bourne101 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 hi i'm a little low on money to buy the various hot cutters and fullers for my 1inch hardie hole, however i do have access to a rather well supplied welding shop in my high school and i was wondering if anyone had any ideas of making your own hardy tools such as what to use to make the tools and what to start with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurchwv@BJS Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I took a chisel that was bigger than the hardie ground it down to fit the hole. May not be the best way but it worx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 You could make a hot cutter from a piece of leaf spring welded to a piece of steel that fits your hardy hole. As for a spring fuller how about looking at Jayco's hinged fuller. Many other ideas in the Blueprints as well. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Find a source for jackhammer bits. They can be picked up for little or nothing and make GREAT hardy tools. Cut to length with a chop saw. Leave about 3 inches below the collar for the hardy hole and an appropriate length for your tool on the upper side. Forge to suit your needs and wants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 You don't need a piece of sq stock to fit the hardy, you can weld a piece of flat bar that fits it corner to corner to another that rests flat on the face. Weld your cutter on top of that, a simple piece of sharpened leaf spring works fine for a hot hardy. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.w.s. Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I've seen some rather remarkable tools made from old trailer ball hitches. They can be scavenged from old wrecks at the junk yard. For me though, living in the heart of Amish country Pa, its sometimes amazing what you'll find at little antique barns and farmers markets. Most of the times they don't know what they even have and give them away cheap. One man's trash is another's treasure. Jack hammer heads work well, too. I think one fault that most of us have is the fact that we are blacksmiths and want to make everything on our own, which of course we can, right? What starts out seeming like an inexpensive project sometimes totals more, especially when your time is factored into it, then we would have paid to have just bought what we needed from a vendor, but there is the satisfaction of knowing that it's completely yours. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Hill Forge Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'm just finishing up a hot cut hardy I'm making from a wood splitting wedge. I'll get some pictures up. I'd look for an old one at a flea market or junk store. They have better metal than the newer ones. Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintjohnbarleycorn Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 does someone know if the jack hammer bits are air hardened or oil? or what process do you use for them. thanks. kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Aspery Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I make a bolster plate the same size as my hardy hole and after tapering the end of a bit of square bar, upset it into the bolster plate, dressing the sides as I go. This will leave you with a blank bottom swage. I make my bottom fullers the same way, but from rectangular stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Use the welding shop as much as possible to make tooling while you have it to hand! Most hardy tools can use a piece of sq tubing that fits the hardy hole as the shaft. Look at various takes on something like a smithing magician; also swing arm fullers (a big one, a small one and ones for pipe are usefull), bending forks, bottom swages. Don't forget a series of jaw spacers for a post vise---if you don't have one yet---you will! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don A Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I use a EuroAnvil, with the hardy out near the horn. I have made several flat-bottomed tools, then welded a piece of 1" angle on the side to fit the hardy. This leaves the tool sitting solidly on the face of the anvil with the shank simply holding it in position. I usually clamp the tool to the angle while it is in/on the anvil and then tack it. This insures that the tool will rest flat on the face. I spray some cooking spray on the face and horn to keep any slag or spatter from sticking to it. I'd say this would work on a London pattern anvil just as well. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwin Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Mark, how did you make the bolster plate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Aspery Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Mark, how did you make the bolster plate? I drill/chisel/file a square hole in a thick bit of plate. Back that plate up with some heavy bar and weld the lot inside a bit of 4 inch square tubing. I have it set up that this ensemble sits in the middle of the anvil face where there is a lot more support for the sledge work. You could, in theory, do this same thing in your hardy hole, but I feel that it is above and beyond the scope of the heel of the anvil - duty wise and prefer a safer method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bourne101 Posted March 17, 2009 Author Share Posted March 17, 2009 well thanks guys! lots of posts for 1 day. i know where i can get a few wood splitters and jackhammer bits so i'll try to make a couple of my own and post a few pictures up here. meanwhile i'd like to see some of your homemade hardie tools if you guys have any pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Thompson Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I took a chisel that was bigger than the hardie ground it down to fit the hole. May not be the best way but it worx Make sure that the shoulders are square edged with no taper; as Mark says, the hardy hole is not meant to resist splitting. We once cracked the heel off trying to use it as a bolster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 My hardy is a broken tip of a jackhammer bit that I forged thinner on the edge and then forged the shaft to fit my anvil's hardy hole making sure to have it longer than the hole so if it was tight I could pop it out from below with the hammer without riviting it in place if it was used on the anvil it wan't fitted too---students! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbrazealblacksmith Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 well thanks guys! lots of posts for 1 day. i know where i can get a few wood splitters and jackhammer bits so i'll try to make a couple of my own and post a few pictures up here. meanwhile i'd like to see some of your homemade hardie tools if you guys have any pictures. I went out after lunch and made a couple of hardies and took pictures of the scroll starter. The last picture is of my hardies I keep in my anvil stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Hill Forge Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Here's the hotcut I made from a wood splitting wedge. I did the grinding and shaping cold, so do I need to retemper it ? I'm just learning too ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintjohnbarleycorn Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 if you didn't get it too hot, turn colors , then you didn't take the temper out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 How hard was the wedge to start with? If you could file it I don't think you need worry about retempering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bourne101 Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 to make a hot cutter...how thick does the metal need to be? when is too thin or too thick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 (edited) You can make a hot cutter out of a leaf spring. If its cold and sharp and the metal you are cutting is hot and soft then it will work really well. Just weld it onto a bit of mild stock that fits your hardy hole. Edited March 20, 2009 by rmcpb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Depends on how *YOU* like them. I like them fairly thin and I end up dressing them pretty often. Some folks make them fairly thick and hardly ever have to dress them. So at a minimum 1/8" thick (special case using H13 steel) to several inches thick. If you plan to make it out of a single piece then it needs to be suitably larger than the hardy hole in your anvil My hardy hole is 1.5" sq and so 2.5" stock may work well. Yours is probably smaller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Aspery Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 to make a hot cutter...how thick does the metal need to be? when is too thin or too thick? I use a hot cut chisel for most of my cuts. The only time I reach for a hardy hot cut is when I am trying to isolate material for a tenon. In that case my hardy cut off is a 'Butcher' blade style having support of the blade on one side only. The chamfer from the edge is 45 degrees and the thickness of the hardie about 5/16 where the chamfer ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwin Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Thanks for the info Mark. I have been meaning to make a bolster for hardy tools because it always makes me nervous using a heavy sledge on my anvil when I'm not working over the waist. Why do you drill, chisel, and file instead of drilling, drifting, and filing. Is that faster? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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