• It's time to cast your vote in the January 2025 Turning Challenge. (click here for details)
  • Conversations are now Direct Messages (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Alan Weinberg for "Elm Burl Bowl" being selected as Turning of the Week for January 27, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Turning Tool Steels

Jamie There are several factors that affect how long a tool holds an edge. Hardness is often confused with the toughness of the structure of the steel, which also includes things such as the material going into the steel and the grain alignment. Cryogenics helps align the grain as well as how it's hardened. Very confusing and involved process. The Thompson tools being particle metal can hold more Vanadium than cast steels. That's one of the reasons they hold an edge longer. Doug has them hardened correctly. He did increase the actual hardness to Rockwell 62 which should hold an edge longer. If you get a tool too hard the edge becomes brittle and won't hold up as long. Doug worked on that problem and found he could go that far and not lose any quality. Wish I knew more about m42 but just haven't done the research.
 
Jamie Straw said:
The advantage to the steel in the D-Way tools is not simply in the hardness (M42) but in the way they are processed. The tempering goes throughout the steel, and the tool is hung, not laid down on a surface. Sorry I can't give a more technical description than that, but my experience has been that they hold an edge longer and sharpen more consistently as the tool wears down, than the M2 steels I've used (Sorby, BB, etc.). Dave sharpens each tool by hand before shipping, if there's anything wrong with the tool, it doesn't ship, and when it's received by the customer it is s.h.a.r.p. 😎
Click to expand...

Jamie is right. Dave is a prince of a gentleman. His heart is in every tool, his dedication is exactly 100%. His 50+ years of metalworking experience are in every particle of his tools. I haven't tried M42 from anyone else, so there is every chance that Dave's is better.
 
I have no doubt Dave's tools are excellent based on all I've read. I am saving my money for a beading tool. I make my own but have used one of his and they are excellent. I don't have the tooling to make one of those and can't heat treat HSS. I tried grinding my own HSS but simply don't have the tools to do it. I made one using a 1/4" piece of HSS and dremel cutter jury rigged in my metal lathe. I succeeded but it was such a hassle I won't do another one.
 
john lucas said:
I have no doubt Dave's tools are excellent based on all I've read. I am saving my money for a beading tool. I make my own but have used one of his and they are excellent. I don't have the tooling to make one of those and can't heat treat HSS. I tried grinding my own HSS but simply don't have the tools to do it. I made one using a 1/4" piece of HSS and dremel cutter jury rigged in my metal lathe. I succeeded but it was such a hassle I won't do another one.
Click to expand...
His beading tools are so sweet! I only have two, but plan to add on over the next year.Of all the tools he makes, the ones I would take to the grave would be the beading tools, the big skew (OMG, nice tool!) and probably the spindle gouge. And of course, his CBN's are the original thing, and the best. Not that I can afford them, LOL, but they are the best.
 
I have an order in for some 1 inch wide scraper blanks that are 5/32 thick rather than his standard 1/4 inch. I prefer a bit thicker. Hope to have them in a week or two. I asked Dave to send one of the new U gouges along with the order. Not sure when I will get around to putting it to use though... Going to be down for a bit, Doctor said time to get the prostate excavated.... Pre-emptive strike....

robo hippy
 
I think they do more robotic type work now.... I had too many years in concrete construction.....

robo hippy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top