Forge Neuhammer

HSS woodturning tools from the Ore Mountains

The Ore Mountains are considered the most important center of wood turning in Europe. Several hundred woodturners are professionally active here. Also the blacksmith Neuhammer, the only tool smith who still produces turning tools in a purely artisanal way, is located in this low mountain range on the border with the Czech Republic. The hand-forged HSS tools from the forge are traditional professional tools. They have proven themselves in form and quality over many decades.

Forging tools - tool life

Forging densifies the lattice structure of the steel. This gives the cutting edge a much longer service life than industrially produced turning tools. In addition, the tools are forged and hardened to the tang, and thus have a significantly longer life than comparable products.

Sharpening the forging tools 

For sharpening the tools, precious corundum sharpening wheels (white or red) with ceramic bond and open structure are suitable. The grain size should be between 36 and max. 80 and the hardness should be Jot to M. The finer the grit of a grinding wheel, the less reworking is required with whetstones. On the other hand, the risk of annealing is higher, which should be avoided at all costs. We therefore recommend sharpening wheels with grit size 46 and hardness Jot to our customers. Finer grits are only useful for special grinding tasks (e.g. profile grinding with very narrow wheels). Wet grinding machines prevent overheating of the cutting edge. However, such machines are slow runners, which means that the grinding time is higher than with dry grinding. Machines with abrasive belts are a viable alternative.

In any case, a ground tool must be reworked so that the burr created by grinding disappears. Arkansas whetstones have proved useful for this purpose. Honing of the cutting edge can also be done with the finest diamond files or with the help of polishing pastes on felt or leather wheels (we can provide further information on sharpening equipment).

Customer information on forged turning irons 

We take it for granted that tools used in woodturning are handled properly. We do not assume any liability for disadvantages caused by improper handling. This also applies to the sharpening process.

We guarantee a constant high quality of the steel and the hardening of the tools and hope you will enjoy working with these high quality tools.

Read more about the forged tools from the Erzgebirge, their production and the philosophy of handmade tools in the Drechslermagazin issue summer 2010 issue 11 (pdf-file ca. 0,5 MB).

Click here for the Drechslermagazin...

Please note that the hand-forged tools of the brand "Neuhammer" (formerly Gläser) are delivered without hilt.

Compared to industrially produced mass products, please note that dimensions and shape show slight variations due to the manufacturing technology of hand-forging. In addition, cutting edge shape and sharpness of new tools are not yet ready for use. All tools must first be sharpened. This makes it possible to correct the cutting edge shape according to individual requirements (influencing factors such as wood type, workpiece shape and the like).