Shopsmith Forums

Greetings!

I'm looking at getting into turning and I want to make sure that I know how to maintain my chisels and other tools. I've recently purchased the Shopsmith Sharpening guide and I'm wondering if I'll need to hone the chisels after using it. If so, could you guys recommend a good brand of stone for honing?

Thanks

Instead of a stone, I would recommend a strop. Lots of them available at varying price ranges, from making your own with a piece of leather to buying the leather on a mounter board. Which honing compound is usually a very personal choice. However not knowing the level you want, I would suggest scanning the internet for a PDF by Stumpynubs. It has a decent reference as to grits by paper, stones and compounds.
If you are set on using stones, buying from a reputable woodworking supply company is usually the best, rather than focusing on a specific brand name of stone.
After a bit of experimentation you will find what suits your needs best.

Be well,
Ben

you can get 400 or 600 grit disk for your your 12" sanding disk
you can get 400 or 600 grit sanding belts for the belt sander

I first used 120 grit to make it to the shape that you want.
then finish up with 400 or 600 grit
then when you need to tight up go back to the 400 or 600 grit.

400 or 600 grit puts a good sharp edge on chisels

Simplest least expensice way I have found is a way I learned for carving chisels, to get the roughly sharpened chisels to a state of razor sharpness. Find a source for a soft loose cotton wheel the ones I like are only gathered by stitches around the center hole layers of cotton fabric are loose. The wheel is 1" thick and is 8" in diameter.

I have it on the off side belt grinder made for sharpening and making knives. 2X48 belt on the left side and the cotton wheel on the right side. Once you have it mounted turn it on and apply "white" rouge to the spinning wheel and then press the tool into the downward turning wheel and it will remove the scratches and remove the burr and it will polish the back of the bevel and the rest of the tool too. It will bring the tool to a mirror finish and razor sharp.

http://www.amazon.com/Magnate-AWS0858-A ... B008G6MKW6

Something like this, mine does not have the metal center.

I just received an order from Klingspor for some 600,800,1000 & 1200 grit 12" PSA sanding discs to use on my SS Sanding disc.

You can order them from Brittney Church at this number and extension, she is aware of the possibility of future orders. She works on the Woodworking side of the company and they don't normally have anything finer than 600 in stock mine was a special order, they were $3.75 each.

1-800-228-0000 ext.3714

Here is a quote from The Perfect Edge, by Ron Hock:

"Most turners use their tools directly from the grinder with no further honing at all, and there are rarely times when any more edge refinement is called for."

I've taken classes from several world class turners, and they all have sharpened on a grinder with at most a 100 grit wheel, and gone straight to turning. Most however, will use a fine diamond hone to touch-up an edge a couple of times before returning to the grinder.

All this to say that I don't think honing is very necessary for most turning tools.

Mike

Mike is totally correct. Anything much beyond a 120 wheel is gone within seconds after application of said tool to your work. In turning, a burr is your friend in most applications. Carving is a different story however where you want your tools to be the ultimate.

Mike907 wrote:All this to say that I don't think honing is very necessary for most turning tools.

Mike

You can hone your tools when they lose sharpness, rather than always going to the grinder.

beeg wrote:

Mike907 wrote:All this to say that I don't think honing is very necessary for most turning tools.

Mike

You can hone your tools when they lose sharpness, rather than always going to the grinder.

I agree... I wouldn't bother honing after grinding for a better edge but a few quick licks with a coarse diamond hone as you work will save a lot of grinder eating a tool consumption.


.

Some observations.
Moose is absolutely correct about carving tools needing honing to be effective. That is one of the reasons I bought the Tormek. I am not good enough to put a consistent honed finish on my carving tools, where the Tormek takes my inability out of the process.

As far as tools having a burr, if they are used for scraping I also agree, however, personally I've found gouges much more forgiving if they are honed rather than leaving the burr. Also, now that I hone chisels, they seem to stay sharp longer. Might just be my imagination or a mental justification for buying the Tormek!

When I was using the SS sharpening jig, I cut 8" circles to attach to the 6" face plate (instead of using the 12" steel disc), so I could have a wide variety of sanding grits to further take out the marks from coarser grits, like you would for a wood surface to be finished. Went from 120 to 2000. I went so far (maybe too far ? ) by making up one with a leather disc to use for stropping. If I had not started into carving, I would still just be using the SS jig. Not completely happy with the results, but tolerant of the short comings.

The more and better I honed chisels, it seemed the less sanding I needed. Personally theory is that the less the friction (aka the smoother the hone), the less pressure to make the cut therefore less tear out. Again, it may just be perception with no actual fact attached.

I think ultimately, the level of sharpening (with or without honing), is determined by the level of finish before sanding that one is personally willing to accept. I made turned 44 hand railing posts using just a couple carbide tipped chisels and they were good enough to just paint without sanding. But I made a pen as a gift from Koa wood (which does NOT like me sanding it! ) so I honed to a mirror finish an oval skew so I could get away with no sanding. I did what I thought was appropriate for each task.

Just my observations.

Be well,
Ben