Probably a Dumb Question

Doug Miller

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277
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Hardinsburg, KY
I am making some Oland tools. Got some 3/4" round bar, set screws, tap, drill bit, ferrules, cutter bits, etc. My problem is that I'm breaking drill bits. I've drilled my hole for the set screw and tapped it. Then, while working my way up the ladder to drill my hole for the cutter, I've broken 3 drill bits. There must be something I'm doing that is not right. Drill press is set as slow as it will go. I started with a tiny bit to get a pilot hole started. Every time I get into the intersection with the set screw hole I start hearing a clicking sound as if there were a chip trying to bind up. So, I retract the bit and clear the chips of metal. I reinsert the bit into the hole and at the same point I hear another click or two and then the bit breaks. What could I be doing wrong? Should I have drilled the deeper, larger cutter hole first and the set screw hole second? Help please! I'm about to pull what little hair I have left out.
 
I am making some Oland tools. Got some 3/4" round bar, set screws, tap, drill bit, ferrules, cutter bits, etc. My problem is that I'm breaking drill bits. I've drilled my hole for the set screw and tapped it. Then, while working my way up the ladder to drill my hole for the cutter, I've broken 3 drill bits. There must be something I'm doing that is not right. Drill press is set as slow as it will go. I started with a tiny bit to get a pilot hole started. Every time I get into the intersection with the set screw hole I start hearing a clicking sound as if there were a chip trying to bind up. So, I retract the bit and clear the chips of metal. I reinsert the bit into the hole and at the same point I hear another click or two and then the bit breaks. What could I be doing wrong? Should I have drilled the deeper, larger cutter hole first and the set screw hole second? Help please! I'm about to pull what little hair I have left out.

Yes, the reverse order would work MUCH better, because your bit would be cutting evenly into the larger hole, whereas this way, your bit has an edge to grab onto. IF you want to continue with THIS one, you might try increasing the bit speed to maybe 2000 rpm or so, use some cutting oil, and proceed slowly when you start hearing the Ticking sound. By using a slow rpm, the bit is probably trying to Grab other hole's edges that are on only one side of your bit and causes the bit to break.
 
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Toni, they are essentially a high speed steel cutting tip held end the end of a metal bar. Here's one example from Darrell Feltmate:

http://www.aroundthewoods.com/oland.shtml

Here's another one...this is the "Indexer with Handle" made by Monster Wood Tools:

MIXH-1.jpg


Here's a close-up of one of the cutting tips I use on mine. This one has a double bevel on it:

Monster%20Cutter%20Double%20Bevel%20500.jpg


And here's a similar (but larger) tip, with a single bevel:

Monster%20Cutter%20Single%20Bevel%20500.jpg
 
I'm new to turning so what is the advantage of an oland tool over a gouge and is it just for faceplate turning?:huh:

Different guys may have different answers, but for me, the main advantage is they are much less likely to get a catch than a gouge. I like using them for roughing and hogging off a lot of wood. The do work for spindle turning, too, but I usually end up grabbing another tool instead.

The cutting tips are inexpensive square HSS tool stock, so they're cheap to replace when they eventually get sharpened away. They don't typically leave as nice of finish cut as a gouge, but the Oland tools save wear and tear on other, better cutting edges. For example, If I'm working my way through a heavy bark layer while roughing out a bowl, I'm likely to start with the Oland to get through the potential rocks and dirt before I start using either bowl gouge or a carbide cutter like the Ci1. The Oland doesn't cut as well as either the gouge or the Ci1, but it's much easier (and less expensive) to fix a boogered up cutting edge on it if I hit a rock.
 
Thanks for the explanation Vaughn:thumb:. I guess it would be cheaper to replace a small piece of HSS than to keep grinding away your gouges. Guess I'll need to look into making one.
 
they also do a great job of hogging out the material in a hollow form. That is my main reason for making them.

Very true, I forgot to mention that. :doh: I'd guess that's the type of cutting tip I use in my hollowing rig 80% of the time. In fact, I'm getting ready to go out to the shop to try making my own 1/2" boring bars, and if it works, they'll have the same type of cutting tips.
 
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