# Gravers for turning



## mikey

In another thread, Brino asked some questions about gravers that we'll take up here:

*@mikey[/USER], that sounds like it's worth it's own thread. Maybe you could answer some questions; are you referring to brass projects only? if not, what materials do you work free-hand? are they HSS tools? what shapes are the business ends? how long of handles?*

Gravers are hand held turning tools that can be used to cut and shape any machinable material, from plastics to brass, aluminum to stainless and they will cut hardened steel, too. They can cut just about any shape you can imagine as long as its cylindrical or round or concave or convex. They can chamfer, ease a corner, round a corner, find the center at the end of a work piece turning in the chuck. And they can hog metal faster than you would think, and then finish a piece to a near mirror finish. If you have turned wood with a wood turning tool then you already know how to use a graver.

On my Sherline lathe, a graver touches almost every piece that I turn. I may want to minutely radius an edge so that it looks sharp without being sharp, or I may want to dome the end of a knurled knob or cut a decorative v-shaped  or concave notch in piece. I don't own a radius tool; if I want a knob I just cut it with a graver to whatever shape I want, in whatever material I want.

Gravers are simply square or round 1/8" or 3/16 HSS/cobalt turning tool bits embedded in a piece of wooden dowel from the hardware store. Patterned after those used by WR Smith, a legendary horologist and fine gentleman, they have been used for over a hundred years, mainly by watchmakers and clockmakers. Gravers are simple to make. You simply grind the end of a tool bit to a 60 degree angle on a bench grinder, then hone them on a fine India stone, followed by a Translucent Arkansas stone.

I am attaching a .pdf below that tells you exactly how to make these tools; it is also available on the Sherline website. If you are interested in seeing Mr. Smith use gravers you can buy his video entitled "TOOLING THE WORKSHOP FOR CLOCKMAKERS & MODELMAKERS" directly from him. 

*EDIT: I reviewed my videos and found that I made an error on the specific video containing the most graver-specific information. The better video is: Graver Making & Hand Turning for Clockmakers and Modelmakers. I apologize for the error.*





Over the years, I have come to prefer a 1/8" square and round tool bit. The square tool is used to hog, shape and contour. The round tool is used to shape, contour and finish curved surfaces and can take a whisper-thin cut to produce a near mirror finish.

Gravers must be used with a tool rest. I made mine from plans from Mr. Smith but the same rest can be purchased from Sherline; unfortunately, they only fit Sherline lathes but the rest that contacts the gravers can be adapted to any lathe with some thought. I am in the process of doing just that for my Emco lathe. My tool rest is made from precision ground tool steel. The tool support itself is hardened and tempered O-1 steel.






The tool support is vertically adjustable and can turn horizontally in any direction. The lever you see under the rest locks it to the dovetailed ways of a Sherline lathe.

As I said, a graver touches almost everything that comes off the lathe. I can add small touches that are subtle and unnoticed but add a touch of quality to the work. If I do it right, you won't notice this unless I mention it. Here is an example of what I mean:




This live center for my Sherline lathe is made from 1144 steel, with hardened tips. All edges were eased with a graver. You wouldn't notice this unless I pointed it out but you would feel it if you picked it up - just feels good in the hand, you know?

Anyway, I hope this piques your interest in this tool. They are easily amongst my most useful tools and I like to think they take my work to a higher level. I apologize for not having more or better pics available - I didn't expect to be discussing this when I woke up this morning.


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## wildo

Wow- great thread and a lot of really good info right off the bat. I've also seen gravers used on the Clickspring youtube channel. You can see them starting at 6:50 in this video:


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## Bob Korves

Great post, Mike, and you have piqued my interest.  Going to the PDF now, and then probably down the rabbit hole...


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## mikey

Bob Korves said:


> Great post, Mike, and you have piqued my interest.  Going to the PDF now, and then probably down the rabbit hole...



Thank you, Bob. There is a lot more to say about the use of these tools but if your work is already good, gravers will help make it gooder!


