A bit of light engineering

I didn’t do much turning yesterday, and last weekend we were away visiting rellies. Thanks to a colleague at work I was able to make some new tools. I have been considering trying out some carbide tipped tools, but the cost was prohibitive, given my very small budget.
I resurrected a bricked laptop, and the owner bought me some of these to say thanks.

The lad works for a major DIY store, so I got a length of steel bar with a hefty discount. One bar was long enough for three carbide tools, but so far only two have been made.

Once the bar was cut to length, a small amount of grinding was required to stop the bar fouling the work.

This was followed by drilling a hole through the bar, and tapping an M4 thread to accept the screws supplied.

Unfortunately the hole in the square cutter was larger than the screws supplied, so it will have to be replaced with something larger. I have fitted a brass washer for proof of concept, but I will not use the tool until a better sized screw can be fitted.

Next up was a piece of holly I have been drying since 2013. It’s not fully dry yet, but good enough for tool handles.

Finally the tools are hung on the back-board with the mass produced HSS tools.

I tried the round cutter out on a scrap piece of beech, and it cut really cleanly although there is obviously going to be a learning curve with the carbide tools.

So far, the cost to me has been around £3
If it turns out that carbide tools are not my cup of tea, then it’s no great loss. Even buying the tips, and more bar, the cost to me would be £5 each. I wonder whether there is any mileage in selling these to other turners?

Answers on a postcard……………………………………….