Rounded Slot Sides?

[JMG]

Anyone care to share some tips as to how to consistently get those perfectly half-circle slot sides I see you smart fellers get? All mine end up being either straight or just round'ish. All I know to do is fold sandpaper and work it with that, but the results are less than perfect. I assume I could find something with a similar radius and wrap sandpaper around it, but everything I find is too thick by the time I add the sand paper to it for the size of the slot.

[Doug535]

I use a .060 round diamond file. (used for automotive electrical terminal cleaning) Not sure what others use, I would also be interested in what everyone uses.

[RickB]

When I cut the slot right, most of that half-round is actually the profile of the drill bit from cutting the slot, cleaned up with a small round file (just the tip ), then sandpaper, then a pipe cleaner with tripoli on it. I still need to invest in the slow speed high torque Foredom and carving bits, because I'd hope that leaves a cleaner edge on everything.
I'd suspect a fair number of folks are making that initial slot cut a lot cleaner, so they're working from near-perfect lines from the start rather than starting with a jagged mess and then trying to play catch up with files like I do.
For example, this slot already looks pretty great: https://www.instagram.com/p/BhojMqQl-IF ... _copy_link

[JMG]

I agree the slot on Jose’s pipe looks great. But I seriously doubt that is straight after cutting it. If so, I need to tap into his webcam and spy on him to see what tool he’s using.

[RickB]

All I can figure is a jig of some sort that very precisely controls the movement path.

[wdteipen]

I use a micro diamond round file that I purchased from a Chinese vendor at Chicago a couple years ago. I haven't needed to replace the ones I bought so I haven't searched online for a vendor.

[dogcatcher]

Look at this page viewtopic.php?f=10&t=11114
And this page viewtopic.php?f=43&t=8137&p=74887&hilit=slot#p74887

Either one will work, but the second one will be more consistent since the cutter is kept level by the jig's base that holds the rotary tool. This one is pretty fancy, but the same jig can be made using blocks of wood. The key to making it work is to get both cnter axis lines up perfectly. The center of the stem holder and the center of the cutter bit have to also be perfectly level.

[sandahlpipe]

I use a narrow round needle file after cutting the slot with the pottery saw, then folded sandpaper.

[JMG]

I haven't needed to replace the ones I bought so I haven't searched online for a vendor.

Well...what good are you then?

[scotties22]

1/16" drill bit in my dremel. When I open the funnel the sides just end up perfectly round. I am a God so I can do it right the first time....every time.

I have a round needle file that I got from ottofrei.com. It is 1/16" in diameter and is very good at keeping the height of the slot dead on. Here is the link. 4", 0 cut, and 1.6mm diameter. Super duper handy for rounding out the corners

http://www.ottofrei.com/Glardon-Vallorb ... ustcol19=1

[wdteipen]

I haven't needed to replace the ones I bought so I haven't searched online for a vendor.

Well...what good are you then?

Hold on. Let me ask my wife.

[wdteipen]

She said I'm good for nuthin'

[JMG]

1/16" drill bit in my dremel. When I open the funnel the sides just end up perfectly round. I am a God so I can do it right the first time....every time.

I have a round needle file that I got from ottofrei.com. It is 1/16" in diameter and is very good at keeping the height of the slot dead on. Here is the link. 4", 0 cut, and 1.6mm diameter. Super duper handy for rounding out the corners

http://www.ottofrei.com/Glardon-Vallorb ... ustcol19=1

Peerfect (Imagine Monty Burns saying this while tapping his fingers together).

Wayne...ouch, man. I figured she'd at least say you were good for unclogging the toilet or something like that.

[DocAitch]

I cut the slot with a combination of funneling saw (Kemper?), a saw blade , and then clean the ends with a mono tooth wax saw from Otto Frei.(which also reaches deeper in the throat where the funnel and tapered draft meet.)
These sanders are made from hack saw blades with various grits of paper glued on. To change the paper, burn it off (upwind and outside) and glue on a new piece.
To be honest however, I find that tightly folded paper, beginning at 150, does a good job except in the throat.

DocAitch

[AmishMike]

I just stumbled across a tool that works great for opening slots. Yes it is just a round file - tip cleaners for oxy/acetylene torch heads. They are not very big in diameter but a set has many different sizes and most common sets come as a handy 'pocket tool'. Lowes, Home Depot, TSC all have them for under $10- (Wish I could figure out how to attach the photo.)

[Sasquatch]

Interesting - finding tiny stuff like this is always good!

[LatakiaLover]

Interesting - finding tiny stuff like this is always good!

Look down

[Sasquatch]

All I see is belly!

[oklahoma red]

The pictures of my slot cutting rig are back up ("And this page"...........) While some out there can cut the slots in their sleep, I am not one.

Look at this page viewtopic.php?f=10&t=11114
And this page viewtopic.php?f=43&t=8137&p=74887&hilit=slot#p74887

Either one will work, but the second one will be more consistent since the cutter is kept level by the jig's base that holds the rotary tool. This one is pretty fancy, but the same jig can be made using blocks of wood. The key to making it work is to get both cnter axis lines up perfectly. The center of the stem holder and the center of the cutter bit have to also be perfectly level.

[n80]

Two ingenious rigs. One simple. One complex.

Philosophical question here. When does a process go beyond "hand carved" or "hand made"? Is there a certain point at which the process can get so automated that it isn't much different from buying a cast stem?

I'm not making a judgement here. I'm finding that stem making is the most challenging and least gratifying part of the process to me (although I'm warming up to it a little now that I've had some modest success). I would love to have a rig like the one in the second link.

George