Hot New Tools: Carbide Tips for Tiny Turning

Fans of Easy Wood Tools who enjoy turning miniature work will welcome the company’s latest addition to its popular family of carbide-cutter turning tools. The “micro” tools are a scaled-down version of the company’s larger tools and include a rougher, a finisher, and a detailer cutter. Although diminutive at an overall length of 9″, these tools are beautifully made, each sporting a stainless steel shaft, a copper ferrule, a well-designed handle, and downsized carbide cutters.

Despite its size, the micro rougher efficiently removes waste from spindle and bowl stock. That said, it certainly is meant for small work; I’d probably limit it to spindle stock with a diameter of less than 2-1/2″, and use it for bowls no wider than about 6″ or deeper than about 1-1/2″. The micro finisher is suited to curves and coves with a 3/16″ or larger radius. I find it a great tool for smoothing the bottoms of very small bowls. The micro detailer excels at very fine grooves. With some persistence, it can be used for tiny coves and beads, as shown above. In short, if you’ve been frustrated trying to effectively downsize your work, this set may be exactly what you need.

—Tester, Michael Kehs

Article by: Stacey Bartenschlag