cooling off tools?

[curtis rosche]

with alot of the turning i have done lately my tools have been getting really hot. the tools are sharp and i resharpen often but im turning dried locust and some other hard woods, and the rate that im turning for the gallery it is just a PIMA to have to stop and let the tool cool off to be able to be handled. would dripping the end in ice water be safe? i know it might have a slight tendency to rust but i can handle that, i just dont want to ruin my thompson tools or any other tools. any thoughts?

[Chris Burgess]

Not sure how hot thay are getting but I have read that if you dip hot HSS it will for Micro Cracks. I cant imagine they are getting that hot though. You should just buy 2 more full sets for tools and rotate them out..........

[Matt Owen]

If it's HSS, you shouldn't have any problems. I don't think you'll have any problems with HCS either. This is assuming you're not quenching at temps above 300, which I seriously doubt. If you were to get any micro cracks, I would think they would be eliminated next time you sharpen. Hope this helps.

[Jerry Marcantel]

and the rate that im turning for the gallery it is just a PIMA to have to stop and let the tool cool off to be able to be handled[/QUOTE]

Now I know what my problem is. I live in Pima county!........ Now I'll be thinking differently about where I live.
Back on track, I think your tools will never get hot enough to damage them by setting them in water to cool from normal turning. Just think about it. The temp is probably not too much over 130 degrees.... Scalding water I think is near that temp, and that's hot. You couldn't handle the tool if it was hotter, but it's still cold compared to the temps you get when grinding it....... Jerry (in Tucson)

[John Keeton]

Buy a CBN wheel and be done with it! In any event, with an AO wheel, and I rarely got them hot enough to prevent use. Is it possible you are pushing too hard on the wheel?

[ray hampton]

are your tools getting hot from grinding or from turning wood [dry locust is hard as wood get ]

[curtis rosche]

John and Ray, the tools are getting hot from turning hard very dry woods, locust , walnut and others. they get to hot to hold after heavy cutting and i have to set them down and find something else to do for a little bit. the tools i have are hss, 10v thompson gouge, and a homemade cobalt cutter.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I suspect in your effort to rub the bevel, you are overdoing the pressure. It takes friction on a fairly wide surface to product the heat you describe. I work my hands quite near the tips and don't remember having to regrip due to heat. Lighten up the pressure a bit and make sure you don't have a shoulder behind the cutting edge that is keeping the cutting edge from properly meeting the wood.
faust

[Jon Prouty]

dip the tip in water and you'll be fine. I do it after grinding, especially if i am doing a heavy grinding and never had a problem. I keep a plastic cup of water on the bench and quench when needed. BTW - glad the gallery stuff is workign out for you. Hard to keep up... must be rough. :)

Jon

[Jon Nuckles]

Curtis, I have been cutting dry black locust and walnut as well, and have had to move my upper hand to avoid the very hot shavings coming off the tool, but haven't noticed the tool itself heating up. I am using a Thompson 5/8 v-gouge for the majority of the work. Maybe you are taking deeper cuts than I am, or rubbing the bevel harder? It is over 100 in my shop right now, so I don't think that is the difference!

[curtis rosche]

i ride the bevel alot and take very heavy cuts. im using the slowest speed on my lathe with is up somewhere around 600 rpm. the gouge i am using is either 1/2 or 5/8, i forget.

[Curt Fuller]

John and Ray, the tools are getting hot from turning hard very dry woods, locust , walnut and others. they get to hot to hold after heavy cutting and i have to set them down and find something else to do for a little bit. the tools i have are hss, 10v thompson gouge, and a homemade cobalt cutter.

Hot to touch and hot enough to cause damage are very different degrees of hot. I know what you mean about the tool getting hot from the friction of cutting hard woods. I would suggest a good tight fitting leather glove on your left hand (provided you're right handed) to make holding the tool less uncomfortable. But unless you're getting smoke from your shavings coming off a hot tool, I think the tool is fine. Or if you have the luxury of having several gouges, you could just switch off occasionally to let the tool cool down.

[Wayne Hendrix]

One of the instructors around here recommends keeping a spray bottle of water for just that purpose. If the tool starts to get hot just give it a quick spritzing. It is no different than dipping it in water but without the worry of spilling the container of water.

[Jeff Fagen]

When hogging out bowls I get in a hurry and my 5/8 bowl gouge gets pretty hot,I wear a glove with the fingers cut off on my left hand and that handles the heat.

