Portable Workbench Build Process

Return to main project page

There's going to be a lot of brass turning involved in this project. I imagine that if I were buying the brass, it would probably be more expensive than the rest of the project put together and I would have looked for an alternative material. However, I got a lot of brass out of a skip a few years ago and I've got enough in stock that this project will hardly dent my free brass collection!

Turning brass on the lathe tends to create clouds of swarf dust that fly all over the garage and cover every visible surface. As I've got a lot of brass turning to do, I decided it was time to grind a new tool (I've done this before on my mini-lathe, but never got round to grinding a larger tool for the larger lathe).

It's basically a left-hand turning tool with a flat top and some relief on the end and on the right-hand side, so quite easy to grind.

After grinding to shape, I honed it on a fine India stone and added a very small flat on the end to give a smoother finish:

I then mounted it upside down in a tool holder, so the cutting tip is on the left like you'd get with a right-hand tool, but at the bottom of the tool:

In use, the lathe runs backwards and the brass swarf that would normally be propelled straight up and all over everything gets fired straight down into the bed of the lathe. Some bits do still go all over the place, but the majority is relatively constrained. I did a quick test cut on some scrap with a bit of paper underneath to catch some of the swarf (I will probably save most of the swarf in case it comes in handy for various things, for example as a bed for heating stuff evenly).

I guess I need to go and brave a shop on Saturday now so I can get some batteries and then see whether I can still weld after a very long hiatus!

I am a hobbyist metalworker and woodworker. I work as an electronic design engineer and spend most of my working days in front of a computer so I enjoy having the opportunity to use my hands and make things in my spare time. I particularly enjoy making tools as I can then use them on other projects. This website showcases some of the things I've made.

This website is free and ad-free, but costs me money to run. If you'd like to support this site, please consider making a small donation or sending me a message to let me know what you liked or found useful.

Please do get in touch if you notice any issues on the site or can think of anything that would be a helpful addition or improvement.