Newbie question.
How do you judge what the height should be? Are their any rules for this?


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The tool rest should be as close to the workpiece as practical. As to
its height? The important question is not where should the tool rest be
but where should the tool be cutting. Once you decide the right place
to make the cut, and where you want to hold the handle of the tool
(frequently well down against your body), then the height of the tool
rest is a foregone conclusion.

The location of the cut varies from tool to tool. If you are using a
skew in a planing cut, for instance, the cut is near the top of the
blank. If you are using a roughing gouge, the cut is much lower --
maybe around center with the bevel rubbing. With the handle down as far
as practical, that puts the tool rest somewhere below center.

If you are using a bowl gouge to hollow a bowl, then the tool rest must
be somewhere below center so that you can make a cut into the center of
the bowl without having to hold the handle high.

Anyway, if you recast the toolrest question to where do I want to make
the cut and where do I want the handle of the tool, you will be well on
the way to making the right choices, I think.

Bill



In article ,
says...
Newbie question.
How do you judge what the height should be? Are their any rules for this?


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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With a scraper, you should have the toolrest so the tool angles down
(handle up) when touching the wood at the spindle height.

With a scraper, you should have the toolrest so the tool angles down
(handle up) when touching the wood at the spindle height.

As has been said, depends on what you're doing. The way I work, it seems
to be below center all the time. Dry firing is a good way to determine
where. Lathe off, tool of choice, and check how you'll make contact with
the work , roll the edge to begin, and continue in direction of cut. If
any of those involve big vertical changes in the gouge handle, it's time to
move the rest. It's critical that your tool be firmly supported on the
rest as the edge enters the wood.

I like to contact a convex piece at its point of maximum diameter. That way
an incipient catch goes into thin air. Concave pieces are contacted above
the point of maximum diameter for the same reason.

Scraping's different. There you want the point of contact pretty much dead
on centerline.

In all cases, keep the rest as close to the cut - I emphasize the cut - as
possible. It's worth it most times to stop and move the rest rather than
force a big angular change. Your dry fire will let you know how far you can
lean, initially. After a while you'll know it instinctively.

"moggy" wrote in message
...
Newbie question.
How do you judge what the height should be? Are their any rules for this?

I go with elbow high myself, but I would think that is a presonal
preference.... Have fun with it..... Ken.
--
Ken & Debbie Bullock

My Vinyl Decals at:
http://www.999decals.com

Woodturning videos at:
http://www.oneofakindwoodturnings.com

We are SKP # 82323



"moggy" wrote in message
...
Newbie question.
How do you judge what the height should be? Are their any rules for this?


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Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
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Sorry, miss read the question, I put my tool rest half the thickness of the
tool below the center, so that the center of the tool is on the center of
the spindle.. But again, that is personal preference..... Ken....

--
Ken & Debbie Bullock

My Vinyl Decals at:
http://www.999decals.com

Woodturning videos at:
http://www.oneofakindwoodturnings.com

We are SKP # 82323



"moggy" wrote in message
...
Newbie question.
How do you judge what the height should be? Are their any rules for this?


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Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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Good day, all

The tool rest should be at a height that allows the edge to be presented
to the work in the proper orientation for the
intended cut. This will depend on the individual. Start near center,
perhaps a little above for scraping, perhaps a little
below for cutting or shearing. As the work gets small and the tool
projects further over the rest, raise or lower it more.
Eyeballing the initial setting is good enough.

Regards
Dave Kassover
Troy, NY


moggy wrote:

Newbie question.
How do you judge what the height should be? Are their any rules for this?


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