Matt Hutchinson
10-02-2011, 5:56 PM
There has been some interest in a photo I posted in another thread, so I thought it would be prudent to start a dedicated thread.
In planning the making of the piece Septarillion (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?172853-Septarillion-Red-Mallee-Burl-Turned-and-Carved-(Now-with-progress-pics!)&highlight=) I knew I would have to be honing my carving tools a lot. I also have been wanting a system that can hone my turning tools as well. So here is what I came up with.
208959208964
This is a very basic, but effective design. It's nothing more than a few leather strops of different profiles, along with an MDF wheel with PSA sandpaper on the side for regrinding the bevels (used for my carving tools, not turning tools).
I had an old Craftsman tablesaw motor laying around = $0.00, found some link belt = $34.00, bought a Clesco shaft and pillow blocks kit (dunno the model # and I can't find it online) = $40.00, a 5.5" pulley = $16.00, PSA sanding disc for a few dimes each, and I bought a leather shoulder on sale with leather contact cement from Tandy = $32.00. So, all in all I spent around $125.00. Of course, I have lots of leather left over for other things such as friction chucks. Also, I am using Formax (http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2004240/8619/Green-Chrome-Oxide-Compound-6-oz.aspx) honing compound (For some reason Woodcraft decided to remove the brand name via photoshop). The tool rest is simply a piece of white oak with a 1/2 roundover routed on the top.
To make the leather strops I scribed circles onto the leather using a pair of dividers, then roughly cut them out with a utility knife. It cuts very easily. I then applied leather contact cement (yes, it's different then regular contact cement) to both sides of each piece (excluding the outsides of the outer pieces) and clamped them together under MDF platens using heavy pressure. I left them overnight to cure, then took them to the drill press and bored 1/2" holes for the shaft (again, it drills very easily). Installing them on the shaft I temporarily hooked up the motor running forward and turned them to profile, followed by sanding to refine the shapes. The same was done with the MDF wheel.
IMPORTANT: Once they reached the proper shape I made sure to hook up the motor to RUN IN REVERSE. You don't want to forget this step.
I originally wanted to incorporate Wolverine System rests, but I decided it wasn't worth the expense. I am fairly comfortable with grinding by hand, so the wood rest seemed like an easy solution.
It works great, but it runs a little too fast. I recommend trying to use a slow speed motor, and you certainly don't need anywhere near a 1hp motor like what I have shown. Honing both carving tools and turning tools on this setup is very easy, although there is a little learning curve due to the reverse rotation and trying to find the proper angle without rounding the edge (that is, contacting the edge of the bevel perfectly tangent to the wheel). With a little practice I think I have been able to get around 4-8 honings before needing to regrind on the wolverine system. I like it a lot, and it takes less time than hitting the grinder. Not to mention it's a razor sharp edge and I should be able to get at least 4 times the sharpening out of my cutting tools. (I hone my scrapers as well. You should try it if you haven't. Spindle turning cuts made with a burr-less razor sharp scraper are great. especially small beads and coves.)
Another note, I have noticed a clear difference on how my regular HSS tools hone and how my Doug Thompson tools hone. Thompson's are significantly harder and take more time to polish up.
Thanks!
- Hutch
In planning the making of the piece Septarillion (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?172853-Septarillion-Red-Mallee-Burl-Turned-and-Carved-(Now-with-progress-pics!)&highlight=) I knew I would have to be honing my carving tools a lot. I also have been wanting a system that can hone my turning tools as well. So here is what I came up with.
208959208964
This is a very basic, but effective design. It's nothing more than a few leather strops of different profiles, along with an MDF wheel with PSA sandpaper on the side for regrinding the bevels (used for my carving tools, not turning tools).
I had an old Craftsman tablesaw motor laying around = $0.00, found some link belt = $34.00, bought a Clesco shaft and pillow blocks kit (dunno the model # and I can't find it online) = $40.00, a 5.5" pulley = $16.00, PSA sanding disc for a few dimes each, and I bought a leather shoulder on sale with leather contact cement from Tandy = $32.00. So, all in all I spent around $125.00. Of course, I have lots of leather left over for other things such as friction chucks. Also, I am using Formax (http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2004240/8619/Green-Chrome-Oxide-Compound-6-oz.aspx) honing compound (For some reason Woodcraft decided to remove the brand name via photoshop). The tool rest is simply a piece of white oak with a 1/2 roundover routed on the top.
To make the leather strops I scribed circles onto the leather using a pair of dividers, then roughly cut them out with a utility knife. It cuts very easily. I then applied leather contact cement (yes, it's different then regular contact cement) to both sides of each piece (excluding the outsides of the outer pieces) and clamped them together under MDF platens using heavy pressure. I left them overnight to cure, then took them to the drill press and bored 1/2" holes for the shaft (again, it drills very easily). Installing them on the shaft I temporarily hooked up the motor running forward and turned them to profile, followed by sanding to refine the shapes. The same was done with the MDF wheel.
IMPORTANT: Once they reached the proper shape I made sure to hook up the motor to RUN IN REVERSE. You don't want to forget this step.
I originally wanted to incorporate Wolverine System rests, but I decided it wasn't worth the expense. I am fairly comfortable with grinding by hand, so the wood rest seemed like an easy solution.
It works great, but it runs a little too fast. I recommend trying to use a slow speed motor, and you certainly don't need anywhere near a 1hp motor like what I have shown. Honing both carving tools and turning tools on this setup is very easy, although there is a little learning curve due to the reverse rotation and trying to find the proper angle without rounding the edge (that is, contacting the edge of the bevel perfectly tangent to the wheel). With a little practice I think I have been able to get around 4-8 honings before needing to regrind on the wolverine system. I like it a lot, and it takes less time than hitting the grinder. Not to mention it's a razor sharp edge and I should be able to get at least 4 times the sharpening out of my cutting tools. (I hone my scrapers as well. You should try it if you haven't. Spindle turning cuts made with a burr-less razor sharp scraper are great. especially small beads and coves.)
Another note, I have noticed a clear difference on how my regular HSS tools hone and how my Doug Thompson tools hone. Thompson's are significantly harder and take more time to polish up.
Thanks!
- Hutch