# Making your own tools



## Sawdust=manglitter (19 May 2016)

I fancy making myself a couple of heavy duty bowl scrapers and was just wondering if anyone here has done it themselves. If so, did you use HSS steel to make it? I cant find many places that sell suitable HSS steel blanks, but i have found this on the bay...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291567366980? ... EBIDX%3AIT

Would you trust that this would actually be HSS steel, coming from Hong Kong? I very much doubt it would be the quality/grade of HSS that you'd get made in the UK, but its pretty cheap if it's as described! Does anyone else have any suggestions as to where i could maybe get hold of some cheap suitable UK made HSS steel blanks?


----------



## cornucopia (19 May 2016)

Ashley isles have HSS blanks for sale


----------



## Sawdust=manglitter (19 May 2016)

Hi Cornucpia, is the following link what you mean?

http://www.ashleyilestoolstore.co.uk/ac ... us/special

If so, have you bought one before? How does it work for the width? There's not much of a description.

Thanks!


----------



## CHJ (19 May 2016)

Sawdust=manglitter":1gy9pale said:


> Hi Cornucpia, is the following link what you mean?
> 
> http://www.ashleyilestoolstore.co.uk/ac ... us/special
> 
> ...


That is not a turning tool, that's for hand carving.

Ashley iles are often at the larger wood shows with a selection of their complete tools and also bins of HSS blanks and part formed or unhandled tool steels.

If you have problems traveling to such from your location then an enquiry to them for a given steel blank or its near equivalent normally results in a quote including delivery.


----------



## paulm (19 May 2016)

Have a look for threads on here about making your own turning tools as well, most use carbide tips on the end of round bar which are very effective and relatively easy to make.

Cheers, Paul


----------



## steve w (19 May 2016)

i have read the threads on home made tools breaking and causing injury but was wondering about old car springs as they are not prone to shattering plus it gives a good lencth of steel to keep the handle insert real strong and chunky?


----------



## woodpig (19 May 2016)

Spring steel, both coil and leaf is a source of material for tools in many poorer countries and whilst I'm sure it's good enough in many cases I'm not sure how long the edge will last if used for wood turning. HSS is not the be all that some think it is but it does hold an edge for a long time compared to most of the older tool steels. It's very rewarding making your own tools so if you have easy access to suitable stock give it a try, just keep safe.


----------



## graduate_owner (19 May 2016)

I too have been thinking of making some heavy duty bowl scrapers, especially since they cost around £30-40 to buy. (My logic is - I could never make, say a chuck so I am willing to pay £160 to buy one. But since I could easily make 4 scraping tools, why shell out £160 for them?)

I have not found a supply of HSS in a suitable size so I was thinking to buy some, say 4" lengths, cut and shape them to suit and fix them on to a mild steel shank, 'fix' being the important word. I'm not sure drilling would be easy so I thought to clamp a HSS segment to ms by slotting the ms and drilling / tapping a thread so as to use set screws to clamp the HSS in place in the ms slot. Perhaps weld the sides of the ms to make a sort of mortise into which the HSS sits as a tenon. The ms is cheap enough to buy, and can be as rigid as needed, and as long as needed too, including a decent length of tang.

I have a milling machine so I can use a slitting saw to make the mortice. Otherwise careful use of an angle grinder might do the job. The same applies to creating the tang. The handles will be the easy part, with 1" copper pipe for a ferrule.

It does not sound ijke a difficult job to me, and with a 2" or so length of HSS as thecutting edge, I think it should be pretty cheap to do.

The other option is to buy HSS tips and screw them to a ms shank. They come ready drilled but cost about £10 each (replacement tips for Crown etc tools). I have not tried using carbide tips yet but that is another possibility. In both these cases all that is needed is to shape a length of ms and turn a handle.

I will let people know how I get on when (and if, of course) I give it a go, but I'm definitely interested.

K


----------



## paulm (19 May 2016)

I used round steel bar for shafts, ground a flat on the end and drilled and tapped to take different shaped carbide cutters, and used the shafts in a hollow handle when required. The hollow handles have the advantage of being able to extend or shorten the protrusion of the shaft to suit the job in hand, and of course quick and easy to swop shafts/cutters over when wanted, no need for multiple fixed handles, unless you particularly want them of course 

Cheers, Paul


----------



## Lons (19 May 2016)

I've made a couple of carbide scrapers but have been looking at something else and wondering if viable.

