SS sharpening guide

[Spike13]

Hey Dustywoodworker and Folks,

Here's some enlightenment and response to your questions on the SHARPENING GUIDE, 555204:

1. It's to be used with the FLAT DISC, NOT the conical, NOR with velcro fastening as the heat from the sharpening of the chisels will melt the velcro backing and it's not "stiff" enough for the force applied.
2. The sharpening guide comes with an expansion bar that attaches under it so it will fit into the miter t-slot. You can loosen the top thumb nuts to adjust the fixture back and forth whenever you find it necessary. I would recommend locking it securely in place for your sharpening requirements. Sharpen the chisels on the operator side and do NOT go past top dead center of the disc.
3. For initial sharpening of the chisels, I would recommend using the coarser 100-grit aluminum oxide, 555205 and after you have reached the desired angles, change the sandpaper to the 150-grit aluminum oxide, 555206 for the finish. As you use the 150-grit, it will become finer and give a better finish. Also, designate one disc for just your sharpening requirements. Makes it easier and faster. Note: the disc moves faster at the outer diameter. Adjust the speeds accordingly.
4. The CONICAL DISC is used for sharpening the planer/jointer knives with the use of knife sharpener, 555471. This fixture works very effectively for sharpening your planer/jointer knives to the correct angle without having to do any set-ups. Use it at the right side of the Mk V with the headstock moved far right. Use the stationary table and fence mounted on the right side, so you can stand at the end and stradle the legs to use both hands effectively.
5. The CONICAL DISC has OTHER uses, besides sharpening. If you want to sand the edges of your boards to get rid of jointer "ripples", set the table to the recommended 4 degree angle and adjust the fence to pass the board across the disc. It will leave no sanding marks and a true sharp corner. Check out page 54 in the 2006 SS catalog for reference.

[rdubbs]

The sharpening guide also works well on the belt sander.

[jimthej]

I know that this was all covered at the Traveling Academy and that Rick said "take a lot of notes" there's a "lot of material here". But I am left with a question or two or three.

Is the sharpening guide used only with the chisels
No, it can be used with the 3 bladed shaper cutters.

and is it used only with the flat sanding disk? Yes

Is the planer/jointer sharpening fixture used ONLY with the conical disk? Yes

Can the velcro backed sanding disks be used for sharpening (chisels or blades)? The velcro looks to be some sort of plastic]No, it is too soft and mushy and will not give you a clean edge.
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Can you sharpen chisels using the conical disk?

Possibly, would take some experimentation with a non-moving disk.

[james.miller]

You should not use the Velcro sanding discs for sharpening, only use the aluminum oxide discs that are made specifically for sharpening. The conical sanding disc has to have the tool being sharpened slid past the vertical center of the disc so it doesn't cut a concave into it so I would only use the joiner/plainer sharpening jig with it unless you can design a well engineered sharpening fixture that you can clamp the tool the jig and then the jig can be slid from front to back to go past the vertical center of the conical disc.

Hope I'm making sense to everyone.

Jim in Tucson

[smredleg]

I have the SS sharpening tool, but can't figure out the technique to sharpen these 2 chisels.

[james.miller]

With the SS sharpening jig try to use the scraper sharpening station by removing the part for the 1/2" scraper and just holding the wider scraper on top of it and for the curved scraper guide it around by hand. You might want to try a few dry runs with the SS turned off just to get the motions of moving the curved scraper around.

Let me know if this works, if not I can come up with a couple of more ideas.

Jim in Tucson

[smredleg]

I attended the traveling turning class here in Milwaukee last year. I now recall our instructor using the jig w/o the top piece.

[ShoptimusPrime]

I was thinking about making this as a Christmas gift. Does anyone have a copy of the design for this guide? I looked into the older version of the PTWFE, but didn't see it there. Looks like there are two guide blocks for different grind angles?

Thanks in advance.

In an older PTWFE there was a jig for sharpening with the disk sander. It had a small wood base about 7" x 9" with a runner under it for the miter slot. There was a half circle on top of it with a 3/4 x 3/4 piece of wood mounted to the center of the circle that could be adjusted for the desired angle, see attached photo.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Jim in Tucson

[wa2crk]

I have played around with various sharpening systems including the SS one and the best advice I can give is to invest in decent grinder and some jigs. The jigs can be home made for specific tasks or purchased commercially. I wish I had the money back that I have spent for gadgets that did not suit the purpose. I consider a dedicated grinding/sharpening station to be essential to a shop. Also very convenient.
Bill V

[edflorence]

I spent a little time last night looking through the various editions of PTWFE and never did find the plan for this jig. I know it must be there somewhere, since about 30 or so years ago I made one of these guides. I would be interested to hear if someone else is able to locate the plan. Maybe it was in a "Hands On" or a Shop Tip?

Does anyone have a copy of the design for this guide? I looked into the older version of the PTWFE, but didn't see it there.
Thanks in advance.

In an older PTWFE there was a jig for sharpening with the disk sander. It had a small wood base about 7" x 9" with a runner under it for the miter slot. There was a half circle on top of it with a 3/4 x 3/4 piece of wood mounted to the center of the circle that could be adjusted for the desired angle, see attached photo.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Jim in Tucson