Sharpening system recommendations please

Re: Sharpening system recommendations please

Tim of San Leandro

>The Tormek or any wheel grinder alone is not suitable for sharpening irons and chisels. You'd need to invest in scary sharp or stones or diamond paste abrasives to give you flat cutting edges. Ground on a wheel alone, the cutting edge is too fragile to cut wood for long.

I'm relatively new but have heard lots of positives on the Lee Valley MK II....Lap Sharp is a similar, though higher priced alternative that uses the same principle. I've heard not so good things about horizontal wheel stones....hard to keep them flat.

I have waterstones and like them but the issue is the same as many - you have to work to keep the stones flat. Shapton professional stones stay flatter for longer periods is what I've been told. I tried scary sharp and while the system works well, I found that the microabrasives wore out too quickly for my tastes and finding rough grits for lapping backs quickly was near impossible. All the rough grits I tried would barely last for 20 strokes of an A2 iron. I've ordered some diamond pastes and am going to try those to "charge" the microabrasive sheets. I've heard lots and lots of good about using diamonds.

I don't turn, yet. So all the above is only in relation to my experience with irons and chisels. I want to get a slow speed grinder - I have others things to sharpen such as axes and lawn mower blades and have the MK II on my wish list....

Tim

Re: Posted a response on the turning side

Lyn J. Mangiameli

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Re: Sharpening system recommendations please

Todd Hughes

>I don't know nothing about those "systems" that you mentioned but I have good luck using a big belt sander I made for rough sharpening ,[taking chips out of the edge, fixing the bevel, etc.] imagine a small belt sander like you see everywhere would work fine too. Might have to keep a closer eye on it that it doesn't heat up your edges. Shouldn't have to use the belt sander other then the first time on an overly dull abused blade... I then just use a couple of old sharpening stones I found in a box of junk to put on the final edge.Don't know who made them or the exact grit but do like a hard fine translucient I have for the last stone.I never worry about them being perfectly flat , or even really flat.Never could understand the importance of that. Using this "system" I can go from a dull plane blade with a chip in it to one that is razor sharp in a couple minutes......Todd

Tormek

jim_reed@marietta

>Once I bought a Tormek I discovered what it is like to have sharp tools. Except for a few bucks in sandpaper for making backs flat, I have spent no $$$ in years so the purchase has paid for itself. Tormek is the best thing going.

Plate glass and sandpaper.

Matt Malin

>I use the Veritas honing guide and the bevel gauage. I did get the small Richard Kell guide and should be getting the larger one in any day now. I took some 3/4 birch ply and put a small toggle on it that holds the sandpaper and glass to the board. I draw the blade toward me. I angle it for Jack plane blades.

I use 220 grit through 2000 grit sandpaper. Keep a small brush handy to brush off the paper to remove waste after each 10 strokes.

I have used water stones and tried the Delta 710. The oil-free water-free sandpaper method works great for me.

Re: Sharpening system recommendations please

Tony - Memphis

>I think Leonard Lee show's a similar technique in his video. He uses a water stone to finishs up with.

I'm not as picky as most with all this sharpening stuff. I did buy a Tormek to help me with carving tools and to sharpen "other" stuff as well. Can't argue that it was worth the dough, but I do like it and use it. I've taken classes from "masters" who use the crudiest looking stones and grinders on their last leg, so its for sure not the equipment! I bought a set of Norton Water Stones after using them at Lonnie Bird's school. I really like those. I use a Veritas jig.

Tony

Microabrasives

Jonathan Ronnow, Sweden

>I use 3m�s microabrasives with PSA backing on thick glass, and the veritas guide. For hogging I have a tormek.

Yes, when flattening stuff the coarde grits really wear out fast. I typically use up a 4" by 7" sheet on a single blade back to the point that it cuts very slow. But its not all out, it still handles bevel maintenance excellet for many sharpenings. If I have a nick, the tormek fires up. Lately Ive also used the tormek to hollow-grind blade backs to save time and microabrasives... sure doesnt look pretty but it works.

Japan Woodworker carries both fine and coarse grits in microabrasives. The fine grits are sold as lapping films and the coarse as microfinishing film, they are tricky to find on their site.

I both push and pull on these films, they wotn flex and bulge up as regular paper will. I had problems with bevel rounding when I pushed on wet&dry paper, but never with these films. Oh, and does them edges get sharp!

Jr

I think Lyn can give you very thorough advice on the MkII sharpener...