Picked up a 520; need to sharpen old but never used lathe tools?

algale · Post by **algale** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 11:06 pm

thanks again, everyone. Very helpful group here....

iclark · Post by **iclark** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 1:01 am

jjwoodshop wrote:As for sharpening, what I have been doing, and actually did each tool this afternoon, was honing them by hand. I have a nice oil stone, and when I start turning I go ahead and clamp it to my work bench and oil it up.

it is not a problem with the steel in the SS turning tools, but I have been told that some of the new alloy steels are pretty rough on traditional stones.

diamond hones still work well on them, though.

horologist · Post by **horologist** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:37 pm

I have a Tormek and use it mostly on my carving tools and chisels. For lathe tools I really like the Shopsmith strip sander with the sharpening attachment. Quick, easy, and does a great job. Sorby now makes a version of this setup as well. Probably the most popular sharpening system used by turners is the Wolverine. Personally I'm not so thrilled with this as it removes a lot more metal and in my experience, doesn't give as good an edge as the strip sander.

Troy

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:43 pm

Wow! This is the 14th post and I am surprised no one has yet mentioned the Shopsmith Sharpening guide! http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/catalog/sh_sharpeningguide.htm

It's worked good for me! Have used it with the sanding disk and the belt sander. It is easier for me to use it with the belt sander.

boostfan · Post by **boostfan** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 6:46 pm

horologist wrote:I have a Tormek and use it mostly on my carving tools and chisels. For lathe tools I really like the Shopsmith strip sander with the sharpening attachment. Quick, easy, and does a great job. Sorby now makes a version of this setup as well. Probably the most popular sharpening system used by turners is the Wolverine. Personally I'm not so thrilled with this as it removes a lot more metal and in my experience, doesn't give as good an edge as the strip sander.

Troy

Do you use a leather strop with it like they talk about on the SS video? I just bought one of these and have not tried it yet.

horologist · Post by **horologist** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:07 pm

boostfan wrote:Do you use a leather strop with it like they talk about on the SS video? I just bought one of these and have not tried it yet.

Brad,

The Tormek has a wheel with a leather band to match the grinding wheel and this does quite well on my carving tools. I also have the leather belt for the strip sander but have only used it to polish parts. When I sharpen lathe tools I go up to 400 or 600 grit belts, this gives an edge that you can almost shave with. While a truly sharp edge like I put on my carving tools would give a bit of extra improvement, the edge wouldn't last very long. It is easy to spend too much time sharpening, fighting the law of diminishing returns... In my somewhat limited experience, I have found the fine grit belts give the best balance between time sharpening and quality of edge.

If you do use the leather belt, be careful, it is very easy to create a perfect mirror like surface on the bevel but you may be rounding over the cutting edge. This will make the chisel duller than it was before the strop and can be frustrating.

Troy

jimsjinx · Post by **jimsjinx** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:45 pm

I'm considering the "Easy Wood Tool" carbide lathe tools. I saw a video and was VERY impressed with the shavings thrown off by these tools. Kinda steep, but you can get the "No Handle" tools, and make your own for a considerable savings. Looks like alot less sharpening time to me! jimsjinx

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Picked up a 520; need to sharpen old but never used lathe tools?

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