Turning metal

[Burt Alcantara]

I need a bunch of ferules for a number of different projects. I saw a book, don't recall which, that said to put a brass nut on the wood and turn it down.

Does this wreck the tool? I'd guess one wouldn't want the shavings to get into the intake of a dust collector as that would be a good source of ignition.

What about aluminum, pewter, silver, steel, iron and etc?

I'm interested in making pens and small things from materials other then wood and acrylics.

Thanks,
Burt

[Paul Engle]

Burt , I'd get a small carbide bit from locale tool supply, drill a hole in a stick and use that to turn down your ferrels low speed on the lathe and take lite cuts. the shavings will go all over the place so I'd put a drop cloth down , wear dust mask and face shield , your dust collector will suck it up and ( mine dumps outside) leave it inbedded in the bag / impeller / hose, :( not good.

[Dave Mcintire]

Burt, It won't wreck the tool but it will dull it. I do this quite often and use stainless steel pipe cut about 7/8 inches long. Stainless is very tough to cut ( I don't cut it on the wood lathe - use a hacksaw with the pipe in a vise). Stainless polishes very bright and looks nice. If your making a functional tool and arn't quite so interested in appearance the easiest thing to do it get a 3/4" copper tubing coupler at the hardware store and cut it in half. You can get two furrels this way and the copper is plenty strong but easy to cut.

[Lars Thomas]

I use brass compression nuts from the plumbing department. I turn down a 'finger' for it to screw to, then just file (using a file) it down on the lathe. This way, you get a nice heavy ferule. The handle on this plane is a turned compression nut to give you an idea what it will look like. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=36090)

[David Walser]

Burt,

I had the same fears you do when it came time to make my first tool handle. High speed steel is far harder than brass or copper, the two metals you are most likely to use for a ferule. Your HSS tools will cut the softer metal without any problem -- your tool'll just get dull more quickly than if you were cutting wood! I turn the speed of my lathe down and use my parting tool. Works like a charm.

As for the shavings, I don't "recycle" my shavings by composting them, so I've not been too worried about that. At the slow speed I'm cutting, the metal shavings don't go very far and I just sweep them up. I also use a few drops of machine oil on the brass or copper -- just as I wood when drilling a hole in metal. This also keeps any "dust" under control.

Hope this helps.

[Frank Chaffee]

An angle grinder with a sanding disc works well too.

Grooves can be cut with a file IF you keep the file moving and clean it after each stroke.