Sharpening Turning Tools Made Simple Fast and Easy Strategies for Safer, Smoother Cuts by Nick Cook
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Sharpening Turning Tools Made Simple Fast and easy strategies for safer, smoother cuts By Nick Cook Many pieces of furniture tools are properly shaped and I generally prefer freehand require turned elements, such sharpened. Woodworkers have sharpening. For me, freehand as legs, spindles, columns, and come to expect that store-bought sharpening is akin to riding a pulls. So, learning to turn is a tools require some honing before bike without training wheels. natural (and often necessary) use. The surprising thing is that Once your hands learn that next step for many woodworkers. some new turning tools aren’t sharpening is the same as In addition, there are hundreds sharpened properly. That can of useful and satisfying projects make learning to turn way more from the grinder to the lathe that can be accomplished with frustrating than it should be. canturning, be quick you’ll and find seamless. that shifting little more than a lathe, a small Here, I’ll demonstrate how to And when you can touch up collection of turning tools, and quickly sharpen six of my most- an edge in less time than it a few scraps of wood. That said, used tools so that you can focus would take to set up a jig, you’re the fun can’t start until your more attention on turning. likely to sharpen more often. Turning Tool Starti ng Set 1 1 3 3 1 3 ⁄2" Round- ⁄8" Diamond ⁄4" Spindle ⁄8" Spindle ⁄2" Bowl ⁄4" Skew nose Parti ng Tool Roughing Gouge Gouge Scraper Gouge 54 Sharpening 6" Slow-Speed Setup Grinder Keeping a few accessories close to your lathe will encourage you to keep an edge on your tools. If you don’t already own these 80-grit Wheel items, it’s time to stock up. Platform Rest Slow-speed grinder (6" or 8" wheel) Plywood Base 3 There are other machines for ⁄4 × 8 × 20" Vari-Grind Jig V-Arm Rest 3" screw (Adjust size to suit sharpening and shaping, but a grinder and rests.) slow-speed grinder is a great Subtop 7 5 1 starting point. If you don’t 1 ⁄8 × 7 ⁄8 × 10 ⁄4" already own one, this machine Top Rail will set you back $150 to $250. 7 3 5 Tool rests 1 ⁄8 × 2 ⁄4 × 7 ⁄8" You owe it to your tools to invest Tool Holder in decent aftermarket rests, like 3 3 ⁄4 × 3 ⁄4 × 20" the Wolverine sharpening system Holder Support ). The platform 3 1 $89.99 ⁄4 × 2 ⁄4 × 20" and V-rests are easy to adjust and(#125676, rock-solid when locked in place. If your budget allows, consider treating yourself to a $55.99) Brace for spindle and bowl gouges. 7 1 1 ⁄8 × 3 ⁄2 × 8" Vari-Grind jig (#125677, Grinder stand Leg My dad built this stand (at right) 7 1 1 ⁄8 ⁄4 ⁄8 1 1 × 3 × 37 " 8 ⁄2" (Adjust length rock-solid, but still light enough to suit.) tofor move me 30 alongside years ago. whichever I like that it’s lathe I’m using. (Sharpening should require as few steps as 1 possible.) Adjust the legs so that 1 ⁄8" the tool rests are at the same height as your lathe’s tool rest. 1 1 ⁄4 × 2 ⁄2" carriage bolt Grinding wheels Both sides of my grinder are Foot 7 1 8 2 3 1 ⁄ × 3 ⁄ × 20" wheelsoutfitted remove with 80-grit material Norton quickly ⁄4" and3x wheels. produce I find an edge that thatthese I 1 ⁄2 can use without additional 2 " honing. A 6ʺ wheel runs around $45;Photos: anStan 8ʺ Kaady; wheel Illustration: costs Trevor $55. Johnston June/July 2015 woodcraftmagazine.com 55 A Well-Dressed Wheel Before Aft er Bevels meet precisely at center. Diamond Parti ng Tool With the rest horizontal at the height of the wheel axis, touch the tool against the wheel and slide it sideways to fl att en and clean the surface. Designed for cutting straight, accurate diameters and for separating a turning from the waste portion Diamond Truing Tool of a blank, a parting tool is a cross between a Grinding wheels require frequent dressing. A cutting tool and a scraper. When the edge is held $17.99), tangent to the workpiece with the bevel rubbing, it’s cutting. When the tip is fed straight into the removeslight pass metal with abuildup, truing tooland (#158522,exposes fresh abrasive. workpiece at or slightly above the centerline, it’s as shown above, flattens the face of the wheel, scraping. Parting tools come in several varieties: Protractor You may start with factory-set tool angles, other parting tools eventually, but the diamond isflat, a good diamond, tool to and start “fluted.” with becauseYou’ll want