Sharpening Pen Mill

[00lightning]

I've been using a 7mm pen mill purchased from Woodcraft about 1 1/2 years ago. It has finally gotten so dull I'm having problems trimming the blank ends. I've tried shapening it using a diamond file as well as a grinder but has not helped. Has anyone successfully sharpen one or should I just buy a new one? Thanks

 

[JimGo]

Try these threads:

http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4492&SearchTerms=sharpen,pen,mill

http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=679&SearchTerms=sharpen,pen,mill

http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=1728&SearchTerms=sharpen,pen,mill

http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=1639&SearchTerms=sharpen,pen,mill

 

[swm6500]

Been lurking out there have you Gilbert. Welcome to the IAP, and you don't have to be a stranger. I touch my pen mill up with a diamond file fairly regularly and have not had any problems.

 

[Rifleman1776]

As I admitted in another discussion on this subject, I once did screw up mine. But, with care, they can be easily sharpened using a belt sander/grinder. Mine is a 1" with the belt backing removed. Using about an 80 grit belt, just touch the edge lightly for a second. Watch carefully to get your angle right. The whole process should take about a minute. Same method can be used for Forstnet bits.

 

[00lightning]

Originally posted by swm6500
<br />Been lurking out there have you Gilbert. Welcome to the IAP, and you don't have to be a stranger. I touch my pen mill up with a diamond file fairly regularly and have not had any problems.

Okay, I admit it.[] I've been lurking for a while. Thanks t all for the links and tips. Maybe I need to work on my technique.

 

[Tom Stephens]

Paul in OKC is offering to sharpen pen mills for a fee.
Tom

 

[mewell]

After struggling with the same thing, I *finally* hit on an idea to make my mill sharpening easier for me. Here's what I did:

I already had some of these diamond cutoff disks from Harbor Freight that I'd bought for my Dremel:


I'd dried mounting the Dremel on the lathe without success so I went the route of the pen squaring jig that uses a sander. I had problems with that so I put my mind to improving the method of using those cutoff disks.

Initially I just tilted the drill press table and chucked the mill in the pen vise. Needless to say it got to be a real *pain* to unlock the table, tilt it, move the pen vise, etc., etc. Just today I thought about how to change the angle of the mill without changing the angle of the vise and came up with this:



(Note Paul Huffman's fine vise)

I used a 15/64 inch bit to drill the hole for a good <u>SNUG</u> fit in the block of pine and just set the depth stop to make sure all the "wings" are consistent.



Hope this helps some others!

 

[Old Griz]

I am seeing something that disturbs me... a lot of people seem to be sharpening the angled flat at the top of the trimmer... every direction I have ever read tells you to sharpen the upright flat of the trimmer... I do this with a set of small diamond stones and my trimmer is sharp in no time at all.

 

[Dario]

Originally posted by Old Griz
<br />I am seeing something that disturbs me... a lot of people seem to be sharpening the angled flat at the top of the trimmer... every direction I have ever read tells you to sharpen the upright flat of the trimmer... I do this with a set of small diamond stones and my trimmer is sharp in no time at all.

Tom,

I never saw the directions and I am doing it that way...all the while I thought I am the odd lot []. Yep sharpening it that way is very quick and almost fool proof.

 

[Paul in OKC]

Originally posted by Old Griz
<br />I am seeing something that disturbs me... a lot of people seem to be sharpening the angled flat at the top of the trimmer... every direction I have ever read tells you to sharpen the upright flat of the trimmer... I do this with a set of small diamond stones and my trimmer is sharp in no time at all.

I don't see why this wouldn't work, at least for a few sharpenings. I sharpen mine by hand once or twice, but love to have that nice sharp edge to true things up. Eventually you will wear the flat to an angle and a negative rake on the face (granted it may take a lot of sharpenings to do this).
My offer is to give them that nice new sharp feel to the cutter every so often in between hand sharpens[]

 

[mewell]

I never got instructions either[:0]... It would be alot easier than what I'm doing now!

 

[opfoto]

I never got instructions with my set of mills either.


Griz, is there a chance that you may be able to help us with that???? A pic of the stones would be great....TIA

 

[Bill Collier]

A diamond file is the tool of choice for me too. As an ex-butcher keeping a sharp edge is in my blood.

 

[Old Griz]

The Diamond stones I use look like this

These are from woodcraft.. here is the link http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?DeptID=4027&FamilyID=4343
I think I got mine from HF a lot cheaper...

 

[ctEaglesc]

Originally posted by Old Griz
<br />I am seeing something that disturbs me... a lot of people seem to be sharpening the angled flat at the top of the trimmer... <b>every direction I have ever read tells you to sharpen the upright flat of the trimmer...</b> I do this with a set of small diamond stones and my trimmer is sharp in no time at all.

Griz is there any way you could post a copy of the instructions you have seen.
I have bought mills from WC and PSI and neither of those came with sharpening instructions.( that I reacall)[^]

 

[Old Griz]

Directions I am talking about came from various forums... there was no instruction sheet on mine either... But I started doing it that way and it is quick and easy... and my trimmer cuts nice..
I touch it up about every 20 blanks or so.. more so if I am doing a real resenous wood.. or if I am going to work on a piece of real narly burl that might chip

 

[Dario]

I never read it from any other forum but when I am was planning on re-sharpening mine, I remembered a Oneway sharpening video instruction on how to sharpen an insert on their multi-tip tool. I would normally sharpen the curved side and was surprised that they sharpen the flat top portion of it. That gave me the idea to shrapen the vertical face of the barrel trimmer..sure works great and fast too.

