Sharpening a Forstner Bit

I attended the Foley-Belsaw company school for tool sharpening just over a year ago and would like to suggest that you contact the school to identify a sharpening professional in your Nashville area. I suggest you contact Joe Webber (Instructor and Svc Mgr of the Sharpening Div) at (800) 821-3452 Ext

250. Joe will look up the address of someone who may well be in business in your area who can sharpen carbide tools. We were trained in sharpening practically any metal tool, but not everyone purchases the machinery to sharpen carbide just because of the cost ($6k and up). Sharpening costs are usually very fair. Maybe, $5 or so for a bit such as yours -- just a guess. Saw blades (steel) are usually $0.20 or so and carbide $0.40 per inch. Carbide must (can) be sharpened with diamond wheels only. Diamond sharpening wheels should not be used on HSS because the steel will clog-up the pours of the diamond sharpening medium and ruin your $150 sharpening wheel. Probably the hand-held pads and stones do not clog up because you can't move fast enough to melt the metal into the diamond pores.

Mr. Hilton effectively deburs/hones his new bits in wood. In fact, all new tools should be touched up in some manner since they are not usually honed at the factory. (In fact, my Sorby turning tools stated quite planely to hone the edges before use.)

Hand sharpening your own tools (exclusive of your turning tools where you generally use a jig and your hand chisels) is not the best practice in the long run. The most imperceptive angle difference will likely occur on the different bit faces. And, you probably will not be able to achieve the proper thousandths difference between the cutting facet and the waste clearing facets. There are also parts of the forstner bit that look like they should be sharpened, but should not be. Yes, you can 'sharpen' your saw chain teeth and your hand saw teeth, but you cannot consistently get the proper between-teeth spacing, sharpening pressure and angle that the sharpener using his/her machinery that is indexed to your tool can achieve. You also will rarely be able to 'top' your saw teeth and saw chain teeth so that they're all the same height. HSS saw blades also must have the proper set -- and it's set every time it's sharpened -- for the blade to work. (The new HSS blades that you buy are not usually sharpened -- they are stamped out and set at the factory. Having a sharpener actually sharpen that new blade will even improve on the honing that Mr. Hilton suggests by his honing technique on every new bit. It is the set alone that makes that HSS blade work -- the sharpening just helps the blade not rip out the wood too coarsely.) I also would be surprised if you can sharpen carbide yourself -- it usually requires expensive diamond wheels and precise angles as prescribed by the manufacturer.

If you go to a local sharpening business, INSIST on them explaining the grinders qualifications / training and the tools/machinery that they will be using. If they want to use some jig that you, yourself, can purchase at a home improvement store, they aren't likely professional sharpeners and aren't interested in serving your needs. A local 'professional' business here in the Jacksonville, FL area regularly ruins blades because (apparently, and in my opinion, based on comments of dissatisfied (former) clients of theirs) an un-trained / un-skilled operator simply didn't know how to use the sharpening machinery. Sharpening is not rocket science, but like any profession / skill you do need the proper tools/machinery and know-how to employ the sharpening tool correctly.

If you do not have a properly skilled sharpener in your Nashville area, I could suggest to you (via direct e-mail or phone) the name and address of the gentleman who is the sole owner and operator of the business here in the Jacksonville are that I had wished to purchase. He's in his mid-seventies and decided that he wished to have even his modest sharpening income for a couple more years. As most any school-trained sharpener, these folks live on repeat business and word of mouth. Sloppy, improper work was strongly warned against in school and these single-shop kind of workers will not stay in business by not doing good work.

This has been a long-winded discourse on sharpening, but I hope it helps you in either being very careful in working on your own tools, or in seeking out a qualified (and fairly priced) sharpener.

Good Luck.

Fred Eversole snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net

"Ray Sandusky" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com...

Fred

Thanks

I will call on Joe Webber to see if he has info on a local Nashville sharpening service - I am always in need o having drill bits, planer blades and other hard to sharpen tools touched up. And it will be a good source to keep in my Rolodex!

Ray

Andrew

I did not do this when I first got the bit, so I am a little late to the game - after it gets sharpened professionally, I will take the steps you suggested and see if it helps!

Ray