Home made turning tools

[graduate_owner]

Hi all,
I have made a few scrapers from HSS bought from China (ebay) and they seem pretty good. I have been thinking of trying to make some more from steel I have in the shed, so was wondering if anyone has tried using things like old lawn mower blades, garden shears blades or rotavator blades. Any other suggestions, apart from the usual Allen keys or old files (not a good idea I am told)?

K

 

[Paul Hannaby]

You can make tools from most sources of high carbon steel blades such as those mentioned but turning tools are tempered to make them shock resistant so they won't snap under a shock load (as will certainly happen when turning at some point).
Files are best avoided as they are hardened to glass hard and can crack when dropped and may snap when shock loaded. If you are competent to re-temper the steel you can reduce the risk but unless you know that file has never been dropped or abused during its life, you won't know if there aren't already microscopic cracks in it which will weaken it even if you do re-temper it. Also, at the end of the day you would end up with a high carbon steel tool which will need sharpening much more frequently than a decent HSS tool so why bother!

You would be far better off buying a second hand HSS tool rather than spending a lot of time repurposing something which will never give you as good a tool.

 

[niall Y]

I have successfully made large scrapers for bowl turning, from O1 tool steel, Not as hardwearing as HSS, but a lot easier to temper in a domestic oven. I've also made some small beading tools from the same steel. This is easily purchased as ground flat-stock in an annealed state for hardening and tempering..
.Should you want to make use of what might be knocking around then leaf-springs are a fairly good source of high carbon steel. Admittedly this is not HSS, but that is much harder to heat treat because of the higher temperatures involved, which is why it is usually sold pre hardened and tempered, for grinding to shape.

 

[TRITON]

What about HSS on ebay. 20x5mm at 200mm long is about a tenner. Obviously for use as a scraper. Round bar for gouges, but that seems a lot of work, and as above, you'd be cheaper just buying a 2nd hand gouge.

 

[graduate_owner]

Thanks guys. Perhaps I will shelve that idea. I think I will have a go a making hollowing tools though, like the Oland tool, looks pretty easy to do.

K

 

[Owd Jockey]

I made my first 'parting' tool from an Evolution Fury chop-saw blade, you could also use a table saw blade. There are a few You tube videos showing how this is done.

 

[niall Y]

Thanks guys. Perhaps I will shelve that idea. I think I will have a go a making hollowing tools though, like the Oland tool, looks pretty easy to do.

K

I have experimented a bit with hollowing tools and have a few in my kit. One of the originals, if you can master it is the ring-tool. Sadly I've never quite got the hang of it.
The commercial versions that followed on from this were a form of ring tool with a limiter to minimise catches I have a very robust Hamlet tool that fits into this category.
And it is great af producing copious ribbons of wood from wet stock.

The one I have been most impressed with is from Simon Hope. This is simply a long square shaft with a very small, round,, cup-shaped tip, screwed on the end. where it tapers to a slender point. These tips are the replaceable carbide ones used for cutting metal. or to be more specific - for cutting aluminium. Because of the square shaft and the angle at which it is screwed on, it always presents itself perfectly for cutting the inside and bottom of the hollow turnings.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

They are easy to make and the inserts aren't too expensive.

 

[Fergie 307]

For scrapers old industrial hacksaw blades are good. If you can find a local firm that uses them they will often give you one or two old worn out ones for nothing.
Also make good parting off tools.

 

[RonnieI]

I've made quite a few tools, mostly from HSS. I've tried hardening and tempering and I think it's hardly worth all the effort. I've made tools from unhardened and tempered HSS and the edge lasts almost as long. Gouges are a bit tricky, it's a lot of grinding to get a good flute and a nice shape.
For small round skew and tri-point or detailing tools, broken SDS bits work really well.