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## Dave Paine

Thanks for a very interesting thread.  You have more than piqued my interest.  I make jigs for my woodworking hobby.  I can see using gravers to make nice looking knobs.  I may even make some for the metal machines.  LOL


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## mikey

wildo said:


> Wow- great thread and a lot of really good info right off the bat. I've also seen gravers used on the Clickspring youtube channel. You can see them starting at 6:50 in this video:



Wildo, I watched the video and noted that he is using the graver at a downward angle. Brass is sort of grabby and if you use the tool at an upward angle like you do for most materials, the tool can dig in and gouge the work. He is getting around that problem by angling the tool downward but as you can see, the finish is affected. For brass, the tool is supposed to be held at a flat approach angle; sort of like zero rake on a brass turning tool. It works much better this way and produces a really nice finish. If he had used a round tool to finish, he would have gotten a mirror finish without sanding and polishing. An end cut like he made would normally take about 45 seconds to a mirror finish with gravers.

The tool support is normally placed about 1/8" away from the work and the tool approach angle is about 10-15 degrees for all materials except brass and plastic, which use a zero degree approach angle. This provides best support and helps keep the tool from canting over and digging in.


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## Bob Korves

mikey said:


> Thank you, Bob. There is a lot more to say about the use of these tools but if your work is already good, gravers will help make it gooder!


My work needs all the help it can get!


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## brino

mikey said:


> In another thread, Brino asked some questions about gravers that we'll take up here:





mikey said:


> I didn't expect to be discussing this when I woke up this morning.



Thanks Mikey!

I have done some wood turning, and heard about gravers for metal, but never made the leap to trying any.
I appreciate the write-up and all the pictures. Well Done!

-brino


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## mikey

Yup, no problem!


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## mikey

I should insert a safety note here. Gravers are often used up close to the chuck that is turning anywhere from 500-2000 rpm. Getting rapped on the knuckles with the jaws of a spinning chuck is not that much fun so I highly recommend you use a collet chuck if you plan to do a lot of close graver work. I prefer an ER chuck for this but any collet chuck is better than none. I often cut right next to the jaws of a 3 jaw chuck but I've been doing it for very long time and I've got my Spidey-sense set to full tingle. I don't do this as a matter of course but sometimes the work demands it without removing the work from the chuck so I do it.

It should go without saying but do not use gloves with these tools. If your glove gets wrapped up in the work you will become one with your lathe far beyond your intent. Use your head, be careful and enjoy the process.


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## kvt

I did a bit of wood turning with them over 25 years ago,  Had some nice pieces with good finish.   Had seen a little bit on the sherline site but never looked any further.   Now you have my interest up.  
Just have to figure out how to make a rest for my lathe.


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## mikey

kvt said:


> I did a bit of wood turning with them over 25 years ago,  Had some nice pieces with good finish.   Had seen a little bit on the sherline site but never looked any further.   Now you have my interest up.
> Just have to figure out how to make a rest for my lathe.



Contact WR Smith. He published the article on making his rest in  the Home Shop Machinist but he also included it in a spiral bound book he sells. Everything you need to know about how to make the rest is in there. Or you can spend about 5 times the cost to make it and just buy one from Sherline.

The video I cited in the opening thread is worth buying. It shows you exactly how he sharpens the gravers and how he uses them. It took me about 10 seconds to think about making his rest after watching that video. 

Give it a go - making the rest will teach you a lot about turning and file work. I really enjoyed making it.


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## ewkearns

Gravers are an interesting aside, involving soft materials and/or tiny diameters. Suitable, perhaps, for watch making and  horology, essentially dangerous for anything ferrous. Not related to Eli Whitney or interchangeable parts.....


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## Hal H

Mikey

It's great to see gravers at work.

I think Clicksprings  videos are some of the best on youtube .

Hal


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## mikey

ewkearns said:


> Gravers are an interesting aside, involving soft materials and/or tiny diameters. Suitable, perhaps, for watch making and  horology, essentially dangerous for anything ferrous. Not related to Eli Whitney or interchangeable parts.....



With all due respect, I beg to differ. I've used gravers on many different kinds of steels, including hardened steels and most other common materials seen in a hobby shop. I also use them on any cylindrical work piece I can hold in my chuck; small, medium or large. 

These tools are not used for precision turning. Rather, they are most useful for embellishing or decorative work. They also allow you to turn features that would otherwise require a form tool or a grinder.

I've used these tools for I would guess near 15 years now and I use them often. I don't consider them an aside; rather, I think they are useful tools. Maybe they are not seen often in a pro shop like yours but in a hobby shop, they can be useful.


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## mikey

Hal H said:


> Mikey
> 
> It's great to see gravers at work.
> 
> I think Clicksprings  videos are some of the best on youtube .
> 
> Hal



Meant no disrespect to Clickspring. I just intended to point out that gravers are normally used differently, with different results. I don't know how much experience he has with gravers but the configuration of the tool rest and the angle of attack of the tool has a significant impact on the results.

