# How to make your own Bead tools



## Darley (Jan 8, 2009)

I have been wanting for a long time to do those tools for a clock, base and top will be turn at dimentions them finished with the bead tools,

*Before cutting the tools you must weare face shield and full lather apron as you will have lots of sparks. I will not responsible for any injuries as you should know what to do before starting making tools*

First he's the copy of the clock I want to make






To do the tools I use spade drill bit, they are easy to cut and shape and I will have to harden them when all made, those 2 bits are for the clock top .





From the clock copy cut the shape you want for the tool and glue it to the bit









Now the cutting tool, I use cutting metal disk 1m/m thick on a home made mandrel:biggrin:






Part #2 following up


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## Darley (Jan 8, 2009)

*Part #2*

I monted the cutting disk on the lathe.





Cutting the bit and shaping it ( easy!!  follow the contour of the design ) 













Those one are finished the cuting edge as been done with the same cutting disk, just waiting to be harden, 





When all the bits will be hardened I will finish the sharp edge with a diamond file


Hope this help


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## woodboys (Jan 9, 2009)

Darley, I like this but how do you harden the spade bits? I like the clock also. Does the clock swivel around on the center bead?


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## Darley (Jan 9, 2009)

Billy I have been talking with a friend this morning and told me that the bit is all ready case harden and did not need futher hardening as the cutting edge is the top of the tool.

If I want to harden the tool
#1 I will have to bring it up to a red cherrie colour then quench it in oil .
#2 bring the tool back to light blue then put it in a pot with oil at 140* Celcius for 4 hours, leave cool the tool(s) in this bath, then sharp the tool(s).

This last process change steel molecules maybe some one here got some expertise on black smith or event better a knife maker 

The clock doesn't swirle on the base, the base and top are solid with 4 colums


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## pipecrafter (Jan 10, 2009)

If you managed to keep the steel from going blue while grinding it, you won't need to harden it at all.  If it did reach blue, it will need hardened.

What you need to do in order to harden them is almost exactly as you describe.  When I harden knife blades, I:
 - put it in the forge and wait for it to hit about 1450F degrees (good for O1, 1095, and others)
 - quench in warm oil (about 140F degrees)
 - immediately put it into a 300-400F degree oven (depending on the final hardness I need) 

Without a forge, you can heat the steel with a MAPP or oxy/acetylene torch to what might be described as "cherry red".  However, my eyes aren't good enough to judge that color and I end up using a thermocouple anyway.  If you do decide to go by color, use a darkened room so that you don't overheat the steel - cherry red looks a lot different in dim light than it does in a well lit workshop.


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## Darley (Jan 10, 2009)

Kurt Thanks for the hardening advice and your comment, when I grind down my tool they didn't turn blue I hold them bear hand and they don't have the time to get to hot as I cut less than 3/64" in one pass I did have a small tin of water next to me to dip them in


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## KenV (Jan 12, 2009)

Carbon steel lathe tools will not hold an edge very long if used heavily -- they get hot right at the edge and lose edge temper easily, or wear pretty fast.   (ever felt hot shavings on the hand coming off a cut with a gouge or skew??)  Keep your eye out for high speed steel saw blades or similar for better durability.   That said, if you use these with a light touch for finish scraping cuts (no hogging out wood with high carbon steel) they will last a long time.   

I am one who thinks high carbon tools will sharpen to a finer edge, but not nearly as durable edge as high speed steel.  

The trick with the wrench shown on the drawings does work well with a wrench made of good steel.   Some of the cheap stuff will not sharpen enough to do more than burn wood with friction.  Makes uniform tenons.   Just using a cheap wrench as a size gage is a good use for the cheap junk also.


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## dogcatcher (Jan 12, 2009)

I use the spade bits for tooling all of the time, as stated if you don't grind the shape to fast and overheat the bit you will not need to harden the bit.  I consider these specialty cutters as expendables so they do not get a great deal of use but I have never hardened them after grinding them to shape.

Marvin


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## bradh (Jan 12, 2009)

OK, I am going to ask a dumb question because I do not understand. 
Why would you make tools for the beads? I was taught to make beads with a skew.
Do these tools speed things up?


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## Darley (Jan 18, 2009)

bradh said:


> OK, I am going to ask a dumb question because I do not understand.
> Why would you make tools for the beads? I was taught to make beads with a skew.
> Do these tools speed things up?



I know and understand your point of view, I find myself to have not acquire the expertise to copy more than 3 bead the same made with the skew so decide to do some bead tools who are will be the same from #1 to .....## x .


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