I have a number of duplicate sets of spindle moulder block knives which are HSS, at 30mm and 40mm wide and i think it might be possible to form a ms rod or bar, maybe flattened / fannned out at the end and fit these in a similar way to carbide inserts. Or perhaps cut a slot in the rod and screw right through. I can't see why it wouldn't work and won't cost me anything to try - just haven't got a round tuit.

Bob


----------



## graduate_owner (19 May 2016)

I was wondering about spindle moulder cutters, perhaps ones that could be picked up cheap because they no longer comply with safety regs, but I don't know if they would be thick enough. As you say though, if you have some thsn it won't cost anything to try. Let us know how you get on.

K


----------



## Paul Hannaby (19 May 2016)

If I was after a cheap source of HSS, I would probably look at the second hand market. There are lots of turning tools out there and even if they aren't exactly what you need, you can always regrind them. I have scrapers that used to be skews, some tools I made myself from HSS bar bought from Ashley Isles (they do a range of sizes) and some that were fine as they were and just needed a new handle.

Either second hand tools from a quality supplier or new blanks from a similar source would be a good bet because you know they will have been heat treated well. Rember, not all tool steel is heat treated to the same standard.


----------



## Sawdust=manglitter (19 May 2016)

Thanks for all of the great advice guys. 

I needed a wider straight edge shear scraper so I've made my first prototype using an old chisel which I've re-ground and turned a Sorby style handle, which I'm pleased with. So I'll be giving Ashley Iles a call for some HSS blanks rather than risking an eBay order from Hong Kong


----------



## CHJ (19 May 2016)

I would seriously advise you not to proceed with using that converted wood chisel on your lathe.
Should an inadvertent catch occur then you are in serious danger of having the snapped tang imbedded in your person, best case is that the tool tang will bend to 90 deg. and the tool ending up jammed between tool rest and work.


----------



## CHJ (19 May 2016)

This is what can happen to a tanged tool if it catches, and this was made for turning but mis-used, possibly on a bowl blank.


----------



## Sawdust=manglitter (19 May 2016)

Thanks Chas, that puts things into perspective for me. I like my hands and want to be doing this for decades to come, I'm not even 30 yet (2 months to go but I'm still clinging on to my twenties)! That looks like it could have been very nasty. It was just an experiment though really, maybe it can just be ornamental.


----------



## John Brown (19 May 2016)

CHJ":2hegavpr said:


> This is what can happen to a tanged tool if it catches, and this was made for turning but mis-used, possibly on a bowl blank.


For those of us without a clue, can you explain how a proper turning tool is constructed, if not with a tang?
Genuinely interested, although I've never turned anything...


----------



## Phil Pascoe (19 May 2016)

Out of round bar.


----------



## woodpig (19 May 2016)

graduate_owner":30bngdza said:


> I too have been thinking of making some heavy duty bowl scrapers, especially since they cost around £30-40 to buy. (My logic is - I could never make, say a chuck so I am willing to pay £160 to buy one. But since I could easily make 4 scraping tools, why shell out £160 for them?)
> 
> I have not found a supply of HSS in a suitable size so I was thinking to buy some, say 4" lengths, cut and shape them to suit and fix them on to a mild steel shank, 'fix' being the important word. I'm not sure drilling would be easy so I thought to clamp a HSS segment to ms by slotting the ms and drilling / tapping a thread so as to use set screws to clamp the HSS in place in the ms slot. Perhaps weld the sides of the ms to make a sort of mortise into which the HSS sits as a tenon. The ms is cheap enough to buy, and can be as rigid as needed, and as long as needed too, including a decent length of tang.
> 
> ...



I've made about 7-8 turning tools using carbide tips and it's easy if you have a milling machine. I've used round, square and hexagon mild steel stock for the shafts with suitable sized Torx screws to hold the inserts in place. I've also made my own collet handles out of alloy tube with poly hose covers.


