hollowing tools

[patricia stein]

hi everyone my question is what steel will work for hollowing tools .I would like to bend one 45degrees one 22degrees and one street. should i use
tool steel or just steel. these tools will just hold cutting tips .


thank you

patrick stein

[Dahl Troy Perry]

You want to use mild steel NOT Tool steel when you heat tool steel Like 0-1 or 0-2 A2 D2 883 tool steels they turn hard you will not be able to drill or tap after you heat to bend you can draw tool steel back soft but that takes lots of heat for long time to take the temper out in a furnace. Tool steel would also be brittle and could break if droped because of wrong temp and not drawed back to right rock well hardness.
You should use cold rolled steel of hot rolled steel thest can be found at most hardware stores they don't carry tool steel usually. This is one that I know the answer to because I'm a tool maker that makes all types of tools every day at work.

Dahl

[Burt Alcantara]

Dahl,
In David Ellsworth's new book, "Ellsworth on Woodturning," he describes how to make bent tools for hollowing. His list of materials is 0-1 drill rod and a propane torch, among other things.

Perhaps, the difference is he drills the hole first, before heating. After the tool has cooled, the cutter is glued in. I'll probably try his method to make a couple of bent tools.

Burt

[patricia stein]

i thank you for your response.



patrick stein


patricia is my wife not sure how iam logged on as her instead of me.

[Jeff Nicol]

Dahl,
In David Ellsworth's new book, "Ellsworth on Woodturning," he describes how to make bent tools for hollowing. His list of materials is 0-1 drill rod and a propane torch, among other things.

Perhaps, the difference is he drills the hole first, before heating. After the tool has cooled, the cutter is glued in. I'll probably try his method to make a couple of bent tools.

Burt
I believe that he is using the tool steel as the cutter and not adding a separate tip. To me that would be the only reason to use O-1 steel for a cutter. I use just mild steel for all mine and they work just fine. I can drill, mill and grind it without any struggle!

My 2cents,

Jeff

[Tom Godley]

David E -- Drills a hole in the end of the tool - not always in the center! - and then glues the tool tip into the bar with thick super-glue using an activator.

The tools are elegantly simple -- no need for a setscrew -- the tips last for a long time and all you do is heat the end with a torch and pull it out and replace it with another -- They are about $5 each.


He make them in his shop -- I think all of them (5) with extra tips went for about about $75.00.

[Burt Alcantara]

David uses the drill rod for the shaft and HSS +10% Cobalt for the cutters.

Burt

[Dahl Troy Perry]

0-1 drill rod is a oil harding tool steel when you heat it and let it air cool the steel gets heat fractures in it and part and becomes brittle and will break easly if you heat and put in oil while still hot it will turn hard and not be brittle but it will be hard and will not be able to machine,drill, tap just grind you can work with carbide.

[Art Kelly]

I use set screws so I can quickly change angles. I have several more at different angles besides these. If I'd been smarter, sooner, I would have gotten the drill rod the same diameter as the Pro-Forme bit. Sigh...

The drill rod in the tool on the left is O-1 from MSC. It comes annealed (soft) so you have to harden it once it's made. I draw mine a little (bronze), but can't tell much difference from not drawn. Pieces that small are hard to draw accurately with a torch. Use an electric paint stripper instead.

A

[Allen Neighbors]

I used hot or cold rolled steel rod (1/'2", 5/8" and 3/4" ) for my tool shafts. I drilled the end, tapped a hole for set screws, bent them to the shape I wanted, and can use from 1/8 through 3/8" square cutting bits in them. The hot or cold rolled steel is great for the tool shafts, because they are strong enough to reach across the toolrest, and are also malleable.
$.02, please. :D

[Dean Thomas]

Actually, the answer to your question depends on whether you're cutting or scraping!

If you want to create a CUTTER by using heat and shaping to an edge, yes, you want carbon steel (CS), not High Speed Steel (HSS). The HSS requires a LOT more heat to be able to pound and shape it. Skinny sticks of HSS can be heat-treated with a MAPP torch, but thicker sticks require more heat. To actually be able to flatten them to an edge you'll need a LOT more heat.

If you want to create a SCRAPER, you can use either. Makes a difference.

BTW, if you want a treatise on creating a hook tool for hollowing, go visit Alan Lacer's WEBSITE (http://www.alanlacer.com/handouts/ho-hooktool.html) and check out his article on making a hook tool out of O-1 tool steel. He'll also tell you how to heat treat it for best results.

[Burt Alcantara]

What I want to know is how to drill the hole in whatever metal one is using. I've never made a tool but plan to in the immediate future.

Can I use ordinary twist bits? What to use to dimple? Any other things to know about drilling or other gotchas?

Great thread,
Burt

[Art Kelly]

You can drill annealed (soft-state) high-carbon steel like O-1, but not after it's been hardened.

(I make bits for my Multi-tip scraper this way. Cut to length, drill the hole, shape on grinder, harden, sharpen. The edges don't last as long as the HSS bits, but a lifetime supply of 1/8" x 3/4" O-1 is $20-25.)

Twist drills made with high-speed steel will work. Run at slowest RPM and use lubrication. Cobalt drill bits are better. Ace and Sears have them.

Use a center punch. A center drill is really helpful. (See photo.)

Lot of information here: http://steel.keytometals.com/default.aspx?ID=Articles#p7

This book is interesting: The Complete Modern Blacksmith By Alexander G. Weyger. Very down-to-earth book, aimed primarily at making tools.

Art

[Allen Neighbors]

Burt, when I drilled my tool shafts, I followed Darrell Feltmate's advice and sneaked up on the correct size. I started by drilling the hole with a 1/8" bit, then went to 3/16", then 7/32"... and so on, 'til I reached the necessary size. Regular HSS twist bits will work. As Art said, slow speed, and using oil as a lubricant will help keep the drill bit cool.
Drill a fraction, then back out to clear the chips, drill another little bit, then back out, and so on. Take your time, and don't try to force the bit. Let it do it's job. If you force the bit, and break it.... oh my! what language cometh forth!!!
Darrel's Website is http://www.aroundthewoods.com . Surf around in there, and you can learn a ton! Scroll down the left side, about the third paragraph, and click on Making Wood Turning Tools.