Making my own moulding planes

**doug3030** · 1st July 2020, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

I think you are alluding to the fact there is a big difference between something that is sold commercially as a high end product and something that you are making for yourself. In many ways it all depends on the materials you have to hand and how much folding money you wish to spend on the project.

Yes, Paul, that is indeed the point I was making there. If it is for your own use and you are prepared for the odd fail and the aim of the exercise is as much to have fun and experiment as it is to produce a working product then I use whatever steel I have available.

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

As we have mentioned knives I should add that when quenching it is essential that the quenching action is by vertical plunging into the quenching medium as otherwise distortion of the blade will result.

Yes an dno. That is the simplest way and the most foolproof. Another way which I have used and is preferred by my knifemaking mentor is to do an edge quench. Only the cutting edge of eh blade is immersed into a long shallow dish of oil so that the edge cools fast and hardens while the spine remains "flexible" leaving an overall less brittle blade that is less likely to fracture in use. He makes knives for the outdoors man, hunting and fishing etc and they are made to take punishment. I have seen him get $1000 for a single knife.

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Something I should have mentioned in my heat treating process before is that it refers to high carbon steel only. Other steels will have different requirements and may need to be held at temperature for longer periods. I am confident that the technique I have described works well for the steel composition found in leaf springs. The biggest problem I have found in recycling leave springs is finding them free of rusting or pitting. However only the back of the blade needs to be free of defects as on the other side the faults will be ground out in the bevel.

Agree with your comment on heat treating spring steel. A good belt grinder is a great thing to have if you are using recycled steel.

**auscab** · 5th July 2020, 11:34 AM

Car Coil springs can be a bit easier to come across. Id be heating and straightening part of one out and belting it out flat at its end . Just enough for the bottom flat part of the blade . Cut it off then weld on a long thin section than can be tapered , probably cold ?

Rob

**soundwave** · 7th July 2020, 02:14 PM

I'll throw this into the mix - If you find steel, you don't know what it's made of, how to treat it, what it'll do or how good it is (as mentioned above). I bought a length of 1084 high-carbon steel from Gameco a couple of years ago. I'll measure it up this afternoon and see how much there is of it, I want some for the cutting gauge Rex made and some other things. But if you're 20 minutes from Matthews, you're not far from me and I'd be willing to trade you some. At least that way you'd know what it is, what it can do and how to treat it. Apologies if this isn't allowed.

**doug3030** · 7th July 2020, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by soundwave

I'll throw this into the mix - If you find steel, you don't know what it's made of, how to treat it, what it'll do or how good it is

Well maybe this can help you have a pretty good guess.

steels.jpg

The chart is not definitive but it's a good starting place.

Other things that can help:

Spark test. Hit it with a grinder - The more sparks the higher the carbon content.

You can test if it is hardenable by heating a small thin piece to non-magnetic and quenching it. Put it in a vise and hit it with a hammer. if it snaps instead of bending it is hardenable. After the steel snaps, it is customary to stare at the broken ends with a thoughtful look on your face as if making out you know how to analyse the grain structure of the metal. (the smaller the grain the better)

**poundy** · 7th July 2020, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by doug3030

it is customary to stare at the broken ends with a thoughtful look on your face as if making out you know how to analyse the grain structure of the metal. (the smaller the grain the better)

may I laugh out loud at this comment ? :P

**doug3030** · 7th July 2020, 03:54 PM

Originally Posted by poundy

may I laugh out loud at this comment ? :P

Laugh to your heart's content Poundy.

It's a legitimate technique and the more often you look at it pretending to understand the more you learn to actually understand it. I get better at it every time but I am still at the level where I feel I am pretending to get information from it.

**Mountain Ash** · 7th July 2020, 08:37 PM

Hi Soundwave. Not sure either but I appreciate the offer and would be happy to trade. Thanks

**Mountain Ash** · 7th July 2020, 08:45 PM

Doug I love the zen approach you are taking, combining the science of observation with the blunt force of smashing the item to bits

**Bushmiller** · 8th July 2020, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

Doug I love the zen approach you are taking, combining the science of observation with the blunt force of smashing the item to bits

MA

You can knock destructive testing.

Regards
Paul

**Mountain Ash** · 9th July 2020, 06:09 PM

Alright Paul, I give up. I love a good pun but I'm lost

Doug...?Matt.....?

**Bushmiller** · 9th July 2020, 09:41 PM

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

Alright Paul, I give up. I love a good pun but I'm lost

Doug...?Matt.....?

MA

There are two types of testing: "Destructive" and "non-destructive. "Non-destructive" testing is by such techniques as radiography, X-Rays, Gamma Rays, Ultrasonic, magnetic particle inspection and liquid penetrant. " Destructive testing involves force or impact, which requires a "knock.".........Hence you can knock!

If it requires explanation then the pun failed in the first instance and was either too obtuse or more likely not very bl@@dy good in the first place. I think this one falls firmly in the second category and will not be recorded in the annals of time.

Regards
Paul

**Chief Tiff** · 9th July 2020, 10:14 PM

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

..... be recorded in the annals of time

This appears to be a favourite phrase of yours... I’m beginning to wonder if you are annally obsessed?

**Bushmiller** · 10th July 2020, 09:56 AM

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

This appears to be a favourite phrase of yours... I’m beginning to wonder if you are annally obsessed?

Chief

I have used that phrase in posts twice now (the second time I have even spelt it correctly) and your eagle eye has spotted it both times. I am not quite sure which of us has the obsession.

Regards
Paul

**Mountain Ash** · 10th July 2020, 08:01 PM

Paul I am really sorry to have asked you to explain the joke, I know it wrecks them but... the 3 prior threads had me giggling like a naughty school kid so all is not lost

**heimlaga** · 10th July 2020, 08:35 PM

One more suggestion for materials.
I have used worn out files for plane irons with good results. Annealed and gruound away the teeth and cut to shape and roughed out the profile. Then hardened and tempered. Then ground the final profile. The resulting blades aren't tapered but they work okay in my home made profile planes.
New-ish files from Tomo de Feteiera in Portugal usually sold under the Bahco brand seem to be water hardening. They are good. Elderly Sandvik and Öberg and Viiala are my favorites. Nicholson are usually oil hardening but they have proven difficult to harden consistantly so I avoid them. I have yet to test a Pferd file. I avoid the Chineese file shaped objects.

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