Marj Beynon on thu 19 apr 01
Has anyone made trimming tools from band saw blades? Would I need to =
heat these before bending? Could I use my bench grinder to put and edge =
on these ? I have access to some broken fine tooth blades. I would of =
course use the inside edge of these if they would be appropriate for =
trim tool making. Appreciate any suggestions. MarjB
=20
vince pitelka on fri 20 apr 01
Has anyone made trimming tools from band saw blades? Would I need to heat
these before bending? Could I use my bench grinder to put and edge on these
? I have access to some broken fine tooth blades. I would of course use
the inside edge of these if they would be appropriate for trim tool making.
Appreciate any suggestions. MarjB
Marj -
Yes, bandsaw blades make excellent trimming tools. You will need to heat
them in order to bend them to shape. A propane torch will give a broad
red-heat suitable for a curved trimming tool, but if you want an angled
trimming tool you will need an oxy-acetylene torch with a fairly small tip,
so that you can concentrate the heat in a small area. Heat the blade barely
enough to bend it, and then quench in water immediately. That will restore
the temper and hardness. I recommend that you grind the teeth off and
sharpen the edge before bending them. For a handle you can use one from an
old trimming tool, or any general-use file handle, or any thick dowel,
broomstick, or tree branch of an appropriate size. For the latter three
options, drill an appropriate hole in the end and glue the blade in place.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Marianne Lombardo on fri 20 apr 01
Hello Marj;
Yes I have tried this, but I used hacksaw blades which I think are very
similar. There is a an article by Don Adamaitis in the Spring 2000 issue of
Pottery Making Illustrated about this. You must heat the blade at the
bending spot until it glows red, or the blade will snap.
Marianne Lombardo
Omemee, Ontario, Canada
email: mlombardo@nexicom.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Marj Beynon"
To:
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2001 9:01 PM
Subject: tool making
Has anyone made trimming tools from band saw blades? Would I need to heat
these before bending? Could I use my bench grinder to put and edge on these
? I have access to some broken fine tooth blades. I would of course use
the inside edge of these if they would be appropriate for trim tool making.
Appreciate any suggestions. MarjB
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Philip on fri 20 apr 01
Dear Marj,
My recollection of the nature of Band Saw Blades, is that the 'teeth' side
may have a Temper not present in the 'back' or non-tooth side...in narrow
blades, this may not be, or not be as noticed.
If you need small tight bends from them, you may consider doing so over some
'form' that is smaller, as they will spring back...that or they will snap.
If this part works, you could sharpen them maybe with a fine file...or
should you prefer, with a Bench Grinder.
However, do keep the metal 'cool', and have a 'true' Wheel which is fairly
'fine'...or even quite 'fine'...and have a light easy 'hand'...
This may still raise a 'wire-edge' on the bevel...this may be a consequence
of the relative hardness of the band-saw blade...if these were Blades for
Cutting Wood, you will likely get this 'wire-edge' being dangleing on the
bevel...if they were for cutting Metals, the Blades may be hard enough where
you will not get this.
A light finishing up with 'Whet-Stones'(and soapy water, or W-D 40), going
into the bevel may conclude your Sharpening...or just work the 'wire-edge'
back and forth with your thumb - across the bevel - and see how they 'Trim'
just as that.
Good luck in your experiments!
Phil
las vegas
----- Original Message -----
From: "Marj Beynon"
To:
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2001 6:01 PM
Subject: tool making
Has anyone made trimming tools from band saw blades? Would I need to heat
these before bending? Could I use my bench grinder to put and edge on these
? I have access to some broken fine tooth blades. I would of course use
the inside edge of these if they would be appropriate for trim tool making.
Appreciate any suggestions. MarjB
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Kathy Rhoades on tue 6 jun 06
Can someone tell me the name of a book about making tools for pottery. For the life of me I can't find it on the internet and I know I saw one.
thanks in advance,
Kathy Rhoades in PA
Lois Wilkins on wed 7 jun 06
Kathy,
One book is Handmade Potter's Tools by Gordon Wong and Philip Whitford. My
copy is the 2004 edition unabridged. It's available from the Branfmans'
shop.
Also, Mayor Mel's Pottery: A Life, A Lifetime includes information about
making tools.
Enjoy.
Lois
Lois Wilkins
in eastern PA where we're finally getting some rain
claywork@verizon.net
Subject: tool making
> Can someone tell me the name of a book about making tools for pottery.
For the life of me I can't find it on the internet and I know I saw one.
