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Good gouges are expensive; but not this one! I was happy to discover this great DIY lathe tool. It's called an Oland tool http://www.aroundthewoods.com/oland.shtml it was invented in the 1970's by Knud Oland.
Common wisdom tell us you can't have it all; you must choose between three factors: you can have it inexpensive, high quality, and easy; but you may only choose two out of three.
But with the Oland tool you can have it all!
This tool is cheap to make, easy to use and functions well. Constructing this gouge involves regular shop tools and common, inexpensive materials.
The parts are:
-a big dowel (free from the scrap pile, you could even substitute this with a scrap of 2x4)
-a 16mm X 30cm steel rod (18"x3/4"): 300 yen
-a 6mm (1/4") lathe blade (from a metal lathe): 2000 yen but probably way cheaper in your country. This was too expensive for me so I used a hardened steel concrete nail instead.
-a 5mm .8 thread machine screw (or a 1/4x20 thread): there's probably one in your pocket right now.
-2 meters/6 feet of thickish 1~2mm 1/8~1/16 steel wire: very cheap
=Not much money.
The tools are:
-drillbit the same width as your steel rod (to drill wood).
-6mm or 1/4" drillbit (to drill steel)
-5mm .8 or 1/4x20 thread tap
-5mm .8 or 1/4x20 bottoming tap (Mothflavour2 suggested a workaround so you don't need a bottoming tap see step 4)
-drill bit appropriate for your tap size.
-a drill
-a grinder with a narrow wheel.
That's all folks!
See the thing in action on my foot-powered lathe:
Common wisdom tell us you can't have it all; you must choose between three factors: you can have it inexpensive, high quality, and easy; but you may only choose two out of three.
But with the Oland tool you can have it all!
This tool is cheap to make, easy to use and functions well. Constructing this gouge involves regular shop tools and common, inexpensive materials.
The parts are:
-a big dowel (free from the scrap pile, you could even substitute this with a scrap of 2x4)
-a 16mm X 30cm steel rod (18"x3/4"): 300 yen
-a 6mm (1/4") lathe blade (from a metal lathe): 2000 yen but probably way cheaper in your country. This was too expensive for me so I used a hardened steel concrete nail instead.
-a 5mm .8 thread machine screw (or a 1/4x20 thread): there's probably one in your pocket right now.
-2 meters/6 feet of thickish 1~2mm 1/8~1/16 steel wire: very cheap
=Not much money.
The tools are:
-drillbit the same width as your steel rod (to drill wood).
-6mm or 1/4" drillbit (to drill steel)
-5mm .8 or 1/4x20 thread tap
-5mm .8 or 1/4x20 bottoming tap (Mothflavour2 suggested a workaround so you don't need a bottoming tap see step 4)
-drill bit appropriate for your tap size.
-a drill
-a grinder with a narrow wheel.
That's all folks!
See the thing in action on my foot-powered lathe:
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Signing UpStep 1Cut dowel to length and drill
Cut your dowel to about 2 feet long.
Drill a 3 inch hole down one end.
In my case, my steel rod was threaded for about 3 inches on each end. This meant that it screwed down very nicely into a 15mm wide hole!
If your steel rod is not threaded, you might want to drill through both the dowel and the rod and put in some set screws to pin everything together.
Drill a 3 inch hole down one end.
In my case, my steel rod was threaded for about 3 inches on each end. This meant that it screwed down very nicely into a 15mm wide hole!
If your steel rod is not threaded, you might want to drill through both the dowel and the rod and put in some set screws to pin everything together.
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Those interested in a treadle wood lathe should check here.
Thanks!
You say you "have not made them yet because I have never seen a good picture of an oland tool to match the grind"
My advice is simply experiment. The tool is cheap; especially if you use concrete nails. They're like less than 10 cents each.
Yes, the wings of the bevel are pretty steep I guess. I don't have much experience with gouges or lathes... My gouge is roughly modeled after a "fingernail gouge" but it's so easy to change or replace. No need to hesitate.
Maybe the best thing to do would be to turn the tool into a class project! Each student could make an Oland for them self and try different gouge shapes. Then you could compare all their prototypes and see which works best for what.
Have fun!
looks like a great tool!
Generally the Oland tool catches less often if ever and cuts faster than a larger gouge.
So overall, yes, I'd say it does add a lot more awesome.