Mac, if someone wants to buy you a Termite, take it. I turn many large
and deep end grain vessels, and have been using the Termite to bring them
into submission for years now. When you are 24" into the top of a vase
you need the tool to handle it.
But I use it on bowls too. Just yesterday I hollowed a wet Manitoba oak
bowl, 18" diameter and 8" deep. I was cross grain, but I still used the
Termite because the wood is extremely hard and dense.
What you get, though, depends on the size of vessels you want to do. The
handle that comes with the Termite is pretty puny, and will take you 4 to
5" at the very most. It's OK for small pieces. If you are going any
deeper than that, have a blacksmith make you a 3/4" shaft for starters.
Mine is 18" long with another 5" into the handle. Drill a hole in the end
of a cold rolled steel bar, chuck it at very low speed, like 20 rmp or
so, into your lathe with the hole in the rotating tail stock. I used a
side grinder to taper the shaft the last 6" or so, down to where a little
less than 1/8" remained around the hole. Smooth it down nicely. Takes a
bit of time, and there will be some clean up, but it's not hard to do.
Then, drill a hole perpendicular to the first hole for the set screw to
hold in the Termite cutter.
For a really super tool, take it to a chome plating outfit and spend the
$30 or so to have it chrome plated. Makes it a lot nicer to use and it
looks great too.
See my webpage at
www.hdv.net for a photo of the tools I have made for
the Termite and download the help file on using the Termite (under tools
and tips). That might help.
Mostly, plan to spend some time learning to use the tool and you'll not
regret it. By the way, those cutters are tough, tough, tough. I have one
shaft that is 57" long, 1½" in diameter and weighs 35 pounds. I've hit
rock hard knots with the big (#3) cutter in this shaft, and so far I've
only broken one old worn out cutter.
Hope this helps. If I had to do it over again I would only buy the
cutters (one of each) and the sharpening jig, and make all my own shafts,
even the small one.
Herm
Leo Van Der Loo wrote in
:
Hi Mac
Mac I sometimes use the termite, it's a good tool for end grain
cutting rather than scraping, it is not the best for side grain
turning, but it was not designed for that.
The only beef I have with the termite is the tools shaft, I find that
it should be heavier, it's easy to make a heavier bar if one would
want to do that though.
Yes you can buy just the tool tip and make your own handle but I like
the whole set, you get the sharpening point, it's a special point not
just a regular grinder stone, and the holder for the tip, so you can
sharpen the cutters easily with a router setup, the tip has to turn
something like 30.000 rpm (seem to recall that I think).
The thing about the tool not cutting because the hole plugging up is
not right, the tool cuts with the wood being sliced and riding/sliding
curling of the inside bevel, not by going through the hole, however if
not presented proper you could get a chunk of wood to get stuck in the
hole and blocking the bevel so the wood is than prevented from curling
away from the tool.
I think the tool has a bit of a learning curve but with some practice
it's a good tool for what it is designed for, cutting end grain.
I got a link to Herman de Vries's website he has some info on the use
of the termite tool, it might be some help.
http://www.hdv.net/
Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo
mac davis wrote:
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..
Anyone try the Termite?
Anyone using something better than the Termite?
Feedback appreciated...
mac
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