Sharpening Tool Bits

Dale,

Thanks for the link. I had seen it before, but didn't have a grinding wheel at the time, so didn't bookmark it.

I recently picked up a wheel, so now the info is more pertinent.

:thumbup:

Gary
 
I just got a few carbide bits yesterday for $3.00 apiece. Thought that was a good price. (Industrial Mill Supply)
 
This was a good thread. I learned some new stuff. The Sherline sharpening article was excellent...thanks for the link.

I just purchased some HSS bits and used my disk sander (80 grit) and stone to sharpen them up. The Sherline article helped a lot. Now I have some sharp bits.

Thanks to the OP for this thread.

L8R...Ken
 
cueman said:
I just free hand sharpen them on a grinder. I use to have a grinder that had a real nice pivoting fence and I could clamp blocks on it for what ever angle I wanted. It gave out and I have not replaced it. I think a square block of wood about the length of your bits, could be held up against your guide and allow you to sand the other two sides.
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It's not as precise so I probably get less grinds out of of each tool, but I just free hand them also. The fence that came with My grinder was weak so I never mounted them to the grinder, One of these days I'll mill something out to make It easier though.

As long as the grind is correct, then It doesn't have to be perfect looking to work well. The grinder gets them pretty hot, so I run them under water afterward in hopes that maybe It will somewhat harden them more, not sure that It helps, but they seem to stay sharp longer when I do that as opposed to when I do not. Sometimes I try to hone them after, just depends on how pressed I am for time.

Greg
 
Cue Crazy said:
The grinder gets them pretty hot, so I run them under water afterward in hopes that maybe It will somewhat harden them more, not sure that It helps,
Greg
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When you grind on the tool bits, get a feel for when they begin to turn blue, purple and brown. From then on, don't grind them until they turn colors and constantly keep a cup of water around and dip them and cool them off every 10-20 seconds. The temperature that steel begins to turn colors is an indicator that it is almost to a temp that begin to anneal the steel.
 
I use a 2000 grit diamond wheel on my toolpost grinder. It is fantastic. However, I already had it from other projects. You might be able to find a cheaper/used diamond wheel on ebay and adapt it to a small bench grinder.
 
Destroyer125 said:
When you grind on the tool bits, get a feel for when they begin to turn blue, purple and brown. From then on, don't grind them until they turn colors and constantly keep a cup of water around and dip them and cool them off every 10-20 seconds. The temperature that steel begins to turn colors is an indicator that it is almost to a temp that begin to anneal the steel.
Click to expand...




I usually try to keep them from getting that hot , although the last special grind I had to make for a custom repair job did turn blue on Me. I needed a really tiny boring type tool that could back up to the side of a tenon, so I raked It back on both sides toward the post. Basically I had to remove a lot of material to get It as small as I needed, so small that I'm surprised It did not break, and I may have gotten a little impatient when removing so much material. It still turned out really sharp though, and did a fantastic job, worked perfectly for what I needed, so It was no big deal. When just sharpening a tool though they usually don't get quite that hot on me. It's usually when doing a special grind of some sort, and have to remove a lot of material. It probably would help to keep a cup of water right there beside of me Like you say. I usually just run straight from the grinder to the sink LOL.



Thanks for the advice.

Greg
 
The best way to sharpen them is on a belt sander, whether by freehand or using some kind of guides. The produced edge is then convexed, rather than concaved. A grinding wheel always leaves a concaved edge. The wheel is round and grinds to its shape. You probably can't see or feel the difference but it is, in fact, there. A convexed edge is a much stronger edge that will stay sharp longer.

Harbor Freight sells a 1''x30'' belt sander for about $40 that will do the job very well. Experiment with different belt grit ratings until you settle on one you like.
 
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