Sharpening lathe chisels without a bench grinder

[Akela9]

Hi folks,

I’m restoring my dad’s 10ER to working condition. I have the disc sander, drum sander, and a couple of grinding wheels. I have never turned anything, so in preparation I want to make sure I’m prepared for sharpening my lathe chisels. I’ve seen videos and mentions of the chisel sharpening guide that apparently Shopsmith no longer offers. I do not have a bench grinder, nor space for one. I’m in need of advice for how I can sharpen the chisels on the Shopsmith.

Thanks!

[edflorence]

Hi folks,

I I have the disc sander, drum sander, and a couple of grinding wheels. I’m in need of advice for how I can sharpen the chisels on the Shopsmith.

Thanks!

Hi Akela9;

Since you have some grinding wheels, you might consider building a guard and using the SS as the grinder. See this post from the past:
viewtopic.php?p=139663#p139663

Note that Reible is using the SS lathe tool rest with the grinder set-up. You will need one of those or something similar.

Hope this is helpful.

[Akela9]

Thank you Ed for pointing me to this. There’s good information in that post.

[chapmanruss]

Bill,

I believe the Sharpening Guide you are referring to was/is part number 555193 shown below along with the 12" Sanding Disk. It was made for the Mark series tools and as such mounted in the Miter Slot of the Main Table or could be mounted to the Extension Table as shown. Mounted to the Extension Table it may work on a Model 10E or 10ER. It would depend on the spacing of the mounting point to the bracket attachment points under the Table. Not something I have really looked at since I have used mine on a Mark and mounted in the Main Table's Miter Slot. As for the RPM using the slow speed (860) on the Model 10ER would work or a little slower if you have the Speed Changer. For the Marks the recommended speed is (SLOW to D) 700 to 1050 RPM's.

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Lathe Chisel Sharpening Guide - SS.jpg (137 KiB) Viewed 100461 times

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This Sharpening Guide does come up for sale from time to time on the used market.

For a time Shopsmith sold a stand-alone wet and/or dry stone Sharpening accessory. There have actually been two different ones.

There is a Lathe Chisel Sharpening Guide Shopsmith does sell for the Strip Sander. I have one and it is my primary way of sharpening Lathe Chisels. This is not a good option for you since you would need the special Model 10 Bracket to use the SPT's on Model 10's plus there is special Drive Sleeve Assembly (upper) Pulley with the SPT drive Hub molded on. I am not sure which Mounting Bracket the Strip Sander would need, the "A" or "B" Bracket. When using the Sharpening Guide on the Strip Sander it is run in reverse. This would have it attached to the Spindle side of the Headstock with a SPT Drive Hub on the Spindle. No need for the special SPT Drive Sleeve Pulley on this operation.

Another option to sharpen Lathe Chisels on a Model 10 would be using a Grinding Wheel mounted to the Quill's Spindle. Shopsmith has sold a Grinding Wheel set which includes a Guard with a Tool Rest. I have never tried to mount one on a Model 10, but it could be possible.

Speaking of speed for the Model 10E and 10ER, it is listed as three speeds in the manual but realigning the pulleys gets it up to seven speeds as noted in the PDF below. Realigning the Pulleys gives you two additional speeds between 860 and 1725 plus two more speeds between 1725 and 3450. I don't know why those speed options were not included in the manuals.
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Table of Speeds Model 10s.pdf

(182.91 KiB) Downloaded 2755 times

[Akela9]

Thank you Russ for this great information. I do have an eBay search saved for a chisel sharpening guide (the one you referenced being made for the Mark series and the 12” sanding disk). I will look into the grinding wheel set for the spindle. That would be preferable than using one with no guard. I do have the speed changer for my 10ER, so that will help.

Thanks again!

[chapmanruss]

I did some checking in the shop today.

The Sharpening Guide I had the picture of in my previous post could be used on a Model 10. Since the Miter Slots are different sizes for the Model 10 and the Mark tools using it in the Main Table Miter Slot it does clamp in place but would need some shimming to keep it from rocking side to side.

Below are the two different Grinder/Sharpeners.

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Wet-Dry Grinder 5-10.jpg (95.34 KiB) Viewed 100399 times

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Sharpener 1.jpg (286.07 KiB) Viewed 100399 times

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The one above looks like one made by or for WEN Model 2901.

Below is the Strip Sander with the Chisel Sharpening Attachment.

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SharpeningJig l.jpg (30.54 KiB) Viewed 100399 times

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The Grinding Wheel Guard can fit on a Model 10 as seen below.

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Grinding Wheel Guard II.jpg (238.36 KiB) Viewed 100399 times

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Mine is the Grinding Wheel Guard II which I tried on my Model 10ER. It fits but caution should be used not to put too much pressure on it while sharpening on the Grinding Wheel. The Grinding Wheel Arbor part number 555302 (below) is too short to work on a Model 10. I would suggest trying a 1/2" Universal Arbor part number 505505 instead to get the Grinding Wheel to fit inside the Guard in the correct position. Use a spacer ring to adapt it to a 1/2" shaft as opposed a 5/8" shaft like the Grinding Wheel Arbor has. I don't think the 5/8" Universal AKA Molder/Dado Arbor part number 505506 has a long enough threaded shaft either.

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555302 Grinding Wheel Arbor.jpg (338.5 KiB) Viewed 100399 times

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You could use a Grinding Wheel mounted on an Arbor attached to the Spindle and the Lathe Tool Rest as a support.

[Akela9]

Wow, I never saw some of those tools before. I do have a universal arbor and have used it along with a wire wheel and the tool rest, so it makes sense that a grinding wheel would work that way as well. My only concern there is not having any guard. Ideally I’ll be able to find a sharpening guide that clamps in to the table’s miter gauge slot, but no luck yet. I’m keeping a lookout on eBay for that and the grinding wheel guard attachment.

Thanks again.