 

[alamocdc]

I've actually been using a diamond hone on both flats of mine, but this thread got me thinking. All of the instructions I've ever read for sharpening a scraper (crucial tool for fine woodworking) have you leaving a burr on the cutting edge so the tool will cut better. It makes extremely thin shavings if you do it right.

<br />
Having said that, it makes sense to sharpen the flat on the "top" of the trimmer.

 

[vick]

I can see your point, but I think you are not scraping you are cutting. I think that they want you sharpening the vertical face is so you do not mess up the angle on the horizonal face.

 

[alamocdc]

Yes, Mike you are cutting. That's the point. It works much the same way as a plane in fact. But the fine burr is what actually gives you your cutting edge. On the barrel trimmer if you had 2 edges at near 90 degrees without a burr, you wouldn't have much of a cutting edge. You'd have more of a tearing edge.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I have never seen those instructions either. I sharpen the angle, just like with any tool and it works fine. There is a risk in trying to sharpen on the flat side. If the stone is not perfectly flat a second angle will be ground on the edge causing it to dig rather than shave. I don't see anything wrong with sharpening the angle.

 

[00lightning]

Originally posted by Old Griz
<br />Directions I am talking about came from various forums... there was no instruction sheet on mine either... But I started doing it that way and it is quick and easy... and my trimmer cuts nice..
I touch it up about every 20 blanks or so.. more so if I am doing a real resenous wood.. or if I am going to work on a piece of real narly burl that might chip

Is there anyway you could post a pic of the mill showing the area sharpened. I think you're saying to sharpen the vertical flat, while I've been sharpening the top of the mill. Thanks.

 

[Brent]

well Griz you got a good one going here, I sharpen mine the same way that you are talking about. Just a few strokes and your back in business

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by alamocdc
<br />Yes, Mike you are cutting. That's the point. It works much the same way as a plane in fact. But the fine burr is what actually gives you your cutting edge. On the barrel trimmer if you had 2 edges at near 90 degrees without a burr, you wouldn't have much of a cutting edge. You'd have more of a tearing edge.

I read this several times trying to figure out how the statement about leaving the burr on made sense. No offense intended. But leaving the burr on any cutting edge is undesirable. With turning tools, it is unimportant. A second of turning and the burr is gone. But with cutting tools (chisles, knives, barrel trimmers, etc.) the best result is with the burr, or wire edge as some call it, honed off. I learned this from wood carvers and master knife makers. The best cutting edge is after the burr is honed or stroped off. In fact, wood carving is nearly impossible unless the burr is stroped off. Ask old time barbers, if you can still find one, what the result would be if they gave a shave after sharpening a straight edge razor but didn't strop it. The result would be pain and blood. Pick up any instructional book on sharpening, wether it be knives or tools, they all advise removing the burr edge.

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by Old Griz<br />.....a lot of people seem to be sharpening the angled flat at the top of the trimmer.....

Tom: If you use the analogy of sharpening a drill bit, then sharpenining the narrow, angled flat would be the correct surface to hone. That is the way I do mine and it works just fine; but I am hardly an expert sharpener, Right off hand I don't see any reason why you couldn't or shouldn't sharpen the front vertical flat since the geometry of the mill makes it possible. I would love to hear from a professional tool sharpener to see what he has to say??

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by Randy_
<br />

Originally posted by Old Griz<br />.....a lot of people seem to be sharpening the angled flat at the top of the trimmer.....

Tom: If you use the analogy of sharpening a drill bit, then sharpenining the narrow, angled flat would be the correct surface to hone. That is the way I do mine and it works just fine; but I am hardly an expert sharpener, Right off hand I don't see any reason why you couldn't or shouldn't sharpen the front vertical flat since the geometry of the mill makes it possible. I would love to hear from a professional tool sharpener to see what he has to say??

When I first took mine to a professional tool sharpener, he sharpened the angled portion. I watched and learned.

 

[ctEaglesc]

Frank, the wire edge is desireable in a cabinet scraper which is a far surperior method than sanding flat work.
Okay now that that is done.
As counter intuitive as it seems, the method Grizz posted works better than any other I have tried.I have "tiuched up the "flats" akways worrying about ruining the angle.
I used a regular riffel file since my diamond stone did not have the "edge" to work against the mill.
Instead of it being necessary to grip a blank with a pair of channel locks, after sharpening with this method I held the blanks by hand and watched the shaving litterally jump off.
I still pan to have my mill done to make sure the angles are true and level but this was an eye opener.

 

[JimGo]

OK, I'm still lost. I know my mill is getting dull, so I'll need to sharpen it, but I don't understand to which surfaces the references above are made. Would someone be kind enough to post a pic or two to help out a visual learner like me?

 

[Paul in OKC]

When I first took mine to a professional tool sharpener, he sharpened the angled portion. I watched and learned.

I sharpen on a tool and cutter grinder, sharpening the angled portion. As an addition to my previous offer, I will touch up your drill bits as well, for $1 for first one, .50 for each other one, if you send them at the same time.

 

[alamocdc]

Eagle, you beat me to it, but the point about scrapers is made. I was not intending that a wire edge be left on the pen mill. I was simply drawing an analogy between the edge that's cutting and the edge that logically (to me) needs sharpened. Based on the posted experience of others, my logic may be illogical. One way to find out is for me to try it both ways and see which one works best and longest.