Читать книгу Ellsworth on Woodturning - David Ellsworth - Страница 34

Begin making a bent-shaft tool by cleaning the shavings off your workbench so you don’t burn down the studio when heating the rod. With a hole already drilled in the rod, place it in the vise so the area to be bent is at least 2" above the jaws of the vise to help prevent the metal in the vise from draining heat away from the shaft.

Next, heat the shaft until it is slightly red and slip a larger rod with a hole drilled in it over the end. I have a couple of these larger rods with different size holes drilled in them for tool rods of different diameters. This is easier than grabbing the end of the heated rod with a vise grip. Now you can bend until you get to 45˚. If the tool rod cools down during the bend, reheat it and keep going.

Cool the rod by dunking it in water or air drying. There is no need to temper the shafts. I’ve never had one bend on me during use. Finally, glue in the tip with medium-density gap-filling superglue (cyanoacrylate) and you’re done. Well, almost. It’s best to use your grinder to score up the surface of the opposite end of the shaft where it will go into the handle. Score 1½" up from the end of the rod for small tools up to 7" long, and 2¼" up the shaft for longer tools up to 12" long.

Choosing a tool angle

I do make some bent tools with an angle greater than 45˚ for reaching difficult areas, but using an angle less than 45˚ creates problems with tool skipping on the wood.

Making a bent shaft

These photographs show how I create a bent shaft. Try using MAPP gas instead of propane. Though MAPP will cost around $10 a tank instead of $3.25, it’s a hotter gas, so it takes less time to heat the bar.

Drill the hole in the end of the shaft. Secure the rod vertically in your vise. Heat the area on the rod that you want to bend until it is red.

Using a rod that has a hole in it larger than the rod you are bending, grab the hot rod, and bend the end to a 45˚ angle.