Hi all. How to get shot without really trying? Here goes. I read several messages lately about sharpening stones, grinders, sanding belts and so on. Most messages read like "what should I buy?" Where are the Scots when you need them? While I have a grinder that has done a good job, I do not like to (a) jury rig for sharpening on someone else's set up for a demo, (b) undo and lug around my grinder and jig, or (c) spend money. So I took my 3" x 24" belt sander and flipped it over in my bench vise and blew all the wood dust out of it. I rigged a pivot point for my sharpening jig and installed a 50 grit belt on the sander. I got as good an edge as any I achieve with an 80 grit wheel on my grinder. The next trick is to rig a holder for the sander that clamps to a bench top for demos, a simple set up. Observations
1) jigs are great for sharpening (yes I can free hand, no I do not like to) 2) beginners do not want to spend more after the lathe and tools 3) beginners do not care how they get an edge as long as it is consistent and sharp 4) people who insist on one particular sharpening set up either spent a lot on it and need to justify the expense or they wish to sell you one 5) pros sharpen in a myriad of ways and just want to get back to turning Any one interested in what the jig will look like when done? It may be a while as I have a ton of stuff to do before I get to play.- posted
20 years ago