Tool Steel

"K" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

Ken, You might look at

or (owned by MSC). I have purchased HSS tool blanks for my metal lathe from both with satisfaction. Available in many sizes from 1/8" square by 2 1/2" long up to

1 1/2" square by 10" long (pricey!). Also available in rectangular and round forms in various sizes. Also McMaster-Carr. You would have to mount the HSS portion on another piece of steel in some fashion as a handle which is, I imagine, what you intend. Many differnt alloys of HSS available. All of the above suppliers take orders from individuals with no problem. Hope this helps.

Bill

My monster is one of Bernie Mares' A2 gouges, which might be a little easier to work than the M2.

You could try this manufacturer - Carpenter Technology

I use the rods from shock absorbers. If you can get a large one as from a truck, it makes a nice bowl gouge.

I use the rods from shock absorbers. If you can get a large one as from a truck, it makes a nice bowl gouge. Or if you want to pay for it, try onlinemetals.com.

You can check

Their service and selection is excellent.

These guys ahve always done right by any of the small shops I've worked for, and they deliver via UPS.

I'm guessing M2 is what you're looking for, but they've got plenty of descriptions of all the stuff they carry. As far as I know, they consider 3' a standard length, so you won't need to get a 20' bar, or pay $25 a cut to get a shorter one.

On Thu, 23 Jun 2005 02:00:40 -0400, JoanD'arcRoast have to reshape a grind wheel to cut a parabolic flute, and a jig to

If you have a little shop press, you cut get a flat piece of stock, and press the flute. And if you're really adventurous, you can make a shop press with a hydrolic car jack (one of those little can-shaped ones, not the big floor jacks) and a shop-buit frame. For a small run, you might be able to get away with making the insert for the press out of hard maple.

Sure, it doesn't have the finesse of a mill, but you're going to be a lot less likely to ruin the temper of the steel than you would be with a grinder!

Remember that the 3' lengths of tool steel are not hardened -- they are usually called 'drill rod'. I routinely harden O1 steel -- it is easy

-- but M2 is much more fussy and can't be hardened properly with simple equipment.

And, if you find tool steel already hardened (usually called 'drill blanks') then the only way to shape the flute is by grinding -- lots of grinding. It cannot be machined.

This may be a much more difficult project than imagined.

Bill

Prometheus wrote:

btw: they are called 'bottle' jacks.

Yep, had a long night, and drew a blank :)

Let's see, First, you cannot make a bowl gouge from a flat piece of stock. You must start with a round bar. Second, if you have HSS, you are going to bust your shop-built frame before you even start to put a bend in it. And it doesn't bend--it breaks. Third, HSS can be heated to a red hot temperature without affecting the temper.

All above comments do not apply to carbon steel, only high speed steel.

And I have made my own gouges from HSS, utilizing a grinder blade in my table saw (carefully cleaned of sawdust), with the steel blank held in a groove in a 2x4, guided against the fence. It takes a hell of a long time. So I only made 2, and consider the price I pay for factory-made gouges to be a terrific bargain. However, if you just want to say, "I built it", have at it.

Regards, James R. Johnson

>

On Thu, 23 Jun 2005 13:00:18 -0400, JoanD'arcRoast

Everything you've got here is more than likely true, I just work with carbon steel and the odd bit of bronze or iron. The only thing I'm not clear on is you assertion that you cannot make a bowl gouge out of flat stock. As long as you get it into shape, and then temper it properly, it seems fairly straightforward. Any particular reason why it just isn't possible?

No argument here, I've never tried bending HSS. The press should work fine for carbon steel, though. Truth be told, I've got both carbon steel and HSS lathe tools, and I actually like the carbon steel ones a little better, as they seem to take a keener edge.

You know, if you're starting with an HSS tube, is there anything preventing a guy from just cutting it at an angle, and sharpening it without opening the flute? I tried that out with the first piece I hollowed on my lathe, and it actually worked pretty good. The tube was junk metal, though, so it didn't last long.

As far as ripping the tube goes, trying to do that on the TS with an abrasive does sound like a nasty peice of work. A vertical bandsaw is a vastly better option- I have cut HSS before, and it's not *that* slow. (It takes about 2x as long as a comparable piece of carbon steel)

That being said, you may be right about just buying the things. But then again, playing around with stuff is part of what makes a hobby fun. It's a whole lot easier just to go out and buy a wooden bowl, too- but not nearly as interesting!

G -

How do you cut the rod out of the shock? (I know not to open the shock - that part I figured out). But, I thought shock rods were super hard.

Rob

As many a bicycle thief figured out a long time ago, a thin cutoff wheel in a Dremel (or a bigger one in a 4-1/2" angle grinder) does not give a darn for anybody's "super-hard" anything. "Cuts like buttah..."

Concept issue.

Since the basic "bowl gouge" became a ground cylindrical piece of steel, people have forgotten the older style of forged gouge. Companies still make the uniform wall thickness types, though I rather suspect, given they're HSS, that they're no longer forged, but ground from bar stock.

Strict constructionists won't use anything but the named gouge on their work, as if it were the name rather than the edge which did the cutting.

I bought a cheap (~$19) angle grinder from Harbor freight. I used it to cut the rod off, and to grind a flat on the top side of the tool end of the rod.