AWGB Woodturning Forum
General Category => Tool tips & reviews => Topic started by: Bryan Milham on March 24, 2013, 03:57:18 PM
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Hi guys,
I posted a hollow-form that I'd managed to make without going through the side wall. I was asked to show the tools I said I'd made, so here they are.
Nothing special just screwdrivers and a few other items I've picked up in car boot sales etc. They are pretty much based on the Henry Taylor range of Hollowing Tools.
So Picture 1 - from the left;
1. This is an old metal lathe drawbar tool. I found a couple of them in a boot sale and was the first tool I made for myself.
2 to 5 are screwdrivers. I really need to make another that fits between 4 & 5, as the difference in curve is too big.
6. This is a modern drawbar tool made up as a small Orland type tool. It cost me £5 in an engineering show. It's not shown in it's handle (beside it), which lets it be seen with the cutter in the 45º position, but it can also fit in the 90º position (shown with the Allen Key through it).
Truthfully there is nothing new here, only what other people have been doing for many years. I'd probably win as bet on saying the HT sets are based on what people were making for themselves, just like these, in just the same way.
The trick is learning to Harden & Temper the cutting ends. I won't give a link, but suffice to say there are many links on the www, so a plumbers gas torch and grinder is all that in needed.
Picture 2 - Other Tools
1. My thin parting off tool, made from an old Engineering Hacksaw blade.
2. At a Flea Market I came across a packet of 9 old HSS planer blades for £1. Having just seen a demo with the new Henry Taylor Handless Skew, I thought I'd make one for myself, it works great.
3 & 4. More HSS Planer Blades made into a square and round Box Scrapers, they are smaller than any I can buy so good for small boxes.
5. I came across a Sorby Scraper Handle without scraper cutters. I asked but Sorby don't support it anymore! So with a piece of high carbon Ground Flat Stock (Key Stock) I made it a couple of interchangeable scrapers. And if I need anything special in the future I can make that as well.
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I have some similar to some of yours D. I also have some small ones that made to do some custom dolls stuff made from allen keys.
Pete
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Pete,
Please post a picture, lets get this thread rolling with everybody's home-made tools (I've more and other things as well).
Lets see what each other is making for themselves and using and swap a few ideas around.
Bryan
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Hello Bryan,
an interesting thread and yes I will post some images. Just a thought though, not just for Bryan but for everyone,be careful what you do use to make chisels out of. The old fashioned method of grinding files is one to be avoided unless you have the skills to sort out the tempering correctly. I would also be a bit dubious of using planer irons as they can be very brittle and when they break they can shatter into very sharp pieces.
Something I did do was regrind a Bedan into a scraper which allows me a longer overhang for box scraping before it starts to chatter.
Regards
John BHT
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Very interesting
Thanks
Paul
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John,
You raise a good point about the use of old files. I've never done anything with them myself but have seen more than a few tools and knives made from them.
Personally I find that Ground Flat Stock and Silver Steel is cheap enough for the few little things I want. However if I wanted to use scrap I'd go for vehicle half-shafts or suspension leaf springs.
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I learned to turn at school using sharpened files. H&S wasn't an issue then but I was lucky and certainly wouldn't do it now. I'll get some photos of the ones I have and post them up.
Pete
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Funnily enough I made & handled a couple of tools today, made from bar I bought from Ashley Iles at harrogate last autumn, if I can get my I-phone to download to my laptop I`ll post some pictures tomorrow.
Doug.
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As an utter coincidence I have in my possession an article about the making and forging of tools at home, which should find it's way into the June edition of Revs.
Watch this space, as they say.
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Thank you Lionel.
I look forward to that with interest.
regards
John BHT
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As I mentioned earlier I think this is an interesting thread so here are my homemade tools.
Numbered from the top.
1. is a Skew made from an old "bumper" type mortice chisel. (Only joiners of a certain age would remember them)
2.A penny style scraper made from a cold (coal?) chisel. Forged by a local blacksmith to my design it was a total waste of time as it didn't work the way I thought it would.
3.Small round nosed scraper, again made from an old mortice chisel as 1. above.