> thanks in advance,
> Kathy Rhoades in PA
Neal on wed 7 jun 06
A great book with lots of drawings on tool making
is The Japanese Pottery Handbook by Penny
Simpson, et al. It was originally published in
the '70s and recently reprinted.
Neal O'Briant
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Chris Leake on wed 7 jun 06
-----Original Message-----
>From: Kathy Rhoades
>Sent: Jun 6, 2006 1:18 PM
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: tool making
>
>Can someone tell me the name of a book about making tools for pottery. For the life of me I can't find it on the internet and I know I saw one.
>thanks in advance,
>Kathy Rhoades in PA
The book I have is
Handmade Potter's Tools
by
Philip Whitford and Gordon Wong
printed by
Kodansha International 1986
Hope that helps.
Sincerely
Chris Leake
http://www.leakeart.com
Taylor Hendrix on wed 7 jun 06
The first edition is...
The Japanese pottery handbook /
Penny Simpson; Kanji Sodeoka; Lucy Kitto
1979 1st ed.
English Book 118 p. : ill. ; 19 x 27 cm.
Tokyo : Kodansha International ; New York : distributor, Kodansha
International/USA through Harper & Row, ; ISBN: 0870113739
Easy to find/buy online. About 16 bucks.
T in R TX
On 6/7/06, Neal wrote:
> A great book with lots of drawings on tool making
> is The Japanese Pottery Handbook by Penny
> Simpson, et al. It was originally published in
> the '70s and recently reprinted.
>
> Neal O'Briant
Taylor Hendrix on wed 7 jun 06
Latest ed. is...
Handmade potter's tools /
Gordon Wong; Philip Whitford
2005
English Book
Vancouver : Hardcopys Digital Pub. Solutions, ; ISBN: 0973356502
and the one I've read here in the library is...
Handmade potter's tools /
Philip Whitford; Gordon Wong
1986 1st ed.
English Book 203 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.
Tokyo ; New York : Kodansha International ; New York, N.Y. : Harper &
Row [distributor], ; ISBN: 0870117726 (U.S. : pbk.)
and to be thorough...
Pottery : a life, a lifetime /
Mel Jacobson
2004
English ix, 162 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm.
Westerville, Ohio : American Ceramic Society, ; ISBN: 1574981250
T in R TX
On 6/7/06, Lois Wilkins wrote:
> Kathy,
>
> One book is Handmade Potter's Tools by Gordon Wong and Philip Whitford. My
> copy is the 2004 edition unabridged. It's available from the Branfmans'
> shop.
>
> Also, Mayor Mel's Pottery: A Life, A Lifetime includes information about
> making tools.
>
> Enjoy.
>
> Lois
Kathy Rhoades on wed 7 jun 06
Thanks to everyone for book ideas on tool making, think I'll order one this evening.
Kathy rhoades in PA
Taylor Hendrix on fri 4 jan 08
Okay folks. I promised I'd prove to you that anyone can make clay
tools. Here is a selection of some of my tools. I have been using a
few for quite awhile and some I have just recently thrown together.
ALL of them were made for specific purposes and serve me well. I
realize that none of them have the finish of a Bison tool or some of
the other great tools out there, but they are functional, they are
mine, and none of them took more than 15 minutes to make.
I repeat -- ANYONE who can produce a fired clay object can make tools
given the raw materials and a few basic hand tools. Check out my blog
for the pic. I'll try to re orient the picture with the 'raw'
materials on the right. Though I've not seen it, I bet Vince's book
talks about how to make these tools. I have collected ideas for these
tools from many sources, mostly from this list, from reading books,
and from keeping my eyes open around potters. Once you start making
tools for yourself, a whole new set of solutions open to you.
The one tool I have yet to try is the throwing dowel I made from a
chair spindle. It is on the far left of the picture. If it doesn't
work out as is, I will turn it into another sponge on a stick
following Vince's recent posting here on ClayArt.
--
Taylor, in Rockport TX
http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/
steve graber on sat 5 jan 08
we all currently use clay, so certainly people could use their own clay to make ribs, sticks, whatever. glazed, unglazed, bisque or high fired.
i guess we could make a tool that truly fits out own hands that way!
i worked at a day job for a while designing grip assemblies for tractors. for fun i made my boss a few grips in clay, and by putting on a glove i squeezed the body of a few clay grips. this gave me a finger ripple that after firing accidently shrunk down to my normal hand size.
see ya
Steve Graber, Graber's Pottery, Inc
Claremont, California USA
The Steve Tool - for awesum texture on pots!
www.graberspottery.com steve@graberspottery.com
----- Original Message ----
From: Taylor Hendrix
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Sent: Friday, January 4, 2008 8:52:06 PM
Subject: Tool Making
Okay folks. I promised I'd prove to you that anyone can make clay
tools. Here is a selection of some of my tools. I have been using a
few for quite awhile and some I have just recently thrown together.
