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  #1   Report Post  
Richard Sterry
 
Posts: n/a
Default Problems sharpening chisels

Yes, I'm having problems sharpening my chisels to 30°. The basic problem
seems to me to be that my sharpening stone is far far too fine. It's in
perfect condition, but is probably quite a lot older than me and is marked
"Bauxilite 479 Medium". Bauxilite is of course the abrasive material, I've
managed to figure that one out, but the number is meaningless and "Medium"
is a very subjective term. I have some brand new chisels to sharpen, already
ground to 25° but blunt, and some old ones which due to years of horrible
mistreatment really could do with regrinding to 25° before I grind them to
30°.

The last time I was taught how to sharpen a chisel, it was at school back in
the early 1960's, and we had a motor-driven grinding wheel, using water as a
lubricant, with a clamp so you could get just the right angle on the thing.
I do not have such a thing at home, just a bench-mounted grinder with no
means of clamping, plus the aforementioned sharpening stone.

I ought to mention that I have a little gizmo into which I can clamp a
chisel or plane blade at just the right angle, and then roll it backwards
and forwards over the sharpening stone. That seems to do what it is supposed
to do, only it takes forever to grind the tiniest amount off the blade -
Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

I once allowed one of these door-to-door chappies to regrind some chisels on
his grinding wheel in his van, and he basically wrecked them! Never again...

Before I roam the local DIY and tools stores, any advice?

--
Rick


  #2   Report Post  
mrcheerful
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels


"Richard Sterry" wrote in message
...
Yes, I'm having problems sharpening my chisels to 30°. The basic problem
seems to me to be that my sharpening stone is far far too fine. It's in
perfect condition, but is probably quite a lot older than me and is marked
"Bauxilite 479 Medium". Bauxilite is of course the abrasive material, I've
managed to figure that one out, but the number is meaningless and "Medium"
is a very subjective term. I have some brand new chisels to sharpen,

already
ground to 25° but blunt, and some old ones which due to years of horrible
mistreatment really could do with regrinding to 25° before I grind them to
30°.

The last time I was taught how to sharpen a chisel, it was at school back

in
the early 1960's, and we had a motor-driven grinding wheel, using water as

a
lubricant, with a clamp so you could get just the right angle on the

thing.
I do not have such a thing at home, just a bench-mounted grinder with no
means of clamping, plus the aforementioned sharpening stone.

I ought to mention that I have a little gizmo into which I can clamp a
chisel or plane blade at just the right angle, and then roll it backwards
and forwards over the sharpening stone. That seems to do what it is

supposed
to do, only it takes forever to grind the tiniest amount off the blade -
Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

I once allowed one of these door-to-door chappies to regrind some chisels

on
his grinding wheel in his van, and he basically wrecked them! Never

again...

Before I roam the local DIY and tools stores, any advice?

--
Rick



Get a perfectly flat piece of board or thick glass, stick a sheet of emery
paper (about 180 grit to start) to the board and use your rolling guide to
bring the basic edge to visible, then use progressively smoother sheets till
you have a "scary sharp" chisel. You can go to an absolute mirror, razor
edge if like.

mrcheerful


  #3   Report Post  
Michael Mcneil
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

Get a belt sander. They are cheap enough these days. Just a cheapo will
do, beware the price of replacement abrasives though.


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG
  #4   Report Post  
Toby
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

Michael Mcneil wrote:
Get a belt sander. They are cheap enough these days. Just a cheapo
will do, beware the price of replacement abrasives though.


Can you get wet n' dry belts? I've not seen anything finer than 120 grit for
mine.

--
Toby.

'One day son, all this will be finished'


  #5   Report Post  
Mark
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

Richard Sterry typed:

Yes, I'm having problems sharpening my chisels to 30°. The basic
problem seems to me to be that my sharpening stone is far far too
fine.


got one of these
http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=6732
grinds to a perfect angle, then a quick hone on a fine stone for a perfect
edge.




