First Time Planer Blade And Lathe Tool Sharpening

aloibl · Post by **aloibl** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 1:47 pm

Well I have had the jigs for a while and it was finally time to sharpen my planer blades and some lathe tools. Here are my comments on these two Shopsmith jigs.

Planer and Joiner blade jig

I had read previous threads where it was brought up to keep an eye on the washer as sometimes they can prevent the blade from being in the jig correctly. Didn't have any problem with that as I inspected both ends of the jig to make sure the blades were in the correct place before grinding down the edges. Also from reading previous threads I changed the angle that I ground on the blades to slightly less than a 45 degree. Everything went ok except for the little nylon inserts in the back of the jig that rest against the rip fence. They kept falling off and breaking the tabs. I think before I use it again I will get some of that "slick" tape that Woodcraft sells and apply it to the back of the jig. That way I don't have to worry about the nylon inserts falling off in the middle of trying to sharpen a blade but still have the non-friction that the nylon inserts give you. Put the newly sharpened blades back on the planer and you could really tell a difference. Actually did two sets of the planer blades so became comfortable using the jig toward the end.

Lathe Tool jig

I watched the Sawdust session on this jig several times and also the video that Papa Dougs has out. Using the information from the Papa Dougs video on changing the shape of the tools to a more usable angle I proceeded to sharpen my lathe tools. Taking my time and dipping my chisels in cold water to keep them cool I spent several hours grinding the new angles on my tools. I really like the jig. Seem to do a good job on the tools. Of course the only way you can really tell was to put a piece of wood on the lathe and use your tools on it. Hadn't really setup the Shopsmith for use as a lathe but it was pretty easy to do. And I was really pleased with how the sharpened lathe tools worked. Now just need to get some practice on using the lathe so that I can become comfortable with it.

Just a word of warning. Using the disc sander that long on the Shopsmith something was bound to happen. It is surprising how little time it takes for a disc sander to wear off a good chunk of skin on the knuckle of your finger. Every keep safe!!!

Thanks,

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:04 pm

Alan, what steel is your lathe tools made of? Carbon steel ya should dip frequently, tool steel ya shouldn't, just let em air cool if they get to hot.

STB · Post by **STB** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:30 pm

[quote="beeg"]Alan, what steel is your lathe tools made of? Carbon steel ya should dip frequently, tool steel ya shouldn't, just let em air cool if they get to hot. [/QUOTE

Why

aloibl · Post by **aloibl** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 3:11 pm

I don't know what type of steel they are? They are Shopsmith lathe tools. But all the videos I have watched concerning sharpening lathe tools all suggested having a source of cold water to help keep the tools as cool as possible. I do know that overheating the steel in any kind of tool is detrimental in maintaining its sharpness.

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 3:19 pm

stumpbuster wrote:
beeg wrote:Alan, what steel is your lathe tools made of? Carbon steel ya should dip frequently, tool steel ya shouldn't, just let em air cool if they get to hot. [/QUOTE

Why

Carbon steel will lose it's temper(@ about 400&#176]

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 10:29 pm

Hi, Alan! Glad that posting problems with the washers helped you out. You had to do a search or two to find that subject. Guess that's what the forum is for - hints and answers.

bcone1381 · Post by **bcone1381** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 9:20 am

Tell me more about the sharpening process that you used on the planer blade jig. Is my understanding right that you use the conical sanding disc with this jig? What type and grit sand paper was mounted to the disc?

Brooks

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 1:12 pm

charlese wrote:Hi, Alan! Glad that posting problems with the washers helped you out. You had to do a search or two to find that subject. Guess that's what the forum is for - hints and answers.

Glad he found it before grinding!:eek:

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 8:54 pm

bcone1381 wrote:Tell me more about the sharpening process that you used on the planer blade jig. Is my understanding right that you use the conical sanding disc with this jig? What type and grit sand paper was mounted to the disc?

Brooks

Use a conical disk with conical disk sandpaper. The finest grit Shopsmith has is 150 grit - part number 555433 - they sell 3 disks in a pac @ $18.99.

The conical disk sandpaper has a large hole in the center and is split radially. This way it can be affixed securely to the conical disk.

I've found the 150 grit to do a very good job.

aloibl · Post by **aloibl** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 11:42 pm

Charlese is correct. I used 150 grit sandpaper with a conical disc. Again the biggest problem I had was keeping the nylon inserts in the jig. The other problem I had was setting the conical disc up to where it was grinding the edge of the blade without taking to much off at one time. I kind of "snuck" up on the blade by moving the disc a little closer by extending the quill.