# making a big ugly tool



## holtzdreher (Jul 20, 2016)

Got a piece of tantung G about 4 inches long and an inch wide. Saw you tube videos about making one. The question not answered is whether to use a hardened steel for the shaft or will mild steel do the job without bending out of shape. I figure a 3/4 x 3/4 shaft about 2 ft long. Just not sure what stock to use. Gotta a welder lined up to do the silver solder job, and he asked the question. He suspected it may not matter, but I'd rather do it once, ,,, the right way.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Well, id offer my advice, but ive got no idea what the bloody devil a tantung g is. Mind illuminating that one?


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## Kerrys (May 2, 2016)

epicfail48 said:


> Well, id offer my advice, but ive got no idea what the bloody devil a tantung g is. Mind illuminating that one?


Found this somewhere on the internet. 

"Carbide-containing alloy used for cutting tools."


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Kerrys said:


> Found this somewhere on the internet.
> 
> "Carbide-containing alloy used for cutting tools."


Thats about what ive managed to find. Sounds like its a steel alloy generally used for metal lathe bits.

Still doesnt explain what the bloody devil the OP is trying to make though. Wood lathe form tool?


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## CDP (Dec 21, 2016)

Watch this video and pay attention at about the 19 second point


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## holtzdreher (Jul 20, 2016)

Thanks. I paid so much attention to the attachment process that I missed the description of the metal. Reed said " mild" and the friend said "cold rolled" so that is what we will use. 

For those who don't know, a big ugly tool is said to be almost as long lasting an edge as carbide, it is much larger in working surface for scraping and it can be sharpened on a home grinder. Maybe it is hype, maybe the next greatest tool in the box. I will find out in a few weeks.


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## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

Interesting stuff. It looks a lot like an EZ wood tool except that the cutting edge is Tantung instead of carbide. Is the belief that you can get a sharper edge on Tantung than you can on carbide?


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## holtzdreher (Jul 20, 2016)

Not sure about sharper. I suspect so. Certainly it is something that can be sharpened in your shop on your grinder rather than a throw away insert. As it turns out, in my days of doing some hobby gunsmithing, I had a tantung parting tool for my 10 inch South Bend metal lathe. Cut through brass and Monel like they were butter. I turned alot of brass and monel back then to make reloading tools for obsolete caliber cartridges. Started when I made an in line loading tool for my 50-70 out of rock maple. The monel was the right price. Got a 12 foot piece of a 2 inch diameter prop shaft out of a small fishing boat that wrecked during Hurricane Agnes.


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## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

It's been my understanding that even when freshly sharpened, a carbide edge isn't as sharp as a freshly sharpened HSS edge. 
Good point about being able to sharpen in your shop. I watched a couple of Reed Gray's video and he's peeling some pretty serious shavings with the big ugly tool. The initial cut looks like it has a fair amount of tear out, but then he seems to clean it up pretty neatly by shear scraping. Might be interesting to make a big ugly tool with the Tantung cutter mounted at a 45 degree angle.

Does anyone know if the Tantung can be sharpened on a CBN wheel?


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