----------



## woodpig (19 May 2016)

John Brown":xycpf07a said:


> For those of us without a clue, can you explain how a proper turning tool is constructed, if not with a tang?
> Genuinely interested, although I've never turned anything...



Apart from gouges most have a tang but there are exceptions like Carter & Son Tools:

http://carterandsontoolworks.com


----------



## CHJ (19 May 2016)

John Brown":2d8qapoc said:


> For those of us without a clue, can you explain how a proper turning tool is constructed, if not with a tang?
> ...


The bulk of turning tools intended for heavy turning loads are made from round solid stock and the full diameter/cross section stock is inserted or clamped in the supporting handle. (even these have been known to bend under catch conditions)

Even modern HSS turning tools made with a tang fitting such as scrapers and parting tools should be used with caution and in the working orientation that they were intended to be used in, I.E scrapers in trailing mode so there is no risk of a catch, and skew chisels and spindle roughing gouges (the broken item) should only be used for spindles where end grain or shock loads are unlikely to be encountered.


----------



## Mark Hancock (20 May 2016)

woodpig":3a2mv28i said:


> John Brown":3a2mv28i said:
> 
> 
> > For those of us without a clue, can you explain how a proper turning tool is constructed, if not with a tang?
> ...




Surely all tools have a tang unless they are intended to used unhandled like Jason Breach's box tools. The tang is the section that goes in the handle be it round bar as in spindle and bowl gouges or the reduced tang as in forged tools like the spindle roughing gouge or scraper.


----------



## Mark Hancock (20 May 2016)

CHJ":1xpqhh1v said:


> John Brown":1xpqhh1v said:
> 
> 
> > For those of us without a clue, can you explain how a proper turning tool is constructed, if not with a tang?
> ...



Chas
I would question a scraper in trailing mode having no risk of a catch. If used traditional flat on the tool rest with a trailing cutting edge there is still the risk of a catch if used too aggressively. However if used in shearing mode I've never known one catch.


----------



## woodpig (20 May 2016)

Mark Hancock":t2woujre said:


> Surely all tools have a tang unless they are intended to used unhandled like Jason Breach's box tools. The tang is the section that goes in the handle be it round bar as in spindle and bowl gouges or the reduced tang as in forged tools like the spindle roughing gouge or scraper.



Yes of course. Except a spindle or bowl gouge doesn't have a separate tang per se, it's just the end of the shaft that goes in the handle. :roll: 

Tang: "a projecting shank, prong, fang, or tongue (as on a knife, file, or sword) to connect with the handle"


----------



## CHJ (20 May 2016)

Mark Hancock":2mgwlikj said:


> Chas
> I would question a scraper in trailing mode having no risk of a catch. If used traditional flat on the tool rest with a trailing cutting edge there is still the risk of a catch if used too aggressively. However if used in shearing mode I've never known one catch.



Hi Mark,

Perhaps it was too blasé a statement in the context of safe tool usage but surely used correctly, below centre on external work and above centre on internal work a 'flat presented' scraper will automatically have a tendency to dump the load forces should too aggressive a cut be attempted, it certainly should not dig in further in a self sustaining and very rapid destructive plunge into the work piece, which is what I always consider a catch.


----------



## John Brown (20 May 2016)

Thanks.


----------



## selectortone (21 May 2016)

woodpig":1l2zluuh said:


> It's very rewarding making your own tools so if you have easy access to suitable stock give it a try, just keep safe.



It is indeed rewarding to turn a bowl or box with tools you've made yourself. I've made several using bits of scrap wood for handles, old bits of central heating pipe for ferrules and HSS blanks I've bought from UK suppliers on ebay.

I wouldn't want to make anything too heavy-duty for safety reasons expressed in this thread, but for tools for refining the insides of boxes etc, that aren't going to take too much stress, it's not that difficult. The last time I did any metalwork was in school in the 60s but I've found it quite easy, with a bit of patience, to shape the tools on my grinder. They keep an edge as well as any of my store-bought tools.

Steel bar stock in small lengths is very cheap nowadays. The beauty of it is you can make exactly the tool you want.