I don't have a pic of the face of this knob but the finish is similar to the finish on the area behind the knurl. This is the finish you can expect with a square graver; what you see here is 'as cut', no polishing. It looks much cleaner in the flesh; camera flashes pick up highlights and makes it look rougher than it really is. A round graver cuts a much finer, polished finish.


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## Hal H

Mikey
I like his videos very well.  That doesn't mean I agree with every thing he does.
I watched his clock video . I likes the way he made the video and the quality of his work.

I 'll have to try making something using gravers . They add a touch of class.

Hal


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## mikey

From what I saw, he does make a nice video. I am not familiar with him but I've seen others refer to his videos so I'm sure you are right, Hal. 

If you want to see a master graver user at work, watch the video from WR Smith. It costs some but if you want to learn, nothing will get you there faster.


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## Ken from ontario

This thread reminded me that I need to get myself a lathe, don't know where to begin looking for one but there's only so much one can achieve with just a small mill.
Mike just imagine how many questions i'd have for you and the rest of the gang here.


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## The Liberal Arts Garage

I have in past years warned woodturning students to hold on to chisels firmly; 
if one loses one's grip, the chisel can do a 180 and embed itself in your fore -
head! Look  at Really Old metal turning pictures and see Mighty Men free - 
handing forgings with four- foot handled " Gravers" !.....BLJHB.


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## mikey

Ken from ontario said:


> This thread reminded me that I need to get myself a lathe, don't know where to begin looking for one but there's only so much one can achieve with just a small mill.
> Mike just imagine how many questions i'd have for you and the rest of the gang here.



Bring on the questions, Ken, but the lathe itself will teach you more about metalworking than any other machine in your shop. I can get by without my mill; I cannot get by without my lathe so I agree - get one!

There are tons of threads on this subject and I would read them but I would also suggest you start a thread of your own as you begin your search. Every time we discuss this subject, I learn something from some guy who thought of something that never occurred to me or asks a question that is obvious to some and not others. As you home in on a lathe that interests you, the guys who own that lathe will chime in and then you really learn the nuances of that machine. I love that about the HM community - everyone helps and it is very cool to see.


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## mikey

The Liberal Arts Garage said:


> I have in past years warned woodturning students to hold on to chisels firmly;
> if one loses one's grip, the chisel can do a 180 and embed itself in your fore -
> head! Look  at Really Old metal turning pictures and see Mighty Men free -
> handing forgings with four- foot handled " Gravers" !.....BLJHB.



A good friend of mine is a bowl turner. One day he hit a knot and his 30" long tool flew up and over the lathe, right through the wall of his shop and out into the yard behind the shop. I just happened to be standing behind him when this happened and both of us stood there, eyes about the size of dinner plates, speechless. For us, being speechless is not something that happens often so it was a memorable experience. 

Luckily, a graver tool rest is set about 1/8" away from the work and even a bad grab just bumps the tool handle upward a bit. Not too dangerous but your warning is well received and regardless of our set up or experience level, it is wise to be careful. Thank you!


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## mikey

The video I pointed to in the original post is wrong.

*I reviewed my videos and found that I made an error on the specific video containing the most graver-specific information. The better video is: Graver Making & Hand Turning for Clockmakers and Modelmakers. I apologize for the error.*


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## chips&more

Please don’t get me wrong. I totally drool uncontrollably when I see timepieces from our ancestors. They made works of art from nothing more than basic tooling. And that includes using the graver. It definitely had/has a place in the trade. But I have been using the cross slide and the graver has been collecting dust. I have been doing micro machining for about the last 40 years. Have made every moving part in a watch, but not a complete watch...yet. I have found the cross slide a world apart from graver use. I also do a little plunge grinding when micro turning. But like I said, nada on the graver. To each his own…Dave.


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## mikey

chips&more said:


> Please don’t get me wrong. I totally drool uncontrollably when I see timepieces from our ancestors. They made works of art from nothing more than basic tooling. And that includes using the graver. It definitely had/has a place in the trade. But I have been using the cross slide and the graver has been collecting dust. I have been doing micro machining for about the last 40 years. Have made every moving part in a watch, but not a complete watch...yet. I have found the cross slide a world apart from graver use. I also do a little plunge grinding when micro turning. But like I said, nada on the graver. To each his own…Dave.



