Wood cutters are an essential tool for any carver. However, the quality of store-bought chisels often leaves much to be desired, so if you are serious about wood carving, then you should make your own wood chisels.
Band saw wood cutters
How to make a wood cutter with your own hands from a band saw? In fact, this is not so difficult, despite the fact that such cutters hold sharpening very well. For work you will need:
- Oak trimmings for handles.
- Electric sharpener.
- Hacksaw.
- Belt sander.
- Sanding papers of different grits.
- Actual blade from a band saw.
- Respirator to protect the respiratory organs.
- Wood glue.
Blade Making
If you plan to make wood cutters with your own hands, then you will need a piece of saw blade about 8 centimeters long. Of these, 4.5-5 centimeters must be left on the shank, which will be attached to the handle. With helpelectric sharpener, the shape of the future knife is cut out of the canvas. The master determines the form himself, depending on the requirements. Then, on a belt grinder, the shape must be turned, making a large chamfer for it with an angle of 10-15 degrees. This narrowing from the butt to the cutting edge is necessary in order to be able to work with the cutter. The cutting edge with an angle of 25-30 degrees, which will participate in the cutting process, is created later.
You need to do this work slowly, otherwise the metal will heat up, become soft and stop holding sharpening. You can sometimes cool the workpiece in water.
Hand making
To make handles for items such as machine cutters, wood needs to be shaped with your own hands. Oak bars with a length of about 12 centimeters and a section of 12x22 millimeters are suitable for handles.
Next, do the following:
- Sand the tail of the metal blank around the edges to knock down the burrs.
- Putting the ponytail on the bar, circle the shape with a pen.
- Chisels to select wood to a depth identical to the thickness of the workpiece. Periodically, the workpiece must be tried on, applying a second bar on top. The hole should not be too deep or too shallow - in the first case, the blade will stagger, and in the second, the handle will simply crack or not stick together.
- After you have made sure that all the parts fit perfectly together, they can be glued together. Glue must be applied to the nest and on the surface of the bar. Less adhesive can be applied to the second piece.
- After, connect the parts as accurately as possible andtighten with clamps. This must be done strongly, but in order not to split the bars.
- Remove excess glue with a damp cloth and leave everything to dry for about 12 hours.
After that, the density of the structure must be checked - grab the handle with one hand, and with the other try to loosen the blade. If you hear characteristic squeaks, then the work will have to be redone. Don't be lazy - if the wood cutters are poorly made by hand, the blade will quickly become loose and may eventually lead to injury.
Handle fit
Do-it-yourself wood cutters are good because you can shape the handle yourself, as you like. Although some general rules must be followed:
- Leave the back part rounded and wide, much wider than the one closer to the blade. Therefore, it is better to make blanks for handles in the form of an elongated truncated pyramid in advance.
- Be sure to make a recess for the index finger on the handle.
The edges of the handle can be turned with a grinder. This must be done in a respirator and goggles, so as not to damage the organs of vision and breathing. Grind the handle approximately, and then manually process with fine sandpaper. Then, if desired, paint the handle and be sure to varnish it.
Creating a tool from a metal cutter
The cutter can also be made from a metal cutter - it is extremely durable and made of carbon steel, so your cutter will stay sharp for a long time andwill become dull very soon.
You need to do the work to make wood cutters with your own hands in the following order:
- Cut the cutter pattern you want on the cutter. The joint knife is especially popular with carvers. The shank must be made longer than the blade.
- Using a metal cutter, cut the cutter exactly according to the pattern. This will give you a blank knife.
- Sand the blade, occasionally dipping it in cold water.
- Make a hardwood handle out of two halves. In one half, cut a recess for the workpiece. Glue everything with PVA glue and sand the handle.
As you can see, the answer to the question: "How to make a wood cutter with your own hands?" - quite simple and practically does not require any special skills from you.
Sharpening wood cutters by hand after manufacturing
After you make a blank-blade, you will need to make a small chamfer - directly the cutting edge of the blade with a sharpening angle in the region of 25-30 degrees. A sharpening angle of 10-15 degrees is not enough for you, because the blade will eventually chip and wrinkle when cutting even soft wood.
A small bevel can be formed with a sandpaper or a bar. You need to go from smaller to larger - first take a skin with a grain index of about 240, and when the chamfer is formed, bring it with skins to 800, and then 1000 grain. After that, you can polish the blade on a leather belt with GOI paste.
Check sharpening
Cutter sharpening should be checked. If it is sharpened correctly, then even the hardest wood will be easily cut not only along, but also across the fibers. Also, the sharpness should be checked on a soft wood, seeing that the cut is shiny and even, as if "oily". For this test, for example, pine is suitable, which is very easy to get.
Sharpening if the knife is dull
Of course your knife will dull over time. Then it can be sharpened with sandpaper, and then also polished on the back of the leather belt with GOI paste.