Here are a couple of pics:


----------



## Sawdust=manglitter (21 May 2016)

selectortone":2eq8jupy said:


> woodpig":2eq8jupy said:
> 
> 
> > It's very rewarding making your own tools so if you have easy access to suitable stock give it a try, just keep safe.
> ...





Thank you selectortone. Your tools look great by the way! Would you mind pointing me in the direction of those UK suppliers of HSS on ebay please? 

And i take note of the H&S concerns that everyone's shown, i dont intend on making/using anything dodgy or dangerous. Shear scrapers/finishing tools would be the extent of what i need, so nothing thats likely to catch. I am always very careful and safety concious.


----------



## Robbo3 (22 May 2016)

No need to go overboard on the idea of making your own tools. I can't remember where I got these from but I believe one is a part of the Hamlet big Brother hollowing system & was obtained from Axminster. They are 19"/482mm long, so can be used unhandled & at 5/8"/16mm are compatible with most collet handles or of course you could make your own.






The cutter is a Siragas #5
- http://www.toolpost.co.uk/pages/Turning ... andle.html

The idea came from Robbie The Woodturner
- https://www.youtube.com/user/Robbiethewoodturner/videos

Other considerations for TCT tools are that they often have square shafts which aids stability & if they seat the cutter at an angle, can be less aggressive than those with horizontal cutters & therefore probably easier to use.


----------



## sometimewoodworker (22 May 2016)

Sawdust=manglitter":2kc0ew0v said:


> Would you trust that this would actually be HSS steel, coming from Hong Kong? I very much doubt it would be the quality/grade of HSS that you'd get made in the UK, but its pretty cheap if it's as described!


Humm
While buying over the Internet (not just from Hong Kong) can be hit or miss why would it not be HSS?
Also why would it automatically not be the quality/grade of HSS that you'd get made in the UK?

Talking about getting HSS from Ashley Iles. I didn't see anything that said that the steel that they use is UK made, did you? That the tools are UK made yes, but the steel?

Sure buying from a UK source you have more recourse if the product isn't as specified, but a lot of products are just resold Chinese items anyway.

I have bought quite a few end mills from Hong Kong to use as router bits, also TCT tipped masonry drills and the quality has been excellent and the prices very good.


----------



## woodpig (22 May 2016)

sometimewoodworker":1tg02b14 said:


> Sawdust=manglitter":1tg02b14 said:
> 
> 
> > Would you trust that this would actually be HSS steel, coming from Hong Kong? I very much doubt it would be the quality/grade of HSS that you'd get made in the UK, but its pretty cheap if it's as described!
> ...



All steel is not equal:

http://woodturninglearn.net/articles/ToolSteel.pdf


----------



## Sawdust=manglitter (22 May 2016)

sometimewoodworker":5aph6nam said:


> Sawdust=manglitter":5aph6nam said:
> 
> 
> > Would you trust that this would actually be HSS steel, coming from Hong Kong? I very much doubt it would be the quality/grade of HSS that you'd get made in the UK, but its pretty cheap if it's as described!
> ...




It's not that I automatically assumed that the quality/grade was rubbish, it's just that it seems to be very cheap for what I've seen, and usually you get what you pay for. However I want to do this to save myself money as well as for the satisfaction of making it myself.




woodpig":5aph6nam said:


> sometimewoodworker":5aph6nam said:
> 
> 
> > Sawdust=manglitter":5aph6nam said:
> ...



Thanks woodpig, that's what I was under the impression of too when considering whether to buy cheap hss from HK on eBay.


----------



## sometimewoodworker (22 May 2016)

Thanks for the article.
It seems that one of the main conclusions was that, while the steels were different, a major factor in the quality of the tool was not so much in the steel itself but more likely to be in the tempering stage, as incorrect temperature control would produce a poorly performing tool.



> The experts I spoke to believe that the lower-than-normal levels of hard-ness in some of the samples in the test may have been due to errors in the heat-treating process rather than a conscious choice to make a softer tool. The heat treating of HSS is a most critical part of the toolmaking process—one that must be done precisely and with great care.


----------



## selectortone (23 May 2016)

Sawdust=manglitter":3fnq48ej said:


> Thank you selectortone. Your tools look great by the way! Would you mind pointing me in the direction of those UK suppliers of HSS on ebay please?