[Jon Prouty]

What is the difference in cutting soaking wet wood and dipping a gouge in a bucket of water? It all gets wet. I've heard people talk about cutting wet wood seeming like a shower. To me, there is no risk here so why such negative response to quenching a hot tool? I've seen grinders with a water well on them to quench a tool. I'm no metallurgist but I am willing to bet that a tool that is hot from dry wood is no where near hot enough to be damaged by quenching.Jon

[Cody Colston]

I'm no metallurgist but I am willing to bet that a tool that is hot from dry wood is no where near hot enough to be damaged by quenching.Jon

I'm no metallurgist either but I think you would win that bet.

Curtis, go ahead and dip the tool in water to cool it off. You will not get it hot enough while turning (or sharpening) to damage it.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Curtis I use a fingerless weight lifting gloves. They work well keeping the hot chips and tool off my hands. The padding in the hand sure does help also.

[Scott Hackler]

I could possibly see how dry locust (turning a rock would be easier) might heat up a tool, but I wonder if your pressure isn't too extreme while turning. I wouldnt think that even dry walnut would get the tool, too hot to touch...even being very aggresive. I am very aggresive while hogging out bowls but the only "heat" I really remember is from the hot chips flying down the gouge to hit me in my hand. Hmmmm.. Interesting.


Congrats on your gallery sales. I really need to do the gallery thing, so I can afford a new lathe.

[Ed Morgano]

I suspect in your effort to rub the bevel, you are overdoing the pressure. It takes friction on a fairly wide surface to product the heat you describe. I work my hands quite near the tips and don't remember having to regrip due to heat. Lighten up the pressure a bit and make sure you don't have a shoulder behind the cutting edge that is keeping the cutting edge from properly meeting the wood.
faust

One thing I would like to add to Faust's suggestion. You can buff the bevel with a cloth buffing wheel. It will greatly reduce the friction and heat build up. I was at a club meeting a few weeks ago and they had a carver do a presentation. One of the things he does is buff all of his carving tools to a mirror finish. I used a couple of his tools and it was amazing how easily they glided through the wood. I just finished buffing all of my turning tools thig morning and it really does make an amazing difference.

[Norm Zax]

Id leave the reply to a metallurgist or to Doug. No idea here but agree that hot to the touch might be still quite cold for HSS.

[Dan Hintz]

Hmmmm, I see a new product on the horizon... Thermoelectric Tool Temperature Controllers, by Hi-Tec Designs :D Get yours for only $599.99 per tool. Act now and I'll throw in a free Thompson gouge.

[curtis rosche]

What is the difference in cutting soaking wet wood and dipping a gouge in a bucket of water? It all gets wet. I've heard people talk about cutting wet wood seeming like a shower. To me, there is no risk here so why such negative response to quenching a hot tool? I've seen grinders with a water well on them to quench a tool. I'm no metallurgist but I am willing to bet that a tool that is hot from dry wood is no where near hot enough to be damaged by quenching.Jon

the difference with wet wood is that the tool doesnt get hot to begin with because the "wet" keeps it cool. i just wanted to make sure it was ok, in the past i tried making things or doing things (like making a turning tool out of a file(not a good idea they shatter)) and i wanted to make sure it was safe

[ray hampton]

If the tool get that hot then it might set your wood that you are turning ON FIRE , so ,keep your water can full of wet water and dip the tool often

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Curtis,
I believe I read that high speed steel takes in excess of 1000 degrees in order to lose it's temper. You need to turn it bright red for that to happen. I don't believe that is what this thread is about.

Ed,
I've carved for many years and always buff my carving tools. Two things to keep in mind: Repeated buffing inside and out on the carving tool is meant to remove the wire edge. Many turners like a bit of a wire edge (burr) to help do the cutting on the lathe, at least the heavy cutting. Secondly, repeated buffing causes the edge to be rounded over forming a shoulder on the bevel. That's fine on a carving tool but I like my lathe tools hollow ground with no shoulder at all. Still, I understand your wanting to try it. There is something surgical looking about a shiny surface. Please let us know how it works out for you.
faust

[Jon Prouty]

wet water

favorite phrase of the day... I'm going to try to use this today at work somehow. :)

JP

[Jon Prouty]

the difference with wet wood is that the tool doesnt get hot to begin with because the "wet" keeps it cool. i just wanted to make sure it was ok, in the past i tried making things or doing things (like making a turning tool out of a file(not a good idea they shatter)) and i wanted to make sure it was safe

But making the tool wet is the whole point... wet ain't going to damage the steel.

JP