Powder Metal Failure
Paul Coppinger
>While roughing a walnut log recently with my ASP 2060 Roughing Gouge, I had it extended too far over the tool rest and got a catch. It snapped the gouge off right at the handle. I called the vendor and spoke with a technician who indicated this is not uncommon with powder metal tools. He said that the extra edge retention came at the expense of extra brittleness (less grain structure) resulting in failures when subjected to extreme loads. He recommended a M2 tool, which will not hold an edge as long but is more forgiving. He also said the powder metal was not weld-able but that some folks had shaped a new tang on the gouge and refitted to a handle. After ordering a new M2 Roughing Gouge, I used a cut-off tool and disc grinder to cut and shape a new tang on the broken gouge so it would fit the old handle. After removing the broken tang from the old handle, I cut small grooves into the new tang and used epoxy to insure a solid fit in the handle. Now I have a more forgiving gouge for rough work and a powder metal gouge for final log shaping.
Paul Coppinger
