Newbie---Questions

[Christopher Hunter]

Hi everyone
I've been turning for a year or so, and I am new to this forum...
So I hope someone can help--
I have been trying to make a few hollowing tools out of HSS--
I went out and got some wood for the handles and 5/8 cold rolled steel for the shafts and then after reading a few turners' sites, I thought I could go to the hardware store and buy a few HSS drill bits and cut the flutes off and stick that in the shaft and sharpen and then it would work great... but I found that the drill rod doesn't even come close to the sharpness of my HSS bowl gouge ---
and I thought about ordering some HSS drill rod from enco but I think I would still have the problem with the cutting edges ---
any Suggestions ??????======
Also I have been trying to make some hollow forms out of some 6-8" branches of various woods and so far I have had every one of them crack right up the side,, I even tried putting them in 2-3 paper bags but still overnight they cracked -- I have been turning them end grain so, maybe I should turn them like a bowl>??????
Please help --
Thank you so much for any replies
==Chris

[Mike Vickery]

Order drill blanks from Enco not drill rod. Drill rod is not hardened. Do not know about the drill bits you were using.
For the branches it sounds like from your description you have not removed the pith. If the pith is not removed it will probably crack. If not are you coating them with wax or anchor seal?

[Christopher Hunter]

well I plan to finish them in the green stage and I don;t want to put sealer on them because I would like to put a finish on them asap but if I did put a sealer on them how would I get it off of the wood to put a finsh on it??

Is there a way to harden the HSS drill rods at home or would it be better to buy the bits prehardened??

[Mike Vickery]

Sorry I assumed you were rough turning and then were going to final turn after drying. I do not have a great answer for you I have never tried it.
if you go down this page http://www.ronkent.com/rontech.html to the part titled the soap solution it sounds like he is doing something similiar.

I only know very little about hardening and annealing metal and none of it about HSS. Most metals you can do at home but it can be a pain. It usually involves heating the metal very fast to a high temerature than queching it to harden it. This leaves the metal very hard and brittle then annealing it by heating is slowly and cooling it slowly to take away some of the brittleness. For the difference in price between the drill rod and drill blanks I would let them do it. The cost is not that much difference compared to the work it would take you and the odds of you getting good results.
Besides using drill blanks I have also made tools by using HSS tool bits and attaching them into cold rolled steel shafts. I got my bits from enco as well.

[Frank Kobilsek]

Chris
So you found the Creek. Get your butt up to Mendota and I'll show you this stuff. It's November, I'm home again.
Frank