"mac davis" wrote in message
...
I've been sort of lusting after the termite for end grain stuff... My wife
told
me this morning that she was going to get it for me for Christmas, but was
afraid of ordering the wrong thing..

She asked me to go ahead and order it, but I'm sorta getting cold feet...
I'd
have to buy a $80 tool and end up having it sit on a shelf not being
used..


It's a ring tool, which is a closed hook tool, which is a gouge at right
angles to the handle.

A gouge produces a nice surface cutting downhill on endgrain, the Termite
does it sideways. It's fine for box and goblet bottoms, marginally better
than a fingernail gouge on their insides, depending on taper. Hook tool can
even be used on deep cross grain, but you'll want a lot of leverage. Look
at the pictures of the old boys and you'll see them with a handle long
enough to steady in an armpit.

Problem with a ring over the hook is in shaving ejection. Ring fills up
quickly if you're being aggressive, or the damp wood is sticking together in
long shavings. The larger ring cannot be sharpened with the sharpening cone
they provide with the standard kit, BTW.

Second problem is that it's really intolerant of out-of-round conditions.
Getting best results requires a bevel reference, so it's for first hollowing
or final passes, not for bringing something back to round after drying. Use
a standard gouge or scraper for that.

What it does is close to priceless, if you've ever tried to scrape some
woods' endgrain, and then to sand it into some semblance of smooth. If
you're making a lot of boxes or goblets, purchase it as what it is - a
one-trick-pony - and enjoy. Otherwise, don't waste a gift occasion.

FWIW, boxes don't sell worth a squat around here. Nice ones take almost 45
minutes, and people won't give $20 for 'em. Will for a goblet which takes
less time, though. Go figure.