Yet another marking knife

[Pekka Huhta]

I look forward to some more stylish works from the Pekka Works....

I hate teasers, but this is one ongoing project from "Pekka Works", which actually has been on hold for some time already. An infill plane with a new adjustment mechanism, adjustable mouth and again, maybe a bit scandinavian lines.

More on that later on, these days I'm struggling to get a small marking knife or some other minor task done once in a while.

Pekka

P.S: I have been toying with the name "Eccentric planeworks" as one of my new iron adjustmet mechanisms work with just one simple eccentric lever. Just that I'm not rich enough to be eccentric, probably the most accurate company name would be "Crazy Frog"

 

[jimi43]

That has legs Pekka...very interesting...keep us posted!

Also...one comment..I simply LOVE your backdrop for the photos!

Jim

 

[Pekka Huhta]

I made the handle for the marking awl yesterday and decided that I won't try to build knifes for sale - if not for Klaus and Pedder for bribing them to build me a couple of saws :wink: The lathe may look pretty, but is pretty far from perfect for turning anything. It took me an hour to turn the handle and fifteen minutes to sand it down to an acceptable finish. Can't blame the lathe for everything, but still it felt that I just took the bark off the birch blank with the lathe and sanded the rest

I also found old thread taps that have been used in a CNC machine. The shanks of regular HSS drills are relatively soft, at least they get scratched by the drill jaws. I was thinking that if I intend to use the same scratching awl for metal as well, the drill bits may be a bit on the soft side. So I'll try the thread tap shank first.

I think I'll make the spike removable in any case. It will allow me to take it out for sharpening in the drill and to replace it if the shank of the thread tap turns out to be too hard material.

One big drawback with the tap is that it doesn't take instant blue. The knife blade is blued, so it would have fitted so well to have the awl blued as well.

Pekka

 

[Pekka Huhta]

OK, now the marking awl is done as well. And while I was already destroying perfectly good thread taps, I decided to build a scraper burnisher at the same time, using a ½" tap with a long shank. I have used an old chisel for burnishing, and although I haven't ever cut myself when burnishing, it looks a bit dangerous.

I was able to blue the HSS tap after all, it probably had some sort of a coating on it when I originally tried bluing it. It's almost impossible to take a photo showing the bluing and polished parts on the knife blade correctly, but at least this photo shows that better than the original at the start of the thread.

As a compliment to Jim I exaggerated the scandinavian lines this time with the bone insert on the burnisher. It's just grocery store cow bone as we don't have any reindeer wandering around Helsinki

I have a few WIP photos in my camera, but no time for posting them now. I can post them later if anyone is interested.

Pekka

 

[jimi43]

I am honoured Pekka....lovely set you have there....

Interesting touch the bone highlight....and strangely something which I have been through myself...

Cutting bone on a bandsaw has to be the worst possible smell ever....

This was for a bridge for an old mandolin restoration....to finish the new rosewood bridge I had to make to get it to work...

It's little touches like this in your tool creations that will set you apart from the rest...

Very impressive my friend...

On the subject of the functionality of your lathe...

You are obviously realising the limitations of the mechanical elements of your creation but these are not difficult to correct. Firstly...there is no reason why a stong hardwood would not work for the bed for the type of hand work that you are doing. Similarly the headstock and tailstock mounts but I would replace the head itself and the tail with metal parts.

You obviously can work with metal so if you get some spares on FleaBay from an old lathe or use a shaft and a couple of bearings to replace the limitations of the drill and get a firm tailstock you should retain your design and yet increase the functionality of the lathe.

Just a thought....

Watching with interest and you have my vote to see the WIP pictures

Jim