Shopsmith Forums

my "new" model 510 came with the hook & loop sanding disc. have ya'll had good experience sharpening the lathe tools and other chisels with it? or should i stick to conventional grinders??

BTW, i was running amuck this afternoon, and stopped by an electric motor shop near here. ask the owner if my motor doesn't run when i get ready to fire it up, can he check and rewind or whatever, if necessary? he told me anything i needed, he had done a bunch of them, then proceeded to show me his 1952 completely original model out in the back room. said he was going to sell it as he didn't have any time to restore it. now i find this, right after i spent all my allounce on the shop and shed materials, wiring and the "new" shopsmith i got for $250.00. i hope he still has it when i get the necessary funds saved up!!!!

take care all! bill

beeg wrote:I WOOD NOT use the velco disk for sharpening. Use a disk with PSA paper on it.

Me too. Velcro fastening has too much flexibility to produce a smooth edge.

HOOK & LOOP SHARPENING? NO! NO! NO! NO!

Cant say it any clearer than that! The tool is likely to pierce the paper and throw the tool in very unpredictable ways.

VERY UN-SAFE:eek:

charlese wrote:HOOK & LOOP SHARPENING? NO! NO! NO! NO!

Cant say it any clearer than that! The tool is likely to pierce the paper and throw the tool in very unpredictable ways.

VERY UN-SAFE:eek:

Best possible answer. You are so correct, hook and loop for sharpening will certainly increase ones chances for injury. Jim

Sharpening with any type of flat surface will not give you the hollow grind that you get on a round grinder stone. Maybe I'm just old school, but to me a hollow grind with a second tiny bevel at the edge is the best for chisels especially for hand use but even for use with a mallet. Renewing the edge is easier too. IMHO

Paul M

shipwright wrote:Sharpening with any type of flat surface will not give you the hollow grind that you get on a round grinder stone. Maybe I'm just old school, but to me a hollow grind with a second tiny bevel at the edge is the best for chisels especially for hand use but even for use with a mallet. Renewing the edge is easier too. IMHO

Paul M

Me too, Paul, but some folks have invested in the Work Sharp types of sharpening tools. From reports I read, they are getting the results they expect from those units. Not for me, and obviously not for you, but if they can get the results they want then.....?..
This sharpening method must be easier for them.

I do use the sandpaper method for lathe tools, but for chisels and plane irons, - those gotta be hollow ground.

When I got my velcro upgrade from Shopsmith many years ago they said;
Sharpening metal causes enough heat that it could damage the velcro system (melt the plastic hooks and loops).

The velcro system has too much give in it and would actually round over the edge rather than produce a crisp edge.

Metal could catch and rip the velcro disk or yank the object from our hands.

When I read those cautions I was convinced not to use Velcro to sharpen metal. I then ordered another sanding disk that I use exclusively for metal sharpening.

Someone mentioned hollow grind, the advantage to hollow grind is you don't have so much metal to hone, but it is no sharper nor does the edge last any longer. I have seen carving tools sharpened to surgical sharpness that were flat ground and because of the type of metal were easy to maintain sharp.

Hollow shaping of the bevel reduces the initial amount of honing the first time done. Each subsequent honing requires slightly more material removal until its advantage is eventually depleted. Then it is time to regrind, and start over.

Another method is the progressive bevel angle honing that uses progressively finer grits while also progressively changing the bevel angle. The result is an extremely sharp edge. Subsequent honing requires reestablishing the sequence of angles/finish, but is done so quite rapidly, since very little additional material need be removed. It also eliminates the need to regrind.

Sounds good! Ain't tried it! Shall do soon! i.e. FYI!:)

thanks guys, i thought it might be too soft to do sharping with. i've used stones so much, it comes natural now, but it never hurts to ask.....??

i find most folks know more than me so i ask......bill