Making your own tools

Captain_Bandaid · #1 03-25-2002, 08:26 AM

Has anyone else out there tried to forge carving tools as was illustrated in the last WCI? I realize that they couldn't put in every detail but there were a few things that were given much too little detail. I have forged about a dozen tools so far and have learned that it is not as easy as the article would have you believe. If nothing else, I have a new appreciation for my Cape Forge and Pfeil tools! A few things I learned are:
1. Forge it thick, grind it thin.
2. Grind all of the scale off before reheating and forging the final shape.
3. If you have trouble sharpening a vee tool, don't even think about making one.
4. When forging a gouge, make sure the thickness is uniform all the way around the sweep or you can't sharpen it.
5. Forge the sweep at least 1' up the tool. Forging only on the end doesn't give enough tool length.
6. 1-1/4' oak dowel rods cut into 2' sections make a good palm tool handle. Be sure to round over the end.
7. The same techniques work well on forged knife blades. Remember to forge thick, grind thin.
I would like to hear from anyone else who has tried this. :P

#2 03-25-2002, 09:54 PM

???I have never attempted to make any tools, don't think I could.
But, keep up the good work, sounds like you know what you are doing.
Rando

#3 03-25-2002, 10:05 PM

Capt'n,

I have not tried yet but I have it in the back of my mind to give it a try. Are you of the opinion that you get a better tool making your own or save enough $ to make it worth while? Or is it just fun? What type of steel are you using?Here is a site showing how to make tools from saw blades.

http://www.scavm.com/gouges.htm

good luck and keep sharing your discoveries.

Dave

Captain_Bandaid · #4 03-26-2002, 12:54 PM

:

I am using W1 drill rod, which is a high carbon tool steel. I buy it at a local industrial supply. As for making quality tools, well, Mike De Punte at Cape Forge has nothing to fear from me! I have managed to make some usable tools but mostly the flat ones, like a bull nosed chisel, a spear point chisel, and some fairly good carving knives.

Adding to the list of lessons learned, I humbly offer the following;
1. When grinding prior to hardening the tool, make sure there are no sharp corners, deep scratches, or irregularly ground thicknesses. When you quench it, all of these can cause it to crack or warp.
2. Do not overheat the steel. Getting it too hot will cause the metal grains to grow, making the steel brittle.
3. And just for Grumpy, do not handle the steel until all of the red color is gone.

#5 04-06-2002, 09:10 AM

I made a knife using a jig saw blade and just filed it down. Works for tight places. I think the thrill of making myself was worth more than the value of the knife.

[quote author=Dave link=board=General&num=1017062795&start=0# 2 date=03/25/02 at 21:05:21]
Capt'n,

I have not tried yet but I have it in the back of my mind to give it a try. Â*Are you of the opinion that you get a better tool making your own or save enough $ to make it worth while? Â*Or is it just fun? Â*What type of steel are you using?Here is a site showing how to make tools from saw blades.

http://www.scavm.com/gouges.htm

good luck and keep sharing your discoveries.

Dave
[/quote]

#6 04-06-2002, 12:42 PM

Captain, Making your own tools, knives in particular, is only worth it if you have the right materials and tools to do that.
For examle, if you want to make knives that are equal or better in quality to anything you can buy, You start with Kobalt steel which is used by machine shops to make lathe cutting bits. Onle little chunk that is Half by half byfour inches is available in the machine tool market for around $35.00 last time I checked. This will make about 3 knives if you are careful. Kobalt steel will grind without tempering and getting brittle. I have not done this myself yet, but I am pumping a friend of mine for the details in case I want to try it. He makes Kobalt knives and sells them for $30.00 each. I have one of his Kobalt knives and it carves much better than any other tool that I know of. Not even three cherries or Pfeil tools are made tthis way. Waldgeist

Captain_Bandaid · #7 04-06-2002, 05:28 PM

Â*well, I made a set of 4 carving knives forged from W1 today. Â*All 4 were ground with a taper from the handle to the tip as well as from the spine to the edge. Â*They hardened up just fine, sharpened to surgical sharpness and hold their edge extremely well from what I can tell so far. Â*After whittling one handle from walnut with the knife I made just before it, it still peeled the hair off of my arm with no effort. Â*If you want to pay for a LOT more alloy than you need, enjoy yourself but my knives have about $.50 worth of steel in them and I am quite happy with the results. Â*Specialty high alloy steels are designed to perform under extreme conditions of heat and abrasion, conditions to which the average carver will never subject a knife. Â*If you plan to grind a fully hardened flat stock, temper resistance is important and I would suggest you consider M2, it's a lot cheaper. Â*Look for 1/2 x 1/16' lathe parting tools, normally selling for about $11 fully ground. I used an M2 parting tool to make a great knife but I got the steel for free!

#8 04-06-2002, 06:21 PM

Is W1 ready to be ground and pollished (respecting not overheating it) and set in a handle? Or is it just a good choice to use for the forge and hardening and tempering? I made a knife a few years back from an old file. Ground, polished, spot heated the tang to drill holes for rivets, shaped a nice cherry handle and shaved a sliver of wood so thin you could read through it. You know what happened the first time it hit the floor... :'(

Dave

#9 04-06-2002, 07:32 PM

I just read with some amusement your article relating to forging carving tools. I have a friend in Eau Claire Wis who has experimented with forging carving tools for years. I have a set of tiny left and right bent shaft skews that are my pride and joy made by him and a carving detail knife he made from a concrete nail which I love. Am sending him a copy of your comments and respnses. Thank you for your thoughts and help to us poor lost soles... incidently, way back when, it was common for a carver to forge for himself a specialty tool when one was needed. Harold

groozier · #10 04-07-2002, 03:09 AM

I have three old planer blades that I would like to make into knives and , or carving tools but I don't know if they would be the right kind of steel.If anyone that knows anything about this would tell me something it would be greatly appreciated.groozier PS The blades came out of a twelve inch Rockwell delta planer,if you need this info.