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Steel for froe

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High-Desert:
I want to make a froe for slitting tougher staves. Does anyone know of a good steel for this? I’ve read that mild steel will work good enough but I’m curious if there is a better steel for the job.

Handforged:

--- Quote from: High-Desert on March 28, 2020, 08:09:57 pm ---I want to make a froe for slitting tougher staves. Does anyone know of a good steel for this? I’ve read that mild steel will work good enough but I’m curious if there is a better steel for the job.

--- End quote ---

I make mine out of 5160 spring steel. You could substitute "leaf spring" steel for it. Mild steel would be a last resort as it won't hold an edge for crap. Since you will be hitting the spine with a mallet, mild steel will deform where hardened steel won't.

Handforged:
I had a second thought.  If I didn't have a forge setup and wanted to make a Fro, here's what I would do.  I would grind the teeth off of an old farriers rasp (arguable 1095 steel) Cut the handle tang off and weld it to a piece of round tubing of the appropriate size for fitting a handle. Then spend your time shaping the cutting edge into about a 30 degree chisel edge. If you do it slowly and don't let the steel get hot (change colors) it would retain it's heat treat. It would be inexpensive, relatively easily made and work VERY well.   I made one exactly like this years and years ago and I still have it somewhere. The larger farriers rasps are 13-15" long. You could cut yours to any length needed from that.

High-Desert:
Thanks Brian, I have been looking for some 5160 steel online after talking to you last week. I learned a lot during our conversation. I really like the idea with the farriers rasp, mine is getting dull and I need to replace it. So that’s exactly what I’m going to do! Thanks for the idea.

Handforged:

--- Quote from: High-Desert on March 28, 2020, 08:46:27 pm ---Thanks Brian, I have been looking for some 5160 steel online after talking to you last week. I learned a lot during our conversation. I really like the idea with the farriers rasp, mine is getting dull and I need to replace it. So that’s exactly what I’m going to do! Thanks for the idea.

--- End quote ---

It will do a great job! If you have a torch, once you get it all welded up and the edge cut to where you want it, heat the spine (opposite of the cutting edge) with the torch until it turns a bluish color. Be careful not to let the color creep down towards the cutting edge. I have done this with the cutting edge in a water bath while heating the spine. What that will do is pull some of the hardness out of the spine so you can use a steel hammer to strike it (if you wanted to). leaving it with full hardness on the spine will lead to chips and cracks if you hit it with a steel hammer as it's too hard.

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