Thanks everyone. Comments appreciated.
I will try to answer a couple of questions.
joerogrz: Planing forms are a pair of matched steel bars with a 60 degree V groove down the center. They are used to hold strips of bamboo while they are hand planed to a triangle tapered shape for make the rod.
JohnScott: No, you do not have to be an engineer. Just cause I R 1 shouldn't make a difference.
jklett: The 12L14 works well. I was happy that the raw stock was pretty square and flat on the surfaces. It is a colled rolled bar formulated with a bit of lead in the mix. The lead gives easier machining and a better surface finish. Not as much galling as 1018. It was originally formulated for automatic screw making machinery. Filing the mating surfaces took about 3 hours and you can see the finish on the holes is good.
I filed one surface today so one more to go then its on to the grooves. Hopefully I can post some more pics in about a week.