So... hardware for sharpening gouges.

[MarkDennehy]

I know, I know, grabbing the third rail with both hands here, but...

I have a few small gouges and a V-tool that I want to be able to sharpen better. Right now I just use the ultex diamond plates I use for my chisels and planes, and I had a CBN-coated metal slipstone from Dictum (this one) but unfortunately if you're cack-handed like me, you can shave off the CBN coating.

So I need to get some new slipstones and I'm mostly wondering which ones are the most convenient (because space is a tad limited and a water bath to stash waterstones just isn't possible). And I'm not sure how to do the little curve at the apex of the v-tool because I don't think the slips can get down that small. Or will those multiform yokes work for that?

Also, I keep seeing these things; are they as gimmicky as they look?

 

[Racers]

A shaped piece of wood with Autosol on for the final polish is what I use, along with a couple of these

http://www.axminster.co.uk/traditional- ... es-ax23399

Pete

 

[thetyreman]

I think they're a good idea, I use a block of wood and sandpaper, and it's pretty expensive when you work it, I think the slipstones would pay for themselves over time, especially if you plan on a lot of carving.

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

I have the yellow one of those multiform slips. Can't say I get on with it. The shapes almost never match the shape of the gouges and they are easy to nick with the tool. I much prefer wet and dry on dowel or triangle section bits of wood. Then honing paste or autosol as suggested above.

Why is there such a thing as CBN coated slipstones? Very odd, CBN is meant for high speed grinding, because diamond doesn't work in this instance.

Mike.

 

[custard]

There was a time when most woodworkers inherited or somehow acquired an old box full of assorted slipstones, I can't quite remember where they came from but I've got just such a box. Sadly that doesn't seem to happen anymore.

No problems, just make them up as required from shaped off-cuts and wet & dry. I'd stay away from the ones in the photo though, I find I'm better off holding the tool in the vice at the correct angle and working the abrasive/slip stone horizontally, where as the ones photographed require the tool to be worked which always seems to result in nasty dig-ins.

 

[bugbear]

I find I'm better off holding the tool in the vice at the correct angle and working the abrasive/slip stone horizontally, ...

Yes - judging and holding "special" angles is tricky. Much better to arrange things so you're judging horizontal or vertical, which your brain has special adaptations for.

BugBear

 

[D_W]

Bench stones , India and Arkansas slips, and shaped wood if you need it. I never had luck with the pre shaped stuff.

 

[MarkDennehy]

White Arkansas or Black Arkansas or is there much of a difference? I'm more used to synthetics where you know the grit relatively well, as opposed to "a stone wot I dug up"

 

[D_W]

Good black or trans is about the same. A non trans white stone will be more coarse, about like a 2k grit waterstone.

 

[monkeybiter]

I'm with Racers and woodbrains on this, a few grades of wet-and-dry for occasional sharpening, Autosol on a 'form' [bought or made] for regular stropping/polishing. The 'forms' for stropping can be individually made for and by different gouges.

 

[ED65]

...I had a CBN-coated metal slipstone from Dictum (this one) but unfortunately if you're cack-handed like me, you can shave off the CBN coating.

Not just you, these sorts of things are rather 'famous' for being best suited to edge-trailing, not edge-leading technique.

In relation to the V-tool, I think it's worth looking at both of these:
http://www.finewoodworking.com/2009/10/ ... the-v-tool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y4Cfsfhobs

Although slipstones are used in both of the above I think it's clear that they are no longer a must-have, not in these days of good abrasive papers and films, or diamond pastes if you prefer to go that way.

On your gouges surprised nobody else checked, incannel or outcannel, or do you have some of both?

 

[MarkDennehy]

All outcannel ED, there's only four of them and they're all aroundabout a #7 sweep in various sizes (part of an ebay lot). I'm just mucking about doing some of that carving Peter Follansbee does (though you wouldn't recognise it as such if sober and possessed of good eyesight, but everyone needs a hobby...), but if you have a tool, you're meant to take care of it and all that.

 

[bridger]

I have a drawer of miscellaneous shaped abrasive sticks for concave shapes, either incannel bevels or working the backs of outcannel gouges. Outcannel beveled are done on whatever hard stone is appropriate.

 

[ColeyS1]

I wasted so much money and effort trying to find something good for sharpening in-canal gouges.
All it took was some discs of mdf, autosol

and quite a bit of help from 9fingers to get the tumble dryer motor to work. I couldn't be without it now.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It's surprising what you can do with abrasives stuck to shaped wooden offcuts, as others have said. A little off tack but relevant to carving - I've done really nice fluted edged bowls with two foot lengths of coarse paper stuck to a broomstick.

 

[AndyT]

I wasted so much money and effort trying to find something good for sharpening in-canal gouges.
All it took was some discs of mdf, autosol

and quite a bit of help from 9fingers to get the tumble dryer motor to work. I couldn't be without it now.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

That's an easily adaptable idea for anyone who already has a lathe in their workshop!

 

[bridger]

Also, for heavy shaping or working out pits on concave surfaces a drum sander with various diameters an grits of sleeves is expeditious. Clamp the gouge in a vise, mount the drum in a drill and carefully go to town.