Turning tool dimensioning.

[ayuce]

Because of neccessity, i'm considering making my own turning tools. Gauges won't be easy but anyhow. As a novice in turning can't decide, for the sake of reliability how deep the the bar should go into the handle ?

Tools i'm considering will have around 15cm blade lenght and 25-30cm handle lenght with a steel ferrule. They will be used usually for spindle turning of small items, less than 50mm in diameter. Time to time i'll turn wheels for the toys having diameter 40mm to 150mm.

 

[Robbo3]

For larger tools a minimum of 100mm, 75mm for medium tools & 50mm for smaller ones.

I have no idea about the availability of tools in your part of the world but any standard, carbon steel gouges should do.
Parting tool, skew chisel & scrapers are relatively easy to make but old tools are cheap.
Another possibility is to use carbide tips
eg - http://www.ukwoodcraftandcarbidechisels.co.uk/
I'm guessing that postage might push the price up.

 

[ayuce]

Thanks for reply Robbo. Well, actually most of professional production already went to automated machines, they use different cutters. Here what i see old style turners usually do their own chisels from carbon steel or old files, for gouges a blacksmith is needed.

Instead of ordering a custom set to a blacksmith, i'd prefer buying tools when i go abroad for business trips, or pay the postage or make by myself. Chisels are pretty straight forward, grinding gouges from heat treated HSS not easy. Biggest issue, i couldn't find any HSS blank longer than 200mm. I'm new to wood turning, don't know much about carbide tipped tools' usage. If there is a carbide tipped tool which can replace spindle and bowl gauge, i can make a holder for metal lathe carbide tips.

Regards

 

[marcros]

you will need different carbide tips than for metal turning.

I used http://azcarbide.com/

The tools are easy to make- plenty of info online.

 

[dickm]

Just one word of caution. You mention making tools out of old files. Unless you know a lot about heat treatment of steels, DON'T DO IT! Files are designed to be dead hard in order to cut, but that means they are brittle. Only needs an injudicious dig-in with one of those to produce serious injury. When I was learning to turn, I managed to snap a proper, carbon steel spindle gouge (don't ask!) and was lucky that the broken piece missed me. It made me very careful.

 

[ayuce]

Although one of my hobbies knife making and so i know a little about steels, heat treatment, having tool steels, stainless steels , powder metal steels here and there. But i dont have any intention neither to use files as a turning tools nor making a chisel from D2 ( actually it would be much more easier for me )

Regarding brittleness of files, theese files usually made of high carbon steels, W1, O2 etc usually having 62+ HRC hardness. Theese steels are actually have good toughness, overcoming this brittleness pretty easy. Just some tempering in domestic oven would drop their brittleness (and hardness) to a reasonable level. Thanks for the warning anyway.