I have been turning for less than a year now and other day (feeling
especially full of myself)I decided to try my hand at making some
simple turning tools. I found an old jointer blade and started to
work it into a 3/4" flat nose scraper. A hacksaw won't cut it, a file
can't scratch it and when I tried to make a starting dimple with a
punch, it didn't even mark it...probably can't drill it
either...obviously, this material is from an alien space ship and not
a jointer blade like I thought. Do you think I need to start with
high carbon steel until I grow some skills? Does anyone work HSS
routinely? A search on this site yielded an enormous amount of info on
tool making and a number of sites that have how-to's. I guesss I just
wanted to share my less-than-successful experiences.

Joel Crabbe
Temple, Texas

In article ,
(Joel) wrote:

I have been turning for less than a year now and other day (feeling
especially full of myself)I decided to try my hand at making some
simple turning tools. I found an old jointer blade and started to
work it into a 3/4" flat nose scraper. A hacksaw won't cut it, a file
can't scratch it and when I tried to make a starting dimple with a
punch, it didn't even mark it...probably can't drill it
either...

What's your worry? You've simply been going at the material with the
wrong tools. Since it's virtually impossible to anneal and reharden at
home, and you're starting with it hard, work it hard, and that means:

Grind the stuff. It grinds. If you need to cut it, you can either cut it
with an abrasive cutoff wheel, or you can get a "grit-edge" hacksaw
blade that might do it, if the bond holds up (I've had better luck with
Remington than with Starrett, in these blades).

Don't drill, punch, or file it. Grind it. Wear eye protection, pay
attention to where the sparks are going, clean up the woodshavings first
if you don't have a separate metalwork area, or take it outside (fire is
bad). AlZn on a belt sander does wonders. Plain old cheap gray grinder
wheels work fine if you are patient.

--
Cats, Coffee, Chocolate...vices to live by

Just as you wouldn't use a butterknife to cut steel pipe, you aren't going
to get anywhere working HSS with tools made to cut softer metals. Your
problem isn't one of skills (necessarily) but one of the proper equipment.
You need tools (or blades, bits, files, etc.) that are harder than the metal
you're trying to work. These aren't the kind of things that you can run to
Wal-Mart for either. g Well, mostly not anyway.

Regular M2 HSS, which your jointer blade probably is) is pretty tough stuff
but there's much much harder stuff to work out there. Many turners
regularly work HSS to make their own tools just like you're doing with the
jointer blade, sure. Do you have a grinder with the grey wheels (silicon
carbide probably)? If so, you can use that to grind your scraper profile.
The wheel will wear away but most people have these so that's why I suggest
it. It's also better than using the good white/blue/pink aluminum oxide
wheels for this application. Of course, for more aggressive work, you can
buy special hacksaw or jigsaw blades and drill bits to do it. But just for
making a scraper, just grind it.

- Andrew



"Joel" wrote in message
om...
I have been turning for less than a year now and other day (feeling
especially full of myself)I decided to try my hand at making some
simple turning tools. I found an old jointer blade and started to
work it into a 3/4" flat nose scraper. A hacksaw won't cut it, a file
can't scratch it and when I tried to make a starting dimple with a
punch, it didn't even mark it...probably can't drill it
either...obviously, this material is from an alien space ship and not
a jointer blade like I thought. Do you think I need to start with
high carbon steel until I grow some skills? Does anyone work HSS
routinely? A search on this site yielded an enormous amount of info on
tool making and a number of sites that have how-to's. I guesss I just
wanted to share my less-than-successful experiences.

Joel Crabbe
Temple, Texas

I make "D" bits out of HSS drill rod. I just grind them. Have tried just
with a grinding wheel, but found that a handheld one to be the most
efficient. I will use the wheel grinder for final shaping, though along
with the Zirconia belt on my 1" x 42" vertical belt sander. I have soften
HSS to drill a hole through it, though. I will then reheat it and quench it
in oil. Don't know what has happened to the steel, but it was for a
situation that didn't need full strength HSS.

