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Willard Foster
02-01-2010, 8:55 PM
Does anyone make there own carving tools? I have access to a small milling machine and I am familiar with heat treating of metal. I made a few simple scrapers for lathe turning and they turned out pretty well.

thanks,

Bill

Philip Allin
02-01-2010, 11:15 PM
There are certainly carvers who make some of their own tools - especially knives for whittling or chip carving. But the task of making gouges seems very difficult - forming the proper curve, treating the metal, etc.

There are some tasks that are better left to those who do it all the time. There are some excellent tools available for much less than the cost of my time trying to duplicate them. I'd rather spend my time actually carving.

Gord Pat
02-02-2010, 11:25 AM
Does anyone make there own carving tools? I have access to a small milling machine and I am familiar with heat treating of metal. I made a few simple scrapers for lathe turning and they turned out pretty well.

thanks,

Bill

Here's an url about making small sized carving tools from hacksaw blades that might be of interest to you.
http://www.scavm.com/gouges.htm

GP

Doug Duffield
02-02-2010, 12:56 PM
I'm also a blacksmith by hobby and have made a gouge or two for the fun of it. They didn't turn out to be of craftsman quality, but I had a good time doing it. I think that most folks would rather spend their time carving rather than making a tool. I done it for the knowledge, but I couldn't afford to buy my hand made tools for the amount of time I had in them - cheaper to buy one from the manufacturer.

Willard Foster
02-02-2010, 2:29 PM
Thanks to everyone for the replies, you all make a very good case to buy, rather than make carving tools.

I can understand making tools for the fun of it. I'm in the process of finishing my first (and probably last) mountain dulcimer. It ate up a lot of time, but it was fun.

If the carving bug bites really hard, I will take a class and buy the tools. As it was mentioned, it's more fun to carve than to make tools.
Thanks,

Bill

Chuck Nickerson
02-03-2010, 12:28 PM
One reason to make your own is to get special sizes. For instance, I'd love to have gouges that match my hollow and round planes.

Mark Yundt
02-03-2010, 3:05 PM
I've made a few knives as well as chisels from everything from planer blades, power hacksaws, files , circular saw blades. Wasn't the most economical use of my time, but fun none the less. On a post here "What have I got" you can see a chisel I made from an old chisel. Worked for a specific job.

Mauricio Ulloa
02-03-2010, 4:33 PM
Hi,

I haven't made a single carving tool yet. I've made some hollowing tools. I used the book shown below. It also has some examples on carving tools:

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Own-Woodworking-Tools/dp/1565233069/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265232728&sr=8-1

David Keller NC
02-06-2010, 12:13 PM
Does anyone make there own carving tools? I have access to a small milling machine and I am familiar with heat treating of metal. I made a few simple scrapers for lathe turning and they turned out pretty well.

thanks,

Bill

Bill - your profile doesn't say where you are, but there's a better than even chance that you can find a traditional blacksmith in your area. Forging these toos is a heck of a lot simpler than cutting them out of a block of tool steel. I've done it once before at a BS class - on simply needs a way to heat the iron to red-hot, a swage block, and a 5 lb. hammer. You find the hollow for the shape you want, select a piece of round steel that matches your desired inner profile, heat up a piece of O-1 or W-1 steel to red hot, set it in the hollow, put the rod on top, and wail away with the 5 lb hammer. After you get your shape, you need to form the tang on the end.

It took me a while to do this, but a skilled blacksmith can crank out 20 of the same shape in about 45 minutes. They'll still need refining by a bit of filing, and you'll have to fit a handle, but they'll be unique when you're done.