Homemade turning tools

[finneyb]

finial, would you have any suggestions on how to identify one steel from another to ascertain whether its suitable for tool making?
today i changed the drop links on my van and thought i might have a go at a small hollowing tool with the old ones. (round bar approx 10mm x 300mm once i've cut the ends off)
ta
nev

Nev,

Get HHS tool steel bar 1/4" sq or less. Drill the end of carbon steel. Shape the HHS steel on grinder to fit hole and superglue in.
To cut HHS bar to length, score with file etc and snap it - watch your eyes. To remove HHS cutter apply heat - it breaks the superglue bond.

Having said that 300mm carbon steel may be a little short.

Brian

 

[chipmunk]

You might find this thread interesting...

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/making-hollowing-tools-t81753.html?hilit=tools

HTH
Jon

 

[Woodcrafts_UK]

I have several skew chisels and odd scrapers made out of old engineering files which I ground the teeth off on a belt sander - The steel is already hardened and holds a remarkably good edge.

Obviously you mustnt over extend the tool rest by a long way though as the steel can be brittle.

PLEASE do NOT use old files for turning. They can be lethal!

I have done talks on this at a few clubs and have shown how a file shatters into a myriad of razor sharp splinters. Not only would you need to be wearing a full face visor, I would want full body armour. What many of the old books, which show files being used for turning, do not mention is that these old files were tempered to reduce their brittleness. In those days, many workshops had a forge nearby so that was easily done. Not so nowadays. In my opinion, the money saved using files is not worth the risk of a very serious injury.

 

[Peter Sefton]

I have several skew chisels and odd scrapers made out of old engineering files which I ground the teeth off on a belt sander - The steel is already hardened and holds a remarkably good edge.

Obviously you mustnt over extend the tool rest by a long way though as the steel can be brittle.

PLEASE do NOT use old files for turning. They can be lethal!

I have done talks on this at a few clubs and have shown how a file shatters into a myriad of razor sharp splinters. Not only would you need to be wearing a full face visor, I would want full body armour. What many of the old books, which show files being used for turning, do not mention is that these old files were tempered to reduce their brittleness. In those days, many workshops had a forge nearby so that was easily done. Not so nowadays. In my opinion, the money saved using files is not worth the risk of a very serious injury.

I remember this debate in the woodworking mags 30 years ago, is it still going on?

 

[CHJ]

I'm personally not in favour to contributing to 4 year old threads, rather start a new one with a back reference, but I suspect the poor practice of using old files without the appropriate heat treatment may be because of the confusion between:-

1. Metal Working Scrapers which are used in the hand for fine surface conformity adjustments and were and are regularly made in the workshop from old files and can be used without heat treatment, the loads being less than when hand filing in most instances.

2. Wood Turning Scrapers that can be used for heavy cutting as well as finish scraping, and never should be attempted unless correctly heat treated because of the loads applied by the machine.

 

[woodfarmer]

I'm personally not in favour to contributing to 4 year old threads, rather start a new one with a back reference, but I suspect the poor practice of using old files without the appropriate heat treatment may be because of the confusion between:-

1. Metal Working Scrapers which are used in the hand for fine surface conformity adjustments and were and are regularly made in the workshop from old files and can be used without heat treatment, the loads being less than when hand filing in most instances.

2. Wood Turning Scrapers that can be used for heavy cutting as well as finish scraping, and never should be attempted unless correctly heat treated because of the loads applied by the machine.

Yes, when I first saw posting in theis forum decrying the use of files for scrapers I nearly jumped feet first .. then I realised this is a wood turning forum

I have made and used scrapers made from files for may years.. a long time ago in another life I rebuilt machine tools and designed and made new special purpose machine tools. My days of hand scraping beds ended when I saw my first tape controlled Pederson mill which noone knew how to program. It was then That I realised computers were the way to go so I joined an American computer company with the idea that I could become the whizz kid programmer in the machine tool industry. Sadly by the time I had become proficient at programming the UK machine tool industry had all but died.