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Freehand sharpening a skew

mattyts

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Jul 26, 2013
Posts
849
Location
West Yorkshire
When I first started turning,I was overwhelmed with the amount of jigs and sharpening systems available,all the bevel angles and similar stuff,after a few months of turning,I had narrowed my main 2 tools to a skew and a carbide insert...only the skew needed sharpening as such,and so,spending £200+ on a sharpening setup was simply not needed for a tool with 2 straight grinds so I adapted a method that people use to sharpen chisels,plane irons and knifes, the 'scary sharp' method...this is basically using wet and dry paper in the place of wetstones and oil stones,it's cheap (10 sheets of wet and dry can be gotten for less than £3, a wetstone set is £200 upwards)

This method will be cheaper than a commercial system, dosen't require electricity and probably yields better results

All you do is take your paper and attach it to a flat surface,in my case, a small aluminum table,I stick mine on with a quick release clamp and hold it by hand at the other.

(sorry for rough pictures,it's dark in my shed)

Here's the selection of wet and dry paper I use:
P1000717_zps43cbc361.jpg


It starts at 320 and ends at 2,000, I'll explain the grits below:

320 - this gets rid of the factory grind and provides a new surface for you to sharpen
400-600 this further hones the grind you put on earlier,making the tool properly sharp

-Note,any further than 600 really isn't needed,I just do it anyway

800-1200 these grits refine the bevel,making it sharper and sharper as you go up the grits

-I use alcohol as a lubricant on the paper,it's thin and dissipates quickly so it dosen't attract dust.

To sharpen the skew,it couldn't be more easier.

Clamping the paper at one end and holding it with your left hand at the back,with your right hand,hold the skew and tilt it until you can feel it become straight (where the tool bevel is touching the paper ( you can use permanent marker on the tool to figure out where you're removing metal))

Then,pull backwards (never forwards,you'll rip the paper)
P1000719_zps512a28b9.jpg


Repeating the process until all the grind marks are gone from the previous grit (or in my case,the factory grind)

Then you clean the skew with a bit of tissue to remove any grit or slurry before swapping the paper for a finer piece,repeating the process again till all the grind marks are gone.

This is what you will end up with once you've reached the 2,000 grit mark:

P1000721_zps653484a6.jpg


A 'mirror' razor sharp edge in no longer than 15 minutes with £3-5 worth of equipment and no fancy jigs at all :winking:


Hope this is useful to someone!
 

Woody

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Jul 12, 2013
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at home
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no
The old way of doing this is on a sheet of glass it can also be used to lap a plane
 

bellringer

The Young one
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Feb 27, 2013
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Surrey
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You can buy an oil stone which will do the same job for about £10 it would be cheaper in the long run
 

mattyts

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Jul 26, 2013
Posts
849
Location
West Yorkshire
You can buy an oil stone which will do the same job for about £10 it would be cheaper in the long run

Those are the cheap combination oilstones that tend to dish and bowl out over time,proper oilstones cost quite a bit,the norton ones are pretty good in the med/fine arrangement
 

scouseroy

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Mar 27, 2014
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666
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Runcorn Cheshire
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Roy
is there a similar way of sharpening a roughing gouge? I have only used mine a few times as I am new to turning but dreading having to sharpen it for the first time in case I knacker it
 

Terry

Chairman Plonker
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An exile Geordie living in Kingston upon Hull
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is there a similar way of sharpening a roughing gouge? I have only used mine a few times as I am new to turning but dreading having to sharpen it for the first time in case I knacker it

You can't knacker it as there is too much steel. Just sharpen it on a grinder and be positive as you move the gouge in a circular motion across the wheel. Dither and you will spoil the edge but you can't ruin it. It just means you have to start again. Confidence on a grinder is important and so is having the correct wheels !!!!:thumbs:
 

edlea

Lobbygobbler
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Aug 1, 2013
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Blackpool
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Ed
is there a similar way of sharpening a roughing gouge? I have only used mine a few times as I am new to turning but dreading having to sharpen it for the first time in case I knacker it

Here you go Roy .

I made this which was recommender to me by Woody and cost a grand total of 39p (plus a packet of 100 self adhesive disks around a tenner) to make .Had ten minutes practice with it and have never looked back.It works a treat. I also made a little jig ( designed by Grump) which gives me the same angle of grind every time.P1040971.JPGP1040995.JPG
 

mattyts

Registered
Joined
Jul 26, 2013
Posts
849
Location
West Yorkshire
You can't knacker it as there is too much steel. Just sharpen it on a grinder and be positive as you move the gouge in a circular motion across the wheel. Dither and you will spoil the edge but you can't ruin it. It just means you have to start again. Confidence on a grinder is important and so is having the correct wheels !!!!:thumbs:

Use a marker pen so you can see where you're removing metal and don't put a whole new bevel on it,just touch up the edge,anything more is a waste of steel

If you can make one of these,then you can't go wrong,just put the tool in,slide the rest around until the tool is just touching the wheel,start the grinder up and just twist the tool a few times

SharpeningJig13.jpg
 

Terry

Chairman Plonker
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Jan 31, 2013
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9,504
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An exile Geordie living in Kingston upon Hull
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Terry
Use a marker pen so you can see where you're removing metal and don't put a whole new bevel on it,just touch up the edge,anything more is a waste of steel

If you can make one of these,then you can't go wrong,just put the tool in,slide the rest around until the tool is just touching the wheel,start the grinder up and just twist the tool a few times

SharpeningJig13.jpg

I just do it freehand no problem !!!
 
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