Lathe First Turn

[terrydowning]

I sharpen as needed. Sometimes several times during a turning sometimes more than one turning, it depends on the material, the speeds you are turning at, and if you had any incidents. Dropping a chisel, nicking the chuck, etc.

As a general rule I try to sharpen at the end of each session as part of the cleanup. This way I can start with sharp chisels. My grand dad was just the opposite. He would drink his morning coffee while sharpening his tools and planning his work for the day.

Be advised, sharpening edged tools especially gouges with stones is tricky and takes patience and practice. The good thing about it is you can tell when things are going wrong before they get too bad. I often use a black marker on the face to be sharpened. Cover the whole bevel and as you rub on the stone you will see the areas that are contacting the stone and the areas that aren't. With practice it becomes second nature.

You may want to look into the Scary Sharp sharpening method It uses a flat substrate of glass or marble tile and adhesive back sandpapers of varying grits 220 - 2000 in progression. This is probably the least expensive method for sharpening out there. Although you will incur a recurring cost in sandpaper

You will need several grits of stones. "Stones" come in different varieties, oil stones (My personal preference but they can be messy), water stones, diamond hones, etc. The least expensive is probably going to be some used oil stones. Check garage sales in your area. They'll probably need to be flattened and a good cleaning and conditioning before any serious sharpening takes place.

I can't speak to water stones as I don't have any and have never used one. I do have a small diamond sharpener that I use a slip stone on gouges and keep it handy for rubbing out a nick or a quick honing if needed and going to the stones is inconvenient.

There are pros and cons for every sharpening system out there, each individual needs to balance time, cost, and skill required for each system to figure out what works best for them. I'm not knocking the Tormek, Work Sharp, or other systems, they are probably great. But if I'm forced to choose between the cost of the sharpening system and the cost of other tools I need or project materials, I'll stick with my oil stones. The stones I use have lasted a lifetime and cost me nothing (except time) as they have been handed down from my grand dad to my dad, to me. That being said, I will admit that it can be a drag to spend time on the stones. It's just part of the discipline required for craftsmanship. If you want a good product, take care of your tools.

Here are a couple of good articles on Oil Stones from the Norse Woodsmith

http://norsewoodsmith.com/content/oil-stones
http://norsewoodsmith.com/content/cleaning-old-oil-stone

[mrhart]

I posted these on the Gallery, but I was reviewing sharpeinng tips and thought I'd put them here.
Family fire pit roasters. One for each member of the family, but I need to do 4 more for the smallest grandkids and a son-in-law? if he ponies up.
[ATTACH]14574[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]14575[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]14576[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]14577[/ATTACH]

[lightnin]

My wifes most frequent comment? "When are you gonna come in the house? jimsjinx:rolleyes:

Ahhhh newly weds.. My wife says ain't there something in the garage to do

[derekdarling]

If you are going to use boiled linseed oil REMEMBER TO PUT THE USED RAGS IN WATER, AND GET THEM OUT OF THE HOUSE/GARAGE/SHOP...THEY WILL SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST!!! There, I said it.

Derek

[futralwoodworks]

I posted these on the Gallery, but I was reviewing sharpeinng tips and thought I'd put them here.
Family fire pit roasters. One for each member of the family, but I need to do 4 more for the smallest grandkids and a son-in-law? if he ponies up.
[ATTACH]14574[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]14575[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]14576[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]14577[/ATTACH]

Those are awesome. We camp and cook out all the time and I would love to make some of these. What are the "stick" ends made of wire or something stonger and are those brass bans around the ends. I would love a plan or description if you had them.
Matt:D

[mrhart]

Those are awesome. We camp and cook out all the time and I would love to make some of these. What are the "stick" ends made of wire or something stonger and are those brass bans around the ends. I would love a plan or description if you had them.
Matt:D

The wire is stainless steel welding rod, refrigeration copper fittings for the ends.

[wa2crk]

One of the original questions was how to knock the corners off square stock. The stock can be clamped in a woodworking vice on a workbench using the bench dog holes to secure it and then knock the corners off with a block plane.
Bill V