turning tools

[Mark]

Just out of curosity, has anybody made there own turning tools.
I have an ample supply of carbide brake bits( for turn car brake rotors/drums) I've turn thosands of rotors/ just click in this morning while turning a rotor.. This could work? and the bits are
disposible- no sharpening!!

[mudder]

you may have trouble with the inserts because of the edge shape. A wood cutting tool is really sharp. A metal tool (at least the inserts we use on out lathe's) are not so sharp as they would tend to chip.

I made a tool from a triangular insert and it tore more than it cut. Carbide will never get as sharp as tool steel or HSS and the likes.

Others may disagree.

Look at this link for idea's. A write up about carbide is at the bottom.

http://www.woodcentral.com/russ/russ10.shtml


HTH.

Mudder

[mudder]

http://newedgecuttingtools.com/

these guys make carbide tipped tools but they get their carbide specially made for them, hence the hefty price.


Mudder

[thiggy]

I have made a couple of scrapers from old files and these have worked quite well for me.

[dlanicek]

I've heard that making scrapers from files is to be avoided. The metal is too brittle for turning and there is a chance that the file could shatter during use.

I have considered making scrapers from cold chisels. These chisels are HCS and won't shatter. Has any one used cold chisels for scrapers?

[Mort]

FWIW
I agree with mudder on the use of carbide.

Tree chipper blades make excellent scraper blades. Yes you really can weld them to a shank and they will stay together. The metal in the blades is rockwell 55+- so will require more frequent sharpening.

Several turners I know use old files for scrapers - and have done so for years - as the forces on a scraper are way less that a gouge. Also can make parting tools from files. Another source of parting tool material is metal cutting blades if the blade was hardened completely and not just the teeth. I used a scraper Monday made of a woodworking planer blade that was super for shear scraping and I have made hook tools from cold rolled oil quenched bar stock.
HTH