it’s easyto purchase to $20.99) handy for checking an use. Because the tip is at the thickest part of butangle in ortime, establishing you’ll find a a new metal one. protractor the shaft, a diamond parting tool can take deep (#85O45, cuts without the sides binding in the kerf. Felt-ti pped marker Typically, the factory-established bevels meet 45-60° A marker offers the easiest way to set a tool rest to match an existing angle. Color the edge of the tool and then touch it to the stone. When the grind mark willat a 50°produce angle, a socleaner this tool cut, should but it tends be ready to break to go erases the ink on the center of the bevel, you’re set. downwith just quickly a quick when touch-up. used for (Note: scraping.) A lower To anglesharpen, Sharpening stones angle matches the wheel. Then, gently push the Skew chisels require honing. An oilstone edgeadjust against the flat the tool wheel. rest so Focus that onthe removing tool’s bevel an $31.99) is an effective and affordable equal amount from both faces so that the point remains centered on the tool. Stop as soon as the $37.99(#149103,) in my pocket for tool-side touch-ups. edge is square and you feel a burr. (I don’t worry solution. I also keep a diamond paddle (#415700, about polishing or honing off the burr. It’ll get knocked off as soon as the tip touches the blank.) Handy Sharpening Accessories Diamond truing tool Diamond paddle set Steel protractor Use lines to Press tool Combo oilstone keep tool straight Set rest parallel with into wheel. so bevel wheel. matches Felt-ti pped marker wheel. 56 woodcraftmagazine.com June/July 2015 Before Aft er Smooth face Burr Scraper 70° touches the middle of the bevel. Test grind images,It’s difficult but ifto you see werea difference to run rest, gently press the scraper’s between the “Before” and “After” tipNow, into with the the wheel tool and flat followon the the of both tools, you’d immediately shape of the edge. With a round noticeyour finger the wire across edge, the or top burr face, scraper, this means swinging on the properly prepared the tool’s handle back and forth. scraper. This burr is what gives When sparks start landing on scrapers the ability to produce the top face of the tool, and you glassy smooth surfaces. Burrs can feel the burr, you’re done. don’t last long, but they can Note: Some turners polish off be reestablished in seconds. the burr on a buf�ing wheel, and Adjust the tool rest so that then use a burnisher to draw the face of the bevel meets the a burr. A drawn burr may be a contour of the wheel. To ensure little tougher, but I don’t think the Pivot to that the angles match, color the performance warrants this extra follow profi le. tip of the tool with a marker and step. I �ind that more frequent touch it against the wheel. Adjust grinding is faster and easier the platform until the wheel than hand-drawing a burr. Spindle Roughing Gouge Before A spindle roughing gouge turns grind, focus on holding the gouge Square edge Aft er also turn basic shapes, such its end square to the wheel. blanks into cylinders; it can Whenfirmly sparkson the restcome and over keeping the top 40°-55° is for spindles only. It is not of the tool, you should be done. intendedas tapers. for Note bowl that turning. this tool Note: Some turners suggest resting the handle’s butt in a V-arm should catch, the grinder’s rotation rest, but I think this procedure is would jam the tool into the wheel. angleAny is bevel a good angle starting from point.40°-55° unnecessarily time consuming, and In my opinion, freehand grinding works; so the factory-ground potentially dangerous. If the edge is safer and just as accurate. so that the tool bevel rides Adjust the angle of a flat rest the grinder, and with the tool parallelagainst theto the stone. wheel, Now touch turn the on tip of the tool. Lay the tool on the rest, and slowly push the gouge toward the wheel. When the tip contacts the wheel, use one Set rest so bevel hand to keep the tool against the matches wheel. Rotate. table and rotate the gouge until Keep tool you reach the other side, and fl at on rest. then reverse direction. As you June/July 2015 woodcraftmagazine.com 57 Before Aft er Swept back edge Spindle Gouge 25-30° Spin and lift . The spindle gouge is designed to cut curves, coves, and other and bowls. These shapes are easierdetailed to profilesdo if you on lengthen spindles Lower the ti p and curve the bevel to create on the wheel.