Delta 46-700 - Turning Techniques: End and Shoulder Cuts; Squaring an End; Cutting a Shoulder

SQUARING AN END
This operation can be done with parting tool. However,
the parting tool is a rough cutter, so that ultimately the
skew must be used in cleaning the cut. The whole opera¬
tion can be done with the skew, and this technique is
illustrated by the drawings in Figs. 49, 50 and 51. The first
movement is a nicking cut with the toe of the skew, as
shown in Fig. 49. This cut cannot be made very deep
without danger of burning the chisel, so a clearance cut
is made by inclining the skew away from the first cut and
again pushing the tool into the work. This procedure of
side cut and clearance cut is continued as often as
needed. The important point to note is that while the skew
can be pushed into the wood in any direction, the cutting
edge itself must be inclined a little away from this plane,
see Fig. 51. Note that if the full cutting edge of skew bears
against the cut surface, the tool will have a tendency to
run. Now, observe the proper way to make the cut, as
shown at left end of Fig. 51. The chisel is pushed straight
into the work, but the cutting edge is inclined away from
the cut surface - only the extreme toe cuts. This is the most
important principle in skew handling, and you will run into
it repeatedly in making shoulders, beads and vee cuts.
CUTTING A SHOULDER
The parting tool is first used to reduce the wood to within
1/16” of the required shoulder and diameter, as shown
in Fig. 52. The waste stock is then cleaned out with the
gouge, Fig. 53. Actual cutting of the shoulder is done with
the skew, as shown in Fig. 54, and is a duplication of
squaring end. The horizontal cut is also made with the
skew, but in a little different manner from that used in
doing plain cylinder work. If the shoulder is long, the
ordinary skew position can be used for the outer portion
of the cut, but at the angle between the horizontal and
vertical cuts, the heel of the chisel moves into a position
tangent between the skew and the cylinder, as shown in
Fig. 55. In this position, the handle of the chisel is raised
slightly to allow it to cut as the tool moves along the rest.
A very light cut should be taken in order to produce
smooth work. The heel of the skew can be used for making
the entire cut, if desired, but the cut, whether in this posi¬
tion or any other position, should not be picked up directly
at the end of the stock. It is quite evident that any hori¬
zontal cut started directly from the end of the work will
have a tendency to bite into the wood, often ruining the
entire piece. Always run off the end and not into it. Where
a very short shoulder makes this impossible, it is best to
use the skew flat in a scraping position. If the cutting
technique is used, engage only with the heel of skew in
a very light cut.
Fig. 49 Fig. 50
Fig. 51
Fig. 53
Fig. 54
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Fig. 55