There are a lot of tool holders out there that incorporate magnets. Including holders for chisels and knives. I have always been leery of them because the magnet will magnetize the tool. I don’t know a lot about metals but I would think that would tend to make the metal brittle. Comments?
George
You don’t stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing. – Michael Pritchard <!—-><!—-> <!—->
| <!—-> <!—-> |
Replies
I don't know anything about magents making tools brittle but if your chisel got magnetized every time you sharpen it the swarf would stick to the chisel and not float off.
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com
Totally agree with Joel. Magnets are to be avoided where possible. I have used them for short periods, such as blade holding when grinding, but this is short-lived and, depending on the set up, may not lead to problems. Long-term blade storage is another matter. If you have been doing so, and the blades have become magnetised, use a "de-magnetiser" on them.
Regards from Perth
Derek
I've never used magnetized holders with my chisels and was wondering how good my rationale was for avoiding them. I do use magnets for holding allen wrenches on the side of my saw and Shopsmith and the chuck key on the drill press. They become magnetized but it doesn't seem to be a problem.
Thanks, GeorgeYou don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing. - Michael Pritchard<!----><!----><!---->
<!----><!---->
Joel,
I use a magnetic strip to hold my turning tools. They do get magnetized, but I go from grinder to lathe without honing. I have not noticed any problem, but is this detrimental to the tool or compromising the sharpening process?
Frank
i don't think it's detrimental to the tool and if when grinding the swarf gets ripped away without sticking to the tool i see no problem.Joel
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com
>brittle<
It isn't going to happen so don't worry about that. It would be OK with me though if I could get a bit of brittleness added; it would mean the steel is getting harder. My problem is chisels that are too soft that could use a bit of hardness.
If you have one that is magnetized you can poke it back and forth through a soldering gun while you have the gun turned on and it will de mag it. It isn't the heat it is the field around the energized rods on the gun that does it. It needs to be the type that has two tubes that you connect the tip to that completes a "loop". Not the type that has a single tube like a soldering iron. Move the chisel in and out of the loop.
roc
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Edited 3/16/2009 12:28 am by roc
Good demagnetization tip.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
You aren't going to magnetize a chisel by putting it on a magnetic tool holder. You would have to rub it back and forth a lot and even then the magnetization is only temporary. You would only have to strike it on a piece of steel to remove the magnetization. Actually, magnetized iron shows an increase in the modulus of elasticity.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
ham,
modulus of elasticity?
eef
There are a lot of tool holders out there that incorporate magnets.
Mine is a crude thing that is some scrap plywood with separations. I dump all those 'beads' you get in packages for moisture protection into the bottom. YES. I do remove all the old ones first!
LN sell a great one, the Mag-Blok, with rare earth magnets inside a layer of wood.
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=Mag-Blok
Regards from Perth
Derek
Why on earth (A PUN!) would you buy a chisel rack?
Why on earth (A PUN!) would you buy a chisel rack?
No idea ...
View Image
:)
Regards from Perth
Derek
Okay, let me re-do the emphasis, add a few words, and point out that your picture proves my point.Why on earth (a PUN!) would you BUY a chisel rack with rare-earth magnets?
Trying to knock the bottom out of the chisel rack market? I have heard that there are some types who would rather spend their time making furniture rather than shop furnishings.
No, I don't understand it either, but I have it on good authority that they exist. I have even heard of some who just (shudder) throw their chisels willy nilly into a drawer.
Different strokes as they say.....
................................................
Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.~ Denis Diderot
The thing I saw that made ME (a Carpenter, note the capital) shudder is this: today at Homeless Despot, I noticed that they were selling SAWHORSES!(eyeroll)The things people will buy...Back In The Day, if you wanted a job, and you claimed you were a Journeyman, I'd pay anyone J-man's wages until coffee break. Then I'd tell you to build two pairs of sawhorses.By the time you were done, either I'd know that you were one of us, or you'd know why I was letting you go.
Jammy, old chap,
Are you by any chance related to the most venerable Charles. T. Stanford? (Won't hold it against you if you are).Philip Marcou
Nope. Never heard of him.
You're on the money with this one. Way back in the day when I worked for a living, I served a four year apprenticeship prior to attaining journeyman carpenter status. Before touching any lumber that was to become a structure, we had to build a set of saw horses, cut out stair stringers, learn how to lay out and cut hip (common rafters came later!) rafters etc. Further, as apprentices, this was done with hand tools only.
