More pictures of shop made lathe tools

I get more questions about my carbide lathe tools than anything else, mostly about grinding, so here are more pictures of the business end.

The diamond tip is ground with a taper then flattens for the cutter. Nothing holds the carbide in place except friction and it hasn't budged. A few folks expressed concern because it isn't form fit like Easy Wood Tools but that isn't necessary for holding it in place.

I've had less success with the radius cutter and will eventually replace it with a round carbide. Radius cutters don't do anything the other shapes don't do better. I suggest that you use square bar for square, radius, and diamond cutters otherwise the tool tends to spin when using the corners. This cutter has several chips where catches have flung it against the tool rest.

The tapped hole goes completely through.

The grinding doesn't have to be pretty to be functional. Leave steel under the cutter for support then grind a relief matching the angle on the carbide.

Soon I will be making a new one with a square bar. I purchase my carbides from AZ Carbide, excellent prices and customer service along with fast shipping. I have no financial interest in the company and receive no compensation for recommending them.

Making carbide lathe tools and handles

Carbide lathe tools are simple to make and substantially cheaper than commercial versions. I own a couple of Easy Wood Tools and my homemade versions work equally well. These are built with maple harvested from my property, 1/2" steel rod, and carbide cutters purchased from AZ Carbide. The ferrules are cut from copper pipe, fixed with CA glue and then polished. 

Tips were shaped on the grinder then holes drilled and tapped for 6-32 screws.

Diamond and radius cutters. The diamond cutter is handy but the back corners have a tendency to catch. The radius cutter gets less use than I expected. My recommendation is use square bar for diamond, radius, and square cutters as it will give more support and help prevent the tool from rolling in your hand. 

Finished handles. The size and shape is very comfortable but are front heavy, I may go back and add weight to the handle. [update: balance hasn't been an issue since the tool rest supports the front but I'll use a heavier wood on future handles]

In a former life this beading tool was a file, now it has a handle to match the others. Shape of the bead is cut into the handle so it's profile is known at a glance.

Long term update: In addition to these I also own Easy Wood Tools and a variety of gouges, skews, and parting tools. In general, I get a better and faster cut from gouges than I do from carbide tools but the carbide scrapers come in handy for very hard woods and roughing in general.  If I were to do this over, I would use square bar for square, radius, and diamond shaped cutters because they need the extra support and it will help prevent the tool from spinning in your hand. Round or square bar is fine for round cutters.