Sharpening a easy wood tools negative rake cutter on a Tormek.

[Dueane Hicks]

I recently bought a tormek 600grit diamond wheel. The stone wheel wouldn't work on carbide so I waited till I got a diamond wheel. The Tormek jig attachment for the gouge jig worked just fine for sharpening my easy wood tools cutters. It only takes a minute and leave me with a nice sharp cutter and I can do this multiple times until I have to buy a new cutter.
The cutter is mounted upside down on the jig (the other side will not fit), then I color it with a felt pen to make sure I have the angle set right.
Then, just spin the knob and slide it across the wheel at the same time. Nice and sharp! The flat side can be sharpened (if you have a ding in the cutter) on a diamond sharpening stone. I use a DMT medium. Unless they are chipped, you don't really need to do this. On the negative rake cutter; just sharpen the widest edge (bottom of the cutter). If I had money to burn, I'd get the coarse, and extra fine diamond wheels also, but at 300 a pop, I'll stick with the 600 grit.

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[Randy Heinemann]

I've been using the Tormek diamond wheel since they came out for the Easy Wood round cutters, both regular and the negative rake. After resharpening several times, I started to wonder how many resharpenings were possible and safe. I called Easy Wood and they, of course, don't recommend any resharpening.

Just wondering how many times you have resharpened a cutter and if you have determined what the limit to resharpenings is?

[Peter Blair]

Is it just me? These photos do not look to my like NR or is the small angle just to tiny to be seen?

[Dueane Hicks]

Is it just me? These photos do not look to my like NR or is the small angle just to tiny to be seen?


One is and the other was a regular cutter; it's hard to see the second bevel.

[Dueane Hicks]

I've been using the Tormek diamond wheel since they came out for the Easy Wood round cutters, both regular and the negative rake. After resharpening several times, I started to wonder how many resharpenings were possible and safe. I called Easy Wood and they, of course, don't recommend any resharpening.

Just wondering how many times you have resharpened a cutter and if you have determined what the limit to resharpenings is?


I think the regular cutter would last quite awhile. The negative rake is limited to the size of the second bevel; It it gets too small, it won't work right.

[Peter Blair]

Ok, thanks so you are sharpening the longer of the two bevels, right?

[Dueane Hicks]

Yes; I suppose one could sharpen the small bevel, but the holder will not fit the hole on that side.