# Honing lathe cutting tools with a felt wheel.



## David Morrow (Feb 15, 2009)

I have read a lot about sharpening HSS & carbide cutting tools and their use vs insert tooling. Contradicting opinions can be very confusing to a newbie. Finally, I decided to have a go at just sharpening my existing HSS cutters. 

I don't have a bench grinder yet so when I was at my local fine woodworking store, I got an 80 grit wheel just to clean up a few nicks and get the angles the way I wanted them. I mounted that on my bench polisher / buffer and using an angle guide, cleaned up a round nosed cutter that I had but that had seen better days. 

When I was reading the catalog at the store, I started to read more about honing. For wood chisels, felt wheels hones charged with honing compound seems to be the common practice. I had never seen the use of a felt wheel mentioned during discussions of sharpening metal lathe cutting tools. So, I also bought a medium felt wheel and some of the honing compound to charge the wheel. 

My first attempt at sharpening & honing resulted in a tool that left a mirror finish on both aluminum and brass ( I rarely cut steel ). I won't suggest that this is the answer to everyone's sharpening issues, but for me, it sure was the answer I was looking for.

Rest: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32973&cat=1,43072,45938

Felt wheel: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32983&cat=1,43072,43080

Compound: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32984&cat=1,43072


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## steamer (Feb 15, 2009)

The old saying goes a polished tool leaves a polished finish......its true.

I am experimenting with fine diamond files as of late....I'll report on that.

Dave


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## pelallito (Feb 16, 2009)

Dave,
That is a good idea. Thanks for the tip. I will have to try it.
Regards,
Fred


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## Loose nut (Feb 16, 2009)

I always hone my HSS bits after grinding, until they are polished, on a very fine synthetic stone. If you use the felt wheels be careful not to "melt" (round over) the cutting edge away or it won't be as sharp as it looks.


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## Tin Falcon (Feb 16, 2009)

I hone my HSS steel bit on an old oil stone I bought at a yard sale for a couple of bucks . I also use the same stone to radius the HSS bits. I do not use the powered grinding wheel to put a radius on unless it is a forming bit with a large radius. 
As far as the diamond, steel can damage the diamonds but the diamond tools are good for carbide. 
I have used cheap HF diamond burrs to make HSS forming bits but the practice is not recommended. 
Tin


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## jack404 (Feb 16, 2009)

I do like my grand fathers Arkansas stone for the final rub for HSS or touch ups

its old but the best i have

the felt wheel sounds good 

i'll give that a go too

but i admit i use inserts with carbide as i never got the hang of redoing carbide bits to a decent finish

good info folks

thank you

jack


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## steamer (Feb 16, 2009)

Yup...I have a couple of stones I keep for just this purpose, including this cute little rectangular slip, which is purfect for "touchups".

Just curious about diamond files as they left a nice finish on a hardened camshaft....have'nt tried it yet on HSS.

But I will

Dave


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## Andrew_D (Feb 16, 2009)

I've had good luck with small diamond files for touching up the edge on both brazed carbide and HSS lathe bits.
Usually, I don't even remove them from the holder. A quick swipe with the file and I'm good to go.

Andrew


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## Mark-One (Feb 16, 2009)

After doing a lot of reading I decided to make my own round nose tool from a HSS blank I found.

I ground it as best I could, and took a stone across the top surface at the end of the effort. It looks amateurish (for good reason), but man does it cut!

I can take a bigger bite than I could before with the selection of carbide bits I had purchased, and for fine cuts it leaves such a finish (on aluminum and brass - not tried it on steel yet) that only polishing to a mirror could improve on it. 

I think I'm hooked on grinding my own


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## David Morrow (Feb 16, 2009)

Mark-One  said:
			
		

> After doing a lot of reading I decided to make my own round nose tool from a HSS blank I found.
> 
> I ground it as best I could, and took a stone across the top surface at the end of the effort. It looks amateurish (for good reason), but man does it cut!
> 
> ...



Your experience seems to have paralleled mine. When I bought my first lathe, it came with a set of carbide cutters. A lot of people said go carbide because they are harder etc and therefore must be better. But, a few other people made good cases for using HSS including the ease of grinding and sharpening. Like you, I'm now a believer in HSS and the felt wheel honing was the icing on the case.


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## Kermit (Feb 16, 2009)

I'm thinking I need to investigate this when I learn what I'm doing around the lathe. I got the carbide inserts myself for starters so I wouldn't have to learn grinding along with the turning.

As soon as I get more money for more essential "tools" - - I spend it 
Kermit


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## steamer (Feb 16, 2009)

Most of the smaller lathes used by the enthusiest don't do real well with carbide as the speed really needs to go up substantially to take advantage of it. With that speed increase comes the requirement that the lathe be more ridgid. My 10" Atlas never got along with it, but did splendidly with HSS. My Logan does fine with either....

If you go to my post on "Resources for the Beginner" the Hercus book as quite a bit of information on the proper angles.  I could never say all my tools have the right angles....so I won't, but if the part needs to be right..you can bet I'll spend a little more time on the tool.

Besides.....their cheap!....and if you burn one out...grind it back and start again, and they take an interupted cut better.

Just my $.02

Dave


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## David Morrow (Feb 16, 2009)

steamer  said:
			
		

> If you go to my post on "Resources for the Beginner" the Hercus book as quite a bit of information on the proper angles.
> 
> Dave



I located a pdf of the Hercus manual that you refer to :

http://www.bbssystem.com/manuals/Lathe-Tutorial.pdf


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## steamer (Feb 16, 2009)

I've honed carving knives with a rouge wheel before.  Worked well on them, short of taking off a critical edge I don't see why it won't work for a lathe tool.  Never tried it though.

Dave


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## dan s (Feb 17, 2009)

these are what I use to hone my HSS & carbide tooling.

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4340


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## Mark-One (Feb 17, 2009)

David Morrow  said:
			
		

> I located a pdf of the Hercus manual that you refer to :



Thanks for posting that 

I tend to run my machine fairly slow (compared to what it can do). Little wonder, I suppose, that the carbide tools have been so-so.


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## Loose nut (Feb 17, 2009)

Steel will ruin diamond sharpening wheels, the heat generated does it but for hand work IE: a diamond sharpening file on HSS is ok, your not generating enough heat by swiping one across the tool bit unless you move at the speed of light.


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## Alan J. Richer (Feb 19, 2009)

Something I haven't seen mentioned here is that an HSS tool, well-sharpened, is sharper than the equivalent carbide.

Part of carbide's graces is the ability for removal of large amounts of metal rapidly, which one doesn't do with a very thin, fragile edge. HSS, on the other hand, can be sharpened however you like as you're not depending on an insert or a factory made edge.

Personally I use very little carbide at all - only when dealing with cast-iron or other abrasive things. Other than that it's good old HSS - does everything I need, can be made to whatever shape desired (think form tools for repetitive work) and is cheap.

I have a few stones I use in the shop for polishing edges of tools.

         Alan


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