The Diamond Tool Holder.

The Diamond Tool Holder was originally developed in Australia by Des Burke in 1985 and manufactured by him until 2006. The name came from the shape the tool bit takes on when seen from above. 
At the age of 80 Des finally hung up his production overalls to spend more time in his shed on hobby engineering .

Unlike conventional lathe tools the High Speed Steel (HSS) tool bit is held at closer to a vertical plane than a regular horizontal tool and the tool bit contacts the workpiece at a tangential angle.

Holding the tool bit in this position provides all the clearance angles required for general cutting purposes. Leaving only the top rake to be put on using the grinding jig that comes with the kit.

Due to this tangential angle, all the cutting forces will be transferred down through the length of the tool tip. This together with a body cast in 4140 heat treated steel makes for a very rigid tool.

The Diamond Tool Holder utilises a standard piece of square section HSS. The three smaller sizes use 1/4" tool bits and the larger sizes use 5/16" tool bits. HSS Tool bits are inexpensive and easily available from any engineering supplies. One tool bit blank is supplied with each kit.

Resharpening is fast and simple using the supplied grinding jig. Just clamp the tool bit in the jig and run it across a regular bench grinder. Due to the design of the holder, this is the only face that needs grinding. 

Using the same jig, it is easy to grind the angles for a 55 or 60 degree screw cutting tip by using the V groove at the front of  the jig. The relevant holders will also accept 1/4" or 5/16" diameter round HSS for use as a round nose tool and the jig will sharpen this too.

For more information on the Diamond Tool Holder click the Features and Tips button, or watch the video of the tool in action. For information on how to select the correct size tool for your lathe, click the Sizes and Ordering button.