#23
Make shallow palm gouges out of them instead....Much more comfortable in the hand than other longer ones I have, for carving caricatures, spoons, etc...Spade bits are everywhere and even when you buy them new, they're inexpensive...The steel is pretty good and can be oil hardened to at least 60Rc. so they hold their edge as well as commercially made carving tools.....

They could also be forged for a different, more severe sweep.The one with the straight handle is just made out of a small piece of 01 tool steel and the sweep ground out with a Foredom {but a Dremel will also work}..

Next in line to be made is a couple of hook knives out of some Damascus steel I already have...






Often Tested.    Always Faithful.      Brothers Forever

Jack Edgar, Sgt. U.S. Marines, Korea, America's Forgotten War
Get off my lawn !
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#24
BontzSawWorks.net
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#25
Those are nice Jack - gouges & caricatures
I knew there was a reason I don't throw stuff away...
Perhaps I should share this post with my wife ; )
David
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#26
I have several old spade bits, but I would not know what to make unless I had a sample to do it from.
That is the problem with carving chisels if a person does not have samples how does he know want to make?

Arlin
As of this time I am not teaching vets to turn. Also please do not send any items to me without prior notification.  Thank You Everyone.

It is always the right time, to do the right thing.
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#27
Wow! Nice work.


Mike
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#28
Well done. Could you post a few comments on the order of operations. Do the bits need to be annealed, forged, hardened and tempered?
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#29
They are pretty simple to make, but the spade does need to be cut to the length you want, and ground down to the desired thickness {I usually do this on a belt grinder}, then heated and hammered over a gap in your vise jaws to produce the hollow or "sweep" you want..From that point, I use small grinding wheels in a Foredom to smooth out the inside hammer marks..Next grind the outside to the proper curvature and to smooth it up {could be done with a file}..all that's left after that is heat it to the point that is can no longer be magnetized and then quench in oil...Next step is put it in an oven at 350* for about a half hour or so to temper it. Finally polish and sharpen it. After that, check the hardness with a sharp file...if the file "skates" on the steel rather than cut it, it's hard enough, if it doesn't skate, harden and temper it again.

It's harder for me to describe how to do it than to actually do it...
Often Tested.    Always Faithful.      Brothers Forever

Jack Edgar, Sgt. U.S. Marines, Korea, America's Forgotten War
Get off my lawn !
Upset





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#30
I love the idea, Jack. However, all the spade bits I have are HSS. Heating them does not de-temper them for re-shaping. And re-tempering them is out of the question anyway. I need to find spade bits that are O1.

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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#31
Quote:

I love the idea, Jack. However, all the spade bits I have are HSS. Heating them does not de-temper them for re-shaping. And re-tempering them is out of the question anyway. I need to find spade bits that are O1.




Derek, I can't recall ever seeing spade bits of HSS...IME, manufacturers are very proud of their HSS tools and they brand them and price them accordingly, for the world to see.. ..I wish I could find some made of HSS...I can grind them using silicon carbide belts and/or wheels, so that wouldn't prevent me from using them..Matter of fact, I make knives using HSS cut-off blades for metal lathes. They are already tapered..I have one on my bench right now in a mill knife...

As regarding "de-tempering" them, I never de-temper any type of steel prior to grinding..The heat generated by the act of grinding de-tempers the steel, because as you know, when the steel turns blue, it has lost any temper it may have. Grinding is a little more difficult in the beginning but the steel de-tempers quickly.

And as for re-hardening HSS...it can be done, because I have done it..The first time I tried it, it was out of desperation....We had a grade 8 bolt on a derrick turntable that had snapped off flush...and it had to be removed and a new bolt installed before the derrick could be used...We destroyed several HSS bits trying to drill it out..{we didn't have any cobalt or carbide bits in our tool room} Then I remembered a time when I was an apprentice machinist, that the shop foreman hardened a HSS drill bit exactly the way you would a piece of drill rod...He "modified" the cutting edge of the bit afterwards by reducing the clearance angle, blunting the edge, like you would for drilling brass {or any material that tends to be "grabby" like brass and plastic}...This should be done when drilling tool steel to strengthen the edge...I do that now when I am drilling or turning any type of tool steel {like a saw blade} and I use plenty of coolant...I keep my tool bits for brass separate from the ones for turning steel because of the way they are ground.

Some people don't realize that there are different grades of HSS..I have some lathe bits that are 8% cobalt, and they outperform ordinary HSS by a mile!! ..When you buy cheap HSS, you get what you pay for... The manufacturers know what they're doing..
Often Tested.    Always Faithful.      Brothers Forever

Jack Edgar, Sgt. U.S. Marines, Korea, America's Forgotten War
Get off my lawn !
Upset





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#32
Thank you -good timing as I was cleaning out and had put a bunch of old spade bits aside to play with.
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Don't throw those old spade bits away......


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