Sorry Dave, somehow I missed your reply. I don't do horology stuff so I'm not in a position to have an opinion about that. However, I do have a lot of experience with gravers and find them indispensable. As you say, to each his own. 

I think the value of these tools is that they allow me to add a personal touch to my work and enable me to do things that I otherwise wouldn't be able to do or that would be difficult and time consuming.


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## Dave Paine

A follow-up to show I did give this a try.  I wanted to see how this felt before I make a graver and a tool rest for the metal lathe.

I turned a small piece of aluminium on the metal lathe so one end would fit a 3/4in ER32 collet.  I have an ER32 collet chuck for the wood lathe.  Lots of speed control on the wood lathe and several tool rests.

I have a wood turning tool with a long diamond shape carbide insert.  Called an Easy Wood Detailer.  I am not fond of this tool with wood.  The tip is round, not as pointed as a graver, but it was the closest to a tool with flat face and point.

I had tried turning aluminium a couple of years ago before I got a metal lathe.  It did not work well.  I was using wood turning technique.

With the information from this thread and a YouTube video I held the tool at top centre on the piece, speed set to 500 rpm.  This worked well.  I felt to have a lot of control.




I will now make a graver.  I am pondering whether to make a tool rest for the metal lathe, or just use the wood lathe.  If i use the wood lathe, I am constrained to the few ER32 collets I have at present.  1/8in increments.  If I use the metal lathe, I need to make a tool rest.  I know this is not difficult.

Thanks for inspiring me to give this a try.


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## mikey

Great post, Dave, and I hope it works out for you. Just so you know, the rest should be hardened and it should have a sloped front like your rest in the photo. The reason is that the graver is used with about a 15 degree up-angle for everything but brass and your tool has to have room to be angled like that; brass has a zero or flat approach angle so it doesn't dig in.

The rest should be about 1/8" away from the work and low enough so that a graver tip held at the right angle touches the work roughly on center. Done this way, the graver will shape and cut as aggressively or as lightly as you wish. They are simple to use; hope it works out. If I can help, let me know.


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## Dave Paine

Thanks for the information.  Good to know the nuance of 15 deg vs flat for brass.

The tool rest in my picture is made by a company called Robust which makes wood turning lathes.  They also make tool rests which have a piece of 1/4in drill rod welded on the top.  This is hard and so far has survived many a wood turning catch with hardly a ding.

Perhaps I just need to make a way to mount my Robust tool rest in a holder to mount on the metal lathe.  I also like the shape of the Robust tool rests.


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## mikey

Dave Paine said:


> Thanks for the information.  Good to know the nuance of 15 deg vs flat for brass.
> 
> The tool rest in my picture is made by a company called Robust which makes wood turning lathes.  They also make tool rests which have a piece of 1/4in drill rod welded on the top.  This is hard and so far has survived many a wood turning catch with hardly a ding.
> 
> Perhaps I just need to make a way to mount my Robust tool rest in a holder to mount on the metal lathe.  I also like the shape of the Robust tool rests.



It will probably work. The support for the tool rest needs to be robust but I bet the rest would work well.


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## Rex Walters

Dang. Now I've got yet another project clamoring for my attention! I've *got* to make one of those tool rests and some gravers.

Seriously: great post. I'm frequently needing to turn knobs and levers for various jigs and tools. I've had some success by cutting steps with a parting tool to make the outline of a curve, then filing away the steps. Doing it the right way seems way better, though (certainly a lot faster).

Apropos of this, I got to visit with Gary Sneesby at Eccentric Engineering a few days ago when I was down in Melbourne (which is why I'm now wide awake at midnight my time, but that's beside the point). He showed me a new prototype tool he's got in the works for manually turning metal that really piqued my interest. I probably shouldn't say too much about it since he's intending to market it commercially, but it doesn't use a traditional graver and tool rest. Instead it uses a specially ground tool in a fixed holder (kinda like a miniature candlestick holder) that you can freely slide around on a flat base. He said he's still working on it, and it's a long way from being available, but I want one.


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## Rex Walters

If anyone else is looking for it, the URL for Mr. Smith's videos is http://www.wrsmithclocks.com/videos.htm.

I just purchased his Graver Making and Hand Turning DVD. Looking forward to receiving it.