  #6   Report Post  
Richard Sterry
 
Posts: n/a
Default Problems sharpening chisels

mrcheerful wrote:

Get a perfectly flat piece of board or thick glass, stick a sheet of emery
paper (about 180 grit to start) to the board and use your rolling guide to
bring the basic edge to visible, then use progressively smoother sheets
till you have a "scary sharp" chisel. You can go to an absolute mirror,
razor edge if like.


Simple, and cheap - I like it!

Rick


  #7   Report Post  
Andy Hall
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

On Sun, 2 May 2004 20:14:28 +0100, "Richard Sterry"
wrote:

Yes, I'm having problems sharpening my chisels to 30°. The basic problem
seems to me to be that my sharpening stone is far far too fine. It's in
perfect condition, but is probably quite a lot older than me and is marked
"Bauxilite 479 Medium". Bauxilite is of course the abrasive material, I've
managed to figure that one out, but the number is meaningless and "Medium"
is a very subjective term. I have some brand new chisels to sharpen, already
ground to 25° but blunt, and some old ones which due to years of horrible
mistreatment really could do with regrinding to 25° before I grind them to
30°.

snip

Before I roam the local DIY and tools stores, any advice?


Yep.

Treat yourself to a Tormek machine

These are a low speed, water cooled grindstone which can be graded as
required for different operations.

www.tormek.se

Which is an excellent web site explaining how it all works.

You can sharpen virtually anything on one of these - chisels, gouges,
plane blades, knives, scissors,.....


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
  #8   Report Post  
Badger
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels



Andy Dingley wrote:


I'd suggest "scary sharp" (Google for heaps of information). But use
silicon carbide (wet and dry) rather than emery.

I really must try our 8000 "grit" diamond polishing machine for final
finishing....

Niel.

  #9   Report Post  
Richard Sterry
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

Mark wrote:
got one of these
http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=6732
grinds to a perfect angle, then a quick hone on a fine stone for a perfect
edge.


Looks a handy bit of kit. Presumably you need to clamp the power drill in
some way - is this critical in any way, as I don't have any proper mount
other than a vertical drillstand. Can I just clamp the thing in a a Workmate
for example?

Rick


  #10   Report Post  
Dave Plowman
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

In article ,
Richard Sterry wrote:
Looks a handy bit of kit.


Martek stuff usually does. It's the pretty colours. Unfortunately, it
doesn't live up to its looks.

Presumably you need to clamp the power drill
in some way - is this critical in any way, as I don't have any proper
mount other than a vertical drillstand. Can I just clamp the thing in a
a Workmate for example?


I wouldn't bother. To sharpen anything accurately requires a rigid
relationship angle wise between the work piece and stone, and on these
plastic things this just doesn't happen.

--
*If I worked as much as others, I would do as little as they *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn


  #11   Report Post  
Richard Sterry
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

Andy Hall wrote:
Treat yourself to a Tormek machine

These are a low speed, water cooled grindstone which can be graded as
required for different operations.

www.tormek.se

Which is an excellent web site explaining how it all works.

You can sharpen virtually anything on one of these - chisels, gouges,
plane blades, knives, scissors,.....


Mmmmmm, looks a really nice bit of kit, but seems like we are talking close
to £200 with a few jigs and by the time VAT and carriage are added on. I
would find it hard to justify that sort of outlay - shame!

Thanks

Rick


  #12   Report Post  
Andy Hall
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

On Mon, 3 May 2004 10:10:07 +0100, "Richard Sterry"
wrote:

Andy Hall wrote:
Treat yourself to a Tormek machine

These are a low speed, water cooled grindstone which can be graded as
required for different operations.

www.tormek.se

Which is an excellent web site explaining how it all works.

You can sharpen virtually anything on one of these - chisels, gouges,
plane blades, knives, scissors,.....


Mmmmmm, looks a really nice bit of kit, but seems like we are talking close
to £200 with a few jigs and by the time VAT and carriage are added on. I
would find it hard to justify that sort of outlay - shame!

Thanks

Rick


I know. I've built up quite a large collection of chisels over the
years and several Lie-Nielsen planes. When I thought about the
cost of these and tried out a Tormek, I was able to convince
myself :-) It does the job pretty quickly as well......