Thanks. I have bought from several ebay suppliers; just do a search for "HSS Tool Steel". I think one of them was from Hong Kong - no discernible difference in quality, but then I'm no expert. Whatever, the tools do the job well enough for me. Of course delivery from the Far East is longer than buying from the UK (2-3 weeks usually), factor that into the equation if you're in a hurry.


----------



## JimB (31 May 2016)

I have bought a few odds and ends through China via ebay over the years and have always been satisfied.


----------



## Sawdust=manglitter (31 May 2016)

Thanks Jim. They were cheap enough for a punt so I have now ordered a couple of blanks from ebay, so I now have the long wait for delivery from china.


----------



## JimB (2 Jun 2016)

Sawdust=manglitter":1wct4fjd said:


> Thanks Jim. They were cheap enough for a punt so I have now ordered a couple of blanks from ebay, so I now have the long wait for delivery from china.


A laugh really - high speed steel on a slow boat from China. Must be a song there.


----------



## woodpig (12 Jun 2016)

I made this for a mate a couple of weeks ago as he wanted to try carbide. I cut the pocket deep enough to take both the flat (pictured) and the deeper, profiled inserts. The hex shaft allows both cutters to be used at a suitable angle.


----------



## Stiggy (12 Jun 2016)

WOW! 

Nice job there matey - very professional job!


----------



## katellwood (12 Jun 2016)

Hi Woodpig I really like that, 

If I may ask, where do you source the torx set screws 

TIA


----------



## Sawdust=manglitter (12 Jun 2016)

That's a great job, fair play to you woodpig!!


----------



## woodpig (12 Jun 2016)

katellwood":1e1232ay said:


> Hi Woodpig I really like that,
> 
> If I may ask, where do you source the torx set screws
> 
> TIA



They are proper insert screws that you can get from many places over here at about £1.95 each but I got these on eBay.
They came from a Chinese seller but the screws are made in Taiwan and are very nice quality. Cost was £3.65 inc postage for a dozen M4 x 12 and included a free flag style Torx driver. Seller was http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/electromechanical-sam


----------



## katellwood (12 Jun 2016)

woodpig":23lef2zv said:


> katellwood":23lef2zv said:
> 
> 
> > Hi Woodpig I really like that,
> ...



Thanks for that 

Not in your league but some of my attempts 

Made this to utilise some round sections of lathe tooling I got in a job lot 









This was made from a very old knife steel probably carbon steel but holds a good edge 









And as most of my turning is joinery based (newels, Balusters, Table legs etc)

I made this to help in turning pommels in large section hardwoods (100mm x 100mm) as I have struggled with a skew
from the same job lot as the round lathe tooling this piece being 1/2" sq


----------



## woodpig (13 Jun 2016)

Nice job on the tools katellwood. What any tool looks like is immaterial, the main thing is how well they work and if they're comfortable to use and yours look like they tick both boxes.

I've used 01 carbon steel for small scraper blades but not really given them a good outing yet to see how long they stay sharp. As they are only relatively small tips maybe an inch long fitted to a mild steel shaft I didn't bother tempering them, I just left them glass hard. I suppose you could do the same with a full size scraper and just harden the extreme tip of the tool. It would be quite easy to harden or anneal just the working edge. Not sure on the cost of 01 though these days as I've not bought any for several years.


----------



## Phil Pascoe (13 Jun 2016)

Have a look at -
http://www.fromthetree.co.uk/hollowing-tools.html

He sticks his inserts in rather than use grub screws. His reasoning is good by me - I've tried a couple.


----------



## woodpig (15 Jun 2016)

9mm hollowing tool.


----------



## chipmunk (15 Jun 2016)

I must admit I really rate the positive rake TCT inserts Simon Hope sells for his pro-hollower which are intended for Aluminium. 






I made a few 6mm clones for my hollowing rig and they cut more like a ring tool than a scraper. You can buy them here...
https://www.shop-apt.co.uk/carbide-tips-hobby-use/pack-of-2-rcgt-0602mo-alu-ak10-carbide-tips.html 
...but you also need some M2.5 taps, torx screw and key.

