Stock making?

[trevj]

As Marshall pointed out 'there are drill presses & there.....' same goes for routers, a cheap router with a dull bit is more likely to bring grief and aggravation. the DP/Forstner method would be pretty hard to mess up.

Looks like Nicholson makes one reasonably priced, I'll bet dad has run into more than a few at his farm auctions. Taking a close look at the teeth, the geometry is VERY similar to the hand stitched rasps I have. I'll keep it mind for sure though

I took a long look at this when I started, I do have a lathe, but it would be a hard argument to get me away from flat scrapers, they remove so much material cost next to nothing and can be made to shape in about 10 minutes. You said you had one? what is the edge geometry on the disks? are they relieved or is it just a 90^ edge?

I just picked up a length of 01 tool steel Friday afternoon, 4' for $45. Should make 4-5 chisels easy.

This is very true, I keep looking at them as well. I get by quite well with the 1/2" bit, but something a little larger would be nice. Ball nosed profiles too - all I have are the straight bits and they tend to get a little dicey in a deep cut.

I don't have one of those barrel channel scrapers, looked at one at a gun show, guy wanted a lot for it, I learned what I figured I needed to know from getting hands on it.

Yeah, just throwing the ideas out there. Farriers rasps, there had to have been about forty different styles on the shelf at the place I was in, Everybody is looking for their version of perfect, so the manufacturers oblige. It's not something most guys that don't have anything to do with horses, would ever get near.
Lots more useful items at a Feed and Tack place, if you've never been.
Another file type worth knowing about is a Vixen File, also called a Milled, Curved Tooth File. Auto body guys use them for fast shaping of cured Bondo or lead body filler. They don't give them away either, but you can decide if it's something worth a try.

Well worth a troll through the pages at banggood.com, richontools, and any of the other Chinese mail order retailers. For non-professional use, esp where the tool is more like to be damaged than worn out, the cheap HSS and Carbide cutters are pretty attractively priced.

 

[sean69]

Sean, I also have spoke shave's, 3-4 Stanley's and miller falls #1, cigar shape,3/4" round diameter, scarce; but with this little knife you always can see what the cutting edge is doing, most of the time you can't with a spokeshave. I don't have the lee valley one.
I use it bevel down and usually at a skew angle, with the grain will cut a nice radius

I'll say - that is a pretty rare tool.....!
I don't have the option to turn the bevel down in the LV shave, just the way it is designed. Though of course, now I have all this tool steel, is probably a good idea to make a blade and a more traditional type shave.... hmmm.

Yes, making deep cuts straight on with a shave is tough, I mostly skew it for heavy cuts and skew the mouth opening as well - slightly narrower opening on the leading end of the blade, slightly wider opening on the trailing end. seems to cut better and clear chips much better.

 

[sean69]

Another file type worth knowing about is a Vixen File, also called a Milled, Curved Tooth File. Auto body guys use them for fast shaping of cured Bondo or lead body filler. They don't give them away either, but you can decide if it's something worth a try.

I had a cheap one that saw limited use... they are great for leaving a smooth surface shave rather than cut like a rasp - I would think a good fine cut one would be almost necessary when dealing with some inlay wire or pewter castings... Like I said, I have a cheap one, seems better for finishing work rather than rapid material removal.

Babbitt file is the other term.....

 

[marshall]

I had a couple- 3 body files, one had a turn buckle so you could change the radius, never used them on guns much, cars though, too big, but they give a nice smooth surface, but than again as a tool collector, I do have about 50 or more good planes from one inch to 28 inch long, small low angle block planes are what I use most.
Most of the body files and such went on the sale a few years ago when sold the farm , shops.
I still have wood, but don't do much rifles any more, mainly handguns now.
I have done a couple English side locks, 12sxs and 28 ga sxs, and those make you old real fast.