Not the most exciting looking tool but is one essential to clock making which I want to try a hand at in the future.
It is also useful if you just want to turn freehand something.
I got some 3/16 square silver steel when I was in the UK in June.
I got a 100mm length, ground one end to a blunt point for going into the handle.
Ground about a 50 degree angle (was meant to be 45 degree, that will teach me for not making a jig for my grinding machine).
Hardened then tempered the silver steel the honed it to a high finish and finished on a leather hone.
Two of the 4 sides have also been honed to a near mirror finish as these form the back of the cutting edge.
The handle is just a 3 inch length of 1/2 inch dowel with a very fine taper put on the first 10mm of it and 1/2 inch K&S thin walled brass tube hammered onto the end.
The brass was then machined flush to the dowel. The dowel drilled for about 20mm with a 1/8 inch drill bit.
Then the graver was held in my vice in soft jaws and the handle tapped onto it.
Tomorrow I will lacquer the handle and it will be ready for use.
I'm assuming I'm not the only one that gets greater pleasure using tools I've made compared to bought ones.
It is also useful if you just want to turn freehand something.
I got some 3/16 square silver steel when I was in the UK in June.
I got a 100mm length, ground one end to a blunt point for going into the handle.
Ground about a 50 degree angle (was meant to be 45 degree, that will teach me for not making a jig for my grinding machine).
Hardened then tempered the silver steel the honed it to a high finish and finished on a leather hone.
Two of the 4 sides have also been honed to a near mirror finish as these form the back of the cutting edge.
The handle is just a 3 inch length of 1/2 inch dowel with a very fine taper put on the first 10mm of it and 1/2 inch K&S thin walled brass tube hammered onto the end.
The brass was then machined flush to the dowel. The dowel drilled for about 20mm with a 1/8 inch drill bit.
Then the graver was held in my vice in soft jaws and the handle tapped onto it.
Tomorrow I will lacquer the handle and it will be ready for use.
I'm assuming I'm not the only one that gets greater pleasure using tools I've made compared to bought ones.
