Bucktool wet/dry Sharpener

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Morecowbell
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Re: Bucktool wet/dry Sharpener

Post by Morecowbell »

Very interesting! I need to watch some videos on it. My "Dormek" has been fun but water goes everywhere, have been looking for alternatives. Santa brought some diamond plates and I just got a slow speed white wheel grinder to try out. The diamond plates are nice, but looks like you need the super fine one if you want to complete the process without hitting the water stones (or stropping I guess? Have never tried that...). The slow speed grinder has been a really nice blend of making progress with surprisingly low heat buildup.
"Facts seldom sway an opinion." - John Hall
"The difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference." - Van de Snepscheut
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: Bucktool wet/dry Sharpener

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

I have the course, fine, and extra fine, but I still need 1000 and 2000 wet and dry to get to where I want to be
Ed M
Morecowbell
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Re: Bucktool wet/dry Sharpener

Post by Morecowbell »

That's what I have too Ed, I need the next finest one. So far I like them
"Facts seldom sway an opinion." - John Hall
"The difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference." - Van de Snepscheut
Red Dogg
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Re: Bucktool wet/dry Sharpener

Post by Red Dogg »

Ruby. Yes I realize that a chisel will, indeed, work just fine in nearly all situations without a perfectly flat back. And yes, if only 1/16" of the back is polished, you can get a very sharp edge. But, as you point out, this doesn't work as well when one needs to follow a flat reference surface, for example, paring off a dowel plug or trueing the edge of a veneer to its subsurface.

I know that most of my concern is a result of inordinate degree of obsessiveness on my part, and the older I get the more obsessive I have become. FYI, I'm pushing 80 pretty hard and have been woodworking since my 20's.

I like my tools to perform to their highest potential. When I'm using chisels, I always have a leather strop on the bench, one side charged with buffing compound and the other just plain, smooth leather. I use a series of soft grinding wheel, diamond stones, W&D sandpaper (400-2000 grit) with the Veritas guide and the strop to get to where I want. Seldom have a need to go back to the wheel once I have the angle I'm after.
tippie53
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Re: Bucktool wet/dry Sharpener

Post by tippie53 »

as a machinist I can interject here
lets face it , there are many ways to sharpen a chisel. I like the tormek as you can lock the chisel in to set the angle and using a water stone you don't heat it , that may change the temper.
once the angle is set , that is only a part of the process , like Sylvan I use the sharpening jig , this also sets the angle but I like to use a secondary angle , I got used to that in my carving days. The great thing about these holding fixtures is you can go from stone to stone till the edge is polishes.
as for the back I will just run them on the flat stone to debur them.
after I am done with the stones , if you look close you will see the angel hair a layer of metal that doesn't grind off , I take my chisel and draw that across a piece of wood , then strop it on a leather strop treated with rouge that really gives you that razor edge.
if you take care of your chisels you can tune them up easy. As for oil or water stones I have them both but use the oil stones more for roughing in and the water for the polishing up the edge
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
Morecowbell
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Location: Fishers, IN

Re: Bucktool wet/dry Sharpener

Post by Morecowbell »

For John and others who use a leather strop - was curious if people do this by hand or a leather wheel like on the Tormek types? Most of what I see online is by hand (like Paul Sellers) but was wondering if that might be because a leather wheel at 3600 rpm on a regular grinder might create a lot of heat, whereas the Tormek types run a lot slower. Just curious, have never used a strop but would be fun to get to a mirror finish.

Clay
"Facts seldom sway an opinion." - John Hall
"The difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference." - Van de Snepscheut
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: Bucktool wet/dry Sharpener

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

I have 2 strips of an old leather belt glued to a piece of wood - one with the smooth side up and one with the rough side up, side-by side. I charge them with the green crayon. First a couple of strokes on the rough, then a couple of strokes on the smooth. You must be very careful not to round over the edge any as you draw the tool over the leather.

I really have just as much success with a piece of pine charged with the green crayon as I find it easier to keep from dubbing the edge.

And remember that the sharper the tool, the less long the edge lasts. There are Japanese plane masters who hone after every 1-2-3 strokes. No matter how sharp you get it, it will quickly be less sharp, and there is a limit to how much better an edge can be after a certain point. I go to 400-600 wet and dry paper for general cabinetmaking work, and 2000 plus the strop for guitar work. A fellow I took a few Windsor Chair classes from uses 150 grit paper glued to a stick for planes, spokeshaves, chisels, scorps, travishers, adzes, and all of his edge tools.

Don't overthink unless you want to make a hobby of sharpening
Ed M
JLT
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Re: Bucktool wet/dry Sharpener

Post by JLT »

Morecowbell wrote: Fri Feb 12, 2021 3:39 pm For John and others who use a leather strop - was curious if people do this by hand or a leather wheel like on the Tormek types?
I use both. But for most work, I use a home-made wheel made of plywood, with the 2" edge covered with leather. What drives it is a motor from an old ice-crushing machine, which turns at just the right speed. Total cost: about five bucks, which was the cost of the ice-crusher at a thrift store.
Diane Kauffmds
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Re: Bucktool wet/dry Sharpener

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

The wheel should be evened out at some point. That's to be expected from this price point.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: Bucktool wet/dry Sharpener

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

As loofiers, we probably only have 2-3 chisels and 2-3 planes. If you want to make a hobby out of sharpening, you can go do that, but if the idea is to get back to work, watch the video at the bottom of this blog entry on chisels:

https://paulsellers.com/2021/02/not-significant/

It is a couple of videos down on the FB page. He is touching things up, not establishing a bevel and he gets razor sharp on 5 chisels in under 3 minutes. I have been doing this basic approach for a long time with the only difference being I hit the edge on 1000 and then 2000 grit wet/dry paper a few strokes before fewer strokes on the strop. I will try his method next time. I also only do it to the group of tools that I am about to use because I have WAY too many tools to do them all

Chisels and plane sharpness is easy - it's the backs saws that take a bit more time
Ed M
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