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## mikey

Rex Walters said:


> If anyone else is looking for it, the URL for Mr. Smith's videos is http://www.wrsmithclocks.com/videos.htm.
> 
> I just purchased his Graver Making and Hand Turning DVD. Looking forward to receiving it.



It will be good to see what a hand held tool can do. Knobs, levers, complex shapes and more are simple to do with gravers. I think there is a perception that these tools are for small work but they are by no means limited to that. I use them on the largest work pieces that leave my lathe but I've also rounded harder than Hades tiny gauge music wire. In the picture of my Sherline lathe, that lever is a solid piece of 304 stainless; what you see is "as cut" - no polishing. 

I suspect you'll be happy with these tools if you make them, Rex. Let us know how it turns out.


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## rwm

I'm gonna make some gravers but there was part of the pdf article that I did not understand.

"Making Final Cuts
Making the final cuts with a graver treated in this manner
avoids the need to use a pivot file. Instead, you should go
directly to a 1/4" square hard Arkansas stone that has been
rubbed on 125 grit sandpaper until its corners are sharp.
The sharp corners are important in preventing the formation
of fillets at the pivot root. With this, remove any rings that
may remain. Then use a burnisher that has been “made” by
rubbing down a length of 125 grit sandpaper to put marks
across it. The burnisher will result in a pivot that is very
slick and with a long wearing outer shell. No pivot finished
with abrasives can equal the wearing qualities of a well
burnished pivot."

Pivot file? Pivot? Rings?Sandpaper to make a burnisher? Burnisher will result in a pivot?

This makes no sense to me at all. Can someone translate?

Robert


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## mikey

I think he is talking about a turned down end of an arbor that carries a gear or other component - not sure. In any case, a pivot has to be precisely sized and have a square shoulder in the stepped down area. He is recommending the use of an Arkansas stone to cut the root of the shoulder square, then using a shop-made burnishing tool to condition the surface of the pivot so it is smooth and work hardened.

I think ...


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## Rex Walters

First of all I'm incredibly grateful to Mikey for starting this thread. Very glad I bought Mr. Smith's video (and I'm sad that he's passed). I can't wait to try my hand at hand turning. I'm starting to lust after one of those little Sherline lathes....

Re: the burnishing tool. His video makes it pretty clear. By rubbing the smooth burnishing tool down a piece of sandpaper, he creates very slight ridges in the burnisher. Sort of turning the burnisher into a micro file.

I'm definitely not a clock maker, but I do know they have their own terminology. Per Stan Bray's book on clock making: "A shaft or spindle is known as an arbor, and the bearing surface at the end is not a shaft or axle but a pivot."

-- 
Rex


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## mikey

I didn't know that Mr. Smith passed. I corresponded with him to clarify some questions on gravers and now I'm glad I had the chance to thank him for all the knowledge he shared with the world. He was a gracious and generous man and I'm sad that he is gone.


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## Rustrp

Habits....habits...habits... with tools, tools, tools........

I noticed on the Clickspring video Part 1 while using the file he seemed to be pulling the file back across the part. I know this is acceptable in soft material but it isn't advisable in regards to achieving a nice finish. I mention this because we were discussing files on another thread a couple days ago. On this video, Part 2, he did the same thing but it seemed as if he was actually more forceful, which would be a no-no x2. The other cringe worthy I'll mention is the use of the caliper as a scribe. I enjoy watching the work in progress, especially with the gravers, but tool care ranks high for me and sometimes seeing the careless acts which others may pick up as acceptable practices need to be pointed out.


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## mikey

Rustrp said:


> I enjoy watching the work in progress, especially with the gravers, but tool care ranks high for me and sometimes seeing the careless acts which others may pick up as acceptable practices need to be pointed out.



I think its okay to point things out and mention the preferred practice as long as we make it clear (as you are doing here) that it is not intended as a criticism of the person involved. 

I have to admit that I have one set of dial calipers that I use to scribe through layout dye. I don't use it on bare metal to scratch a line but I do use that one for that purpose. Call it abuse but it is expedient. Okay, okay, call it lazy because I don't want to pull out my height gauge and surface plate. And if there is a machinist here who has never done this ever before then that is a very rare individual, indeed.


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## Rustrp

mikey said:


> And if there is a machinist here who has never done this ever before then that is a very rare individual, indeed.


