HF Captured Rig in 4 Hours

Stuart Ablett

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Location
Tokyo Japan
OK, I put a lot of thought into this, before I built it, but start to finish was about 4 hours, not counting a coffee break or two :rolleyes:

I decided to make this up today, as I had all of the welding stuff out, and the Dungeon was a mess anyways :rolleyes: so why not just make a bigger mess, and get this done!! :thumb:

hf_turning_rod.jpg
I started out turning down one end of the solid piece of steel rod so it would fit inside the pipe that I'm going to make the D-handle out of. This took some time, and my scraper needed a lot of resharpening, but I got it done.....

hf_turned_rod1.jpg
Not bad for a wood lathe, I think!

hf_turned_rod2.jpg
Fits just right

hf_turned_rod3.jpg
There is even a bit of a shoulder for it to stop at.

Now onto the "D" handle....

hf_d_handle.jpg
I cut the pipe at 45s and then welded it up, worked well, I added a few nuts with allen bolts to hold the tool insert, and then I ground the D-handle smooth.

I then built the tip of the tool, not much there but a bit of grinding, then filing, drill a hole and tap it, and I have a tool tip.

hf_tool_tip.jpg
I cut up an old circular saw blade that Mark Rios sent me (thanks again Mark!) and it works OK, but the steel is a bit on the thin side, I need to find something that is more like at least an 1/8" thick, if not more, and is for sure HSS, dunno if the saw blade was... :dunno:

The capture part was next, this was fairly simple, I was working hard to get it done, so I did not take any "In progress pics" (I know, I know) as the cell camera and hot steel and sparks to do with welding don't really mix either (nor do my dirty hands all over the cell phone).

All you get is the finished product...............

hf_finished1.jpg
A head stock view

hf_finished2.jpg
from the other end

hf_captured_d_handle.jpg
here is the part that captures the D-handle, simple and works like a trick! :thumb:

hf_captured_rig_works.jpg
I chucked up one of the ROCK hard Keyaki blanks, this stuff is seriously hard, I DNAed it on July 28th 2006 (the wrapper said) so it was seriously dry and when so, it is seriously hard!!

The rig worked fine, the only thing is the tool tip dulled in about 1 minute of scraping! :rolleyes: :D

Now what? Do I make a curved tool tip?

Hope you enjoyed the show, I guess I'll be adding some HFs to my list of things to make, now I have the tool!

Cheers!
 
Awesome, as per usual Stu, but please back up to the first couple pics and explain how you made that slip fit cut on the tube. I am very interested!

Thanks

[EDIT to add…] The best I can think is to use an angle grinder and finish with a file, but I wouldn’t put it past you to come up with a way better idea.
 
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Stu that is a good looking rig. I just wish I had the time and equipment to do that. If I built tools I would never get any turning done. With my full time job, my clock repair shop and then trying to turn I need a 54 hr. day.

Stu it is a beauty and looks like it does the job.
 
Looking good, Stu. You will indeed want to find thicker stock for the scraper bits. I'd also suggest looking into making a boring bar tip for the initial hollowing. It's easier on the blank and easier on you. These tips are essentially square bar stock (HSS, of course), 3/16 to 3/8 or so wide and a couple inches long, with essentially a scraper bevel on the end. This square stock then goes inside a heavy bar (so it sticks out the end) and is held in place with allen screws. Here's an example:

MIXH 2 790.jpg

Randy Privett sells blank steel bits down at the bottom of this page. I don't know if he can ship to Japan, but you might be able to find something similar locally.

Regarding the curved tool tip, I'd suggest looking at the angled tool bit holders to get some ideas. In my limited experience, I find myself using the angled bit holders more than the swan neck bar with a scraper on it. You can also make a scraper bit holder that fits in the angled holder.

Of course, until some of my roughs dry, most of my experience has been the initial hollowing of green wood. I suspect I'll be using the scraper bits pretty exclusively when I'm doing the finish turning on the hollow forms I'm currently drying.
 
The rig worked fine, the only thing is the tool tip dulled in about 1 minute of scraping!

Now what? Do I make a curved tool tip?

I don't know anything about turning, but I'll suggest anyway .... any chance that an old metal working file would be hard enough to keep a good edge in the wood? It shouldn't be too much trouble to heat one red hot and hammer it on the anvil into the shape you want and then grind the correct profile on the end? A bit of tempering once you're done grinding should help it stay sharp?

just a thought ...

cheers eh?
 
I don't know anything about turning, but I'll suggest anyway .... any chance that an old metal working file would be hard enough to keep a good edge in the wood? It shouldn't be too much trouble to heat one red hot and hammer it on the anvil into the shape you want and then grind the correct profile on the end? A bit of tempering once you're done grinding should help it stay sharp?

just a thought ...

cheers eh?

I was also going to suggest you try hardening the steel bit you have there. In one of my lathe turning books there is a section on making your own cutting tools and hardening them. I can photocopy them and fax them over to you if you want.

BTW very nice job on the rig Stu.
 
Just a thougtht on cutter material

I can get these.........

round_hss.jpg

....for about $20, lots of cutters there eh?

About 12" long, and the sizes are 20mm, 25mm, 30mm that is about 3/4" 1" 1 1/4"

I was thinking I could slice off a piece whatever thickness I want, like a roll of quarters.....?

