Don't Buy Cheap Tools.

[RustyFN]

I know you are all too smart for this so this is for the new turner. Don't buy cheap lathe tools. I was turning a 7.5 inch diameter log to make a bird house and had a catch. My 1/4 inch bowl gouge snapped in half.

 

[lew]

owch!!

[Steve Krumanaker]

  Would like to know more about this

 

steve

[RustyFN]

What would you like to know?

[Steve Krumanaker]

14 minutes ago, RustyFN said:

What would you like to know?

Where were you in the process? Roughing? fine detail? 1/4" bowl gouge seems very small on that large of piece.

 

Steve

[Grandpadave52]

Glad is wasn't any worse Rusty...looks like the shaft was over hardened, then crystallized. Thanks for sharing what happened and even the graphic outcome.

Just an observation...do you always turn while wearing your ring? I certainly would recommend against it....sorry, old manufacturing environment safety rules are too deeply embedded.

[Gene Howe]

38 minutes ago, lew said:

owch!!

Ditto...

[Gene Howe]

3 minutes ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Glad is wasn't any worse Rusty...looks like the shaft was over hardened, then crystallized. Thanks for sharing what happened and even the graphic outcome.

Just an observation...do you always turn while wearing your ring? I certainly would recommend against it....sorry, old manufacturing environment safety rules are too deeply embedded.

Ditto again. 

[Dadio]

Glad you didn't get hurt any worse than that. You sure never know things happen so fast. That steel in the tool was really high carbon to snap like that without any bending. Wasn't cast iron I hope.

 

Herb

 

BTW you have the same lines in your palm as I do , maybe we are related.

 

 

[HandyDan]

No fun when that happens.  By how much is broken off the end you may have had too much hanging over the edge.  I would also remove the ring.

[Stick486]

6 hours ago, lew said:

owch!!

DITTOES!!!...

[RustyFN]

It's hard to see in this picture because the flash washed it out. Yes the steel does look crystallized. 

I had already gone through the bark and had the log round. It broke at 2.5 inches but the tool was only sticking around 1 inch past the rest.

[Ron Altier]

Thanks for posting........i had no idea a tool would break like that........cheap metal and poor heat treating

 

When I first started turning, I bought a set of cheap turning tools from HF.  I'm sure you all have seen them. My purpose wasn't to use them as much as it was to sharpen them.  I knew that my efforts sharpening them would result in some bad grinding and I didn't want to practice on expensive tools. I did learn a lot and one of the things I learned is that I wasn't very good at sharpening my cutting tools. I did become proficient at sharpening mini tools and with my carbide tools.. ... I am doing good.

 

[Smallpatch]

Sounds like two guys have found the reason for the breakage but I do believe the ring had nothing to do with it...

[Gene Howe]

So @RustyFN, got your order in to EWT? 

[Gene Howe]

3 minutes ago, Smallpatch said:

Sounds like two guys have found the reason for the breakage but I do believe the ring had nothing to do with it...

Coulda been worser, though.

[Gerald]

Metal carbon or crystallized did not "cause " the break. Dan and Steve have the conclusion I have made with the extra info.

     1. a gouge 1/4 inch is way too small for hollowing or roughing stock

     2. even an inch extension is risky for that size in any turning tool

No offence intended but for roughing 1/2 to 5/8 is safer and roughing. You can hollow with 3/8 spindle (for boxes) or bowl gouge.

If it broke that far back and only 1 inch over rest the steel was already stressed at that breaking point.

[RustyFN]

2 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

So @RustyFN, got your order in to EWT? 

I already have some large tools. The problem I was having was the tool would slow down the log so easy I was thinking it was too much for that lathe. I discovered the end would loosen due to a little vibration. Once I got everything tightened up real good I had no more problems with the big tools slowing anything down.