I agree and my comment on the caliper was more on the fact that he was holding on the end of the part and not so much on marking the dye. I have tools that I use/abuse for specific purposes and I only use them specifically. I know I do the same with my rough cut files but when he was sawing the mill file across the taper he was cutting.......well. I've worked with guys who swear that's to help clean the file and there are those who are serious about learning the correct way as in the riftler file thread. So I don't like to see my lazy shop practices passed on as proper technique which really come into play when we attempt to clean up a part. In a similar manner when you place importance on the graver tool rest along with the distance to work. 

PS. Actually I don't think it started as a riftler file thread.


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## rwm

After reviewing the pdf for making gravers I am confused by something. The shape of the graver they show is oriented like a diamond from the front end view? I assumed it would be rotated more like the square front lathe tools we use. Does that mean the tool is rested on one corner and the point engages the work? Or do you rest the tool flat on one side? Is there value in making a square and a rounded graver that sits flat? I guess I really don't know how to use these things!
Robert


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## mikey

The graver is sharpened so there is a diamond shape with a high point as you described, but in use the sides are used to cut, not just the point. The same applies to the round graver - the whole tip cuts, and you'll be cutting both toward and away from the chuck. Don't worry - the tool will cut and it will rough and finish equally well. The round graver will take off shavings that lift into the air with a breath - you'll like these tools.


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## ttabbal

I am considering a project that I think gravers would be interesting to use on, a chess set. Lots of curves etc.. I noticed a couple places saying that collets are required. I can see how the chuck jaws could be a problem, but if I stay well away from the chuck can it be done safely? I'd prefer to wait on a collet set.


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## mikey

ttabbal said:


> I am considering a project that I think gravers would be interesting to use on, a chess set. Lots of curves etc.. I noticed a couple places saying that collets are required. I can see how the chuck jaws could be a problem, but *if I stay well away from the chuck can it be done safely?* I'd prefer to wait on a collet set.



Sure, it can be done if you stay away from the chuck. I've done it lots of times. BUT your concentration must be tightly focused and you cannot make a single mistake. I can tell you from experience that it is not fun to have a chuck jaw whap you on the knuckle at 900 rpm! Now, with that said ...

In the interests of safety and best practice, I will recommend you get a collet chuck when using gravers. On the lathe, a Chinese chuck with Chinese collets will suffice so the cost should not be outrageous. And it will be cheaper than a trip to the ER, I can assure you of that. Besides, your mind will function better when your anal sphincter is not interfering with your concentration.

Hope that helps!


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## ttabbal

That is very helpful, thank you! I suspected that would be about what the answer was, so I will just go ahead and pick up some cheapish collets before I attempt it. As you said, a chuck and collets are cheaper than medical care. And there's always the "more tools to play *ahem* WORK with" angle....


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## EmilioG

I'd like to put a dome shape on a knurled brass knob. Which shape graver would work best for this?, round or square..sharpened of course.


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## mikey

EmilioG said:


> I'd like to put a dome shape on a knurled brass knob. Which shape graver would work best for this?, round or square..sharpened of course.



I would use a round graver for that, Emilio. Be sure to keep the shank of the graver flat so it doesn't dig in. Use the side curve of the tool to shape and the tip to finish. A dome will take you about 30 seconds to cut if you take your time.


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## EmilioG

Where are you buying the round HSS or steel gravers in 1/4"?  Glensteel, Grobet?
Contenti and Amazon have 1/8" round steel gravers.


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## mikey

Mine are simple round HSS 1/8" Mo-max cobalt tool bits, set into hardwood dowel handles. The gravers sold already made work well for engraving but perhaps not so good for lathe work. You will find that the 1/8" round and square tool bits are the most useful size; bigger does not work better and interferes with your line of sight. The tool rest is only 1/8" away from the surface of the work so you will be working very close to the work piece; long tools are not an advantage.


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## ttabbal

Grrr... I would want my largest chess pieces to be about 2" diameter at the base. Can I turn down one end to 1" to fit the collets without causing issues with rigidity? Length would be about 4". I would take most of the diameters down before using gravers, and it sounds like cutting forces are pretty low with them.


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## mikey

ttabbal said:


> Grrr... I would want my largest chess pieces to be about 2" diameter at the base. Can I turn down one end to 1" to fit the collets without causing issues with rigidity? Length would be about 4". I would take most of the diameters down before using gravers, and it sounds like cutting forces are pretty low with them.



You absolutely can. If you use ER collets, just turn down about 3/4" and that would be enough. However, with a 4" length, best to plan on using a live center until the very end; then you can trim off the end.


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