Leif
"Joel" wrote in message
om...
I have been turning for less than a year now and other day (feeling
especially full of myself)I decided to try my hand at making some
simple turning tools. I found an old jointer blade and started to
work it into a 3/4" flat nose scraper. A hacksaw won't cut it, a file
can't scratch it and when I tried to make a starting dimple with a
punch, it didn't even mark it...probably can't drill it
either...obviously, this material is from an alien space ship and not
a jointer blade like I thought. Do you think I need to start with
high carbon steel until I grow some skills? Does anyone work HSS
routinely? A search on this site yielded an enormous amount of info on
tool making and a number of sites that have how-to's. I guesss I just
wanted to share my less-than-successful experiences.

Joel Crabbe
Temple, Texas

I worked with the stuff on a regular basis in my previous life in Tool &
Die. Grinding is probably the most effective given what you are likely to
have in your home shop. Another method I used is a cutoff wheel on a high
speed air grinder 25,000+ rpm - not necessarily a die grinder. And the
cutoff wheel was not the standard type; it was about .0625 thick and about
2" diamter. The cutoff wheel was rated well above the max rpm of the high
spped air grinder. A good deal of caution was needed including a heavy-duty
face shield and a safety glasses.



"Joel" wrote in message
om...
I have been turning for less than a year now and other day (feeling
especially full of myself)I decided to try my hand at making some
simple turning tools. I found an old jointer blade and started to
work it into a 3/4" flat nose scraper. A hacksaw won't cut it, a file
can't scratch it and when I tried to make a starting dimple with a
punch, it didn't even mark it...probably can't drill it
either...obviously, this material is from an alien space ship and not
a jointer blade like I thought. Do you think I need to start with
high carbon steel until I grow some skills? Does anyone work HSS
routinely? A search on this site yielded an enormous amount of info on
tool making and a number of sites that have how-to's. I guesss I just
wanted to share my less-than-successful experiences.

Joel Crabbe
Temple, Texas

You can easily grind it with a normal grinding wheel and cut it with a
standard angle grinder. Cut a suitable peace and silver solder it to a
suitable piece of normal carbon steel shaft. With a low melting point solder
and fairly quick heating there is no loss of hardness in the HSS. For heat
treatment etc see e g
http://www.taylorspecialsteels.co.uk...m2/m2frame.htm


Lennart Delin







"Joel" skrev i meddelandet
om...
I have been turning for less than a year now and other day (feeling
especially full of myself)I decided to try my hand at making some
simple turning tools. I found an old jointer blade and started to
work it into a 3/4" flat nose scraper. A hacksaw won't cut it, a file
can't scratch it and when I tried to make a starting dimple with a
punch, it didn't even mark it...probably can't drill it
either...obviously, this material is from an alien space ship and not
a jointer blade like I thought. Do you think I need to start with
high carbon steel until I grow some skills? Does anyone work HSS
routinely? A search on this site yielded an enormous amount of info on
tool making and a number of sites that have how-to's. I guesss I just
wanted to share my less-than-successful experiences.

Joel Crabbe
Temple, Texas

"Leif Thorvaldson" wrote in message ...
I make "D" bits out of HSS drill rod. I just grind them. Have tried just
with a grinding wheel, but found that a handheld one to be the most
efficient. I will use the wheel grinder for final shaping, though along
with the Zirconia belt on my 1" x 42" vertical belt sander. I have soften
HSS to drill a hole through it, though. I will then reheat it and quench it
in oil. Don't know what has happened to the steel, but it was for a
situation that didn't need full strength HSS.

Leif


Thanks all...I do have a access to a grinder with grey wheels and I'll
probably put my old stationary belt sander to work too. Leif, I guess
I don't know what a "D" bit is...and what grit Zirconia belt to use
60, 80 ?

Thanks again...I grow each day by asking questions and listening.

