Sharpening

[Peninhandrjg]

Hi All,
Simple question from a newbie; Sharpening my tools, how often?
Also, tell me I shouldn't be scared to death of ruining them.
I'd like to thank all of you who continualy post here their pics and tips. Has made my pen turning experiance much more fun.
Randy

 

[ctEaglesc]

I very seldom use a grinder.
I use a diamond stone to "hone" the edge.
I keep it right at the lathe.
Lowes has a small one with two differnt grits for less than $25.00.
I will also use my belt sander(120 grit) to true up an edge and then hone it on the stone.
You didn't say what kind of chisels you are using.
I will use anything I can put an edge on.
I purchased a set of long handled chisels at HF for $9.99. and cut the handles shorter.
I can't see well enough from a foot away to use the long handles.
I also use small chip carving chisels but that requires honing a little more often.
The beauty of having inexpensive chisels is if you screw them up you can always reshape and sharpen them.
I thought I would get a "good" set later on.
Haven't needed them.
I even use them on mild steel and brass.
I sell my pens to Jewlery stores and the owner never has asked how expensive my tools are.

 

[tipusnr]

The good news is that you, generally, can't ruin your tools sharpening them - no mater how bad you mess up. You can only make them shorter grinding away bad edges and metal that has lost its temper from overheating.

The bad news is there are so many ways to sharpen tools and it takes a while to get to find one that you are comfortable with and is repeatable (I still haven't done it). Hopefully you can get someone, locally, to work with you on how to do this using either the tools/jigs/devices you have or that you are willing to purchase. After that it is practice, practice, and more practice.

For me this has been the hardest part of woodturning.

 

[ctEaglesc]

Tip I agree with you whole heartedly.( about the good and the bad)
There is a turner in town who does custom work,He builds his own lathes(he showed me the components for one that he has yet to set up in his studio.It has a 5 speed truck transmission for the drive including reverse.)He turns "bowls that are 5'(yep that's feet) in dia.
I asked him how he sharpens wis chisels and the reply was"by eye"
If I were to build a sharpening jig it would be a variation on the Wolverine.I don't have the space for it nor do I have the time to build it now.(it's on the "roundtuit" list)
Another variation of the Wolverine is a belt disc sander mounted 90º to the bench.The handle of the tool rests on the bench a given distance from the sander providing a consistent angle.
Given the variety of belts in various grits and the ease of changing, this is the way I would go.
The purpose for turning the sander 90º rather than just elevating the belt as designed is the belt "drags" the edge rather than "pushes".
It is a much safer method.( another for the "roundtuit list)
For now it's the diamond stone and practice.

 

[Ken Massingale]

Randy,
As another newbie to turning, I will suggest that you get the wolverine jig, if you are sharpening challenged as I am. Makes keeping the angle consistant easy. Also, rough cut a circle of 3/4" mdf about 6" dia. drill a hole in the center, true it on your lathe. Stick a 3/8" bolt through it, lock nut on both sides. Put the bolt in your drill press (slow speed), add honing compound, I use the red, on the edge and top. Use the top of the circle for skews and the edge for the gouges, etc. I find honing this way, or as eagle said use a diamond hone.
ken

 

[woodscavenger]

I try to sharpen before my last 2 or three small cuts. It reduces my tear outs. I keep a small diamond hone (HF $7) by my lathe.

 

[jwoodwright]

I use the Wolverine to define the shape and sharpen. Then I maintain by honing. Two small diamond hones, 1-round, 1-flat...[8D]

 

[dougle40]

I've been using a 1" belt sander for all my re-sharpening and keep a pocket stone handy in case I end up with a slight burr on one side .
The biggest mistake one can make is to try grinding a tool on the stones that come with your grinder . They're much too hard and you can burn the tools very easily . You have to get a stone that has a "soft bond" . They wear out much more quickly but there's less chance of burning a tool and losing the temper .

 

[DCBluesman]

Randy--a couple of things that I haven't seen mentioned are 1) since you are new, try to keep the same angle as you initially had. You can easily tell that by visually inspecting the new surface as you sharpen, and 2) Don't sharpen past a new edge. I've seen folks take measurable amounts off their tools, thinking that removing more metal will provide a sharper tool. That's not the case. A little grinding and a little honing goes a long way. Also, there are more than a few good sharpening videos and books. "The Complete Guide to Sharpening" is overkill for our few tools, but will take you a very long way in woodworking. It's available here. http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?DeptID=2177&FamilyID=3108

 

[Mudder]

I don't "sharpen" my tools at all. What I do is dress the bevel,If you think sharpening you tend to grind away too much. Think about dressing the bevel to meet the edge.

 

[TheHeretic]

I have the Wolverine and have foudn that I dont use it as often as I thought I would. I use it when the bevels have gotten bad or I dropped the chisel. Other than that I use a combination of 1000 grit snadpaper and a diamond stone. Seems to work for me. I will usually hit each chisel once or twice with the diamond stone just bfore each pen or bowl. Usually is enough with that. There are some bowls that I need to use the diamond stone or paper more than once through the course of the bowl. It becomes intuitive. You see or feel like your presing to hard or chips are coming off rather than shavings and you need to hone it a bit.

