Woodturning gouge from an old file

**ranald** · Apr 1, 2018, 05:05 PM

There was a lot of controversy here in Australia during the early 70's as many turners were injured by bits of brittle reconstrued files. Agood friend of mine gave up on them when narrowly escaped injury but he was turning for hours every day (big saving on gouges that need sharpening regularly). Keep up your good work. I think we will see lots from you in the future especially with two workshops to use. Thanks.

**Rpons** · Apr 1, 2018, 10:59 PM

Please be careful. Files have a very different metallurgy to cutting chisels. They are brittle and can snap sending out bits of metal at high speed. You only have two eyes.

**gunsgt1863** · Apr 3, 2018, 03:52 PM

I just saw some files-turned-gouges at the Habitat for Humanity Restore near me. Not as nice looking as these, though.

**jclayjim** · Jul 26, 2018, 08:01 PM

File tangs may be softer tempered but files are hardened metal and as such, given the right forces, can and often do act as something brittle and splinter into dangerous projectiles. Catching a knothole or nail/screw in a fast turning piece can cause a properly tempered wood turning chisel to go flying. Doing so with a file turned into a wood turning chisel CAN work, as long as you accept the danger.

**omniwatch** · Jul 27, 2018, 12:11 AM

This is what I thought of gouges made from files as well. Although I made a few myself when I was a youngster and never experience a file tool to bite me. Have anyone else experience a file gouge to break dangerously?

**ranald** · Jul 27, 2018, 07:28 AM

That is great. Maybe you were lucky or otherwise. When you change the metallurgy charactics, anything can happen. When contract mowing I decided not to hardface my blades as a few injuries had occured and I had serious concerns over insurance claims as well as the safety of my own children wgen mowing at home. Instead I opted, once only, to hace ceramic impregnation of new blades as I did alot of maintenance in sandy beach areas. Cost of blades was $130 set. ceramics cost a further $130. At the end of the working day the treated blades could not be sharpened even with a 9" angle grinder wfereas the original blades wood last 3 to 5 resharpened times/days of sharpening on a bench grinder & linisher: so my efforts were a waste of money.
cheers go make some swarf or shavings.