Tear Drop Scrapper For Hollowing Question

[Dan Mosley]

I have a couple hollowing rigs and have made my own bars and other cutters by buying the HSS from Enco online. Usually, I buy the 3/16 HSS and some of the ones with cobalt in them.
My question is I made a goose neck bar and would like to make some tear drop scrappers out of the same kind of material. Does anybody know what size? and who sells the bars online ? I can cut and drill them myself................................Thanks Dan

 

[glenkey]

Dan this doesn't match your request but around here(Tulsa) we go to Wholesale Tools and get the drill rod. They also have square bits.
http://tool.wttool.com/nav/cat2/DrillRod/cat1/Hardware/0
Worth looking. Good luck

 

[Hugh]

Dan,
It won't be the same kind of metal - but one can make a tear-drop from an old planner blade. Use a 4" surface grinder with a metal cutting blade (thin). Instead of drilling a hole - just cut a slot on one side to fit the bolt. Since the planner blade is already hardened and tempered, you do not need to do any of this. May not be of quite the same quality and may need sharpening a bit more often, but usually planner blades are pretty good steel.

Second method - order a piece of 1/8" thick x 1" or 1 1/4" wide oil hardening steel from ENCO or MSC. Comes in 18" or 36" long. Using the metal cutting blade in the surface grinder - shape your tear drop cutter. Drill a hole also. I sharpen them also. I use a piece of wire to hold the tear drop cutter. Then with a gas torch (you may need MAPP gas) - heat it cherry red. I use peanut oil to cool (has a high flamable temp and does not give off noxious fumes) - swirl around in the oil to cool the cherry red tear drop cutter. I usually make up 5-6 at a time. Heating and cooling separately. Motor oil is not good to heat up and breath the fumes - that is why I use the peanut oil. You can use regular veg oil but the peanut oil smells good and has a higher flamable temp. Always best to do this sort of thing outside

Then when your wife is through with the kitchen oven for the day, put the hardened cutters on an old pie plate, and put the oven on at 350 degrees for an hour. Turn it off after an hour and leave in until morning. This tempers the steel.

I then re-sharpen the cutter and it is ready to use. These may not be quite as hard as store bought - but they are pretty good. The price is right compared to how much they want you to purchase a cutter for.
Hugh

 

[Jerry Hall]

Dway Tools

Sounds like they have what you need. Their cutter works great for me.
http://www.d-waytools.com/tools-hollowing.html

 

[n7bsn]

Jerry
+1 on Dave's (D-Way's) tools.

But then Dave is a local and I know him well

TTFN
Ralph

 

[Hugh]

Dan Mosley,
Did you find it?
Hugh

 

[Aaron G+11]

Sears used to sell blades for it's planer/molder heads. They come three to a pack with a hole already in them. Grind them to suit your purpose.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/search_10153_12605?keyword=planer/molders

Aaron

 

[Dan Mosley]

Hugh............sorry for the delay....work gets in the way....
Yes, that is exactly the link......thank you.....
I will order a pc of the steel...........not sure if I have a cutting blade for my angle grinder but if not I have a friend whose husband has a small machine shop that i could possibly get to cut them and if not ill get the blade.........I have a grinder with a 60gr and 120gr wheel on it so touching up the profile and sharpening should not be a problem. I will use your idea to heat treat................Thank you for the link and information...................ill let you know how it goes but the 18" pc will last a long time..............

 

[Hugh]

Dan,
When you order the piece of steel - order a cut off blade - cost is only a couple of bucks. Search cut off blade and get the proper size. Make sure of the hole size. Thickness is only a 1/16" I think. Actually you can just cut it with your hacksaw if you want to - before it is heated up. Grind the shape and drill the hole before the hardening process.
Good luck.
Hugh

 

[DOCworks]

I’m curious why you prefer HSS to carbide bits? I’m not trying to start a rant or anything like that, just curious. I’ve made several tools, tool handles, and while I don’t mind sharpening, Thanks Don G. for all your help, I like the carbide bits for ease of use. Is it cost or the ability to sharpen? The reason I’m asking is I’m ramping up this next year to do some hollow forms and will be using the captured bar rig for most of the vessels, and while I will use the bits I currently have ,carbide, I’m not above playing around with other material. I have some powder metal CPM 10V bar stock that would make some killer bits, but I don’t want to waste it either.

 

[Dan Mosley]

DOC - I use the HSS because its not that expensive and easy to sharpen and create different profiles. I have a Delta grinder with a 60 and 120gr wheels and my understanding is that you would need different type wheel to sharpen carbide..
I do however own a Ci1 tool that has a carbide cutter and I really like using it but I do not try to resharpen the cutters. I get replacement cutters from a online steel vendor. That carbide cutter cuts wood better than anything I have used.