Woodturning gouge from an old file

[Garage workshop]

Here is my first video on youtube. In this video I make a woodturning gouge out of an old file using angle grinder, homemade belt sander, bench grinder and a homemade lathe that my grandfather built long time ago. The first part where I make the steel is filmed in my garage which is really cramped while the other part is filmed in my grandfathers workshop. About me, I'm 17 years old and I'm going to high school in Croatia which is where I'm from and where I live. Expect more videos like this soon to come. Also I'm just learning video editing and I apologize for sound lagging a bit in some parts of the video.

[kbalch]

Thanks Garage workshop! I've added your Woodturning Gouge to our Woodturning category, as well as to your builder page: Garage workshop's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Woodturning Gouge by Garage workshop

tags: file, turning, gouge

[DIYer]

Hmm, that's a good reuse for a tool that would have been relegated to the bottom of the toolbox.

[Garage workshop]

Yes, old files are a great source of tool steel.

[Altair]

Great way to repurpose a dull file. Looking forward to more toolmaking videos!

Al

[Garage workshop]

Thank you! A lot more toolmaking videos are coming.

[bgerens]

That's nicely done, but be very careful; files are brittle and can fail unexpectedly. As long as you use your newly made gouge only for spindle work you will probably be just fine, but don't ever use it for bowl turning. Not only is the file brittle, but you have a small tang going into the handle and that is a weak area. If you were to use the gouge for turning a bowl and got a catch, the gouge itself could fracture or the tang could snap off.

[Hans Pearson]

Files are not ideal for lathe tools as stated above. If the overhang is large and the tool catches a knot or similar, a missile comes flying off at about the linear speed of the job. A sure recipe for suicide. You could try softening the file by correcting the temper - a lathe chisel does not need to be all that hard, it just needs to retain its cutting edge.

[pfredX1]

The only wood turning chisel's I own are all made out of beat files. Another handy one is the round nose with no gouge in it. A vee and you've got all you need.

[pfredX1]

Contrary to popular misconceptions file tangs are not hard. People that make tools aren't idiots. That is the domain of Internet commenters.