Tool and process for finishing a vehicle wheel surface

A process for forming a decorative surface upon an outboard surface of a wheel disc, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a cutting tool for smoothing a wheel surface that includes a rhombic shaped body portion having a mounting aperture formed therethrough and a non-symmetrical insert carried upon one end of the body portion, the insert having arcuate leading and trailing edges, the leading edge having a leading edge radius and the trailing edge having a trailing edge radius with the leading edge radius being greater than the trailing edge radius, the insert also having a zero degree land formed thereabout whereby the cutting edge of the insert is maintained tangent to the wheel surface. (b) mounting a machined vehicle wheel including a wheel rim and having a wheel disc extending radially across the wheel rim in a lathe;
• (c) rotating the wheel;
• and
• (d) urging the cutting tool against an outboard surface of the wheel disc and traversing the cutting tool in a radial direction across the outboard surface of the wheel disc such that the wheel disc outboard surface has a polished appearance.