I quit the trade in 1989 (jeez it's 20 years ago already), but I remember on more than one time a new guy coming on a job and being told to make a set of saw horses, or a set of jump ups (lower saw horse like benches, about 16" high with a 1" X 8" flat for the top--perfect for drywall hanging). I remember also being the new guy a couple of times and having to go through the saw horse test.
For those who were or are members of the United Bortherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, you know the proper method of making a saw horse. I saw Norm use a proper one once or twice on his show, but most of the time, the horses used by TV personaities were of the "ham and egger" variety: you know, the type that Saturday warriors use, after a hearty breakfast at the local diner, most of the time with legs held together with a metal bracket.
T.Z.
Locals 131 and 1797 is where I served my apprenticeship.
I'm going to have to dig my dues books out to see what my final local was! Started as DuBois, PA, then we were merged with the Ridgway, PA local and then with Lewistown, PA (IIRC). Some of the smartest people I have ever been around were union carpenters. Guys that had a couple of decades in the trade could do virtually anything.
I worked primarily commercial and industrial jobs (a mudder) and ran work towards the end of my career. Anyhow, a great test of a guy's mettle is to have make a proper set of horses and layout and cutout stair stringers by hand. I'm humored by house builders around my locale and how they slap trusses up and start sheeting without so much as straightening the walls or using a string line to make sure the trusses are straight. Guess that makes us old farts, huh?
T.Z.
I refuse to be an old fart.*I* am a grouchy old man-- I'm the guy everyone avoids annoying.
a great test of a guy's mettle is to have make a proper approsch to your wife. I would hug her as ashe was was at 20 or maybe 40 years later... AND she was your NEW Bride!
Indeed -- in houses built in the last 30 years or so, plumb and square are mere abstractions. A couple of years ago, I made a nice self-supporting shelf/storage piece for my shop. It was designed without a back, as the theory was that it would go flush against the wall. Imagine my dismay when I learned that the wall was 3 inches out of plumb! Of course, being a trusting soul, I had not checked for plumb until installation time, as I figured that minor differences could be scribed. IN the event, I had to make a quick run to the borg for some birch plywood.This was in an unattached garage, but still.Joe
The mark of a good tradesman is how good he can make a remodeling project look, especially around new or old projects without plumb or level walls and out of square door and window openings.
With our hobby and profession, too many times we get caught up in preparing for the job instead of tackling it. Too many times we have to have all the little gadgets that we think will make things easier. When I worked for a living (over twenty years ago now!), I was told numerous times only buy what you need and you will know what you need when you are doing the job.
In the end, the hardest part of any job is getting started!
Beautiful warm day out here in NW PA! And I'm having a very hard time getting started doing anything in the office! Maybe I ought to just leave, see if my rototiller will start and maybe turn the soil in my garden!
T.Z.
When you hear someone say some version of "they just don't build houses like they used to", you say "thank god!"Then list ten reasons why modern houses are superior to houses built "back when".1. You might have a chance to get out of a modern house in the event of a fire.
2. Sheetrock doesn't burn. Lathe is made of cedar.
3. Double pane windows.And so on. You get the picture.The real value in a house built at the turn of the 19th century is the lot.
Tony:Right on all counts -- and here in sunny north Texas the peaches and pears are in bloom, making spring fever all the worse.Jammer, or Charles or whoever:I can't disagree, in general. I like the fire codes, and the new materials if used with skill make for fine dwellings. The real problem is in the lack of skill and care in many "carpenters." Actually, they are of course, NOT carpenters, but merely "construction workers." Real carpenters still exist, but they have been the exception around here. Maybe the cool-down in construction will weed out the field again -- who knows?All I can say is that I have seen work that is really a shame -- even in expensive homes.Where I disagree with you about older houses is with some of the well-made brick and stone buildings, and even many of the wooden ones. True, they may need to be modified for current understandings of fire safety, and they may need some reinforcement here and there, but some were truly built for the ages.Friends of ours live in an 1858 Federal-style home in Galveston. Is is made of thick solid brick with cypress framing. It survived the Great Galveston Hurricane -- which leveled most of the island, and it survived last years big Galveston hurricane. Joe
Edited 3/18/2009 11:41 am ET by Joe Sullivan
They never go in willy nilly. I always make sure the bevels are in contact with some other tool. Makesem abit nervus. That's also how I create my toothed blades for my best dovetails.
Rack? What Rack? We don't do no stinkin rack!
I got your pun and intent. By posting the picture of my tool rack I was agreeing with you.
Regards from Perth
Derek
I avoid anythig that causes stuff to stick to my chisels. I can cause real problems when sharpening!
URSA
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled