diy woodturning tools

[secheltbob]

One thing to remember is that most wood lathe tools have much longer handles than what you will get with a file or knife blade. This changes the amount of force transmitted back to the turner dramatically. Also regarding files, yes they are mostly brittle with the exception of the tang. This is usually quite soft and can easily bend if this is all the handle is attached to. Also look into spanners, they are quite tough and fairly hard and can be made into turning chisels by both grinding and forging. Good luck.