..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
  #13   Report Post  
Richard Sterry
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

Andy Hall wrote:
I know. I've built up quite a large collection of chisels over the
years and several Lie-Nielsen planes. When I thought about the
cost of these and tried out a Tormek, I was able to convince
myself :-) It does the job pretty quickly as well......


Keep talking. ;-)

Rick


  #14   Report Post  
Howard Neil
 
Posts: n/a
Default Problems sharpening chisels

Richard Sterry wrote:
Andy Hall wrote:

I know. I've built up quite a large collection of chisels over the
years and several Lie-Nielsen planes. When I thought about the
cost of these and tried out a Tormek, I was able to convince
myself :-) It does the job pretty quickly as well......



Keep talking. ;-)


I have had a Tormek for six years now. I would not be without it and
support what Andy has said. In addition, if you have a power planer or
thicknesser, you can sharpen the blades and keep them in balance (mind
you, the jig for this is expensive).

The cost? It has more than paid for itself (including every jig Tormek
makes). It does such a good job that others bring me their blades to
sharpen.

--
Howard Neil
  #15   Report Post  
jacob
 
Posts: n/a
Default Problems sharpening chisels

Yes, I'm having problems sharpening my chisels to 30°. The basic problem
seems to me to be that my sharpening stone is far far too fine. It's in
perfect condition, but is probably quite a lot older than me and is marked
"Bauxilite 479 Medium". Bauxilite is of course the abrasive material, I've
managed to figure that one out, but the number is meaningless and "Medium"
is a very subjective term. I have some brand new chisels to sharpen, already
ground to 25° but blunt, and some old ones which due to years of horrible
mistreatment really could do with regrinding to 25° before I grind them to
30°.

snip

Before I roam the local DIY and tools stores, any advice?


If the stone is too fine you need a coarser stone - seems obvious to
me.
For grinding I use either a belt sander with 60 grit, or an angle
grinder with a grinding wheel not a cutting wheel.
I then hone on a stone with bike oil thinned a bit with white spirit.
The stone is 30 years or more old bought from Woolworths for 5 bob or
something. I somtimes use a honing guide to get the angle perfect but
then do it by eye for re-touching. The most important thing with an
oil stone (after getting the grade right) is to wipe it clean
immediately after using it and to put the lid back on. Then It will
never clog up or need cleaning.

cheers

Jacob


  #16   Report Post  
John
 
Posts: n/a
Default Problems sharpening chisels


"Richard Sterry" wrote in message
...
Yes, I'm having problems sharpening my chisels to 30°. The basic problem
seems to me to be that my sharpening stone is far far too fine. It's in
perfect condition, but is probably quite a lot older than me and is marked
"Bauxilite 479 Medium". Bauxilite is of course the abrasive material, I've
managed to figure that one out, but the number is meaningless and "Medium"
is a very subjective term. I have some brand new chisels to sharpen,

already
ground to 25° but blunt, and some old ones which due to years of horrible
mistreatment really could do with regrinding to 25° before I grind them to
30°.

The last time I was taught how to sharpen a chisel, it was at school back

in
the early 1960's, and we had a motor-driven grinding wheel, using water as

a
lubricant, with a clamp so you could get just the right angle on the

thing.
I do not have such a thing at home, just a bench-mounted grinder with no
means of clamping, plus the aforementioned sharpening stone.

I ought to mention that I have a little gizmo into which I can clamp a
chisel or plane blade at just the right angle, and then roll it backwards
and forwards over the sharpening stone. That seems to do what it is

supposed
to do, only it takes forever to grind the tiniest amount off the blade -
Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

I once allowed one of these door-to-door chappies to regrind some chisels

on
his grinding wheel in his van, and he basically wrecked them! Never

again...

Before I roam the local DIY and tools stores, any advice?


Assuming you aren't yet in your dotage and just maybe you might still have
some contact however tenuous with your old school perhaps you might be
allowed to use the aforementioned grinding stone with water lube?


