Sharpening ball nose bits

[Ron Hitchcock]

I have some Amana 1/16" dia 5.4 deg. ball nose bits that need sharpening. The local place cannot sharpen them and they are not sure if they can be. Where do you get these CNC bits sharpened?

[Mark Bolton]

I have sent a few spirals to dyamic saw. They charge 15.00 for a two flute spiral and are an amana distributor.

[Jim Becker]

Just be sure that if you get cutters sharpened that you compensate for the small, but real change in diameter in your software. There are a number of vendors that provide sharpening services for CNC cutters. In addition to the one that Mark mentions, Vortex, Connecticut Saw, etc., provide these services.

[richard newman]

If they are tapered bits (5.4 deg), then the dimensions shouldn't change at all, except the length. Kinda like sharpening a pencil.

I have been to Dynamic Saw, bought a Wadkin jointer from their next door neighbor. Dynamic is a cool place, non-descript hole in the wall with amazing high tech machinery. The router making (and I presume sharpening) machine is huge, and mind blowing. They stick a blank in, punch some buttons on the screen, and out comes a router bit. I can't imagine how one grinds a 1/16" bit! Actually, I don't think they stick anything in, the machine probably has all different size blanks stored somewhere.

[Zlatko Kursar]

Does anybody have experience with this sharpening machine http://tinyurl.com/yb6ksbjo
I have it but I don't have any tutorial for sharpening.
After many attempts I succeeded sharpening V bits (but not always).

[Mark Bolton]

There are actually several videos on youtube with regards to the many versions of that machine. Stephan Gotswinter has a extensive series on re-working the import version of the machine and one of the literal metal working gods in my book (Robin Renzetti) is taking the machine to an entirely other level.

Honestly though for spirals and complex shapes like compression bits, or virtually any tool you can buy off the shelf, you will never ever beat the cost of sending them out to be sharpened. Very few uber high end individuals have the machinery or the mental composition to grind high precision tooling in house. Edge Precision is a guy who literally blows my mind with his utter knowledge and humility with regards to machining and simply being in business and the economics of such things, and also has a machine capable of such tasks https://youtu.be/6_dVXN21z-4.

Another good one,.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVh0YMlIspU&t=60s

For 1/4 the price of a tool new, its always best to ship them off. A cutter that costs $100 new, to be resharpened for 15-20 bucks is a no brainer.

Seems like any of the guys who invest in a serious grinder (likely never in the wood world) are needing super custom grinds and their jobs pay for them to need them immediately. They cant wait for a supplier to make the tool.

Just my 0.02

[Zlatko Kursar]

Mark, thanks for explanation. I bought this machine for sharpening V bits because i do lot of stainless steel plates engraving and it is very important that I always have sharpened bits.
I found some information of V bit geometry but I don't know how to set it on this machine. After many attempts I got it but I think that I miss something.

[Mark Bolton]

Id bet if you poked around on one of the above channels someone may likely be able to help. It seems like a handy little machine.

[Brian Lamb]

That machine is a clone of a Deckel SO or SOE single lip tool grinder. Search for an instruction manual for one of those and I suspect you would learn all you need to get good results.

[Zlatko Kursar]

Wow Brian, that's it. I am looking two years for this. Thanks a lot.

[Brian Lamb]

You are welcome. Deckel was/is made in Germany, and sold worldwide, so you might be able to find manuals in just about any language. They were well written too, done enough years ago that translations were done properly and with native speakers on both sides of the languages to make sure nothing is lost in translation.