You may have heard time invested in long-term projects referred to as sharpening the saw. While they aren’t busy cutting wood and thus productive at the moment, sharpening the saw is necessary to keep the saw functional as long as possible and maximize the quality of the end product. In reality, all wood cutting tools need to be sharpened periodically. This includes skew chisels and spindle gouges. Here is an overview if you need to know how to sharpen wood lathe tools.
Table of Contents
Steps Of How to Sharpen Wood Lathe Tools
Step 1: Check the Sharpness
Sharpening tools slowly wears them down, so you don’t want to do it more often than necessary. Yet you can’t use a simple rule of thumb like sharpening for five minutes for every hour you work, because tasks like scraping will dull a tool far faster than other tasks.
Check the turning tool for a sharpened edge. Use your thumb, and feel for a burr. Your thumb will catch on the burr instead of slide along the surface.
You can also check it by running the tool along the corner of an end grain. If the shavings are sharp, the tool is, too. If there are no shavings, the tool needs to be sharpened. Don’t go with the grain, because even dulled tools can cut that.
Step 2: Set up the grinder.
Lathe tools are best sharpened with a slow speed bench grinder. A six to eight inch grinder is typically sufficient. A larger grinder makes it easier to hit the angles.
Get it out and set it up. We recommend 80 grit grinding wheels with a 120 or 180 grit grinding wheel for the sides. Don’t forget safety equipment like protective goggles, a respirator mask and gloves for yourself. If the grinding wheel needs dressing, use a multi-diamond T-bar.
We don’t recommend using belt sanders, though a two inch belt could be used instead of a grinder. They are more affordable, but they’re harder to control with regard to the angle. And it won’t work at all if you has a flexing plate.
Step 3: Grind the tool edge.
Lower the tip of the tool onto the grinding wheel for a few seconds. Turn the tool over and do the opposite side for the same amount of time. Don’t lean into the grinder with the tool, because this can alter the angle of the edge. Never put the tool below the center of the wheel.
Sweep tools like chisels back and forth so that you get an even sharp edge. The exception is when you’re actually shaping a bowl gouge or spindle, changing its bevel to a new angle.
For some tools, a minute or less is sufficient. For large tools, it may take five to ten minutes to get every edge.
Step 4: Verify your work.
Use an angle finder to make sure you’ve maintained the degree on the blade that you want. You can also use a felt pen to check the angle. It colors the tip of the chisel or other tool to make sure it is making contact with the gouge.
Conclusion:
A good wood lathe is very important for better work. Good lathe has quality parts to perform the work.Now I hope you have learnt How to Sharpen Wood Lathe Tools.