advice about sharpening stones

[ckprivette]

y'all,

i have finished purchasing my chisels and slick for my upcoming TF project. Trouble is, they're all lacking a sharp edge and I'm void of a good sharpening stone. Any advice on what I should look for in a stone? Brand? Grit(s)? Size? What about electric grinding stones?

Danke,
chris

[shinnlinger]

 I wouldn't use a stone at all...


https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,62872.msg966753.html#msg966753

[BCsaw]

I 2nd the not using stones. They work well, but automotive sandpaper stuck to a completely smooth surface like glass gives a beautiful edge. Shaving sharp ALL the time! Use different grits up to very fine......1500 and higher.

My 2 cents.

[Blueflyz]

No stones? Bad advice. Buy yourself some quality water stones and possibly a diamond stone. You don't need to over do it but learn to sharpen your tools the correct way. I guess you could go the tormac rout, but I almost never use it.

[Dan_Shade]

I have some stones made by razors edge.

[Blueflyz]

Norton makes good stones also

[isawlogs]

 I have a hard felt wheel and use polishing compound of different  grit to sharpen all of my tools. A razor sharp edge is easily put on in no time.
Use a slow turning grinder, 1750 rpm if memory does not fail me.. it does at times  :-\ 

[Swatson]

I like using a cardboard wheel with a little rouge on it on one end of a grinder.  Works just like the felt wheel Isawlogs is talking about just firmer.  Its easy after you get the hang of it.  But be warned, if your friends find out about it your gonna be sharpening a lot of pocket knives!  Leather wheels work good for this but they are pricey.

[ckprivette]

ok. I think I got it: There are multiple ways to sharpen chisels. Just pick one and hone my skills and tools at the same time. Today, when i was in a hurry I did a quick sharpen with my random orbital sander. I'm not sure if I'd want to make this my go-to method, but it did an okay job in a pinch.

[shinnlinger]

The vertical belt sander with a v block jig is nice because you can quickly and easily put your tool back at the same angle every time .  Highschool kids make tools razor sharp in seconds in my shop everyday.

[ozarkgem]

The vertical belt sander with a v block jig is nice because you can quickly and easily put your tool back at the same angle every time .  Highschool kids make tools razor sharp in seconds in my shop everyday.

How about a pic of that setup. thanks  jim

[danreed76]

I'd stay away from anything motorized unless it's low speed and water cooled, or unless you're an experienced toolmaker and know when and how to quench when grinding. I'm new to timber framing but have worked with metal a long time (overheat it once and it becomes a very difficult tool to maintain).

I've used the sandpaper/glass in the past, but to get a really effective and easy to maintain edge, 1500 grit doesn't cut it (no pun intended).  I highly recommend a good set of stones.  I use DMT (blue and red... don't remember what grits those are... but blue is more aggressive and red is very fine) for establishing a surface, followed by waterstones (4,000 then 8,000 grit) to get a mirror finish.  After that, I strop with a hard leather board and I have an edge that will last through days of proper use with just an occasional trip across the stropping board.  You may not notice the difference in the edge when hammering through a joint, but you'll notice it for sure when you're paring off a shoulder with just the force of your hands.

For what it's worth, I always like to work with a hollow ground edge.  My low-speed wet grinder turns 110 rpm but only gets called to action when I have to repair a damaged edge.

[shinnlinger]

The pic is in the link I posted at the top of this thread.  The setup does not burn the blade.  I have high school kids sharpening lathe tools all day every day with one and after 3 years some of the gouges are noticeably shorter but you have to realize this is extreme use by kids that don't always know better or care to know better.   Each sharpening only takes off a tiny, tiny bit of steel.  It's only 3 seconds after all.
Stones and sandpaper on glass are are very good at getting tools sharp and I have done both but it takes time and you have to know what you are doing and or use a jig.  The v-block deal is literally 3 seconds.  They may not be as sharp as they can be, but you can shave with my framing chisels.  There is a Japanese saying about spending all your time sharpening vs working the wood but it escapes me at the moment.

Some folks like to sharpen by hand and are very good at it.   I get it and respect it.  I am just offering another way that anyone can do very quickly.  Trust me.  If you saw some of my students you would understand.

[Heartwood]

I believe the Japanese say: "The point is to make the chisel dull." when you spend more time sharpening than working.

[AK Newbie]

"The vertical belt sander with a v block jig is nice because you can quickly and easily put your tool back at the same angle every time .  Highschool kids make tools razor sharp in seconds in my shop everyday."


This looks like a great idea!  I think I'm going to give it a try.  Any advice on how to drill the holes for holding the V-block?  Is there a guide out there?  How did you determine the spacing for the holes?  Thanks for posting this!  I love to turn but get discouraged because my sharpening skills are lacking.

[shinnlinger]

I think it's all in the link at the top of this post.   It's guitar fretboard spacing.   Take you time laying it out and use a drill press

[AK Newbie]

Thanks!

[LaneC]

There are other advantages of using stones also. You need no electricity, you can also sharpen plane blades, straight razors, knives etc. It takes a little time, but they are a useful tool. I think it winds up being a matter of personal preference. Norton makes good stones as someone has already stated.

[woodworker9]

To add to what has already been said, if you decide to use waterstones, do not forget that waterstones dish out very quickly and easily, and you will also need to flatten them very quickly.  By this, I mean after each use. 

Also, remember that is just as important to flatten and polish the back of a chisel as it is to polish the bevel.  A sharp edge is the intersection of two highly polished and flat surfaces.  So many make the mistake of sharpening/polishing on the bevel, and leave the back alone.  Then, they don't understand why the tool won't get sharp as they see in video's/ etc.....

You can accomplish all of this with any system you choose.  Just pick one and stick with it.

Jeff

[shinnlinger]

For the record, I have sharpened delicate carving tools, pocket knives, planer blades, lathe tools,  framing chisels, axe heads, drawknives, etc on the belt sander, so I believe it to be pretty flexible.