What do you think?

Cheers!
 
...
About 12" long, and the sizes are 20mm, 25mm, 30mm that is about 3/4" 1" 1 1/4"

I was thinking I could slice off a piece whatever thickness I want, like a roll of quarters.....?

What do you think?

Cheers!
If I'm following what you're thinking of, I think that stock is bigger diameter than you might want as a cutting tip. A wide tip equals more drag, and the bigger potential for bad things to happen. My BIG bit is 3/8" wide. I use the 1/4" and 3/16" when I want to take a lighter cut. The Don Pencil Stinger bits are also 3/16", but they are round whereas the Monster bits are square with a rounded tip. My boring bar itself is 3/4", and the bits at the end are all half that size or smaller.
 
I don't think you are understanding me Vaughn and or I've not explained myself clearly.


More like this............

cutup.jpg
This would give me ample material for making blades like this for the sheer scraping.

For the boring bar, I have some of the SC45 carbon stuff still around that I can drill a hole in the end of another bar and make a boring bar with it.

Cheers!
 
Awesome, as per usual Stu, but please back up to the first couple pics and explain how you made that slip fit cut on the tube. I am very interested!

Thanks

[EDIT to add…] The best I can think is to use an angle grinder and finish with a file, but I wouldn’t put it past you to come up with a way better idea.
Frank, I just used my somewhat round nosed scraper, the HSS is a lot harder than the mild steel the bar is made from, so I just scrapes it off, that and a nice fine mill file to make it smooth and I was in business.

Cheers!
 
I don't think you are understanding me Vaughn and or I've not explained myself clearly.


More like this............

View attachment 5270
This would give me ample material for making blades like this for the sheer scraping.

For the boring bar, I have some of the SC45 carbon stuff still around that I can drill a hole in the end of another bar and make a boring bar with it.

Cheers!
OK, I get you. That should work a treat. I'd suggest a hole instead of the slot, though. That way you can rotate the scraper blade as needed to get a fresh edge.
 
I was also going to suggest you try hardening the steel bit you have there. In one of my lathe turning books there is a section on making your own cutting tools and hardening them.

I can photocopy them and fax them over to you if you want.

BTW very nice job on the rig Stu.

Onegai shimasu!! :D

24/7 fax 03-3225-5843
 
stu, look at msc or mc master carr for hss blanks...they both have 1/4" square to 1"+ and round stock too.....for auction searches look for metal lathe tooling most are 1/4-5/16-3/8 square and you should be able to get cheap carbide tooling....these cutters where under 1 dollar each.....tod

MVC-254S.JPG

MVC-255S.JPG
 
Thanks Tod.

As it is, I found a place here that sells them, not as cheap a a buck each, but still cheap here, and I need to order some other stuff from them, so I'll just add it to the list.

Cheers!
 
Been busy........ :rolleyes:

Frank, some info just for you in this post!

hf_cr_ready_2start.jpg
Here is another piece of rod in the lathe ready to be turned down slightly so it will fit into the D-handle

hf_cr_rod_chuck.jpg
You can see that the very inside of the chuck holds the rod at this end, and at the other end it is just a live center, but I mark the center of the rod and put a dimple there with a center punch.

hf_cr_scraper.jpg
Now you could use a file to do the whole thing, I guess Frank's idea of an angle grinder would work too, but really this is no big deal, the HSS scraper cuts fast enough. I keep the lathe speed down to about 300 rpm.
You might have noticed I took the jaws off the chuck, no need to have them knuckle bashers there if I don't need them :D

hf_cr_rod_turned_end_lg.jpg
Here I've turned the end down to where I want it, (28mm) and I'm ready to reverse the rod, so I can do the last little bit that the chuck is holding onto

hf_cr_start_tail_done.jpg
I reversed the rod and did the last 1/2" or so, you can do the whole thing out here on the tail stock, but I found I got a lot of vibration, and it is faster to do the majority of cutting close to the head stock and the chuck, then just the last little bit here at the tailstock end.

hf_cr_good_fit1.jpg
Nice fit, not too tight, but it slides in really easy, and out!

hf_cr_good_fit2.jpg
Slid in all the way, and locked down with two allen bolts. The allen bolts will be replaced with set screws when I get the chance to go buy some, I don't liket these bolts sticking out everywhere, but that is what I have right now, so I'll use them.

hf_cr_drill_end_rod.jpg
I drilled the first hole at an angle on Kermit, to hold the 8mm diameter rod I'll be using for a cutter, and here I'm drilling the hole in the end of the rod to tap and take a bolt to hold the cutter in place.

hf_cr_grinding_jig.jpg
I had a 6" or so long piece of rod kicking around, so I drilled a hole in the end to hold the cutter, and then drilled and tapped a hole in the side to put another bolt to hold the cutter, this way I have a grinding jig for the cutter.

hf_cr_making_cuts.jpg
Well I guess it works!

Cheers!
 
Well Stu, I’d a never thunk! From my own experience (limited), on metal lathes, I would not have been tempted to stick a hand held tool into revolving stock, :eek: but now that I have seen you do it, I might try it too.:) Thanks for the whole tutorial.:thumb:
 
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