For larger projects involving side grain and face grain, such as bowls and platters, the Hunter #2 Osprey and the #3 Hercules are great choices. The #3 Hercules can be used to rough down the gnarliest burls and the hardest blanks. Built on a 5/8” square shank, the #3 Hercules has the mass and the strength to control the downward shocks and interruption of roughing cuts, yet will leave a finish approaching finish quality. The #3 Hercules is ideal for rough turning green wood and finish cuts on seasoned wood. The #2 Osprey operates like a gouge with a razor sharp carbide tip. Just like a gouge the Osprey can be rotated on its round shaft to its “sweet spot” and peel off fine shavings, forming coves and beads and smoothing flat surfaces with ease.

We encourage you to send a tool sketch/part print and a detailed description of your requirements. We encourage you to provide the following information when requesting a Special Tool:

The Hunter Tool uses a very fine grain of carbide specifically engineered to meet the sharp tooling requirements demanded by the woodturning community. Our woodturning tools are simply unmatched in the industry.

Our woodturning tools are not just for Americans. Friends in Europe can now get their purchases shipped straight from the UK.

Like all tools, roll taps are subject to wear over time and should be inspected before use. Checking with a thread gauge ensures conformance to specifications. During the inspection, attention should be paid to:

Wondering where to get started when shopping for woodturning tools? Picking the right Hunter tool does not have to be complicated, so we’ve narrowed it down for you by the type of project you could be working on:

We cut end grain, side grain, knots, and bark inclusions.  We like controlled precision cuts and excel at cutting very hard dense woods.

If you like to turn small hollow forms such as hollow globe Christmas ornaments, boxes, ort bowls or other small hollowed items the #1 Taper 3-piece set is an excellent choice. The #1 Taper straight tool can open up a hollow form to provide room for the swan neck #1 Taper back tool (or shoulder tool) or the #1 Taper C-hook tool. The #1 Taper shoulder tool allows controlled access to the area around the opening under the shoulder of a hollow form. The #1 Taper C-hook tool cleans up the belly of small hollow forms. Once the swan neck tools have done their jobs, the #1 Taper straight tool can clean up the bottom and thin that area.

Looking for tools to use on small spindle turnings such as pens, bottle stoppers or other small projects? Hunter Tools offers two good choices; the #1 Hercules and the #1 Osprey. New turners will find the #1 Hercules easy to use as it is built on a 3/8” square shank which helps control the razor sharp carbide cutter. The #1 Osprey is a 3/8” round shank tool and works just like a traditional gouge. Both tools allow the user to turn cleanly cut coves, beads, roughing cuts or finish cuts.

Roll taps are commonly available with a coated feature, typically made of titanium nitride (TiN). This coating prolongs tool life by enhancing chip flow within softer materials. Reports suggest that coated taps enable higher feed rates, offering potential machining efficiency improvements. While coated taps are not mandatory, in roll tapping the coating is more important than in cut tapping, so is highly recommended..

Their concentric threads encircling the cutting tool can easily recognize roll taps. Unlike cutting taps, roll taps feature reliefs for material deformation, underscoring the importance of employing proper speeds to prevent tool overload. An exemplary picture of a forming tap reveals essential details, including:OEM name and part number

For boxes, bowls with undercut rims, vases and other hollow forms, the long and strong Hunter Badger #5 straight and swan neck tools are the best choices. Both tools are fabricated on round 5/8” shafts with tapers near the cutting edge where 3/8” round carbide cutters do the work. The Badger #5 Straight tool can hollow to the user’s desired depth and open up the form to provide room for the Badger #5 Swan neck. The Badger swan neck has the perfect shape to reach under the rim of boxes or hollow forms for difficult under cuts. The strength of the shaft on both tools helps to eliminate chatter which results in cleaner cuts and less sanding.