Looking at Woodpig's 9mm hollower it looks like a pure scraper but I could be wrong?






Hope this helps
Jon


----------



## woodpig (15 Jun 2016)

chipmunk":b1lh2o10 said:


> Looking at Woodpig's 9mm hollower it looks like a pure scraper but I could be wrong?
> 
> Jon



I've not tried the 6mm positive rake inserts but I've found the 8, 10 and 12mm ones are best used at an angle or they catch. 

The flat 9, 12 and 15mm round inserts however can be plunged straight into the work. The 15mm is good for roughing etc and the 9mm is I'm told good for hollowing, but I've not tried it in earnest yet! I've not tried them as scrapers. The nice thing about the flat inserts is that you can sharpen them on a diamond plate. Perhaps it's my imagination but a few passes on a diamond plate and they seem to be even sharper than when you first get them?!


----------



## chipmunk (15 Jun 2016)

+1 for using the +ve rake cutters at an angle but that's just like any cutting tool really - You need the bevel rubbing and not too much exposed cutting edge. 

The beauty of the 6mm cutters is that they seem small enough to be a bit more forgiving if you show the wood a bit too much edge.

For sharpening the 6mm cutters I made the rod fixture in the top picture. I put that in a Jacobs chuck in the headstock and hold a diamond hone against the rotating cutter to touch up the edge. It's tapped M2.5 in the end with a relief behind the base of the tip so that the diamond hone isn't honing the fixture - it's a very simple thing to knock up on the metal lathe really. 

- but not as easy as honing flat on a diamond plate though.

HTH
Jon


----------



## Sawdust=manglitter (15 Jun 2016)

Very impressive, both of you!! Out of interest have you both used a metal lathe to help make those?


----------



## chipmunk (16 Jun 2016)

Yes, from me. 
...but, you don't need a particularly sophisticated metal lathe for simple woodturning tools like these and you can do quite a lot on a wood lathe if you have basic handtools such as files, hacksaw, drills and taps along with some ingenuity. 

The finish might not be as good but the functionality will be there which is all that counts. 

The 6mm cutters I made require a small seat cutting in the end of a 6mm rod with a 2mm tapped hole concentric with it but I think if you bought a 6mm HSS end mill (<£4), some M2.5 taps and one of these... http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catal...ssories/MT2-Tailstock-V-Adaptor-090-070-00700

...with a bit of care you could make one quite easily if you used an overlong 6mm rod as a starting point and had a Jacobs chuck in the headstock for drills, taps and end-mill and then shortened the rod afterwards. 

The rest of the tools is quite easy.
HTH
Jon


----------



## woodpig (16 Jun 2016)

I did use a metal lathe but as Jon says it's not absolutely necessary. I also use a milling machine and this really does make things much easier but you could use a bench drill with a good vice.


----------



## graduate_owner (2 Jul 2016)

So, Sawdust=manglitter, have those HSS pieces arrived from China yet? If so, what do you think of thd quality?

K


----------



## Sawdust=manglitter (2 Jul 2016)

Hi graduate owner,
Yes, i received them in less time than i thought too. As i dont have any metalworking tools I've been slowly shaping my first blank on a cheap bench grinder, constantly in and out of water to keep it cool. Its taking a long time, and as i've not done much turning recently (got a list of "useful" projects needed from the misses) i've only been working on it now and again when i'm in between stuff. As a test i tried drilling into it with HSS drill bits and it didnt even come close to marking the surface let alone cutting into it. Based on how long its taking to grind and how hard it is im pretty convinced that it is actually HSS anyways, for all thats worth.

The attached photo is what i've managed to rough shape so far for making a heavy duty bowl scraper. I'll be making the tang longer than shown, and i haven't quite figured out how i'm going to attach it safely to a handle yet either. But i'll do the rough shape on the bench grinder before doing the final shaping and sharpening on my Tormek.

I see that you're only in Llandeilo... im actually only down the road in Carmel myself!


----------



## Sawdust=manglitter (2 Jul 2016)

And in case you wondered (as i couldnt find much myself), this is what i bought...