  #17   Report Post  
OldScrawn
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

I have had a Tormek for six years now. I would not be without it

As a rather casual woodworker I'd find the cost/space hard to justify, but
Wickes and others do chinese bench grinders with a normal speed wheel at one
end and a wide, geared down, water cooled one at the other. Around £30: surely
a much better buy than the drill attachment thingy. I use the normal grinder as
much as the whetstone, but the latter is OK for the 30 degree chisel cleanup
and then I use the "stanley" guide tool for the final 25 degree hone on a
normal stone.
  #18   Report Post  
Richard Savage
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels


Screwfix sell a two-wheel grinder - one high speed wheel as normal, but
the second wheel rotates considerably slower and has a water bath. Not
too dear and seems to produce satisfactory results for me.*

I have (somewhere) one of the Martek gizmos. I screwed it to a bit of
timber along with an otherwise redundant brown B+D drilling machine.
Again the results were satisfactory - razor sharp edges but at a fixed
angle. Also the wheel is too narrow for sharpening 1" chisels. This is
overcome by rocking the chisel carrier back and forth across the
rotating wheel, which seems to work. This may also allow the edge to
cool as you are not holding the tool constantly against the wheel.

I also have a Martex drill sharpener which was surprisingly effective;
it came with a series of wheels, collets to suit different drill sizes
and, most impressive of all, collars which held the drill/collet
assembly at the correct angle for different drill types.

Rgds Richard


* just looked at the current brochure and can't find my grinder - what
does that tell us?? (But I think that I have seen it elsewhere B+Q??).
However, they do have a 'wet stone grinder' for £90 17162-73


R

  #19   Report Post  
Richard Sterry
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

OldScrawn wrote:
I have had a Tormek for six years now. I would not be without it


As a rather casual woodworker I'd find the cost/space hard to justify, but
Wickes and others do chinese bench grinders with a normal speed wheel at
one end and a wide, geared down, water cooled one at the other. Around
£30: surely a much better buy than the drill attachment thingy. I use the
normal grinder as much as the whetstone, but the latter is OK for the 30
degree chisel cleanup and then I use the "stanley" guide tool for the
final 25 degree hone on a normal stone.


I think you got the angles the wrong way round, but I take your point.

It has become clear to me that the stone I was using was far too fine, so I
nipped down to the DIY store this morning, and bought a double-sided Stanley
one plus the guide. This is definitely a lot better, and I have managed to
put a passable (nothing spectacular) edge on the smaller sized chisels in
both sets. (I have a decent set purely for woodworking, and a grotty set for
abusing.*) However, I still cannot get a decent edge on the larger widths -
I am always left with a very neat but slightly blunt edge which is clearly
being renewed all the time rather than me simply not grinding off enough
metal. I am puzzled why this happens with the wider chisels and not the
narrower ones.

* I ground off one particularly abused narrow chisel at 25°, followed by
finishing off at 30°, and it's come up quite well.

Rick



  #20   Report Post  
Andy Dingley
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

On Sun, 02 May 2004 23:13:22 +0100, Andy Hall
wrote:

Treat yourself to a Tormek machine


OK for rough grinding, but they won't sharpen a chisel and their price
is ridiculous. If you really want a powered wet cylinder, look at the
much cheaper Record machines

I'd suggest "scary sharp" (Google for heaps of information). But use
silicon carbide (wet and dry) rather than emery.

--
Smert' spamionam


  #21   Report Post  
Richard Sterry
 
Posts: n/a
Default Problems sharpening chisels

John wrote:

Assuming you aren't yet in your dotage and just maybe you might still have
some contact however tenuous with your old school perhaps you might be
allowed to use the aforementioned grinding stone with water lube?


Alas, no, otherwise we wouldn't be having this 'conversation'!

I'm not in my dotage, but I did leave said school before flares came into
fashion (the first time)! :-)

Rick


  #22   Report Post  
Richard Sterry
 
Posts: n/a
Default Problems sharpening chisels

jacob wrote:
If the stone is too fine you need a coarser stone - seems obvious to
me.


Yup - dealt with that , (see separate posting).


