Shopsmith Forums

deec wrote:I was wondering about that. WOOD you recommend the SS sharpening guide for use with the disc sander? Are those angles appropriate? Is there an advantage to different angles depending on the modulus of the specific material you are turning? Thanks for the input.

The SS sharpening guide is fine for using it to sharpen your lathe tools. WHAT do ya have for sharpening them?

I woodn't worry about the angles, as long as they are close to what they should be for each tool.

Sharpening is an art form all it's own and there as many ways as to sharpen as there are chisels types. Which method or methods you choose is a matter of experimentation and what works best for you.

I prefer to use my oil stones as they leave a much sharper edge and preserve the metal on the tool, but it all depends. I was turning a batch of laminated pens earlier this year and just gave up on the stones because the edge did not last very long, 2-3 sharpening sessions per pen for 30 pens - I was spending more time sharpening than turning... So I started using my strip sander, I just eyeball, and feel the angle when I revert to this method as I know I will be coming back again and again.

foxtrapper wrote:Well personally, I think your use of a grinder this way is right clever and highly effective.

Have you tried it? There was a device sold by Sears years ago that used a router to do the cutting - I think the stock was rotated manually though. A friend has two of these and I might have to go take a look. How about mounting a router to the carriage with an adapter that would allow depth of cut increments with a threaded advancement and and a cable / pulley system to slide the carriage back and forth. Operating this device would be similar to a manual milling machine in that each hand operates respective wheels that control the location and depth of the cut. That sounds fast and fun.

deec wrote:Have you tried it?

Are you being specific or general in that? If specifically have I turned down wood chucked up in a shopsmith for the purpose of making a drumstick, the answer would be no. If you're asking if I've ever used a grinder on something spinning, the answer would be yes.

And yes, I've rigged up things like a router on a slide over a lathe. Just watch your cutting direction.

foxtrapper wrote:Well personally, I think your use of a grinder this way is right clever and highly effective.

So, did you try it? Sears sold a device years ago that used a router to do the cutting while the stock was turned on some kind of manual mechanism I think. A friend of mine has a couple of these - I may have to go take a look. How 'bout mounting a router motor to a Mark V carriage via an adapter that allowed for a threaded advancement of the depth of cut and a cable/ pulley system to slide the carriage back and forth over the tubes- both axis controlled by wheels. Like operating a milling machine, both hands turning their respective wheels positioning a router to cut the rotating stock. That sounds fast and fun.

That would work better given a carriage designed especially for this with some kind of bearings guiding it over the tubes to minimize slop and maximize ease of movement. My carriage slides pretty well without much slop though.

foxtrapper wrote:If you're asking if I've ever used a grinder on something spinning, the answer would be yes.

And yes, I've rigged up things like a router on a slide over a lathe. Just watch your cutting direction.

Yep, I was asking about using a grinder in lieu of a chisel. About using a router in this configuration - seems like climb cutting might be more manageable with rotating stock(?).

deec wrote:Yep, I was asking about using a grinder in lieu of a chisel. About using a router in this configuration - seems like climb cutting might be more manageable with rotating stock(?).

Relative speeds(workpiece vs bit) would be relevant. The difference sets cutting speed.

I recently turned 14 magic wands for my daughter's Harry Potter Themed Birthday Party. I used dunnage from the scrap bin at Home Depot (free). I started by using the table saw and ripping 3/4" wide strips, the made those 3/4" wide x 19" long. 2 pieces of dunnage and I had enough for 14 sticks (1 blew up because of a knot, the other was a strory stick). They turned out beautifully (no pun intended):) ; and the parents were more jazzed than the kids.

I used a roughing gouge, then a skew (great learning practice, 'cause I was scared of the skew before that), and that tool is great for making beads & coves. Then sanded w/ 100, 220, and 400 and applied denatured alcohol w/ dissolved orange flake shellac. Then rubbed on Simoniz Wax - they looked great.

I'm getting proficient making those drum sticks with the angle grinder and lathe. Now I'm thinking about another music oriented project for my Black Locust that I can make on a lathe. An object that functions as a woodblock but turned on a lathe will look something like a mushroom It can be hand held by the "stem", or mounted on a rail in an array of different sizes tuned to concert pitches and played like a marimba. To make these efficiently I need to remove a lot of material quickly. I'm thinking CHAIN SAW instead of angle grinder or chisels. I do quite a bit of chain saw work - some of it quite detailed. I realize that in order to run the teeth into the rotating material it will be necessary to stand on the back side of the machine.

I'm on my way to the post office right now to see if my new gilmer belt has arrived, (old one was totally shot and fell apart while making drum sticks) otherwise I'd know a little something more about whether this is a stupid thing to try or not. Any advice?

deec wrote:I'm getting proficient making those drum sticks with the angle grinder and lathe. Now I'm thinking about another music oriented project for my Black Locust that I can make on a lathe. An object that functions as a woodblock but turned on a lathe will look something like a mushroom It can be hand held by the "stem", or mounted on a rail in an array of different sizes tuned to concert pitches and played like a marimba. To make these efficiently I need to remove a lot of material quickly. I'm thinking CHAIN SAW instead of angle grinder or chisels. I do quite a bit of chain saw work - some of it quite detailed. I realize that in order to run the teeth into the rotating material it will be necessary to stand on the back side of the machine.

I'm on my way to the post office right now to see if my new gilmer belt has arrived, (old one was totally shot and fell apart while making drum sticks) otherwise I'd know a little something more about whether this is a stupid thing to try or not. Any advice?

If this were April 1st, I could better understand this!



Glass harps work, now a wood harp(percussion variety)! What next?


I do not think a chain saw is a good idea!:eek::D Now for tree sized turning . . .