ALL of them were made for specific purposes and serve me well. I
realize that none of them have the finish of a Bison tool or some of
the other great tools out there, but they are functional, they are
mine, and none of them took more than 15 minutes to make.
I repeat -- ANYONE who can produce a fired clay object can make tools
given the raw materials and a few basic hand tools. Check out my blog
for the pic. I'll try to re orient the picture with the 'raw'
materials on the right. Though I've not seen it, I bet Vince's book
talks about how to make these tools. I have collected ideas for these
tools from many sources, mostly from this list, from reading books,
and from keeping my eyes open around potters. Once you start making
tools for yourself, a whole new set of solutions open to you.
The one tool I have yet to try is the throwing dowel I made from a
chair spindle. It is on the far left of the picture. If it doesn't
work out as is, I will turn it into another sponge on a stick
following Vince's recent posting here on ClayArt.
--
Taylor, in Rockport TX
http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/
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subscription settings here: http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
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Vince Pitelka on sat 5 jan 08
Taylor -=20
Your tools look great, and I commend you for being willing to make or =
adapt tools that fit your needs. Regarding the throwing stick, it will =
work a lot better if you grind more away from the "neck." As I =
described in a recent post, you want to leave some of the dowel =
full-thickness for a handle, and then have a long shaft that is ground =
down to 1/4" or 3/8", and then a rounded ball on the end. If you leave =
most of the shaft full thickness, as in the one in your picture, then =
the shaft directly adjacent to the ball end will press against the wall =
of the vessel and you won't be accomplishing anything. =20
Also, the jug finger is not a sponge stick. As I explained, you wrap a =
sponge over the end of the shaft and then wrap a piece of chamois over =
the sponge, and then bind the chamois with copper wire twisted tight. =
After you bind it you can trim off the extra chamois that extends out =
beyond the wire binding. The chamois is lubricated by the water in the =
sponge, and because of the nature of chamois, it runs smoothly on the =
inside of the pot when you are using it to shape the body. Just a =
sponge wrapped over the end with no chamois would not work. So let's =
not call it a sponge stick, okay?
Also, it's perfectly fine to wrap and bind a sponge and chamois over the =
end of a straight throwing stick, but it certainly is not necessary. A =
straight throwing stick is an entirely different animal from a jug =
finger. The straight throwing stick is used for drawing up narrow necks =
and teapot spouts, and in such situations you can still lubricate the =
interior surface. The jug finger is specifically designed for shaping =
the body of a pot after you have already collared the rim, and thus you =
cannot lubricate the inside surface of the pot, and you need the =
self-lubricating feature of the chamois-covered sponge on the jug =
finger. =20
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
Taylor Hendrix on tue 8 jan 08
Er...Vince,
I can understand you wanting folks to get the names right, what with
you having such a vested interest in clay tool nomenclature and all,
(hehe) but you might want to back the train up and have another go at
my clayart post.
While I was not explicit, I was calling the future
stick-with-a-sponge-attached-to-the-end a "sponge on a stick." I
mistakenly referenced a previous posting of yours when I should have
simply written, "I will turn it into another sponge on a stick by
attaching the sponge to the stick with a copper wire wrap." I will be
more careful in future.
You are quite right about the over-thick section on the throwing
stick. I just couldn't bring myself to grinding away so much wood when
another method might prove much easier for me. I actually found a
small wooden ball on a stick inside a rock candy sucker. Alas, the
dowel was too flimsy to be of any real use for throwing
If I ever have the need for one of those straight throwing sticks I
will make one and blog the process. Feel free to comment at will.
Heads up (another hehe) -- I will be calling that tool "Fred the
Head", so be ready.
On 1/5/08, Vince Pitelka wrote:
...
> Also, the jug finger is not a sponge stick. As I explained, you wrap a sponge over the end of the shaft and then wrap a piece of chamois over the sponge, and then bind the chamois with copper wire twisted tight. After you bind it you can trim off the extra chamois that extends out beyond the wire binding. The chamois is lubricated by the water in the sponge, and because of the nature of chamois, it runs smoothly on the inside of the pot when you are using it to shape the body. Just a sponge wrapped over the end with no chamois would not work. So let's not call it a sponge stick, okay?
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