the wood using a lathe chisel is one of the easiest methods for chisel work. Scraping requires bringing the blade edge into the wood and in horizontal sweeping motions, the blade is moved from side to side. It is best not to move the chisel all the way into the wood at first, but to take the wood away a little at a time. You should remove wood in slow and steady motions, never forced. Cutting the wood requires moving the chisel into the wood like a knife. This method is a little more difficult. Always move cutting chisels into the wood slowly to avoid the tool being ripped from your hands. Shearing wood is done with a skew and a gouge. The shearing is done by moving the chisel edge parallel to the work and removing layers from the surface of the wood by gradually moving the chisel into the workpiece.

Considerations

When working with lathe chisels, consider the way you hold them. Set your left hand on top of the blade and extend your little finger towards the wood. Hold the handle with your right hand and use this hand to provide the momentum towards the workpiece. The right hand guides the tool. Another way to hold lathe chisels is to place your left hand on the blade with your fingers underneath and your thumb on top. Extend your pointer finger parallel to the lathe ledge. Your right hand holds the handle and guides the tool in this method also. Holding the back of the handle is also an ideal way to support the chisel.