lathe tools, selfmade

[János]

Hello,

These are woodturning tools I have made for myself, from high speed steel blank knives for metal cutting lathes. From right to left:
12 mm single bevel chisel (a bedan if you wish so), my favorite tool
16 mm box scraper
12 mm round nose scraper
16 mm bowl scraper
19 mm skew chisel
19 mm undercutting scraper (mouse ear as I call it)
3 mm parting tool
10 mm Oland/Osolnik inspired round nose tool
12 mm straight chisel
19 mm domed scraper, negative angle
shear scraper, made from 12 mm square stock
10 mm domed scraper, negative angle
10 mm box scraper, negative angle

Any comments?

Have a nice day,

János

 

[SVB]

Nice set of tools - I particularly like the 'whipped' tool handles.

S

 

[Acanthus]

Hi Janos (sorry I don't know how to do the accent but you know who I mean)

I really like these tools. It would be great if you would post a WIP of how you have gone from an idea to having the tool. Not just the grinding, but the detailed specification of the steel that you purchased, and everything that you did to turn it into a working tool.

David

 

[Steven]

I too would like to see a WIP, I have just got a lathe and got the idea of trying to make some of my own tools.

 

[Sportique]

As they sed - a WIP please (or if no photos then please describe details)

=D> =D>

Thanks

Dave

 

[János]

Hello,

and thank you for your comments. Unfortunately, I have not taken work in progress photos, but to please you, I will document the making of a new tool. About the steel I use: it is M2 general purpose high speed steel. These blank knives are sold at industrial supply houses in different shapes and sizes, and are used for the making of custom knives for metal turning.

I do not like metal ferrules, because they disrupt the shape of the handle, and I feel them uncomfortable, so I came up with this binding, similar to the binding used on fishing rods to secure the rings on the rod. I used high tensile strength 2 mm linen cord for the wrap, bonded the ends with adhesive, and impregnated the wrap with shellac.

It was relatively easy job.

By,

János

 

[Ad de Crom]

János, love the fact of making your own tools, this set of own made tools looks great. =D>
Try also to make my own stuff too.
Ad

 

[János]

Hello,

Here comes the first part of the „how to”.

As a start, you will need a piece of high speed steel blank in the size of your choice, a piece of quality hardwood for the handle, slow setting epoxy resin adhesive for bonding the cutter into the handle, a good length of strong string, made from natural fibres, cyano-acrylate adhesive for locking the wrap, and shellac to impregnate it.

Cutter blanks are available in a wide range of sizes, and a few standard lengths, 160 mm and 200 mm being the most common and readily available. General purpose, impact resistant M2 blanks are good enough for woodturning.

For security and control, the handle must be at least 1,5 to 2 times longer than the exposed part of the cutter. The cutter must be seated into the handle for 30 percent of its length, but a minimum amount of 5 cm is strongly recommended. So, using a 200 mm cutter blank, you will get a tool with 140 mm of the steel exposed.

For safety, the diameter of the handle should be at least 10 mm larger than the width of the cutter blank, and the end of wider cutter blanks must be ground into a tang, to conform to this requirement. The handle should thicken towards its butt end. A handle made in this manner is strong enough, so a ferrule is not required.

The first step is the turning of the. First rough it down to a cylinder, using a spindle roughing gouge.

Then it must be turned to shape. I tapered and shaped my to my preference, using a skew and a parting tool. As a finishing touch, I turned the handle smooth to P240 grit.

Then the handle must be drilled for the cutter. I put a drill chuck into the headstock spindle, the four prong drive into the tailstock, and set the lathe to its slowest speed. 350 RPM, then bored the handle with an 8 mm drill to a depth of 60 mm, because I used a 8x12 mm blank in this case.

The blank has a square cross section, so I chiseled the hole to 8x12 mm with a paring chisel. Then I checked the fit, marked the depth on the cutter blank, and sanded the marked part with P80 paper to make a good bonding surface for the epoxy.

I mixed a batch of slow setting epoxy, and bonded the cutter in place. It must dry overnight. I will continue my account tomorrow.

Any question?

János

 

[Silverbirch]

Hi Janos,
Nice set of tools and excellent WIP.
Regarding the string ferrules, you are in good company. David Ellsworth, in his book, recommends a similar approach in his chapter on making hollowing tools.
Now you need to show us how they perform :wink:

Ian

 

[Sportique]

Janos

thanks for part 1. exactly what was needed.

I look forward to part 2

Dave

 

[János]

Hello,

Ellsworth? And he too has beard. I am in good company… Thanks for the compliments!

The tools perform well enough for me.

But I am not a “real turner”, so my main products are tool parts for my woodworking tools, furniture handles, and small boxes and cups I can lacquer.

Most of the tools were made for turning boxes and cups. And I have made some other equipment to help my work on these small items. The tool rest on my lathe is far from the best, and because the shape of the tailstock (that backwards leaning design to gain working length), it gets in the way, if I turn short objects (under 10~12 cm). So I devised a new, short and asymmetric rest, welded from cold rolled steel.

I made a box scraping tool rest too.

