Sharpening with a Hard Felt Wheel by James D. Thompson

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Owen Ford
6 years ago
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Sharpening with a Hard Felt Wheel by James D. Thompson There has probably been as much discussion of sharpening methods on the OldTools list as there has been of almost any other subject.

1 Sharpening with a Hard Felt Wheel by James D. Thompson There has probably been as much discussion of sharpening methods on the OldTools list as there has been of almost any other subject. I strongly disagree with those methods which require a large investment in time and/or money. I have developed a sharpening method that is quick, easy, and cheap. I really believe that if you try this method you will never go back to the old ways. I use a grinding wheel on a bench grinder, a diamond plate, and a hard felt wheel. The picture story follows. With the grinder off, and the tool resting on the tool rest, look at the side of the grinding wheel and locate the position that you want to grind the bevel at. If you are not experienced at grinding tools you should mark a square line on the back of the chisel to guide you. James Thompson 1 December 2, 2005

I use a friable grinding wheel for my edge tools. These are usually white, but I have seen pink ones. Grasp the tool between your thumb and forefinger as shown above.

2 I use a friable grinding wheel for my edge tools. These are usually white, but I have seen pink ones. Grasp the tool between your thumb and forefinger as shown above. The forefinger rests against the bottom of the tool rest. Once you begin grinding, never remove your finger from the tool. Move the tool from side to side as necessary for a nice bevel all the way across the edge. James Thompson 2 December 2, 2005

3 Even when you cool the tool away from the grinder do not remove the finger from its position on the tool. This is how you go back to the wheel and maintain the angle you started with. When you have obtained the bevel you want, it is time to hone the edge. James Thompson 3 December 2, 2005

4 I use a fine grit 3 by 8 diamond covered plate which I bought from Rockler about 8 years ago. It cost about $65 but it is the very best sharpening tool I ever bought. Even with much use it is still going strong. You can use any stone you have provided that it is flat. James Thompson 4 December 2, 2005

5 This is what you are looking for. The edge is sharpened all the way across, and the edge is nice and straight. The hollow grind shows you exactly where you are, and you can see when you have the correct result. The backs on all my tools were flattened long ago, so I did not get into doing that here. I will put up another tutorial on flattening the backs of edge tools. When the tool has been sharpened this much, you can feel a definite wire edge on the flat side. James Thompson 5 December 2, 2005

Now it is time to go to the felt wheel. While the wheel is turning I apply some compound to the surface. Just a little. Green compound works just fine. Then I polish the cutting edge. CAUTION!

6 Now it is time to go to the felt wheel. While the wheel is turning I apply some compound to the surface. Just a little. Green compound works just fine. Then I polish the cutting edge. CAUTION! The wheel must turn away from you! If you try this with the wheel turning the normal way, you are in for an unpleasant surprise. There is a slight learning curve to polishing the edge. Start with the bevel in a position where you know the edge will not touch. Slowly draw the tool closer to you until you can tell that the edge is just barely being polished. This is delicate work, so do not get in a hurry here. Remove the tool from the wheel every few seconds and look at it. The cutting edge should be getting polished to a mirror finish, and the wire edge should disappear. James Thompson 6 December 2, 2005

7 To see if the edge is sharp enough to suit me I try it on the hair of my arm. If it shaves the hair, it is sharp enough. Tools don t get much sharper than this. I timed myself doing this chisel and less than 2 minutes elapsed from start to finish. December 1, 2005 James Thompson 7 December 2, 2005

Hard Felt Sharpening Devices by James D. Thompson After much experimentation with all kinds of sharpening methods, I have finally settled on the following.

8 Hard Felt Sharpening Devices by James D. Thompson After much experimentation with all kinds of sharpening methods, I have finally settled on the following. A used 1/3 horsepower 1725 RPM motor with an shaft arbor attached. I have learned that 3450 RPM is too fast. At that speed the wheel will throw off most of the compound as you try to apply it. It is also very easy to blue your tool at that speed. I made a wheel out of pieces of leather which I cut into 6 diameter discs, then glued them together in the center to make a leather wheel. They need to be loose on the outside, not glued, because all sizes of gouges can be honed on the incannel. The wheel on the outside is a 1 wide hard felt wheel. I put about an inch of spacer between the 2 wheels so there would be room to maneuver a wide chisel on the felt wheel. I should mention that I use the green chromium oxide compound on these wheels. None shows here because I was preoccupied with the photography. The piece of wood in front of the wheels is simply a piece of 2 X 6 which I formed to fit within a half inch of the wheels. This piece is not a tool rest, it is a knuckle rest. Resting my hand against the rest gives stability. James Thompson 8 December 2, 2005

Notice that the wheel turns AWAY from the tool. This is VERY important.

9 Because the leather discs can flex and move, it is possible to hone the inside of every gouge I own, even very small veiners. I even touch up the vee tools on it. Notice that the wheel turns AWAY from the tool. This is VERY important. If the wheel turns toward the tool, you are going to get a nasty surprise. James Thompson 9 December 2, 2005

10 The bevel of the gouge is polished against the hard felt wheel. Notice that my knuckles are resting on the knuckle rest. With a minimum of time, effort, and expense, I manage to keep all my gouges sharp enough to shave hair off my arm at all times. No picking up a gouge and finding it dull! I have less than $50 invested in this little device. It is portable, so I can take it along to carving meetings. I am often asked to hone one of the other member s tools. Nothing to it! January, 2006 James Thompson James D. Thompson James Thompson 10 December 2, 2005

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