For grinding I use either a belt sander with 60 grit, or an angle
grinder with a grinding wheel not a cutting wheel.
I then hone on a stone with bike oil thinned a bit with white spirit.
The stone is 30 years or more old bought from Woolworths for 5 bob or
something. I somtimes use a honing guide to get the angle perfect but
then do it by eye for re-touching. The most important thing with an
oil stone (after getting the grade right) is to wipe it clean
immediately after using it and to put the lid back on. Then It will
never clog up or need cleaning.


The problem for me is that I need to remove the skill element from this
process, because basically I don't possess any. Someone who 'has the knack',
could probably do a better job than I could, just using the back doorstep
asa stone!

Rick


  #24   Report Post  
Paul Mc Cann
 
Posts: n/a
Default Problems sharpening chisels

In article ,=20
am says...
On Sun, 2 May 2004 20:14:28 +0100, "Richard Sterry"
wrote:
=20
Yes, I'm having problems sharpening my chisels to 30=B0. The basic probl=

em
seems to me to be that my sharpening stone is far far too fine. It's in
perfect condition, but is probably quite a lot older than me and is mark=

ed
"Bauxilite 479 Medium". Bauxilite is of course the abrasive material, I'=

ve
managed to figure that one out, but the number is meaningless and "Mediu=

m"
is a very subjective term. I have some brand new chisels to sharpen, alr=

eady
ground to 25=B0 but blunt, and some old ones which due to years of horri=

ble
mistreatment really could do with regrinding to 25=B0 before I grind the=

m to
30=B0.

snip

Before I roam the local DIY and tools stores, any advice?

=20
Yep.
=20
Treat yourself to a Tormek machine
=20
These are a low speed, water cooled grindstone which can be graded as
required for different operations.
=20
www.tormek.se
=20
Which is an excellent web site explaining how it all works.
=20
You can sharpen virtually anything on one of these - chisels, gouges,
plane blades, knives, scissors,.....
=20
=20
.andy
=20
To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
=20


I dunno.

I've had one for years but it rarely gets used now. Its o/k for putting
the initial bevel on a chisel but after that a Japanese water stone is
much quicker for maintaining that edge until the main bevel needs re-
doing, which in my workshop is hardly a weekly occurence.

About once a year SWMBO gets her tongue, whoops, knives, and scissors=20
sharpened

I find it slow at stock removal also.

Turning gouges and chisels are much more quickly brought to spec on the
bench mounted grinder. A quick touch is all that is required and can be
done while the lathe is left spinning.

I once let a Spanish itinerant knife grinder loose on a pocket knife I
always carry. Big mistake. He ground the blazes out of the blade and
when I got it back it was still blunt. I suppose it was too small for
him as I came across him outside the door of an hotel where he was
sharpening the chefs knives.

There used to be an old gentleman who went from hotel to hotel in Dublin
riding a combined bicycle/knife grinder. The bicycle was setup on a
stand when he had arrived and he could rotate the grinding wheel via the=20
bicycle's pedals

Paul Mc Cann
  #25   Report Post  
Howard Neil
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

Andy Dingley wrote:
On Sun, 02 May 2004 23:13:22 +0100, Andy Hall
wrote:


Treat yourself to a Tormek machine



OK for rough grinding, but they won't sharpen a chisel and their price
is ridiculous. If you really want a powered wet cylinder, look at the
much cheaper Record machines


If, when using a Tormek, you cannot get a chisel sharp enough to shave
with, then it is you that is doing something wrong.

The same really applies to any method of sharpening (or to any machine).
The difference is in the time taken and the skill required to achieve
the required sharpness.

Where the Tormek is very good is in the range of jigs available. These
jigs allow a wide range of blades to be sharpened with great accuracy
(particularly planer/thicknesser blades).


--
Howard Neil


  #27   Report Post  
Andy Hall
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

On Mon, 03 May 2004 13:53:56 +0100, Andy Dingley
wrote:

On Sun, 02 May 2004 23:13:22 +0100, Andy Hall
wrote:

Treat yourself to a Tormek machine


OK for rough grinding, but they won't sharpen a chisel and their price
is ridiculous.


