honing gouges with slipstones

[Nathan Hawkes]

So, fellow woodturners, I've come to that place that turners do, apparently; the place where they realize that they should've been honing their tools all along, that it would've saved so much sanding and so many trips to the grinder. The last couple articles in American Woodturner have been great for me. I'm not a newbie, been turning a few years, but I've turned a few hundred bowls by now. I've currently only got a fine 600 grit card sized diamond hone that I originally purchased for sharpening my McNaughton knives, but I'm having trouble with such a small stone to hone bevels, and can't hone the flutes at all. I'm using a stiff buffing wheel with emery compound--I had it already to buff off heavy oxidation on a couple old plane irons. It has worked fine to polish the flutes, but doesn't hone worth a darn. The MDF disc idea is fine, but I don't have anything I can put it in other than the lathe MT2 mandrel, and I don't want to take off a work in progress to hone tools....

I have my doubts that an india or arkansas slipstone will be up to the task of honing powder metal gouges or skews for that matter. I know they are much harder than normal steels; I don't want to be honing for several minutes at a time. I've looked around for tapered diamond slipstones that also have a flat side like the india and arkansas stones available they're almost nonexistent. The one that I can find is on Alan Lacer's site, and is $88. I'm trying to convince myself to go for it; I know it will last, and I know its a quality tool. I'm just trying to find others' experience with the slipstones and powder metals. My go-to tools are now crown PM, hamlet2030, and packard 2060 steels, and I'm about to get a thompson gouge to round out my bowl gouge selection. So, how do they do????? Thanks in advance.

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[David Walser]

... The one that I can find is on Alan Lacer's site, and is $88. I'm trying to convince myself to go for it; I know it will last, and I know its a quality tool. I'm just trying to find others' experience with the slipstones and powder metals. ...

I have Alan Lacer's slip stone and I like it a lot. However, I don't know why the similar shaped stones from Henry Taylor wouldn't work just as well (and for a lot less money). Here's a link: http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Sharpening___Honing___Henry_Taylor_Slipstones___sl ipstones?Args=

[Reed Gray]

I never hone my gouges. I sharpen them on 150 grit wheels. Not really worth the effort, though a friend does for his finish cuts. Most of the time I start sanding with 120 grit. If you are sanding out tool marks, then you need to improve your tecnique. If you are sanding out tear out, then some times it is the wood, some times you need a freshly sharpened tool, and some times you need to wet the wood with water or finish to help lubricate the fiber and take only the lightest cuts. Again, this can be improved by proper tecnique.

Far more people will hone their skews, but not so many hone the gouge.

robo hippy

[David Walser]

...

Far more people will hone their skews, but not so many hone the gouge.



I attended a demo by Alan Lacer last February. I knew Alan was a proponent of honing his skew, but there he was honing his spindle roughing gouge. So, I bought his slip stone (I try to reward those who come all the way to AZ to demo by buying there stuff when I can) and gave it a try. I like it. It saves three to five trips to the grinder for sharpening. That is, when the tool gets dull enough that I'd go to the grinder, I just pull out the slip stone and a few seconds later I've got a sharp edge. I can do that three to five times before I feel the need to use the grinder. So, while I don't hone the edge off the grinder (in my case, I'm using a Tormek so my edge off the grinder is very sharp), I do hone both gouges and skews between trips to the grinder. YMMV.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I do hone my skews with Lacers diamond hone. My gouges are honed when I sharpen on the Tormek. I always have a gouge close by that has been sharpened and honed for the final 2 or 3 cuts. Like Reed I generally start sanding at 120 to 150 grit.

[Nathan Hawkes]

I never hone my gouges. I sharpen them on 150 grit wheels. Not really worth the effort, though a friend does for his finish cuts. Most of the time I start sanding with 120 grit. If you are sanding out tool marks, then you need to improve your tecnique. If you are sanding out tear out, then some times it is the wood, some times you need a freshly sharpened tool, and some times you need to wet the wood with water or finish to help lubricate the fiber and take only the lightest cuts. Again, this can be improved by proper tecnique.

Far more people will hone their skews, but not so many hone the gouge.

robo hippy


I sharpen with a 120 grit wheel, but I used to use a 60 grit one--the difference is huge! I start sanding about the same grit, but the tool sharpness is what keeps me from using the "80 grit gouge". I usually try to shear scrape (really a light cut--this was debated by some turners on another forum a while back;)) to a fine finish--I can usually start at 150 or better, depending on the wood. I'm working with a bunch of maple that has some areas that just wont cut cleanly no matter what I try. Its not tearout, but more fuzzy fibers left over. I've tried using the set screws on the chuck & cutting from the reverse side & the same thing happens with the fibers going the other direction. I've also tried water, shear cuts with diamond honed & diamond raised burr scraping (cutting) tools at a 45deg. angle, etc. With the honing, I'm just trying to take less trips to the grinder. I've not learned proper hand sharpening, and hate having to waste a couple minutes with the jig & then cooling the tool, etc.

I have a makita wet sharpener, but haven't spent the time to make a jig like the tormek one. I don't know if its worth it for everything--just one or two gouges for finish cuts.

[David Walser]

I sharpen with a 120 grit wheel, but I used to use a 60 grit one--the difference is huge! ...

The difference you noticed going from a 60 grit wheel to a 120 grit wheel is similar to the difference you'll notice going from a 120 grit wheel to a 1,000 grit (Tormek) wheel. Sharper is sharper.

However, as much as I like my Tormek, I suspect you can get much of the benefit by simply honing away the wire bur left by the grinder.