Subject: Making Wood Lathe Chisels

From: [email-masked] (Dave Matthews)
Date: Fri, 30 Dec 1994 18:02:14 GMT

I would like to make some small wood lathe chisels.  From the reading
that I have done it appears that quality chisels are made out of M1, M2
or T1 steel.  Others are listed as just high speed steel.  I assume that
M1, M2 and T1 are breeds of high speed steel.  Is this correct?

I want to do this because I can't buy what I want and would have to 
do serious reshaping on a commercial tool.

What I need for shapes are 1/4" to 1/2"rods and 1/8" - 3/8" bars of 
widths from 1/4" to 1/2".  My tools for shaping are a bench grinder,
dremel tool, and files.  I do not have a forge or the skill to use one.

The tools need to be soft for me to work them and then hardened to the
Rockwell 60-64 range (at least this is where the commercial ones are).

Is this a lost cause?

Where would I get the materials (Rochester/Geneseo, NY area)?

How much would a chunk of HSS cost (say 3/8" dia x 12" long)?

How do I harden and temper the tool?  Can this be done with a propane 
torch, gas grill, electric stove on self clean?

Books, faq loction?

Anybody in the Geneseo, NY area that can help me out?  

Thanks,
Dave Matthews

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From: [email-masked] (Bruce Winterbon)
Date: Sat, 31 Dec 1994 12:05:08 GMT

> Anybody in the Geneseo, NY area that can help me out?  

You could get a metal-cutting abrasive blade for a carpenter's saw
(usually called a skilsaw, but  that's a trademark), and then you'd be able
to cut "found" materials like old truck springs. I've softened these in
my wood stove, then rehardened after working. It's hardly precise, but
better than nothing.
--
Bruce Winterbon, Deep River, Ont.

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From: [email-masked] (Russ Kepler)
Date: Sat, 31 Dec 1994 19:50:40 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
>How much would a chunk of HSS cost (say 3/8" dia x 12" long)?

That would run you $22.37 from MSC for a 3' rod of M2 drill rod

>torch, gas grill, electric stove on self clean?

No way.  The heat treat temp of this sort of stuff is about 2200 degF,
something I have trouble reaching in my little electric furnace
without special heating coils I'm too cheap to buy (something my wife
finds amazing).

Consider getting some W1 or O1 tool steel - these you can likely treat
yourself.

-- 
Russ Kepler posting from home  [email-masked]

                      Please don't feed the Engineers

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From: [email-masked] (Steve Hampson)
Date: 1 Jan 1995 04:14:18 GMT

> Dave Matthews <[email-masked]> wrote:

Well, maybe...

> Consider getting some W1 or O1 tool steel - these you can likely treat

The are several problems:

You can't heat treat HSS in the average home shop.  To harden HSS
without cracking requires two hardening ovens at different temperatures
and lots of practice.

The hardening temperature for W1 and O1 is about 1700 F.  A propane
torch (the small bottle, hand-held kind) will reach the temperature,
but hasn't enough BTU's to do the job.  An oxy-acetylene torch with a
large tip will do it.  W1 is cheaper than O1 and will harden in water. 
You can use your oven for tempering.

A practical solution is to use HSS, grind it to shape (called stock
removal) and send it to a local heat treating shop.  This method is
used by many professional knife makers.
--
Steve Hampson                           
Blue Sky Research
534 SW 3rd Ave
Portland, OR 97204
503-222-9571
503-222-1643 fax

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From: [email-masked] (Ron Hock)
Date: 2 Jan 1995 04:25:10 GMT

>Consider getting some W1 or O1 tool steel - these you can likely treat
True, you can harden/temper W1 or O1 yourself with a torch but these 
alloys won't maintain their hardness under the heat generated by wood turning.
The High-Speed Steels already mentioned were developed to stay hard even
at temperatures approaching red-hot.  The alloying elements in High-Speed 
steels are things like Molybdenum, Tungsten, Chromium, and Cobalt.  All of 
which are expensive and make heat-treating difficult and in fact impossible 
for us amateurs to do properly.  If DIY is the goal, go with W1 or O1, if 
the best lathe tools are the goal, buy the HSS and have the pros do the Heat-
Treat.  (Call around for a heat-treater that will help you out without charging
some exorbitant minumum.  Some will, some won't.)  Good luck!

-- Ron Hock
Hock Handmade Knives