Hello,
I found some pretty good .5" round stock. I also have some masonary nails
which I plan on using as the actual cutters. I plan on making a few tools
to aid in my turning. My question is how deep into the handle (maple) should
I drill a hole to accept the round stock? I believe that 4" should be
plenty.

Thanks,
-Kevin

Hi Kevin

For the 1/2" round steel, if you have good dry wood and a tight fitting
ferrule, you should not have to go any deeper than 1 1/2" to 2" deep,
that's plenty deep, going 4" is a waste of steel.
The masonry nails should go in about 1" deep, that's how deep I have
them, and have used them for turning brass, alluminium and copper
freehand, no problem.
Just make sure you have the pre drilled holes undersized, and a little
epoxy doesn't hurt either

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo
..
Kevin wrote:
Hello,
I found some pretty good .5" round stock. I also have some masonary nails
which I plan on using as the actual cutters. I plan on making a few tools
to aid in my turning. My question is how deep into the handle (maple) should
I drill a hole to accept the round stock? I believe that 4" should be
plenty.

Thanks,
-Kevin

One of the best tools I've made is 1/2" cold roll steel drilled out to accept a
1/4" HSS metal turning bit. Round the nose off at a fairly steep angle and you
can remove chips right and left.
Four inch depth into the handle is plenty.

"Jamrelliot" wrote in message
...
One of the best tools I've made is 1/2" cold roll steel drilled out to
accept a
1/4" HSS metal turning bit. Round the nose off at a fairly steep angle and
you
can remove chips right and left.
Four inch depth into the handle is plenty.

Lot of opinions in absolute dimensions. Mine is to put the handle in 75%
of the expected overhang over the rest.

Kevin
An inch or two into a handle should be plenty. Most commercial tools use no
more. While you look at masonary nails you might also consider some HSS tool
bits. Busy Bee Tools have them on sale right now. I just got their new sale
flier in the mail. You might like to check out the tool making pages on my
site as well.

--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS Canada
www.aroundthewoods.com

I think the low cost of hss tool bits makes masonry naiIs and files
obsolete. We used to be warned about using them, but many of us did and
lived to tell about it. I've heard that today's masonry nails and files
are thinly case hardened and their soft innards remove the risk of
fracturing. True?


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

Hi Arch

Case hardening is apparently used with some, though I doubt that the
fracturing has any bearing on that but rather economic reasons, I still
use big body files (auto industry type) for scrapers, the price is
right and the steel is hard to beat for scrapers, (they also have teeth
only on one side, makes for a lot less work) if you go to thin files
they are brittle and I do not use them for making tools, one could after
properly heat treating, but there is not much of a profit to be had by
doing so, but I find the loose tips you can buy for screw drivers (power
as well as handheld) the long ones are 4,5,6" long to be real good steel
for making small tools and I've gotten some at surplus places for a buck
apiece, and for still smaller tools I do use concrete nails, they work
well and one could make a dozen tools for next to nothing, you can roll
the nail as opposed to a square piece of hss tool steel, and those of
course can be used as inserts in other home made tools.
By the way when was the last time you fractured a file by using it as a
file, as opposed to a levering tool ???

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

Arch wrote:
I think the low cost of hss tool bits makes masonry naiIs and files
obsolete. We used to be warned about using them, but many of us did and
lived to tell about it. I've heard that today's masonry nails and files
are thinly case hardened and their soft innards remove the risk of
fracturing. True?


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

Hello Darrell,
Your site and the many tips thereon is where I got the idea about making my
own. I do have several HSS bits and may well sacrifice one or two for some
tools.

Thanks to you and all others for their thoughtful and helpful replies,
-Kevin


"Darrell Feltmate" wrote in message
news:gaEFd.92273$dv1.9076@edtnps89...
Kevin
An inch or two into a handle should be plenty. Most commercial tools use
no
more. While you look at masonary nails you might also consider some HSS
tool
bits. Busy Bee Tools have them on sale right now. I just got their new
sale
flier in the mail. You might like to check out the tool making pages on my
site as well.

--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS Canada
www.aroundthewoods.com

You can buy some pretty cheap HSS hardened and tempered round bar in many
diameters and lengths from a machine shop supplier. I have a bunch of 1/8
and 1/4 inch in many different lengths, made in India. Have some made in
Sheffield also and don't notice any difference in the quality of tempering
from the stuff from India. Much better than using nails
"Arch" wrote in message
...
I think the low cost of hss tool bits makes masonry naiIs and files
obsolete. We used to be warned about using them, but many of us did and
lived to tell about it. I've heard that today's masonry nails and files
are thinly case hardened and their soft innards remove the risk of
fracturing. True?


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings