Inletting parts with small radius curves

[DaveP (UK)]

In this case its a barrel tang with a rounded end.
I can work the edge, but what is the best way to remove the waste and pare the bottom of the inlet up into the curve?
I haven't been able to find anything about this. I'm planning to make some inletting chisels. One about 3/16 wide with a curve across the edge would suit my present requirements, but is this the way to go? I haven't even been able to find any ready made tools that would do the job so I'm wondering if I'm barking up the wrong tree.

[rich pierce]

I made my own round ended dogleg chisels for this and have used them for decades.

[smart dog]

Hi Dave,
There are different ways to skin that cat.  Rich apparently uses a round chisel, which is a very good idea.  I trace the outline of the tang with a razor sharp carving knife with a narrow tip. Once the outline is cut and the bulk of the wood in the center is removed, I use a very shallow 3/16" gouge to remove the wood right up to the outline.  The slight curve to the gouge allows me to cut down vertically matching the curve of the outline and cut horizontally to remove the wood chips.  Finally, when down to the bottom of the inlet, I clean the bottom by holding small (1/8-3/16") square chisels vertically and scraping the bottom.  I can follow the curve nicely with the chisels held upright and cutting across the grain. You just have to be careful that you don't lean the shaft against the inlet wall, compressing the wood and creating a gap.  I have several bottoming files, 1 with a pointed nose and another with a rounded nose, that I can use to smooth the bottom of the inlet if necessary.  I usually don't need them except when making a stock from curly maple.  With curly maple, scraping the bottom creates ripples that I file smooth with the bottoming files.

dave   

[Dphariss]

In this case its a barrel tang with a rounded end.
I can work the edge, but what is the best way to remove the waste and pare the bottom of the inlet up into the curve?
I haven't been able to find anything about this. I'm planning to make some inletting chisels. One about 3/16 wide with a curve across the edge would suit my present requirements, but is this the way to go? I haven't even been able to find any ready made tools that would do the job so I'm wondering if I'm barking up the wrong tree.

Make your own tools by all means.
Like tiny straights and anything else you might need. Some things are easier to buy. Somethings just are not available.
I like 01 tool steel for this it can be forged but be careful of cold line breaks. Its best to heat the whole piece lest it be break at least keep the end in the tongs near dull red.
I don't know what this steel equates to in the UK but it will hold an edge well and is easy to harden and temper. Quench in light oil at 150 degrees or so. Cold oil will not generally produce as hard a part since the cold oil does not form to the part as well as warm oil does. Long parts must go in vertically or they will bend. Use at least a gallon of oil. I heat a heavy piece of steel to near red and put it in the oil to warm it for the actual quench.
Old files can make great tools too. I have a miniature in cannel gouge and a small flat than I made from needle files. Both were made years ago and when I need them they are a lifesaver. I simply annealed a broken round needle file and using its replacement filed the in cannel and then rehardened.
Wash completely oil free and draw the temper in a household oven. But use 2 oven thermometers instead of the dial on the stove, preheat before putting in the parts and make sure the oven will hold temp. I bake small O1 peices for at least an hour then let cool before removing them. Look up the temp for the steel being used. By color a polished part should  a light (hard will actually shave annealed steel but is less forgiving and make break) to dark "straw"(tan) color  for most carbon steels.
It will surely be a learning experience but the tools will give you a great deal of pleasure and with some thought do things that the over the counter stuff cannot.
The inletting knife is also something I use on curves so +1 to what smart dog said.
Dan

[KentSmith]

File a slight drift on the tang as you would an inlay.

[whetrock]

File a slight drift on the tang as you would an inlay.

It is also common to very slightly round the bottom edges of parts that will be inlet. That helps you match the edge and the bottom, without the inside corners causing conflict.

The round nose chisel you are describing sounds great. And like Dan and others have said, learning to make your own chisels, etc. is a real plus. Saves you time and evenually money, and adds a lot to the experience. That said, if you are just asking about how to clean up the bottom of a deep inlet, then I'd point out that you can often just use a very small straight chisel. The corner of the chisel will "go outside the line" just a bit as it relieves material from the bottom of  the inlet, but on a deep inlet where there is a lot of "meat" around the inlet, it makes no practical difference.

In contrast, on shallow inlets (especially with figured or chippy wood), it can be more important to only cut what needs cutting, lest you undercut a chip, that then decides to pop out and cause you a lot of stress! That's where special chisels come in handy.

[P.W.Berkuta]

Get yourself a few scrap blocks of wood and try different methods. Use the method that fits your style and does not create gaps - practice, practice, practice -- and sharpen your tools often.

[Jim Kibler]

This all isn't very critical with inletting.  Just pick smaller tools in tighter radius areas or use a skew.  It's really the same principle in carving, just a little more critical.  If you bang into the side of an inlet a little it's no big deal, but can be more of a problem in carving.  I've never felt the need to make any tools with radiused cutting faces.

[Bob Roller]

I frequently have small width pieces of spring material about 1/8" thick
as well as bits of 0-1 left over that are no use to me and usually toss them
into the trash.If someone can use these,I'll save them.

Bob Roller

[galamb]

If you are looking an inexpensive, off the shelf item, I have a set of tiny chisels that I picked up at a craft store.

They call them carving knives and while they are not super strong they are great for cleaning up tight inlets. I think I paid 10 bucks or so for the set (similar to the pic). The handles are barely thicker than a pencil and they are maybe 4-5" long overall.

[DaveP (UK)]

Thanks! I just needed to know I wasn't being silly 
I'll go with the home made chisels, mainly because that's the way my mind seems to be leaning and because I generally find that cutting is more efficient than scraping - when its possible, that is.
Dan: Thanks for the detailed advice. I can see myself needing to know all that in the near future. I do have AISI Type 01 strip, but on this occasion, considering that these are tools for light duties only I was planning to temper by heating a couple of inches back from the tip and letting the colours flow down. It might not be getting the most from the material but I'm hoping it will be fit for purpose. Would you agree?
Cooking metal bars in the oven - I'd have to pick my moment!

[Dphariss]

If the tool is not fully hardened it may bend when you don't want it to.
I would harden the whole thing then as you say let the color flow to the cutting edge this will allow putting more heat, up to blue perhaps on the handle end to make it a spring and more resistant to breaking.  HOWEVER, its very easy to over heat the cutting edge this way so putting the edge you want hard in water or on a soaking wet towel should protect it. Working slow.

Dan

[blaksmth]

Dave, I inlet a tang very much like smart dog I use a small knife called an X-ACTO , It has replacable  Blades that come to an extremely sharp point and I can get replacement blades for a couple of dollars works great and use lampblack and good chisels. Mine are Sheffield England
steel and I have no idea how old they are some are very thin though and be PATIENT and take your Time

[Acer Saccharum]

To get down into nooks and crannies, I make use of scrapers. I also use chisels as scrapers, tip vertically and drag the sharpened edge across the bottom of the inlet. This doesn't do the edge a lot of good, but that's what stones are for.

[Chris Treichel]

If you really need a very small chisel you can get horse hypodermic needle at your local farm supply store for less than a buck. Cut off the needle and put it into a cork or a pin vise. You use it to cut sideways and watch out their sharp.

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=1e15d699-52ab-445e-995e-6ace0c37cbf5&ccd=IFF003&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&mr:trackingCode=A1F1A264-3C81-E211-BA78-001B21631C34&mr:referralID=NA&mr:device=c&mr:adType=pla&mr:ad=15165183883&mr:keyword=&mr:match=&mr:filter=35192683243&gclid=CJGKw_vzmbsCFel9OgodSHEABg#

[Herb]

I make small inletting chisels from used hacksaw blades.  Score across the blade with the corner of a file or a Dremel cutting disc.  Break off in two-inch chunks.  Grind the cut ends smooth and the teeth off the cutting end for about 1/4".  File or grind a bevel on one side.  Bend to whatever radius you want, can be done cold or for very small, heat red and bend.  On a curved blade, have the bevel on the outside for ease of sharpening.  Can be stoned or filed  sharp.  You can reshape by gently tapping with a hammer if need be, but I make them to a lot of different radii.  Straight ones for cutting straight inlet edges like locks or sideplates, gently curved ones for curves, and some with a radius as small as 3/8 or 1/4" for sideplate bolt "washers".
I tap them straight down with a small hammer, cutting as deep as the inlay is to seat (half the thickness of a sideplate).  Relieve the inside of the cut and then cut the rest down with chisels.  Steel strapping bands from lumber yards also work well.  Hacksaw blades are about .485 wide and .022 thick.  There is 5/8 wide steel banding .019 thick and heavy .85 wide banding .030 thick, as from heavy lumber or post bundles.  I don't retemper the steel if I heat it red to bend.  Works very well.

[davebozell]

Sounds like a great idea.  I'll give it a try on a patchbox I have to inlet.  I assume you use them without handles? 

[Captchee]

 I do all my inletting with chisels  by plunging them  just as Acer is showing in his carving tutorial . If the radius is to tight  and I don’t have a chisel to fit  then I use my small wire inlay chisels  so slowly plunge around the curve .
 For those I have made my own out of those very cheep  small micro screwdrivers you get at the dollar store . Surprising enough , for not being tempered , they hold up very well and don’t bend that easily and will hold an edge for some time . They also work very good for small scrapers  to get into those small tight areas 

[Herb]

No handles, just hold them in my fingers.