4.This was an old chisel that I remodeled for a specific project (still ongoing) to cut Ivory and alternative Ivory.
5.A pointy tool made from silver steel.
6&7 Made from 4" masonry nails these two are used to make small (tiny)captive rings.
8 An old firmer chisel turned into a skew(albeit a bit square).
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If you want to know about homemade hollowing tools then you should buy David Ellsworth's book.
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If you want to know about homemade hollowing tools then you should buy David Ellsworth's book.
Andy,
I Fully agree, I borrowed it from my club library, actually read it cover to cover, then went and bought my own copy.
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If either of you where dentists, I 'd have run a mile .. interesting in as much for what you've made them for as well as what they are made from .. not a file insight .. :D ..
Cheers on sharings so far.
David
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David,
Start running - okay, it's not that bad, I'm not a dentist, but I do have a good collection of small medical and dental tools from the the time I lived in a hospital.
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As mentioned above here are a few photos of a couple of tools I made this weekend.
The first shows the round bars after initial shaping done with a 1mm cutting disc in a small hand held grinder.
(http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/5520/img1316of.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/543/img1316of.jpg/)
They were then roughly shaped at the linisher.
(http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/4479/img1318et.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/28/img1318et.jpg/)
(http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/825/img1319gy.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/844/img1319gy.jpg/)
Handles were turned, ferrules fitted & then asembled, final sharpening was done on the Pro edge.
(http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/6594/img1321u.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/145/img1321u.jpg/)
Both have been given a test drive & work well.
Cheers.
Doug
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Looks like a Skewegouge and a round Skew,, nice tidy tools you've made there, much shinier than mine.
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Looks like a Skewegouge and a round Skew,
Forgot to say what they were ???
As your rightly say a round skew for for small spindle type work, particularly pens & the Skewegouge which is a smaller version of one I made about 3 years ago from 3/4" bar. A really useful tool for many types of work this new one being more suitable for smaller more delicate work.
cheers.
Doug.
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Very nice indeed Doug,
I was watching a video on some website that showed Cindy Drozda using something similar so I will regrind my pointy tool to turn it into a cross between a spindle gouge without flute and a skew.
Eventually I will post the pictures here.
regards
John BHT
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Doug, you've got two very nicely made and useful tools there for just the price of the HSS blanks, ferrules, timber and your time.
Cheers for sharing.
David
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Thanks for the comments they left me wondering if a hollowing tool I made would be of interest.
I made this a couple of years ago
(http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/3852/img1354df.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/542/img1354df.jpg/)
Ash handle, stainless ferrule, steel tool bar, an old bolt machined to make a cutter holder & give articulation & a Little brother cutting tip & shield.
This has worked quite well but has always been very aggressive in use & whilst pondering why I came to the conclusion that the cutting edge was too high & would be better if more inline with the center of the main bar.
(http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/6881/img1355pf.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/401/img1355pf.jpg/)
So this afternoon I thought I`d see with the aid of a mate if we could come up with a better solution.
Here are a few photos of what we did.
Starting with a block of tool steel the ¬_ shape was milled
(http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/643/img1349rn.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/441/img1349rn.jpg/)
Initial milling finished
(http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/7164/img1351mg.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/43/img1351mg.jpg/)
After which the holes were drilled & taped & the ends radiused.
Reassembled the new articulated section looks like this.
(http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/1319/img1358in.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/812/img1358in.jpg/)
Much more inline with the center of the bar & able to articulate nicely
(http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/2823/img1359v.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/194/img1359v.jpg/)
I`m hoping to try it out tomorrow before doing any further fettling so I can see first what, if any, improvement it has made.
Cheers.
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Doug,
Always room for more homemade tools, the more ideas to play with, the more creative we can become.
And a good work in progress, looking forward to your report after trying it out,
Thanks for the post.
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Doug,
Sure looks like one nice tool, as good as any one could buy, it just needs the means to do it.
Cheers for sharing. David
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Hi Doug,
The one thing I have found as well as getting the cutting edge on the centre line of the bar horizontally when articulating the cutting head you should try to get this also on the centre line of the bar vertically. I hope this makes sense.
Regards John