Turning tools sharpening problem

[Jensmith]

I have a miniature set of turning tools. The ones I have are from Proops Brothers or similar, so pretty cheap, but they were ok for starting out to see how I got on.

You get similar sets from Henry Talor and others for more money - it's a set of 5 with a 3mm and 6mm spindle gouge, 6mm skew (oval I think) and a small parting tool.

My problem is with the 6mm spindle gouge and the skew. Someone I know recommended the tools and he said I could just sharpen them on a disk sander and then use a slip strop to finish them off because they're so small. That works fine but here's the but....

At some stage I've messed up the shape and now I don't know how to get them back or what they should look like.

Both tools cut better on one side than the other, not sure if it's technique or shape related but probably a bit of both.

The spindle gouge leaves a rippled surface which doesn't seem right? and doesn't feel right. Cutting towards the headstock is much worse than the tailstock direction, same with the skew.

The skew definitely isn't right. It now seems to have a curve to the edge which I'm guessing should be straight? and it's not cutting that well. I had trouble yesterday as one side felt sharp but not the other.

I have a commision to make 2 pens for xmas and I can manage away with them. Once sanded the pens are fine, but it's not ideal. I tried turning an acrylic blank yesterday for a xmas present and that really highlighted the fact they're not right.

How do I fix them?

Thanks,

Jennifer,

 

[loz]

Hi Jen,

I presume you are sharpening freehand on the belt sander ?

Is it possible to setup a jig of somekind, even just a block of wood at the angle of the good side of your skew, and then you can reshape statically ?

Im sure there must be a UKW member nearby to even take the tools and reshape for you

 

[Jensmith]

Yes, I am doing it freehand which is why it went wrong I guess.

I'm not sure either side is right, just one is better than the other. I obviously do need some sort of jig!

 

[jumps]

Yes, I am doing it freehand which is why it went wrong I guess.

I'm not sure either side is right, just one is better than the other. I obviously do need some sort of jig!

something like this?

I was resetting another forumites 'mini skew' last week and, whilst I would normally touch up a skew freehand it defeated me to regrind the bevels to match - so I made this up.

I used 25 degrees on both angles and, with a little care, found I could use it skew 'up' for one face and 'down' for the other.

btw your comment about one face feeling sharper suggests that you have a burr on the edge.

 

[myturn]

You don't need to use miniature tools for pens, I use a 1/2" roughing gouge, 1/2" skew and 2mm parting tool for all of my pen work.

The miniature ones I find have too much flex in them and only use them as a last resort to get into places where the larger gouges won't go.

 

[Jensmith]

Yes, I am doing it freehand which is why it went wrong I guess.

I'm not sure either side is right, just one is better than the other. I obviously do need some sort of jig!

something like this?

I was resetting another forumites 'mini skew' last week and, whilst I would normally touch up a skew freehand it defeated me to regrind the bevels to match - so I made this up.

I used 25 degrees on both angles and, with a little care, found I could use it skew 'up' for one face and 'down' for the other.

btw your comment about one face feeling sharper suggests that you have a burr on the edge.

Thanks Jumps, that may well do the job.

What do I do with the spindle gouge though?

 

[Jensmith]

You don't need to use miniature tools for pens, I use a 1/2" roughing gouge, 1/2" skew and 2mm parting tool for all of my pen work.

The miniature ones I find have too much flex in them and only use them as a last resort to get into places where the larger gouges won't go.

Mick, thanks but I bought the tools to do miniature turning and so I didn't want to go buying more when I later decided to try doing a few pens. I probably won't be doing the pen turning very often - I just happened to get asked out of the blue to do a pen for a friend of my Dad's who wanted one to give as a xmas present and then he decided he wanted two pens....

The miniature stuff is more what I want to be doing and I have a tiny lathe.

 

[jumps]

Jen,

I'm not sure about the spindle gouge because it will depend on the grind! Whilst this is a cop out in one sense, unless it's a simple traditional grind on a bowl gouge you will need to move the tool in 2 axis whilst sharpening. This will require a more complex moving jig, or confident (and competent) manual dexterity. I've never used either of those tools, although I have both in a set, and suspect I would use light touches on a simple diamond card, or 1000 grade w&d with oil, for the 3mm - and probably the 6mm too. If you had relatively fine paper on the sanding disc, and were happy with a simple grind, then just go with 45 degrees and gently roll the gouges to create the bevel. I will check what they are on mine in a moment and edit this.

they both measured up at 45 (for what that's worth!) and had simple grinds. however the sanding disc was really difficult to maintain the angles without making a jig to maintain the tool steel at 90 and setting the table to 45 degrees. Even then the 3mm was almost impossible for me to get a matching grind and even shape to the gouge.....good luck!

 

[Jensmith]

Thanks Jumps. It looks like just a simple grind to me. If you had problems then I guess it explains why mine is uneven.
I'll give it a go. Hadn't thought of having the table at 45 degrees.

 

[CHJ]

Jen, either of these any use to you.

http://quest42.co.uk/woodwork/GrindingJ ... gjig1.html

http://quest42.co.uk/woodwork/grinding_ ... gjig2.html


Would work with grinder, disc sander or belt sander with a bit of ingenuity.

 

[Jensmith]

Thanks Chas. I think I'd only need the basic one. I think my gouge is possibly a cross between a spindle gouge and a roughing gouge as it's not got the same depth of bevel as the one in your photo.