[Woodcarver] Tool breakage..

[Bill Judt]

From: "Bill" <woodcarver at dslextreme.com>
Date: January 14, 2004 9:52:10 AM GMT-06:00
To: "woodcarver" <Woodcarver at six.pairlist.net>
Subject: Re: Tools


In a moment of brilliance, Joe wrote:
 >I assume from the discussion that it was a Swiss tool you broke?
 >
 >Swiss tools are the ones I hear the most about breakage. Those are the 
only
 >ones that I had experienced any breakage by my students or myself. 
However
 >any chisel, with the possible exception of Flex Cut, is very 
susceptible to
 >breakage if the force is applied in any direction other than straight 
ahead.
 >Sometimes even burying the wings of the chisel in the straight-ahead
 >direction may cause breakage.
------------
 
I didn't think too much about this topic until I saw IRONWOOD.  I'm not 
sure it is the fault of the tool.. Swiss, German, Flexcut, 
etc. Ironwood is not only hard.. it's like a rock.. great for machine 
carving and a bit tough for gouge cutting based on my little experience 
with it.
 
Before carving a wood as hard as this.. or even some of our local 
hardwoods.. I would look at changing the angle of the gouge to make it 
a bit stronger.  I'd guess one would have to experiment for the 
particular wood to obtain a good compromise between strength of the 
cutting edge and ease of entry into the wood.
 
This would be one huge drawback to the Flexcut tools, IMO.  they only 
have  a short area that they are heat treated back from the cutting 
edge.  This is zonal heat treating rather than the entire tool being 
heat treated with the more conventional tools.
 
As Joe mentioned.. do not pry with your gouges or your knives.. a sure 
and easy to damage either edge or the whole tool.
 
Bill