Heat Treating O1 Steel -- SUCCESS!

[Tom LaRussa]

It worked!

(Many thanks to all who contributed their wisdom previously -- http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=12756 )

My first two projects to undergo treatment are a 3/8" paring chisel and a 1/4" thick plane blade. (The latter is for an experimental chip-breakerless plane idea I'm playing around with.) I've sharpened the chisel and it cuts end grain like butter. I haven't finished sharpening the plane blade yet, but I did manage to cut my thumb with it. :o

Methodology:

I went semi-rustic. I used Kingsford charcoal (in my Pit Master BBQ) to heat the steel and cooled it in a mixture of salad oil and "lite" olive oil. (First time I've ever found a decent use for "lite" olive oil -- yuck.)

I didn't pre-heat the oil, but it didn't seem to matter -- at least so far.

I'm working on the handle for the chisel, but since I don't have one of those spinny thingies it too will be a bit "rustic." I'm laminating it out of some slices of rosewood that I've had for so long I don't know what type of rosewood it is -- very dark stuff though.

The plane will also be made out of laminated rosewood, in a semi-Krenov style. (Except for having no breaker and the bevel being up instead of down.)

I'll post pics eventually, but without a digital camera that could take a while. :(

[Dan Moening]

That's very cool, Tom!

Wish I could find the time (and $) to try things like this :(

I've been kicking around the idea of making my own miter plane so I'm keeping track off all y'all efforts like this. Might just need them for reference ;)

Looking forward to the pictures.

[Tom LaRussa]

Wish I could find the time (and $) to try things like this :(

Hi Dan,

I can't help with the time aspect, but the money end of things is pretty darn cheap. I work the metal with my Harbor Freight grinder and my Harbor Freight 4"/6" belt/disc sander. Total cost of those two machines is less than $100, and just about everybody has them or something like them in their shop anyhow. (If not I bet you could pick them up at a flea market or garage sale for really cheap.)

The metal for the chisel costs $6.01 for an 18" piece. I cut that piece off at about the 12" mark so that I can make a chisel and a carving knife from one piece. The wood for the handles is scraps.

The metal for the plane blade is quite a bit more expensive. A while I bought an 18" piece of 1/4" x 2 1/2" with the intention of making several chisels by cutting it lengthwise. That was before I realized what a pain it is to hacksaw even completely annealed steel by hand. So instead I'm using it to make some stubby plane blades.

That piece of steel goes for just under $30, and I figure I'll get at least 8 blades out of it -- assuming I don't bite the bullet and saw it down for chisels as originally planned. Assuming I do make plane blades from it the average material cost will be less than $5 per.

The only other consumables costs are charcoal and oil, which doesn't add up to much. All things considered, this is a pretty cheap way of getting some tools I otherwise would not be able to afford. :D

Of course there is the time thing... :(

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

I know the feeling. I bought a piece of 01 that was 1 1/4" wide and 3/8" thick and made these four scraping tools. I can't believe how well they work and how little chatter I get from them. The only problem I have is failing to get the tool rest back far enough to be able to lay the chisel on because the bevel is so wide.(-:

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I had a bucket of used engine oil for quenching and it seemed to work just fine. I tempered them in the oven as directed and they really seem to hold an edge for carbon tools. I hope you are as pleased with your handiwork as I am.

[Tom LaRussa]

I bought a piece of 01 that was 1 1/4" wide and 3/8" thick and made these four scraping tools.
Oh boy, did you hacksaw that down by hand?!:confused: :eek:



I hope you are as pleased with your handiwork as I am.
Very nice work, Don!

I have a bit more finishing work to do on the chisel, but I'm quite pleased nonetheless. The cutting action of the chisel is really nice -- goes in very straight, without much effort, and is extremely controllable.

I'm polishing the chisel, but I may leave the plane blade in its somewhat gruesome blackened state, so it looks like one of those $200 blades the Japan Woodworker sells. :p

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

Yep. I hacksawed every linear inch of the tangs and the profiles where needed. I was exceedingly thankful when that part of the enterprise was finished. Grinding the bevels was also time consuming and since these are carbon steel I had to take it easy to not mess them up. Was really worth the effort, though.