Good luck

Dean
Columbus OH

 

[Randy_]

No one has answered Randy's first question yet so another Randy will have to do the dirty deed!!! [xx(]

The answer is as ofter as necessary!!! Not exactly what you wanted to hear.....right?? It is, however, the correct answer. If you are making pens and using a soft wood, you may be able to make quite a few of them before your tools need to be resharpened. If you are making a larger item out of a hard or abrasive wood, you may need to sharpen your tools several times during a single project. After you have been turning for a while, you will develop a feel and know when your tools are not doing their best.....that is the time to sharpen them!!! Another consideration is the quality of your tools. Some are made out of better steel than others and will hold an edge longer than others.

Of course, another question is what do you mean by sharpening??? As an example, a chef at a big restaurant may not put his good cutlery to the wheel but once a month. On the other hand he week probably hit that blade with his "steel" several times a night.

As was mentioned earlier, once your bevel is established on the wheel, you shouldn't need to go back to it very often.....unless you are a very high volume turner or unless you have a accident(hidden nail for instance) and screw up an edge. If you are regularly touching up your blade with fine sandpaper, a natural or diamond stone or one of the honing materials, you could go a long time before ever putting your tools back on a grinding wheel. Sharpening tools is not the easiest thing in the world to learn and it's a lot easier to pick up if you have a good in-person instructor than learning from a book; but once you learn the principles of sharpening, you can pretty much sharpen anything that will take an edge. If you don't have someone available to help you, probably you should look around for a good video. I can't suggest one, personally; but maybe someone here can offer a suggestion.

 

[opfoto]

I would like info on these diamond hones everyone is raving about. Proper use and type if possible. I have been touching up the tools on the grinder and the wolverine jig...just about every time I use them. I have the 8 in 1725 rpms with the 2 white wheels...120 and 60 grits I think. I use the finer wheeel for quick touchups. Thanks.

 

[woodpens]

Originally posted by Randy.
<br />If you are making pens and using a soft wood, you may be able to make quite a few of them before your tools need to be resharpened. If you are making a larger item out of a hard or abrasive wood, you may need to sharpen your tools several times during a single project.

How often do you think I will have to sharpen them while turning a pen from mother of pearl??? []

 

[Randy]

Alan Lacer has an excellent article about honing. Try this site
http://alanlacer.com/articles/ttahoning.html
I too hone my tools but there comes a time when you need to remove more material to maintain a correct bevel and that is where the Wolverine has been so much help. I would suggest you find some experienced woodturners in your area and ask them for help. A quick demonstration is priceless compared to trial and error.Improperly sharpened and dull tools are also dangerous.

 

[Gary]

Originally posted by woodpens
<br />

Originally posted by Randy.
<br />If you are making pens and using a soft wood, you may be able to make quite a few of them before your tools need to be resharpened. If you are making a larger item out of a hard or abrasive wood, you may need to sharpen your tools several times during a single project.

How often do you think I will have to sharpen them while turning a pen from mother of pearl??? []

Hey, Jim...whatever happened to that? The last post I saw you were trying to decide how to drill it.

 

[jkirkb94]

Randy, thank you for the article! I'm printing it as I am typing this! Kirk[8D]

 

[Randy]

Kirk
You a very welcome, I also have Alan's DVD on the skew chisel and it is by far the best intructional video I have seen.

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by woodpens<br />How often do you think I will have to sharpen them while turning a pen from mother of pearl??? []

Jim: I have absolutely no idea?? I'm guessing that stuff is pretty soft and should be fairly easy on the tools; but......who knows?? Let us know what you find out!!

 

[Carole in VA]

When your tool stops cutting nice shavings, sharpen. I do not hone. I go straight from the grinder (120) and Wolverine to turning. I use the coarser grit wheel only to reshape or create a new profile. I have found that I don't like any of the factory profiles. On the grinder, pay attention to the sparks (thanks Philip!)...when they start coming over the top of the edge, you're done. Just my two cents worth![]

 

[Fred in NC]

Mother of pearl, abalone shell, etc. are very dangerous materials. The dust is very harmful. I understand it is cut and machined under water.

 

[Deere41h]

Oneway has a nice CD that they will send out, or you can down load from their web site, on sharpening and using the Wolverine system. I have the Wolverine system and have learned a lot from the lessons that Oneway supplies in their videos. Try this site if you are interested in the CD or downloading their lessons. This is not an answer as to how often you should sharpen you tools though.

http://www.oneway.on.ca/forms/multi-media_request.htm

 

[Fred in NC]

John, I sent for the CD about a week ago. Should be here soon. I already have the jig.

 

[Carole in VA]

Is the CD any different from the downloadable videos?

 

[Deere41h]

Originally posted by Carole in VA
<br />Is the CD any different from the downloadable videos?

I don't think so. The problem with the downloads is that they are very large and take some time to load. The positive is that they then are on your computer to watch as you wish.

 

[Fred in NC]

What I like about the CD is that I can also watch it in my living room in a more comfortable chair !!!