Titanium15
Member
As most of you know, I am new to wood turning, and even newer to pen making. One do the challenges to getting started is tools. I had an old Harbor Freight set when I got my lathe, so that is what I started with. I wanted better tooling, but I just cannot afford the price for good tools. At least that is what I was led to believe.
At a meeting of our local turning group, I asked if I could make tools from some old files that I had been given back when I was doing blacksmithing. That was before the last set of back surgeries.
I was told, in no uncertuin terms, that I could not, under any circumstances, make a tool for wood turning out of an old file. Hmm. Yea, you guessed it. When I am told something like that, in that sort of way, I am going to do it. I was told I could not build a boat, but in May of 2007, we launched the good ship Someday, and we still go out in her today.
I took the files to the grinder, set the tool rest on the course wheel at about 30 degrees, and started grinding. After I was done with that, and had the edge that I thought would cut wood, I went to the shop in the garage. There I took the angle grinder, with a flap wheel and sanded the teeth off the files. Then, back to the lathe, to see if they would work, or if I would lose a digit like I was led to believe. I made the two bowls in the pictures with just the three tools that I made. I have not finished the bowls yet, but I have started the sanding on the one the right. I apologize that the pictures are so dark, my daughter wanted the sparks to show up more than she wanted me to show. What gives with that?
Please let me know what you think, of the tools and of the bowls. These are the very first bowls that I turned. And the only bowls I have turned! I started with a piece of wood from the firewood pile for both of them, 2 year old dry red oak. Lots of sanding dust, but I did not have any trouble with the turning.
Thanks, Stephen
At a meeting of our local turning group, I asked if I could make tools from some old files that I had been given back when I was doing blacksmithing. That was before the last set of back surgeries.
I was told, in no uncertuin terms, that I could not, under any circumstances, make a tool for wood turning out of an old file. Hmm. Yea, you guessed it. When I am told something like that, in that sort of way, I am going to do it. I was told I could not build a boat, but in May of 2007, we launched the good ship Someday, and we still go out in her today.
I took the files to the grinder, set the tool rest on the course wheel at about 30 degrees, and started grinding. After I was done with that, and had the edge that I thought would cut wood, I went to the shop in the garage. There I took the angle grinder, with a flap wheel and sanded the teeth off the files. Then, back to the lathe, to see if they would work, or if I would lose a digit like I was led to believe. I made the two bowls in the pictures with just the three tools that I made. I have not finished the bowls yet, but I have started the sanding on the one the right. I apologize that the pictures are so dark, my daughter wanted the sparks to show up more than she wanted me to show. What gives with that?
Please let me know what you think, of the tools and of the bowls. These are the very first bowls that I turned. And the only bowls I have turned! I started with a piece of wood from the firewood pile for both of them, 2 year old dry red oak. Lots of sanding dust, but I did not have any trouble with the turning.
Thanks, Stephen