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/6mm-x-35mm-x-20 ... 4561326025


----------



## duncanh (2 Jul 2016)

You can save a lot of time grinding down to this shape by cutting off what you don't need using an angle grinder with a thin metal cutting disc. Assuming you have an angle grinder


----------



## woodpig (2 Jul 2016)

6mm isn't very thick for a bowl scraper. The last one I bought was 1 1/2" x 3/8". It was quite expensive but you get very little vibration with it.


----------



## graduate_owner (2 Jul 2016)

Hey there sawdust mangler, Carmel is indeed not so far. I actually live near Caio which is 13 miles from Llandeilo towards Llandovery, but still not so far away. I'll pm you my email address and we can have s chat and compare kit.

K


----------



## NazNomad (2 Jul 2016)

Sawdust=manglitter":vi96i93p said:


> I see that you're only in Llandeilo... im actually only down the road in Carmel myself!




Bloody Southerners. :-D xx


----------



## Sawdust=manglitter (2 Jul 2016)

Beth i chi canolwyr yn gwbod amdano ni lawr yn y de?


----------



## NazNomad (2 Jul 2016)

Not much really, I'm from Essex. I just live here. :-D


----------



## Sawdust=manglitter (2 Jul 2016)

Ah... my bad Naz!! Haha (Didnt spot your signature  )


----------



## Sawdust=manglitter (2 Jul 2016)

woodpig":2vlrm1pf said:


> 6mm isn't very thick for a bowl scraper. The last one I bought was 1 1/2" x 3/8". It was quite expensive but you get very little vibration with it.



Yeah, i do actually have a smaller one already which is 6mm thick and i dont find it too bad (its only a 9" max bowl diamer capacity on my lathe) so thought it was worth a try for a tenner compared to buying one for £70-odd.


----------



## graduate_owner (3 Jul 2016)

Hey there Naz,
Tregaron is only 20 miles fom us here in Caio, although I will admit we are just about due south from you so I expect I am indeed a southerner by comparison. As it happens, Carmel is also about 20 miles almost due south from us.

K


----------



## WoodMangler (4 Jul 2016)

graduate_owner":2k33llu4 said:


> Tregaron is only 20 miles fom us here in Caio, although I will admit we are just about due south from you so I expect I am indeed a southerner by comparison. As it happens, Carmel is also about 20 miles almost due south from us.


It's a small world -Tregaron is only about 6 miles east of me..


----------



## Sawdust=manglitter (5 Jul 2016)

duncanh":1ftbgil9 said:


> You can save a lot of time grinding down to this shape by cutting off what you don't need using an angle grinder with a thin metal cutting disc. Assuming you have an angle grinder



I did think about doing that, but i was concerned that it would heat up too much and mess with the heat treatment of the steel?


----------



## NazNomad (7 Jul 2016)

Finally got my 3mm tap and finished this ...







25½'' overall, 14'' sticking out of the handle.

10mm carbide cutter from Fleabay seller 733gtfly, who was very patient and helpful despite my stupid questions about the screw sizes.

I find it's a bit aggressive unless I turn it to about 45 degrees, but that is most likely down to my own inexperience.

All in all, I'm a happy bunny.

p.s., I left that bowl a bit thick due to the almighty crack in it ... Don't need to lose another window yet. :-D


----------



## NazNomad (7 Jul 2016)

.. and I knocked this up too.


----------



## Claymore (7 Jul 2016)

pardon my ignorance Naz but is it for sharpening? also why do the chisels need to be so long? is it for better leverage while turning big stuff?


----------



## Robbo3 (8 Jul 2016)

Claymore":2ikrrc2b said:


> pardon my ignorance Naz but is it for sharpening? also why do the chisels need to be so long? is it for better leverage while turning big stuff?


Yes, it's a gouge sharpening jig. If we put a gouge on a flat rest, tilted to the correct angle, & rolled the gouge from side to side we would get a conventional, straight across grind similar to that on a spindle roughing gouge. To grind the wings, the handle has to be swung in an arc as the gouge is rolled - & that is what the jig does.

The reason for the long carbide tool is because the further the tool protrudes over the tool rest, the greater the (potential) force on the cutter. The length serves as a counter the leverage as you said.

@Naz
Looks like you used Marius Hornberger's plans for the jig.