I do not have a scroll chuck, (and miss it some times, especially at times when I need to make a one-off piece) so I use self-made cup chucks. These are simple affairs, made from voidless, engineering grade plywood, screwed to a steel faceplate. In use, you must turn a precise tenon on your workpiece, and drive it into the hole of the chuck. To remove the work, you should use the knock out bar (if your lathe has a hollow spindle) or a tapered rod in the knock-out hole visible on the side of the chuck. Or booth…

Any question or comment?

Have a nice day,

János

 

[János]

Hello,

Now I will continue the tool making guide. So I have bonded the cutter in place with epoxy.

After the drying of the resin (a minimum of twenty-four hours is recommended) I clean up the handle, chiseling and scraping away the surplus epoxy, and sanding the handle to remove the “epoxy fingerprints” I left behind.

At this point you have two choices: You can leave the tools in this state, as these are very functional and decent tools. Some oil or shellac rubbed into the wood will prevent the handle from dirt.

Or you can apply binding to the handle, for a little added security, visual interest, and a more textured grip. I like this archaic treatment, so I bind the handles of the turning tools I made.

I measure and mark the length of the whipping on the handle with masking tape. Then I start the wrapping of the handle. I use high strength string (made from natural fibres: linen, cotton, or flax), and I soak it in cold water beforehand. I wrap the string as tightly as I can, pulling taut every turn. Then I leave the tool alone till the whip dries thoroughly.

A word of notice: you should make your handles from really dry wood, otherwise the binding will loosen as the wood dries and shrinks.

I will continue my account tomorrow.

Any thoughts, questions or comments?

By,

János

 

[Bluefoxy]

Fascinating!! I can't wait for tomorrow

 

[Sportique]

Janos

thanks - very interesting.

When I was shown whipping many years ago, I was told to start by laying a loop along the length of the area to be whipped, then bind the thread tightly, gradually covering this loop, continuing to add bindings until only the end of the loop is visible. At this point feed the end of the binding through the loop and pull the loop (and hence the end of the binding) through underneath the whipping to secure it.

Is this the same as your method?

Thanks

Dave

 

[János]

Hello,

Dear Dave, thank you for your comment. The whip I used is a little different from what you have described. This is a sailor's whip http://www.animatedknots.com/sailors/in ... dknots.com
But I simplified it a little bit, as pulling the wet string under half of the wrap is near to impossible.

By,

János

 

[Sportique]

Janos,

yes you are quite correct about pulling the loop through - sometimes almost impossible

Thanks for the link to the "sailor" method - that is a new method for me and looks very interesting.

I am enjoying your thread .... =D>

Dave

 

[Jonzjob]

The kind of whipping you are thinking of is called simple whipping Dave. I spent many happy hours TRYING to teach scouts how to do it!

That sailors whipping looks interesting János. I haven't seen that one before. I like that idea of the whipping too. Where abouts are you based roughly?

 

[Lons]

Hi Janos

You've taught me something interesting today.

i didn't know there was any alternative to the loop method I learned when making up fishing rod blanks all those years ago.

I made a batch of tools when I had first bought Tyme cub a lathe 25 years ago and I whipped the handles because the only wood I could spare are the time was prone to splitting.
I managed the standard way but it was very difficult though I found it easier to pull through if the string was wet.

Only thing I did differently was that I recessed the area of the whipping by the thickness of the string so that the join between wood and whipping was seamless.

cheers

Bob

 

[Bodrighy]

As an ex sailor I whip line by using a waxed cord. Lay the bight (loop) along the rope (or handle in this case) and wrap as tight as possible using a spoke to pull it tight. When you have done all the wrapping put the end of the cord through the loop and you should be able to pull the tail with the spike bringing the loop under the wrapping with the end of the cord in it. Cut of any lose ends ...finished. The way Janos describes would be just as effective and, using wet cord, may well be better on wood as th cord will shrink as it dries giving a tighter binding.

Pete

 

[János]

Hello,

Thank you for all your comments. You can wrap your handles in any way that suits you, but it must be tight and strong. Back to business:

After the wrap dried I check it, and pull it tight if required. Then I lock the ends of the wrap with cyano-acrylate adhesive. I allow the adhesive to dry, and then cut the free end of the wrap, and sand the bonded area lightly with P240 paper to smooth any irregularities.

Now it is time to seal the wrap. You will need a brush, some liquid shellac, and paper towels or cloth. Paint the wrap with shellac, and apply a dripping wet coat, then allow it to seep in for a minute or two. Then wipe the wrapping cord with towels to remove the surplus lac. Let the tool dry for a few hours, then apply a new coat of lac. Repeat this a few more times. Three to five coats will result in a handsome colour and smooth surface (because the lac locks the fibres of the wrapping string).

The final step is the shaping and sharpening of the blade. I do not have a bench grinder, so I use a straight grinder/die grinder or a miniature grinding motor to shape the steel of my tools, and diamond files and electrocorund stones to sharpen them.

Some final thoughts… High speed steels have a complex metallurgy, so the production of them is an art in itself. Even the production of a simple hardened tool requires a complex, strictly controlled five stage heath treatment process. That is, HSS tools could not be forged and hardened at home, or in small workshops. Knife blanks have a hardness of 60-64 HRC, so shaping them is a hard job, and possible with abrasive processes only. Not really effective… So you can make simple chisels and scraping tools from this stuff, but trying to fabricate a gouge or a bent tool would be a waste of time and effort, if at all possible.

Any thoughts or comments?

János