Question about steel 3/8 cold rolled steel

[Tim Thiebaut]

I bought the replacement carbide cutter for the Ci-3 easy wood hollower tool and would like to try and make my own, the original is about $150, the cutter cost me $17. If I buy a "14 length of 3/8 cold rolled steel and put a slight swan-neck style end on it, do you think the cold rolled would be strong enough to handle the turning forces being used like this? The carbide cutter is approx "5/16 in diameter so it is not a very big cutter, I think this is the smallest one easy wood has. My goal is not to use this for hogging out major HF's but rather xmas ornament style turnings and smallish things like that. So bottom line is, do you think the "3/8 would handle this use? Thanks for any and all input here, Tim

[Richard Madden]

For the use you are describing, I'd say it would work fine.

[John Hart]

Yeah...me too. I think it'll work fine for your application. Bigger stuff is gonna bend it.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Thanks for the input here, I have no experience with steel as far as making my own tools go. I am half considering taking the HHS blade off of my small Sorby swan neck and just mounting the carbide cutter on the end of it, the HHS cutter dosnt work very good anyway.

[Terry Quiram]

3/8 cold rolled is plenty strong enough. However a piece 14" long is much too long. You won't be able to hang much more than 3 or 4 inches over the tool rest before it starts acting like a tuning fork. Use MAP gas to heat the steel up and bend around a tube simular in size to a drill press center post.

[James Combs]

Thanks for the input here, I have no experience with steel as far as making my own tools go. I am half considering taking the HHS blade off of my small Sorby swan neck and just mounting the carbide cutter on the end of it, the HHS cutter dosnt work very good anyway.

Tim, I made a finishing gouge recently from the Ci0 insert.
This link is the fabrication prcess:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?158714-Homemade-Version-of-Ci0-Carbide-Tipped-Gouge-Scraper&highlight=
This link shows the finished tool:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?158771-It-s-done-Some-Firsts-and-Learned-Some-Things&highlight=

I used 12.5 inches of half inch cold roll for the insert holder. The Ci0 is about 5/8" in diameter. I have been using it pretty aggressively on larger turnings and have seen no flex. 3/8" for what you are intending it for should work great. My only comment would be that I don't think I would use the entire 14" of cold roll for the insert holder, seems too long to me. In that length you may get a little flex. If I were making it I would limit it to about 10", no more then 12" including the tang.

Edit: I see Terry must have been typing the same time as me. He says the same thing about the length

[Tim Thiebaut]

Thanks for the input everyone, I was just planning on buying a length about "14 so that I would have enough to work with, and plenty to put down into the handle as I know the torque forces are pretty extreme with these tools. James I do remember your posting now that you have reminded me here, this is basicly what I am shooting for but with a swan neck on the end, the cutter I have is actauly "7//16...I posted wrong above but I checked a few minutes ago. If I had a way to turn the end round I would go with a square piece like you did, but will have to use "3/8 round for mine. I will let you all know how it comes out.

[Peter Fabricius]

Hi James;
Beautiful tool...
When looking at the sharp end straight in your platform for the round cutter is at 90 degrees to the top of the square steel bar???? It looked that way on your milling machine?
Have you thought about a 15 degree slope down to the right (again when looking straight at the end of the cutter)? I read about this somewhere and when you present the cutter to the wood it would be at the slight 15 degrees and perform more of a slicing cut than a scraping cut.
With your square steel bar it would allow you to just hold the bar on the tool rest flat and the cutter would be presented for the slicing cut...
It would be easy to place the stock in the milling machine to achieve the 15 degree slope.
Just a thought and maybe you would want to experiment.
Nice work and I cannot agree with your own critique of your fit and finish. You have done an expert job of this one.....
Peter F.