Sharpening carbide?

[Munty Scruntfundle]

Hi there.

Carbide might last longer than the edge on an SSH tool, but it does fail after a while. I've watched a couple of vids where people gently grind away the top surface on a diamond stone or plate.

But isn't that the wrong approach? Should't you really be taking a small amount off the angled face? I know carbide isn't going to 'burr' as much as SSH, but surely there is a certain amount of push over material?

Does anyone out there sharpen their carbide? If so have you built a jig, tried by hand? And what have the results been?

Many thanks.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

No. Like router cutters you don't touch the angled side, just the flat. I do my beard clippers blades flat on a plate.

 

[TFrench]

With a diamond wheel in a tool and cutter grinder you can do all sorts of cool stuff to carbide inserts... For ease in a woodworking environment though I'd just stick with polishing the top!

 

[Paul Hannaby]

You sharpen router cutters on the flat face so you don't change the cutter profile, which could cause problems if there are two cutting edges because the load on the tool would be uneven. With woodturning cutters, it's only a single edge so it makes little difference if you sharpen both faces - unless it happens to be the dished type cutter, in which case you would just sharpen the flat face.