Joel

Joel: A "D"bit is also known as a gun drill. Its value is to be able to
hold a straight line through material that it is drilling a hole in. I got
into this when I started to make peppergrinders. I was looking for the site
of a UK woodturner that has a graphic drawings to show the profiles.
However, I will attempt to describe a D-bit. Get a appropriate diameter HSS
drill rod. I clamp the rod in a vise and, using a handheld grinder, will
make a flat on the end. This will extend back 2 to 4 inches. The dimension
of the remaining drill rod will be approximately one to five thousandths
greater than the diameter of the rod. When you have done this look at the
end with the flat on it and you will see it resembles the letter "D" hence
the name. Now I go to my mounted wheel grinder and looking down on the flat
grind back the end of the flat approximately 1/2" on the left side. Then
grind back the other side about a 1/4" so that you will have a lopsided
spear point. It is best to grind back the bottoms of the angles to give
some relief to the bit. There is a bit more involved by cutting a flat
bottomed notch near the opposite end of the flat for the purposes of
allowing sawdust to be ejected.. In using it, I will start a hole with a
bradpoint bit for about an inch into the wood and then switch over to the
D-bit. It will be slow going, but your drill will come out in the center of
the opposite side of the piece you are drilling. You will have to move the
drill bit in and out a few times and blow out the hole. The wood can get
very hot so I will sprinkle mineral oil on the bit to help cool it and the
wood. HTH. Maybe someone else can come up with a website that has pictures
or drawings.

Leif
"Joel" wrote in message
om...
"Leif Thorvaldson" wrote in message
...
I make "D" bits out of HSS drill rod. I just grind them. Have tried
just
with a grinding wheel, but found that a handheld one to be the most
efficient. I will use the wheel grinder for final shaping, though along
with the Zirconia belt on my 1" x 42" vertical belt sander. I have
soften
HSS to drill a hole through it, though. I will then reheat it and
quench it
in oil. Don't know what has happened to the steel, but it was for a
situation that didn't need full strength HSS.

Leif


Thanks all...I do have a access to a grinder with grey wheels and I'll
probably put my old stationary belt sander to work too. Leif, I guess
I don't know what a "D" bit is...and what grit Zirconia belt to use
60, 80 ?

Thanks again...I grow each day by asking questions and listening.

Joel

"Joel" wrote in message
om...
I have been turning for less than a year now and other day (feeling
especially full of myself)I decided to try my hand at making some
simple turning tools. I found an old jointer blade and started to
work it into a 3/4" flat nose scraper. A hacksaw won't cut it, a file
can't scratch it and when I tried to make a starting dimple with a
punch, it didn't even mark it...probably can't drill it
either...obviously, this material is from an alien space ship and not
a jointer blade like I thought. Do you think I need to start with
high carbon steel until I grow some skills? Does anyone work HSS
routinely? A search on this site yielded an enormous amount of info on
tool making and a number of sites that have how-to's. I guesss I just
wanted to share my less-than-successful experiences.

Joel Crabbe
Temple, Texas

*******************************************
Joel,
The quickest way to cut any steel is with a cutting torch, but then you
either have to grind away a lot of metal or reharden the piece, or both. The
other way is with abrasives, such as a cutoff wheel in a right angle grinder
or die grinder. If you don't have either, but do have a Dremel and lot of
patience, you can get some diamond cut off discs (about 1 inch dia) at most
hardware stores and some Walmarts. These take some time to cut off a big
planer blade, but they are good for shaping smaller pieces, such as HSS
drill rod. I have cut and shaped some larger pieces (like the planer blade)
just using a bench grinder. Again, it takes patience. In addition to
shaping, you might want to check with the manufacturer of the planer blade
to see what the steel grade (M2, M4, etc.) and hardness they temper it to.
It could be that if it's at maximum hardness it may be brittle like a file.
If that's the case, you may want to temper it some by putting in an oven at
around 450 degrees for an hour or so. That will reduce the hardness some,
but make it tougher.
And be sure you have a good face mask if you use the die grinder. You'll
have the metal and grit to contend with, but if you happen to have the wheel
start to self destruct, you'll need good protection. Stay out of the "line
of fire"!

Ken Moon
Webberville, TX