A Note to All DIY'ers

by **logosys** » 19 Oct 2004 10:24

I am truly sorry for shorthanding you. I never realized how hard making really high quality tools is. To everyone who tries making your own tools, you have my utmost respect.

You see, I am not a very tactile person. I can do woodworking, but that's about where it stops. I decided to make a tension tool and a pick yesterday (last night actually), and I can say this - I did make a functional tool. Barely. It took me about 2 hours, and let's just say that it's not of the highest quality...

That said, I'm determined to actually make a high quality tool. It might just take longer than I thought... So pick_maker, Romstar, and anyone else who has made tools, I applaud you.

by **thertel** » 19 Oct 2004 10:32

I whole heartedly agree with those statements logosys. I have tried making picks as well and I've used machine shops for years and have worked for years with a master carpenter, but have had no luck with picks. Car tools is a different story as are tension tools, but picks...anyone can make an ugly functional tool, but the work that Romstar, PickMaker, Raimundo, and others do is downright amazing. Especially after you make your own tools and realize hom much further you have to go until they are of that calibre.

Thomas

by **Chucklz** » 19 Oct 2004 13:04

Take heart, remember how many nails you bent when you were first learning to use a hammer? You must remember the scale you are working at when making picks. Most powertools have a limited usage, in my current opinion. A grinder will be useful for handles, and shafts, and of course hooks, but a good sharp file will accomplish the same and more, with more precision and accuracy, and when one considers how many picks you have to "redo" due to overheating metal on the grinder, and then the extensive post grinding filing and sanding and polishing required, with practice a file may be actually a quicker way to make picks.

Grinding also introduces a rather subtle complication in making picks. A grinding wheel, is of course round. When grinding, the ground surface will actually be slightly concave, unless you are extremely careful in your grinding. If you hold your pick to be at even a slight angle to the wheel, this effect is enhanced considerably, so much so that a pick may be as much as 1 mm too "high" (or low) on one side. This can make grinding to a pattern very fustrating, as you must inspect both sides of the pick often to assure that you dont grind away too much. Of course, this difference in height is easy to correct with a good file, yet another reason to spend the money initially on a high quality file set.

Ive found that I can file alot more evenly and make straight sections with my file with much more accuracy than I currently can with a grinder. I would suggest using the grinder/dremel only to remove material to about 2 mm from where you actually want the edge to be, then finish with a file. Additionally, I have found that actually making the "diamond" part of diamonds/ half diamonds and the actual "rakes" of rake picks is difficult and fustrating on a grinder. Files are again the way to go.

If you are concerned about the strength of your picks, especially if you make a diamond or some such with a rather thin tang, but a substantial "head" make undercuts in the head, as described by Raimundo to give a better strain distribution. Go slowly, and remember, you can always file a bit more off, but you cant easily just add a bit more metal.

Once you are satisfied with the shape, you should finish the pick in the manner that Raimundo describes, starting with about 80 grit sandpaper (emory cloth lasts longer for me than paper) and moving to finer grades, just as you would when sanding wood. I find that its rather important to do your roundovers etc with the 80 grit paper, as the finer grits just take far too long to achieve the same round over. With the finer grits, I sand just until the scratches left from the previous grit are removed. For final polishing, I spend an hour or so watching TV with the nearly finished pick and a Green grade scotch-brite abrasive pad. This gives me a very fine finish to my picks. I guess one could move up to the grey, and finally white grades to get a super shiny mirror finish, but I find it unnecessary. Hopefully this gives you a bit of encouragement to continue to DIY.

by **Buggs41** » 19 Oct 2004 16:24

I also applaud all tool makers. I have known for many years that metal, and I, do not agree with each other. Always seems the metal wins, and I don't.

by **Hak** » 21 Oct 2004 14:12

Hey Chucklz not all grinder heads are round. I've bought numerous different shaped grinder heads from the Home Depot near my house. You can also buy them if different sizes.

by **Hak** » 21 Oct 2004 14:15

Hey Chucklz not all grinder heads are round. I've bought numerous different shaped grinder heads from the Home Depot near my house. You can also buy them if different sizes. I am able to make good picks (not as good as the people Thertel mentioned, just a lil less quality) in just a couple of hours... or days if i want the picks to look great. I would post some photos of my picks, but i dont have a digital camera :cry:

by **Chucklz** » 21 Oct 2004 15:18

You have a wheel for a bench grinder that isn't round?

by **salzi684** » 21 Oct 2004 15:26

I'm having a hard time with that one as well.

by **Hak** » 21 Oct 2004 15:35

Lol my bad..i was thinking of my Dremmel... my bench grinders are round, but my dremmel has diff heads.. Sorry about that, go ahead and flame me if you'd like :oops:

by **Chucklz** » 21 Oct 2004 15:39

Even your dremel bits are still round. They spin dont they? You may have to think rotationally to "see" what I mean.

by **Hak** » 21 Oct 2004 15:45

Maybe im confused on what you mean.. some of the dremmel heads i have are in diff shapes such as a cone shape... are you talking about shapes, or the how they spin or what?

by **32768** » 21 Oct 2004 17:33

I think he means that any shape that's rotated describes a circle with a radius equal to the distance from the axis of rotation to the most distant point of the shape. So when you spin the cutter in your dremel, it's going to cut shapes with a round cross section. Even, say, a cutoff wheel cuts wee little cylinders.

by **Mad Mick** » 21 Oct 2004 18:32

I think what hak is referring to, is using the Dremel tool along the length of the shaft, which would not be practical on a bench grinder...

Think 'aligning the pick shaft vertically with the wheel, and not horizontally'

by **Chucklz** » 21 Oct 2004 19:25

What I am trying to say can best be explained by some ascii art. I will now attempt a magnified cross section of a pick.

If you use a file, you will have an edge that looks like this ]

If you use a grinding implement, you may end up with an edge that looks more like this (

by **32768** » 21 Oct 2004 20:35

AH! Gotcha.
I like to grind it like the second picture, then use the file to clean up the corners. Much faster than doing it all with the file. You can get pretty good square corners with a dremel cutoff wheel too, though you need a light touch.

A Note to All DIY'ers

A Note to All DIY'ers

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