POWER Stropping!!

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Tod Evans, shared this idea with me, and boy is it a keeper!!!

It is so simple and works SO well.
Basically you get a round piece of fairly thick MDF, and attach a piece of leather too it, mount it on something that spins, and then you add oil and polishing rouge to the leather. Yep, that simple, but I like simple.........

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_ready_to_cut_out.jpg
Ready to cut out.

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_jigsaw.jpg
Cutting a rough circle with my jigsaw (it will be trued up on the lathe).

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_leather_disc.jpg
I also cut a piece of leather slightly larger than the piece of MDF, you can also see the mandrel I bout to chuck up in a drill or on the drill chuck on the lathe.

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_ready_to_drill.jpg
I needed to drill a hole 12.7 mm in diameter.

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_mandrel_in_place.jpg
Drilled the hole and fit the mandrel

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_tru_up.jpg
With the drill chuck on the headstock of the lathe, I tried to true things up, but, the mandrel was too flexible, and the whole disc wobbled badly.........plan B

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_faceplate.jpg
I took out the mandrel, and mounted the disc on my 6" faceplate, this worked VERY well.

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_trued_up.jpg
I was easily able to true up the edge and the face of the disc, but man that MDF is DUSTY to turn, notice the cyclone hose right there.....

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_ready_to_stick.jpg
I bought some glue that is designed for sticking leather to wood, it is a kind of contact cement.

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_hammered.jpg
I let the glue sit 10 minutes, like it says on the package, then I stuck it together, and pounded the heck out of it, then for good measure............

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

.................


http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_lots_of_clamps.jpg
I clamped another piece of plywood on top of it and let it sit for 15 minutes or so.

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_edge_trued.jpg
Back on the the lathe, I trued up the edge again, cutting off a thin slice of the leather.

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_edge_trued2.jpg
The minor spots of glue on the face just scraped off with the back of my razor knife.

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_oiled.jpg
Tod told me to now soak the leather in oil, so I did, he said any old oil would do, so I had some electric chainsaw chain oil sitting around, I figured that it would work well. I really soaked it and let it sit, then soaked it again. Then after 10 minutes or so, I wiped off the excess oil, and back on the lathe it went.

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_loaded_with_rouge.jpg
Here it is loaded with Rouge, Tod said it would make a paste, and it sure did.

So, how did it work?

Man alive did it work!! I cannot believe how well it works, I have a bunch of chisels, they are ones that I inherited or I won on auction,
that were in fairly rough shape, and needed a lot of work. I just ground them on the grinder, on the coarse wheel, and then went straitght to the Power Strop.

Most were sharp enough to shave the hair on my forearm in less than a minute, WOW!!!!

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_all_sharp.jpg
Bright, shinny, and SHARP!!

Can't thank Tod enough for suggesting this, boy will this be a time saver!

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/power_strop/power_strop_all_done.jpg
After sharpening 10 chisels, the Power Strop is still in great condition.
You have to be careful how you present the chisel to the power strop, but it did not take me long to figure that one out.

Man does this work!!

Thanks again Tod, boy is this great! :D

Cheers!

[tod evans]

glad your tools are sharp stu! be careful........carving may be in your future now that getting an edge is quick-n-easy:rolleyes: .....02 tod

[Dan Racette]

Tod is certainly a genius in my book.

dan

[Frank Fusco]

Yes, an excellent idea. Here is a variation I made many years ago for sharpening carving tools. Scrap leather layers sandwiched and bolted to any old backing material. Or the backing can be left off, works well without also. The disks do not have to be very round as they will get that way quickly or you can use a file to round them. I don't use oil but sometimes will use white rouge.

[Ben Grunow]

tod- Doesnt the oil cause the MDF to grow (swell) over time?

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

tod- Doesnt the oil cause the MDF to grow (swell) over time?

I very much doubt it, as the MDF is sealed with contact cement.

The edges are not, maybe I should put a coat of paint on them or something.

Good point Ben.

Cheers!

[Ben Grunow]

Just wanted to know for when I make mine...

[tod evans]

tod- Doesnt the oil cause the MDF to grow (swell) over time?

ben, i`ve used mdf and baltic birch for years with nothing sealing the edges...it`s not like you`ll have lots of time or money in this set-up so if a wheel goes bad just pitch it and make another... i buy leather from tandy out of the bad dye lots, last time i think i paid 25-30 bucks for half of an ugly green hide. i`ve made several wheels for friends as well as myself and use the scraps for hand strops.....02 tod

[Bruce Wrenn]

I use right angle gear motor with an arbor added. The wheels are from MDF with a piece of belt from thrift store glued around outer rim. Add some Tormek paste and you are in business. Slick, I mean sharp.