What diameter bar did you use for the carbide tool? It looks to be about 13mm. If I were going to have the full length hanging over the toolrest I think I would want it to be at least 16mm or 19mm thick - as shown in the photo that I posted earlier in this thread.


----------



## NazNomad (8 Jul 2016)

Yep, they were the plans from Marius, and it works perfectly.

I honestly have no idea what size bar I used, it was just a piece I salvaged from something.

I'll never use it deeper than about 6'', I just wanted to make it to see if I could.

I just realised I need to put an 'index' dot on the handle for when I can't see the cutter head angle.


----------



## duncanh (8 Jul 2016)

Sawdust=manglitter":1vn4vfum said:


> duncanh":1vn4vfum said:
> 
> 
> > You can save a lot of time grinding down to this shape by cutting off what you don't need using an angle grinder with a thin metal cutting disc. Assuming you have an angle grinder
> ...



It's never affected any of the cutting tips I've done it for. If you're worried about heat then cut for a short period and then let it cool. Apparently HSS can be heated to a red glow without any ill effect so if that's all you get then keep cutting. Even with regular breaks using a thin cutting wheel I think it'll be faster than grinding all the material away. The cutting wheel must be thin though - I think mine about around 1mm


----------



## chipmunk (8 Jul 2016)

Dremel cut-off wheels are even thinner and so cut HSS cooler.

If you buy your HSS as metal lathe tooling it is a lot cheaper and often you can get more exotic HSS with Cobalt at 5% (M35) or even 8% (M42) which is better IMHO for scrapers than plain old M2. 

To cut off a short piece you just have to cut a shallow groove and then snap off the piece of HSS (eye protection + vice + hammer).

HTH
Jon


----------



## woodpig (8 Jul 2016)

NazNomad":2ogbzr8k said:


> Finally got my 3mm tap and finished this ...
> 
> 
> 25½'' overall, 14'' sticking out of the handle.
> ...



Nice job, the bowl turned out well too.

Surprised you needed a 3mm screw as I've been using 4mm screws on my 10mm insert tools. No surprise about the 45° angle, they tend to dig in otherwise. The last 10mm tool I made had a 45° angle built in.


----------



## NazNomad (8 Jul 2016)

woodpig":zgkm2mgc said:


> Surprised you needed a 3mm screw as I've been using 4mm screws on my 10mm insert tools.



The seller makes and sells complete tools. He supplies (and uses) 4mm screws with a 12mm bit and 3mm screws with a 10mm bit, he said from his experience the 3mm fit better. I bowed to his experience. I can always increase to 4mm if need be.


----------



## steadyeddie (10 Jul 2016)

I've a set of hollowing tools from George Watkins (fromthetree) and I have to say they are quite easy to get on with once you get used to them. 

Dave


----------



## woodpig (10 Jul 2016)

NazNomad":3pgwy7f6 said:


> The seller makes and sells complete tools. He supplies (and uses) 4mm screws with a 12mm bit and 3mm screws with a 10mm bit, he said from his experience the 3mm fit better. I bowed to his experience. I can always increase to 4mm if need be.



Ah, I know why. He probably uses Pozidrive screws which have fairly large heads. I use Torx screws whenever possible, like the ones they use on metal work inserts.


----------



## NazNomad (10 Jul 2016)

Yes, they are Pozidrive screws.


----------



## katellwood (11 Jul 2016)

Done this today,

















going to change the hold down screw when I find a nice piece of brass but until then the wing nut and locking nut will do. works perfectly though


----------



## CHJ (11 Jul 2016)

Always another level of satisfaction when you have constructed your own bit of kit, it balances the books a little on previous kit purchases, allows the setting of your own variations of a theme and best of all provides another level of justified smugness when using it.


----------



## NazNomad (16 Jul 2016)

Still technically a 'tool', I suppose?

I couldn't see inside 'son of gnarly root' so I cobbled together a lamp from a piece of old camping stove, a GU10 fitting, one of those 'helping hand' thingies that never really seemed to help with anything much and a hard-drive magnet.








I need a mesh over it to stop it filling with wood-spaghetti whilst turning, but apart from that it's perfect (and more to the point, FREE).


----------

