Making tools......

[JustBen]

I'm not sure which section this should go in.

Woodturning, hand tools or metalworking.

I've been given some steel bars of which I believe to be stainless.
Some at 10mm, 15mm and 25mm

They are all heavy, not rusty and very very mildly magnetic.

They are tough to grind, drill and saw.


So....

Could they be used as tools.

Google has confused me with this question.

It says SS has a higher carbon level than HSS so does that mean its harder and better?

One of the smaller bars has been drilled, tapped and has a cutting tip fitted on the end.

Could the 15mm bar be shaped and used as a skew?
I have seen round skews before.

Thoughts?

 

[CHJ]

You can not harden stainless steels as you would with a high carbon steel by heating and quenching, and achieving a through and through hardness.
Most varieties can be surface hardened by Nitriding or Carburising to create a hard surface layer but this is of little use in a tool that is going to want constant sharpening.

Best to use as per the example you have and use them as support shafts for HSS or TCT tips.

 

[bogmonster]

Working stainless is hard work. Just drilling and taping is a pain. If you want to make shafts for tips then mild steel is usually adequate and much easier to work.

If you want to make cutting edges then you need high carbon tool steel. There are many grades and I forget now. This is complex as you need to harden then temper. Most tools steels need either water or oil quenching to harden. This will be way to britle and very dangerous to use as it will shatter. The steel needs to be tempered. This can be done without a kiln but much easier if you do have one.

HSS can be forged but heat treating is very specialised.

Bottom line is if you need to ask the question then it is probably well beyond what you can sensibly achieve without a very steep learning curve and almost certainly not worth the effort.

There are some tools you can make without heat treating. I am thinking of making a froe tomorrow from a piece of leaf spring. This is a simple cutting and grinding job - assuming I keep the steel cool enough....

I have made a few blacksmiths cutting tools from reclaimed car suspension parts in the past. Leaf and coil spying are a good source of high carbon steel.


EDIT: don't be tempted to use rasps / files as stock material unless you re-heat treat. These are too hard and may shatter,

BM

 

[chipmunk]

Even if you could make cutting tools from stainless 15mm would be too big for a round skew IMHO.

I'd follow Chas' advice and use them as bars on which to mount cutting tips.
M5 tapped holes fit all Sorby scraper tips.
M6 tapped holes fit the Siragas scrapers for the Hamlet Big Brother.

SS can work-harden quite badly so for drilling I'd recommend cobalt HSS drill bits rather than normal HSS which might struggle. When tapping go gently on your taps - ideally use a taper tap, use lubricant, keep it very straight in the hole and keep the flutes clear by breaking the chips by reversing the tap often.

These two are 12mm mild steel bar with M5 Sorby style holes and cutters.

HTH
Jon

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Stainless steel of the type liable to be found as bar stock will be of no use as cutting tools, a cutting edge will be difficult to achieve and will have no longevity.

As said above - SS will work harden in no time making filing / tapping etc almost impossible - so not the best material for cutter shafts either.

Carbon content, (amongst other things), influence the properties of steel including it's hardness - however higher carbon content does not necessarily equate to harder steel.

If you really want to make some tooling I'd suggest either buying unhandled HSS tools and making handles to your own design or using mild steel bar to make shafts for carbide tips.

Regards Mick

 

[winemaker]

have you seen this guy he makes lots of tools http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwZFCrWvXJY

 

[John. B]

These are made from bright mild steel, the first, a piece of 1/2" round bar milled, then drilled and tapped and a bought carbide tip.
The second, a little more ambitious. 5/8" square bright mild steel bar. Fortunately I have access to a metal lathe and mill and so can turn the tip you see in the pic.
I bored the hole and made a round bar tip so you can vary the angle of the cutter, the cutter is made from 3/8" round bar polished up, milled a flat drilled and tapped, again using a bought cutter.(Second cutting tip 3/8" HSS Milled and sharpened).
The square bar coming out of the side takes up any twisting motion (Torque) on the rest.
John. B