Stumpy Nubs Video - Do you flat or hollow grind?

[Tom Bussey]

Stumpy is correct, because the length of the side apposite the angle is the same on both methods, if a micro bevel is honed o the steel. An edge straight off the grinder is good enough if you want a lot of slips and like to work your but off. A small bevel does wonders for a cutting edge and one doesn't have to remove much material to freshen up an edge as work progresses. With a flat edge a lot more metal needs to be removed.

It is said that a 25 degree angle is for soft woods and a 30 degree angle is for hard woods. The pattern shop I worked in had their rest set for 27 1/2 degrees because they worked with both soft and hard woods. I was told when in my apprenticeship that 22 1/2 degrees included angle was the prefect cutting angle and since 25 is closer to 22 1/2 than 30 so I sharpen at 25 and not 30.

In reality it makes no difference to me as to how you wish to sharpen. You can do it any way you want, at any angle you want, it is your tool not mine I think Bob Dillan said it best ( don't you understand, it is not my problem).

[Rod Sheridan]

If you ever go for a hike in the woods, make sure to bring a pocket knife. That way, if you get lost, you can take out the knife and start sharpening it. Pretty soon, someone will come along to tell you you're doing it wrong.

Quote of the week, thanks Bert.

Regards, Rod.

[Rick Potter]

Is this a good place to ask if anyone uses the Taylor Tools setup for sharpening chisels with your drill press?

A lousy sharpener wants to know.

PS: Too chicken to actually OPEN a sharpening thread.

[Jimmy Harris]

Is this a good place to ask if anyone uses the Taylor Tools setup for sharpening chisels with your drill press?

A lousy sharpener wants to know.

PS: Too chicken to actually OPEN a sharpening thread.

You'll probably get more replies if you open a new thread for it. I think a lot of people avoid clicking on sharpening threads unless they know there's something specific they can add ahead of time. So putting that in the title might get more eyeballs on your question. And to be honest, I think we've past peak sharpening thread angst. It seems like we're finally starting to come to terms with the idea that it's okay if other people do it differently. The last several I've seen seem to have more warnings about it going off the rails than actual posts trying to push it off the rails.

Personally, no. I've never used that system. But it does look pretty simple to use, assuming you can build the jig accurately and your drill press chuck doesn't wobble or deflect. And set up will take a while, so it won't be quick. Also switching between angles or small chisels and big plane blades might be a hassle. So I personally wouldn't be interested in it. But, if you're having trouble sharpening, it might be worth the tradeoffs.

There are two "secrets" to sharpening that I've discovered. One, use the coarsest stone, sandpaper, whatever, to make the blade sharp. 200-600 grit is a good place to start. Then use the finer grits to smooth and polish the edge. If it's not sharp after the first stone, keep sharpening it until it is. Moving too quickly between the grits is most people's mistake. Then, once you've got it sharp on that coarse grit, you can move through the other grits relatively quickly, because you're not really doing any sharpening, just polishing. Of course, if the blade isn't dull, you don't have to start on the coarsest stone you own. You can start wherever. Sometimes, I'll jump straight to the strop, because that's all it needs. Just make sure you've done all you can with the fist grit before moving on to the next.

The second "secret" is keeping your angle consistent. However you do this doesn't matter. And the angle itself isn't very important. A 27° bevel cuts about like a 31° bevel. Just know that even the tiniest variations in angle during the sharpening process can have great consequences. I have many times had to start over because I accidentally rolled the chisel forward a half degree on a single swipe on my finishing stone.

The Tay Tools sharpening station kind of takes care of both of those issues. The spinning disk makes sharpening fast, so you're not as penalized by starting off on too high of a grit, and thus less likely to move through the grits before you're ready. And the jig keeps the angle consistent. So I could see it being a good solution for a beginner or someone who's had issues in the past.

[Jim Andrew]

I had a great shop teacher who taught us to sharpen a chisel exactly the way stumpy nubs showed it. Then you use a stone with oil to hone the edge. You can also hone it more than once to maintain a sharp edge.

[Wes Grass]

I hollow grind lathe tools ... Metal Lathe tools. Allows for stoning the edges by creating a tiny flat, and multiple touch-ups are possible before going back to the grinder. Eyeball the angle so the bottom edge is a guide for the relief angle. You'll be at the stone all day if they're ground flat.

There was something I needed a female radius ground in for. Surface grinder and radius dresser was pretty much the only option there ... but no way I was going to be able to stone that face anyway. Hand grind and stone the top face instead.

[Randy Heinemann]

I generally end up with flat ground chisels and plane blades because I'm a hand sharpener. For years, I messed around with all sorts of sharpening systems and methods; both with grinders of some sort and hand sharpening. Finally, I realized that even the best systems may have a few downsides for any user so I picked a method, bought the proper stones and a good hand sharpening jig, and now just use those for resharpening.

When I began turning, I realized that, because I already owned a Tormek, they had jigs just made for sharpening gouges and scrapers that made that job exceptionally easy. So, since I already owned the Tormek, I invested in the gouge jig and do almost all of my sharpening tools with the Tormek and jig. However, the Tormek wheels are 10" so the shape of the resulting sharpened area is hollow ground, but very little.

Recently I bought a Rikon grinder, but really mainly use it to reshape an edge or angle. It's just faster and I finish it up by hand sharpening for the chisels and the Tormek for my turning tools.

Another advised to pick a method and just use it. That's good advice. I just found that there are some tools, like turning tools, which can be resharpened easire another way. So, now I'm more tool specific with the method. The only thing that gets you sharper tools is to practice over and over again.