Rubbish. Have you actually used a Tormek machine?

If you haven't been able to achieve at least as good as the scary
sharp technique then you are doing something wrong.


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
  #28   Report Post  
Andy Hall
 
Posts: n/a
Default Problems sharpening chisels

On Mon, 3 May 2004 15:30:13 +0100, Paul Mc Cann
wrote:


About once a year SWMBO gets her tongue, whoops, knives, and scissors
sharpened



What's it worth not to tell her that you said that ? :-)


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
  #29   Report Post  
Andy Dingley
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

On Mon, 03 May 2004 18:10:23 +0100, Andy Hall
wrote:

Rubbish. Have you actually used a Tormek machine?


Of course. As wet wheel machines, they're pretty good. Although their
stones could be better and the price really is ridiculous.

If you haven't been able to achieve at least as good as the scary
sharp technique then you are doing something wrong.


So how does one flatten the back of a chisel using a Tormek ? I can
do the bevel in a few minutes by any technique you like. It's getting
the backs flat that takes the time.

--
Smert' spamionam
  #30   Report Post  
Michael Mcneil
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

"Toby" wrote in message


Can you get wet n' dry belts?


Don't be silly.

They use garnet paper and I am not sure what the finest grade for them
is. Take that up with the salesperson.

They do a lovely job on an axe. Can't really say much about chisels and
plane blades with them though. I just have a bench grinder and a stone.


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG


  #31   Report Post  
Howard Neil
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

Andy Dingley wrote:
On Mon, 03 May 2004 18:10:23 +0100, Andy Hall
wrote:


Rubbish. Have you actually used a Tormek machine?



Of course. As wet wheel machines, they're pretty good. Although their
stones could be better and the price really is ridiculous.


If you haven't been able to achieve at least as good as the scary
sharp technique then you are doing something wrong.



So how does one flatten the back of a chisel using a Tormek ? I can
do the bevel in a few minutes by any technique you like. It's getting
the backs flat that takes the time.

That is simplicity itself. You use the side of the wheel. Very quick and
very efficient.

When the blade is sharp, you can then strop it on the leather wheel and
make it even better (I have a couple of chisels that I have given a
mirrored finish to).

--
Howard Neil
  #32   Report Post  
Andy Hall
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

On Mon, 03 May 2004 20:15:19 +0100, Andy Dingley
wrote:

On Mon, 03 May 2004 18:10:23 +0100, Andy Hall
wrote:

Rubbish. Have you actually used a Tormek machine?


Of course. As wet wheel machines, they're pretty good. Although their
stones could be better and the price really is ridiculous.


I'm happy with mine on both counts.


If you haven't been able to achieve at least as good as the scary
sharp technique then you are doing something wrong.


So how does one flatten the back of a chisel using a Tormek ?


You use the side, as the makers recommend.

Then use the leather wheel to finish.

I also have the 2005 model which has a larger diameter wheel than the
1000 series...



I can
do the bevel in a few minutes by any technique you like. It's getting
the backs flat that takes the time.




..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
  #33   Report Post  
Andy Dingley
 
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On Mon, 03 May 2004 22:45:14 +0100, Howard Neil
wrote:

It's getting the backs flat that takes the time.

That is simplicity itself. You use the side of the wheel. Very quick and
very efficient.


I said flat, not conical. This approach isn't good enough for a well
sharpened chisel. Even a vertical axis wheel isn't especially flat,
unless you true it frequently.


( OK so it's probably a bit academic, as most of my chisels are forged
hollow on the back anyway.)

  #34   Report Post  
Andy Dingley
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

On Sun, 2 May 2004 22:52:18 +0100, "Toby"
wrote:

Can you get wet n' dry belts? I've not seen anything finer than 120 grit for
mine.


Yes. Try CSM abrasives for weird abrasives. If they don't offer it
from stock, they'll make it.

Although typical "wet and dry" backing is too stiff to make a good
belt, silicon carbide grit (the black stuff) makes a lot of sense on a
belt grinder.

