Could this be true ?

[Grahamshed]

Surely not ?
We all know that a sharp tool will provide a cleaner cut than a blunt one but a video (youtube) I have been watching says that the honing grit is directly related to the sanding grit. i.e If you hone your spindle gouge ( or whatever ) to 1200 grit then the finish will be the equivalent to sanding with 1200 grit.

I thought the vid was quite good tip he said that.

 

[Bodrighy]

Errrr no. In that case honing to 400 would give you a finish equivalent to 400 abrasive. What matters is the way you use the tool and the type of wood. Some woods you can get a polished look from a sharp tool, others you can only get a clean finish. Some people hone their skews but I have never heard of anyone honing their gouges before. Then again, I am hallways learning something new so maybe i am wrong but I still haven't got the time to hone my tools every time I sharpen them on a wheel, little and often is best and get that bevel rubbing behind the cut.

Pete

 

[Spindle]

Hi

In a perfect world where the tool is cutting perfectly with no tear out or grain deformation then the statement would be true

Let me know when you find the perfect tool and marry it to the perfect material, you'll be on to something there :wink:

Regards Mick

 

[CHJ]

Graham, you need to start cutting wood not watching videos, nothing like practise and experience to teach you the real challenges of a piece of wood.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

lol...if only it were true...my garage wouldn't be filled with a fine layer of dust on everything!!

 

[finneyb]

Errrr no. In that case honing to 400 would give you a finish equivalent to 400 abrasive. What matters is the way you use the tool and the type of wood. ....but I have never heard of anyone honing their gouges before.
Pete

I have read about people honing the gouges - quite whether it makes any difference is another point. To sharpen before a finial cut makes sense so that is the only time I can see when honing could poss be beneficial; and even then will the enhanced edge last for the full final cut?

Brian

 

[Bodrighy]

Sharpening for the final cuts I agree, in theory honing should make a difference but I can't see that it would be enough to warrant the hassle. As I said I have never come across anyone doing it but I am sure there are those that do. Honing puts such a fine edge on the steel that I would imagine it would disappear pretty quickly, look how fast an ordinary sharpened tool blunts anyway.

Pete

 

[Dalboy]

All my turning tools are sharpened on the bench grinder little and often, the exception is my scrapers and skew which I have a diamond credit card and then it only takes a couple of swipes over to bring back the edge. The only time I get the leather out and strop is when I am carving which is a different kettle of fish.

I have a habit of sharpening my tools at the end of the session so I am ready to go the next time

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Honing the bevel does work provided the tool is used in bevel rubbing fashion. Rubbing the bevel results in a burnished finish which is enhanced by the degree of 'polish' on the bevel. I have used this technique for skew and spindle gouges and it does work. Sorby have also promoted this technique with their 'Spindlemaster' range - again I have one example of a Spindlemaster and can confirm it works.

Whether polishing bevels is advantageous over sanding the work - the jury's out for me. I own a Tormek so I have the capability to polish my bevels, but to be honest, I can get a finish straight from the tool as it leaves the wet stone which leaves little or no sanding required.

For people working from a grinder I don't think the additional expense of a honing system would justify the time saved by going through a couple of grades of abrasive.

Regards Mick

 

[gregmcateer]

... nothing like practise and experience to teach you the real challenges of a piece of wood.

Tell me about it! You wait till you see what a b***s up I made trying to give my lil old bit of hawthorn that final tickle (hammer)

 

[Grahamshed]

Graham, you need to start cutting wood not watching videos, nothing like practise and experience to teach you the real challenges of a piece of wood.

Its better than watching tele, and I cannot be in the workshop all the time

 

[chipmunk]

The fundamental problem with the claim is that it assumes that the tool is presented straight-on to the work and that hardly even happens in real turning. More often as not the tool is presented to achieve a slicing cut which will not leave the grinding marks on the wood.

I always hone my scrapers, parting tools and skews - only grinding them intermittently. I also often hone quickly to remove the burr from the inside of my gouges (bowl and spindle) for finishing cuts.

Jon

 

[Robbo3]

Load of rubbish Graham. Do you have a link to the video? I'll bet it was from the other side of the Atlantic.

If you want to know more try reading The Complete Guide to Sharpening by Leonard Lee (Batsford, ISBN 0 7134 78594) - or you can borrow mine.

If you are sharpening your tools with a belt sander then you will be trying to hone the complete bevel rather than just the cutting edge. With a hollow ground tool from a wheel, the hone bridges from the cutting edge & the heel of the bevel & creates two flats. With each hone the flats get wider until the honing gets too onerous & the tool has to be reground. Honing is considered to save having to grind the tool so often (for those of us that can't grind freehand) or to give a fresh edge for a final cut.

 

[JimB]

I'm the same as Jon and Robbo. Why grind when you don't have to?

 

[Grahamshed]

Load of rubbish Graham. Do you have a link to the video? I'll bet it was from the other side of the Atlantic.

Of course it was from over the pond but as I said to start with, I was quite enjoying it until he said that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I60ilWTDss0&list=UUxOSP6n0wTzGIDWfNHqHCgA
at 24.48

 

[Mark Hancock]

Load of rubbish Graham. Do you have a link to the video? I'll bet it was from the other side of the Atlantic.

Of course it was from over the pond but as I said to start with, I was quite enjoying it until he said that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I60ilWTDss0&list=UUxOSP6n0wTzGIDWfNHqHCgA
at 24.48

Graham

Just had a quick look at the video and I would suggest you find videos that are done by turners and not flat workers. IMHO the idea of relating turning tools to other areas of woodworking was good but his uses of turning tools and the lathe was not the best I've seen. The one thing that stood out for me was how high he had the tool rest. So high in fact that the tools ended up pointing down onto the work which is not a recognised way of turning and could be considered dangerous. Just my thoughts.

Mark

 

[Grahamshed]

Maybe Chas is right and I should stop watching this stuff but I do learn from it, even if its only what Not to do

 

[Mark Hancock]

Surely not ?
We all know that a sharp tool will provide a cleaner cut than a blunt one but a video (youtube) I have been watching says that the honing grit is directly related to the sanding grit. i.e If you hone your spindle gouge ( or whatever ) to 1200 grit then the finish will be the equivalent to sanding with 1200 grit.

I thought the vid was quite good tip he said that.

Just struck me :idea: The guy in the video destroyed his own comment regarding above i.e. he honed the gouge with a 1200 hone but then later sanded with 180 #-o

 

[Grahamshed]

Yes, I noticed that when I was trying to find the time point he said it