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Door Stop

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Jan 20, 2020
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Not exactly, but wondering if I made one today or if usable. 3/4 scraper, putting finishing touches on the bottom of a box, then BOOM, it happened. It hit so fast I just stood there wondering what the heck just happened??? Was scraping, I thought even with the center but in retrospect, I believe I was above center. I had a catch, not a small one, but a huge one that jarred the heck out of both arms. The tool did not bounce out of the box, but, I took it out to see what I just did to the box. A smallish nick in the wood, then I looked at the tool. Took a few minutes to stop cursing, but I was holding a bent scraper. It bent where it enters the handle. It's not real bad... but enough to call unusable the way it is. It looks like a limp rag... I laugh now but I do realize just how close I came to being in real trouble.

Can I straighten this out, or will it make it brittle. I can heat it but I don't want to go that route and mess with HSS properties. It would be fairly easy (?) to remove from handle and straighten it out on an anvil with a 2lb hammer?

I have watched so many videos on using a scraper and the rest of the gouges I'm blurry eyed. Yea, I need to take a class somehow..... darn virus keeping us home. Wife won't even talk about going camping right now.... grrrrr
 
Joined
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The cutting surface on scraper is the burr at the top edge. What is more important than where the cutting edge is at in relation to center, is where the end of the handle is. The end of the handle MUST be higher than the cutting edge. Drop the handle and the burr and cutting edge self feeds into the blank, you can't control it, and it catches. Never get the end of the handle below the the cutting edge and you never get a catch. It's that simple. Lots of bad information on youtube. Buy a scraper from Thompson Tools and throw that bent one away. You won't regret it.
 
Joined
Jul 26, 2016
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If all else fails just blame it on the poor quality tooling and purchase a better quality tool and all of those problems go away. :)
Everyone encounters tool catches during the early stages of tool mastery. Each tool has particular do's and don'ts you need to learn, this takes time.
When you get fatigued and tired and lose focus/concentration is when most people get a bad tool catch.
Proper stance and tool positioning will create muscle memory that builds confidence over time.
If you practice making a tool catch you will better understand what causes the tool to dig into the wood.
Carefully look at the geometry of each tool profile and you can begin to see what can catch on a fast rotating piece of wood.
There are several videos on YouTube that cover the different types of tool catches, this is good video to watch several times.
A nasty tool catch can send you to the E.R. when the stars line up just right.
It gets easier as time goes by, slow down and pace yourself and master one tool at a time.
Hollowing a small vessel is where most tool catches occur, there are a 1000 other projects you can turn to build your tool skill sets on.
 
Joined
May 4, 2010
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2 important lessons in this. One, you need the scraper angling downward slightly. That means the tool rest needs to be higher than for a gouge on the same wood. Probably the top edge of the rest will be at or above the center line of the lathe.
Two, just in case you do not know it yet, but when you use a scraper (or a skew, and most of the time a gouge) you don't put the whole edge on the wood. If this was a square end scraper, you may have caught a corner, or you may have tried to put the whole end of the scraper on the wood, which never works.
For now, do not put more than 1/4 of the edge (or maybe 1/8-3/16") of any tool into the wood. You'll be safer and happier.
 
Joined
Sep 9, 2010
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Be mindful to keep the tool rest as close as possible to the turning. To much tool hanging over the tool rest will usually result in a catch and end with a bent tool shank. Get a safety drive and use it while you are learning. I prefer it to a spur drive for spindle turning. It will also tell you when your tool is dull.
 
Joined
Jan 20, 2020
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Larimore, ND
I'll check on Thompson, several folks have recommended them but I may wait a while on another scraper. The tool I bent was a R Sorby, freshly sharpened/burred, figured out pretty quick how to do that. The rest was not above or at center, I thought it needed to be lower so the scraper was at or slightly above center. I also had the handle held a little lower than the cutting edge so I guess I set myself up for that little disaster, live and learn, and no trip to emergency room thank goodness.
I have watched a lot of youtube, I take those with a grain of salt, some of them made me nervous. I try to watch videos from members on here and other highly recommended turners.
I think I'm going to back off on turning boxes for a little bit, practice some more with my spindle gouges. I use a 3/4 spindle gouge to round off the blank and a 3/8 spindle gouge to practice coves/beads. I actually like the 3/8 more than the bigger one, seems easier to use/control.
 
Joined
Sep 12, 2017
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Sorby tools are usually pretty good, you just gave it a huge jolt. If you can get the handle off you should be able to hammer the tang straight and reinstall. I had a cheaper hollowing tool that did the same thing twice. I took the handle off and cut the wood and end of the tang so I could bury it deeper and get handle support of the wider part after the tang. Pressed the ferrule back on and have had no problems since.
 

hockenbery

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think I'm going to back off on turning boxes for a little bit, practice some more with my spindle gouges. I use a 3/4 spindle gouge to round off the blank and a 3/8 spindle gouge to practice coves/beads. I actually like the 3/8 more than the bigger one, seems easier to use/control.

that is a good idea. Endgrain hollowing is best accomplished with a teacher, coach, or mentor.

there are lots of projects That are easily turned just between centers.
A chuck can be used too.
Here are a few i do from time to time.

beads
carving mallet is a great project you can’t always use 2-3 for seating spur drives.
The head is a half bead, the handle is an oblong bead, A decorative bead where the handle joins the head.

coves
Spinning tops (finger tops) are a good practice for coves. Kids 4-94 love them.

beads and coves
Gavel head and handle. Great gift for anyone leading various meeting - community association, wood turning club.
Don’t guess you see many blue grabs in ND but serious crab eaters often bring their own knives and a few bring mallets.

made a gavel few years ago for Doe President - it was requested to be small about 6” total length. Cute little thing from Osage Orange. I was told it projected command authority.
Add a small strike plate too to protect the tables and amplify the sound.
 
Last edited:
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Jan 20, 2020
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It's in my drawer of shame now.... LOL Heated it up a little and light tap with hamma, I swear it was light..... SNAP.... no more tang. Spindles for a while it is.
 
Joined
Jan 20, 2020
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Larimore, ND
Welp, followed the advice from another thread, it was pretty easy. I cut a new tang. Used my angle grinder with cutting blade, cut a little, pour water on it to keep it cool, cut some more, actually went pretty easy. The tool is 1 7/8" shorter but it works good. Raised a burr using my T-8, it is ready to scrape again. Don't think I will try boxes again til I get lots more spindle practice as suggested by ya'll. Well, I have a nice Freud carbide forsner set up to 2", so I can drill out small boxes to 2" and leave the inside alone. Turning the outside is spindle turning so I may make some small ones but will hit the spindles and practice-practice-practice!
Thank-you for all the comments and suggestions, ya'll are the best!
 
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