--
Smert' spamionam
  #35   Report Post  
Howard Neil
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

Andy Dingley wrote:

On Mon, 03 May 2004 22:45:14 +0100, Howard Neil
wrote:


It's getting the backs flat that takes the time.


That is simplicity itself. You use the side of the wheel. Very quick and
very efficient.



I said flat, not conical. This approach isn't good enough for a well
sharpened chisel. Even a vertical axis wheel isn't especially flat,
unless you true it frequently.


Read what I said again. The side of the wheel is flat on a Tormek stone
and runs true. Since you only flatten surfaces with the side of the
wheel, there is not reason for it to become grooved. Have you really
used a Tormek or are you just jumping to conclusions?

--
Howard Neil


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jacob
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

It's getting the backs flat that takes the time.


That is simplicity itself. You use the side of the wheel. Very quick and
very efficient.



I always amazed at the difficulties people have with the simplest
things - especially when they try and do them with a machine.
You do not ever need to grind, hone or otherwise disturb the back of
a chisel unless it's pitted with rust , or seriously bent (not
possible with a good quality chisel). However you do need to remove
the wire edge after honing.
This is done by holding the chisel flat on an oilstone and moving it
about a bit. It takes about 2seconds.

cheers

Jacob
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Toby
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

Andy Dingley wrote:
Although typical "wet and dry" backing is too stiff to make a good
belt, silicon carbide grit (the black stuff) makes a lot of sense on a
belt grinder.


Cheers. Must say that regular hand sharpening on a stone is the only way to
go, grandfather who passed down chisels would not be impressed with all this
talk of wheels and belts.

--
Toby.

'One day son, all this will be finished'


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Michael Mcneil
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

"Toby" wrote in message


Cheers. Must say that regular hand sharpening on a stone is the only way to
go, grandfather who passed down chisels would not be impressed with all this
talk of wheels and belts.


It isn't and he would.

I use a stone as I have to keep my stuff sharp on site. Setting a sander
up to give the edges it does is not practical.

Your grandad would have loved them. Except the carbide that is. He knew
all about the problems using that stuff on wood. I rather suppose you
mean his great grandfather by the way. And he too would not have used
wet and dry on bare wood.


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG
  #39   Report Post  
Howard Neil
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

jacob wrote:

I always amazed at the difficulties people have with the simplest
things - especially when they try and do them with a machine.
You do not ever need to grind, hone or otherwise disturb the back of
a chisel unless it's pitted with rust , or seriously bent (not
possible with a good quality chisel). However you do need to remove
the wire edge after honing.
This is done by holding the chisel flat on an oilstone and moving it
about a bit. It takes about 2seconds.


This depends on how sharp you need the edge to be. If you are doing hand
work on a very hard wood and you want the cut to be of very high
quality, it helps if the edge is very sharp. If you polish both the back
and the bevel, the edge will be smoother and sharper.

If you were to look at an edge that had not been polished through a
microscope, you would see lots of ridges and valleys. Polishing reduces
these.

If, of course, you are simply running some softwood through a
thicknesser and the wood is for joinery that will never be seen, there
is no need to worry too much.

--
Howard Neil
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RichardS
 
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Default Problems sharpening chisels

"Richard Sterry" wrote in message
...
Yes, I'm having problems sharpening my chisels to 30°. The basic problem
seems to me to be that my sharpening stone is far far too fine. It's in
perfect condition, but is probably quite a lot older than me and is marked
"Bauxilite 479 Medium". Bauxilite is of course the abrasive material, I've
managed to figure that one out, but the number is meaningless and "Medium"
is a very subjective term. I have some brand new chisels to sharpen,

already
ground to 25° but blunt, and some old ones which due to years of horrible
mistreatment really could do with regrinding to 25° before I grind them to
30°.

snip

glass plate and abrasive paper solution, aka Scary Sharp, is probably the
cheapest route to success. Starting with a suitably coarse abrasive you
should be able to get the correct angle relatively quickly.

Couple of useful things under "sharpening basics & links" on Steve Knight's
site:

http://www.knight-toolworks.com/articles.htm




--
Richard Sampson

email me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk


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