Sharpening issues.

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Snorton20

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Jun 18, 2008
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188
Location
fredericksburg, va, USA.
I recently acquired a wolverine sharpening jig. I use it with the HF grinder, with the wet stone. http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-wet-6-inch-dry-grinder-35098.html I set the jig up to the directions that came with the jig on the wet stone side of the grinder. Now the Question is, does it matter when sharpening what direction the wheel is turning to create a better consistent sharp tool? Does it have to turn toward the tool or can it turn against?
 
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Good question. Guess it would be fine as long as you are happy with the results. Might tend to leave a wire edge on a high speed grinder but with slow speed I don't know if it would be a problem. Best thing would be to try it and see what happens. Please let us know how it works.
 
You want the wheel turning towards the tool edge because it will "pull" the heat away from the edge. Also, if the wheel is turning away then it would be as if the metal is being smeared or stretched with lots of burs. Also, if the wheel is turning away from the edge then the sparks will fly up in your face, if you're using a water stone then heat and sparks aren't an issue.
 
What Marla said. Always have the wheel turning into the cutting edge. This gives you a good sharp edge without the burr, or at least a lot smaller burr than if you have the wheel turning away from the tool. You should not have to worry about sparks with a low speed grinder.
 
It depends on what you want to do with the grinding. To remove lots of metal quickly, have the wheel turning toward the cutting edge. To remove small amounts of metal have the wheel turn away from the edge. If the tool has been badly damaged (caught and a chunk ripped out) then have the wheel turning into the edge to build a new edge. If all that is needed is a quick touch-up then have the wheel turning away from the cutting edge of the tool.
Anyhow, that is how I was taught in my shop class about a thousand years ago.
 
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