# What would these lathe tools be used for?



## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

These were in a box of old lathe tools I bought and were ground from old Buck Bros tools. They work okay as scrapers but not as skews.


----------



## chrisperoni (Feb 2, 2013)

they look like parting tools to me


----------



## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

Me too…


----------



## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

Me three.


----------



## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Never seen a slanted parting tool. I can give it a try to see if they work that way but I don't believe they will.


----------



## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

Try it and see what happens. Let us know.


----------



## THOMRIDER (Dec 31, 2009)

They look like scrapers for tight detailed areas to me. Probably a custom grind job


----------



## Underdog (Oct 29, 2012)

The smaller one looks like a parting tool that's been ground into a diamond tip tool. I'm not familiar with how it's used. You could regrind it so that it could be used as a parting tool.

The larger one is ground the same way. As ThomRider indicated, I suspect they were both used as scrapers so as to get detail.

In my opinion, you can get better shaped and more crisp detail with a spindle or detail gouge. I would repurpose the smaller one as a parting tool, and use the larger one as a scraper to get square inside corners in hollowing work; like turned boxes.


----------



## Blackpearl (Jan 11, 2011)

To me they look like homemade versions of Ray Key's Dual Angle Shear scrapers. 
With those bevels they certainly are not parting tools, but scrapers for the finishing cuts.


----------



## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

Looks like those tools modified for use as a shear point scraper, dove tail tool or diamond parting tool.

Check out crafts supply catalog and will see what each one of tools I mention, hence my opinion your tools modified!


----------



## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

most likely custom ground scrapers for a specific shape/turning the previous owner was fond of or used often in his turnings.


----------



## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Could they be for cutting dovetail tenons? Some guys re-grind skews to match the shape of their chuck's dovetail jaws … maybe this is a shop-made variant of that?


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

"V" Scrapers


----------



## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

It might be home-made, but then it might not. I don't think mine is and it looks just like those but bigger:










The color difference is just where I tried to sand away some of the protective varnish a previous owner had slapped all over it. The shape is the exact same. It's 5/16" thick, 1-5/16th" wide. I can't read the mark but it is a sideways diamond to the left of WORKS and what might be C&H. It is too big for parting anything smaller than a baseball bat, sucks at cutting like a skew, and is just a mediocre scraper. Based on its age, if it is to be used as a shear scraper then Ray Key "borrowed" a design from about 50 years ago. I haven't found what it's real purpose is so it's been sitting in the scrap metal bin waiting until I find a need.


----------



## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I don't see myself using these as-is, I have carbide diamond, square, and round scrapers, and a steel bull nose scraper.

They are carbon steel and I already have a carbon steel parting tool, it gets really hot and dulls quickly. The small one might make a useful beading tool. I have a few beading tools made from files but they are really hard and difficult to sharpen. The large would make a decent scraper or maybe even a decent skew.


----------



## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

Rick, my M-2 HSS parting tools het hot enough to burn wood, I do not get them that hot re-sharpening!

Bottom line, all turning tools generate heat in use, and need re-sharpening regardless of steel use to make them.

Now if run out and buy this machine can sharpen those carbide steel cutters too! 
http://www.cuttermasters.com/portfolio/tradesman-dc/


----------



## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Update: They are called spear point scrapers, found them in an old catalog. I reground the big one because that sharp point just wasn't very useful, blunted the nose and it worked pretty well for inside a bowl.


----------



## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

So you made it a big scraper? Could I get a pic please, wouldn't mind finding a use for mine.


----------



## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

It looks the same but with the point rounded off. I found the point had a tendency to catch or dig in if your angle was off by even a small amount. Mostly I've been using it on the inside of small bowls. I may end up regrinding it to a roundnose.


----------

