Making your own tools

[Sawdust=manglitter]

That's a great job, fair play to you woodpig!!

 

[woodpig]

Hi Woodpig I really like that,

If I may ask, where do you source the torx set screws

TIA

They are proper insert screws that you can get from many places over here at about £1.95 each but I got these on eBay.
They came from a Chinese seller but the screws are made in Taiwan and are very nice quality. Cost was £3.65 inc postage for a dozen M4 x 12 and included a free flag style Torx driver. Seller was http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/electromechanical-sam

 

[katellwood]

Hi Woodpig I really like that,

If I may ask, where do you source the torx set screws

TIA

They are proper insert screws that you can get from many places over here at about £1.95 each but I got these on eBay.
They came from a Chinese seller but the screws are made in Taiwan and are very nice quality. Cost was £3.65 inc postage for a dozen M4 x 12 and included a free flag style Torx driver. Seller was http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/electromechanical-sam

Thanks for that

Not in your league but some of my attempts

Made this to utilise some round sections of lathe tooling I got in a job lot





This was made from a very old knife steel probably carbon steel but holds a good edge





And as most of my turning is joinery based (newels, Balusters, Table legs etc)

I made this to help in turning pommels in large section hardwoods (100mm x 100mm) as I have struggled with a skew
from the same job lot as the round lathe tooling this piece being 1/2" sq

 

[woodpig]

Nice job on the tools katellwood. What any tool looks like is immaterial, the main thing is how well they work and if they're comfortable to use and yours look like they tick both boxes.

I've used 01 carbon steel for small scraper blades but not really given them a good outing yet to see how long they stay sharp. As they are only relatively small tips maybe an inch long fitted to a mild steel shaft I didn't bother tempering them, I just left them glass hard. I suppose you could do the same with a full size scraper and just harden the extreme tip of the tool. It would be quite easy to harden or anneal just the working edge. Not sure on the cost of 01 though these days as I've not bought any for several years.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Have a look at -
http://www.fromthetree.co.uk/hollowing-tools.html

He sticks his inserts in rather than use grub screws. His reasoning is good by me - I've tried a couple.

 

[woodpig]

9mm hollowing tool.

 

[chipmunk]

I must admit I really rate the positive rake TCT inserts Simon Hope sells for his pro-hollower which are intended for Aluminium.

I made a few 6mm clones for my hollowing rig and they cut more like a ring tool than a scraper. You can buy them here...
https://www.shop-apt.co.uk/carbide-tips-hobby-use/pack-of-2-rcgt-0602mo-alu-ak10-carbide-tips.html
...but you also need some M2.5 taps, torx screw and key.

Looking at Woodpig's 9mm hollower it looks like a pure scraper but I could be wrong?

Hope this helps
Jon

 

[woodpig]

Looking at Woodpig's 9mm hollower it looks like a pure scraper but I could be wrong?

Jon

I've not tried the 6mm positive rake inserts but I've found the 8, 10 and 12mm ones are best used at an angle or they catch.

The flat 9, 12 and 15mm round inserts however can be plunged straight into the work. The 15mm is good for roughing etc and the 9mm is I'm told good for hollowing, but I've not tried it in earnest yet! I've not tried them as scrapers. The nice thing about the flat inserts is that you can sharpen them on a diamond plate. Perhaps it's my imagination but a few passes on a diamond plate and they seem to be even sharper than when you first get them?!

 

[chipmunk]

+1 for using the +ve rake cutters at an angle but that's just like any cutting tool really - You need the bevel rubbing and not too much exposed cutting edge.

The beauty of the 6mm cutters is that they seem small enough to be a bit more forgiving if you show the wood a bit too much edge.

For sharpening the 6mm cutters I made the rod fixture in the top picture. I put that in a Jacobs chuck in the headstock and hold a diamond hone against the rotating cutter to touch up the edge. It's tapped M2.5 in the end with a relief behind the base of the tip so that the diamond hone isn't honing the fixture - it's a very simple thing to knock up on the metal lathe really.

- but not as easy as honing flat on a diamond plate though.

HTH
Jon

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

Very impressive, both of you!! Out of interest have you both used a metal lathe to help make those?

 

[chipmunk]

Yes, from me.
...but, you don't need a particularly sophisticated metal lathe for simple woodturning tools like these and you can do quite a lot on a wood lathe if you have basic handtools such as files, hacksaw, drills and taps along with some ingenuity.

The finish might not be as good but the functionality will be there which is all that counts.

The 6mm cutters I made require a small seat cutting in the end of a 6mm rod with a 2mm tapped hole concentric with it but I think if you bought a 6mm HSS end mill (<£4), some M2.5 taps and one of these... http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catal...ssories/MT2-Tailstock-V-Adaptor-090-070-00700

...with a bit of care you could make one quite easily if you used an overlong 6mm rod as a starting point and had a Jacobs chuck in the headstock for drills, taps and end-mill and then shortened the rod afterwards.

The rest of the tools is quite easy.
HTH
Jon

 

[woodpig]

I did use a metal lathe but as Jon says it's not absolutely necessary. I also use a milling machine and this really does make things much easier but you could use a bench drill with a good vice.

 

[graduate_owner]

So, Sawdust=manglitter, have those HSS pieces arrived from China yet? If so, what do you think of thd quality?

K

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

Hi graduate owner,
Yes, i received them in less time than i thought too. As i dont have any metalworking tools I've been slowly shaping my first blank on a cheap bench grinder, constantly in and out of water to keep it cool. Its taking a long time, and as i've not done much turning recently (got a list of "useful" projects needed from the misses) i've only been working on it now and again when i'm in between stuff. As a test i tried drilling into it with HSS drill bits and it didnt even come close to marking the surface let alone cutting into it. Based on how long its taking to grind and how hard it is im pretty convinced that it is actually HSS anyways, for all thats worth.

The attached photo is what i've managed to rough shape so far for making a heavy duty bowl scraper. I'll be making the tang longer than shown, and i haven't quite figured out how i'm going to attach it safely to a handle yet either. But i'll do the rough shape on the bench grinder before doing the final shaping and sharpening on my Tormek.

I see that you're only in Llandeilo... im actually only down the road in Carmel myself!

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

And in case you wondered (as i couldnt find much myself), this is what i bought...

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/6mm-x-35mm-x-20 ... 4561326025

 

[duncanh]

You can save a lot of time grinding down to this shape by cutting off what you don't need using an angle grinder with a thin metal cutting disc. Assuming you have an angle grinder

 

[woodpig]

6mm isn't very thick for a bowl scraper. The last one I bought was 1 1/2" x 3/8". It was quite expensive but you get very little vibration with it.

 

[graduate_owner]

Hey there sawdust mangler, Carmel is indeed not so far. I actually live near Caio which is 13 miles from Llandeilo towards Llandovery, but still not so far away. I'll pm you my email address and we can have s chat and compare kit.

K

 

[NazNomad]

I see that you're only in Llandeilo... im actually only down the road in Carmel myself!

Bloody Southerners. :-D xx

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

Beth i chi canolwyr yn gwbod amdano ni lawr yn y de?