Call me crazy but I've always had my best luck with wing cutters just holding in my hand and sharpening on a wheel this way. I should do a youtubers vid cause I believe some think I'm just pulling the wool. I've had them professionally ground and still get better cut results doing it my hillbilly way. I even sharpen them the "wrong way" off the top of the carbide and not the face so every time I go to the wheel the cutter is actually getting smaller in diameter and out of round per the height of all 3 wings. Doesn't seem to matter if one, two or all three wings are actually cutting, I get the same baby butt smooth cut either way.
I believe not only the correct type of cutter being used (thinnest one available) but the absolute correct set up is just as important as having the sharpest cutter available. If any 3 of these things are amiss you'll get not only spiraling, chatter cut, out of round cut because of tool push off and possibly a combination of all of the above in your cuts.
Cutting a smooth, tapered to approx a half inch in dia, 30 inch long cut that is not only cut round but needs very minimal sanding can be one of the most challenging in the entire building process.......IMO. The key is "minimal sanding." The more you sand the more out of round a shaft will become and the more chance you have a fish out water flopping around or an egg shaped cylinder when you roll it on a flat surface.
Why can this happen? Ask any professional woodworker and if they know anything about sanding wood they'll all tell you that end grain is much harder to sand than face grain. As you spin your shaft you are sanding 2 places of face grain and 2 faces of end grain. Common knowledge will tell you the 2 face grain surfaces are going to disappear quicker than the 2 end grain surfaces. Minimal sanding on shafts at any point in its life time is an absolute must to keep it as round as it should be. You can not sand an out of round shaft back to round nor can you sand a warped shaft back to straight.
Proof reading my post I almost posted this in Kelly's 3 wing cutter thread and I thought right before hitting the post button I shouldn't hijack his thread (cause that's the kind, gentle type of person I am ) but when 3 wing cutters come up so many thoughts start going thru my head .
I believe not only the correct type of cutter being used (thinnest one available) but the absolute correct set up is just as important as having the sharpest cutter available. If any 3 of these things are amiss you'll get not only spiraling, chatter cut, out of round cut because of tool push off and possibly a combination of all of the above in your cuts.
Cutting a smooth, tapered to approx a half inch in dia, 30 inch long cut that is not only cut round but needs very minimal sanding can be one of the most challenging in the entire building process.......IMO. The key is "minimal sanding." The more you sand the more out of round a shaft will become and the more chance you have a fish out water flopping around or an egg shaped cylinder when you roll it on a flat surface.
Why can this happen? Ask any professional woodworker and if they know anything about sanding wood they'll all tell you that end grain is much harder to sand than face grain. As you spin your shaft you are sanding 2 places of face grain and 2 faces of end grain. Common knowledge will tell you the 2 face grain surfaces are going to disappear quicker than the 2 end grain surfaces. Minimal sanding on shafts at any point in its life time is an absolute must to keep it as round as it should be. You can not sand an out of round shaft back to round nor can you sand a warped shaft back to straight.
Proof reading my post I almost posted this in Kelly's 3 wing cutter thread and I thought right before hitting the post button I shouldn't hijack his thread (cause that's the kind, gentle type of person I am ) but when 3 wing cutters come up so many thoughts start going thru my head .