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Episode 6a: Tuning a hollow mortise chisel

January 8, 2008 By

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krenov-cab-open-5.jpg

As I get ready to make prototypes of various components of the Krenov cabinet I shared with you a short while back, I realized my mortise chisels needed some care. As I prepared the 1/4-inch chisel, it occurred to me that it was an opportunity to share with you how I tune my chisels, to make it more pleasurable to use them on the mortising machine. On the left is the cabinet I used to determine if I could develop a working model of a Krenov-style cabinet in eCabinet Systems software – I am modifying this model into a design I will build.

The procedure I use to tune the chisels is not new, and it is very simple if the “proper” tools are used to create a sharp edge. This is how I do it:

  1. I use the Rockler 3-piece mortise sharpening set – it comes with two diamond-covered abrasive cones that put a nice bevel on the inside surface of the tip of the chisel – for the smaller 1/4 inch chisel I prefer to use the cones on the drill press. It is essential to use speeds lower than 300 RPM, to prevent glazing of the abrasive surfaces on the cones:
    3-Piece Mortise Chisel Sharpening Set
    3-Piece Mortise Chisel Sharpening Set
  2. Remove the machine marks on the outer surfaces of the chisel. This will give a better finish on the face of the mortise. It also helps the chisel to slide smoothly as it makes the cut. I do it using 150-grit sandpaper on a smooth and flat surface, such as the cast iron on the table saw. Always use the same number of strokes: 20 to 30 strokes should be sufficient.
  3. Finally, remove the burrs that form on the very tip of the chisel, using a diamond stone. I like to use 10 strokes to remove the burr.

That is all – you should have a nice, sharp chisel to allow you to make the mortices without overheating the chisel tips. If you keep them sharp, you will prevent overheating and burning; overheating is likely to make your mortise-making experience miserable.

You can read a good article by Bob Lang of Popular Woodworking here. I have not used a file to notch the inside corners of the chisels, as Bob does. I will try this if I run into chip-clearing issues in the future.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Blog, Sharpening, Shop tools, Video

A sharpening station – design and results

December 2, 2007 By

Background:

  1. How many times have you wished you had a dedicated sharpening area / station in your shop, close to your work area?
  2. And how many times do you wish that, if you needed to, you would be able to move it around at will, either on a temporary or permanent basis?
  3. Or better yet, you have so many gouges, chisels, plane blades, etc., that need sharpening, and you don’t want to lay down all those tools just anywhere, away from the grinder and sharpening jig(s)?

I hope that the design of this workstation might be of use to others. I used eCabinet Systems software and came up with the following design:

Dimensions:
1. “About” 38 inches wide
2. 34-1/2 inches tall, plus 4 inches for the casters – THIS one was critical, as I had to ensure it was not TOO high, or the sharpening experience becomes uncomfortable, i.e., the equipment is too high.
3. “Around” 20 inches deepMaterials, construction, and finish:
1. Face frames are 3/4-inch red oak
2. The rest is 3/4-inch cabinet-grade oak plywood – for purpose of the design drawing above, I used different wood for the drawers and doors, to better highlight edges
3. Construction: Tongue & groove and pocket holes
4. The finish was Minwax Special Walnut wiped on, followed by two coats of Target Coatings’ waterborne shellac, and 2-4 coats of their Superclear 9000 waterborne polyurethane (a polyester-based urethane)The cabinet will have the Wolverine grinding system on it, mounted with a dual-speed Delta grinder. In addition, it will be used to store some larger things she uses on the lathe, such as a bowl steady. The principal user, my wife and LOML (Love Of My Life), brainstormed function to some extent – then she gave me control of implementation and construction.Now for the design features:

  1. Top left: Drawer
  2. Bottom left: Adjustable shelf, with glass door, to allow viewing the contents, i.e., the large stuff, such as bowl steadies for the lathe, etc..
  3. Top right: Shelf, with door, for jig parts
  4. Right – middle and bottom drawers: Other sharpening supplies
  5. The casters are by Tente Casters, Inc. They provided the 3D drawing, converted to STL file format, ready for import into eCabinet Systems.
  6. The Wolverine system will be on the left-hand side of the cabinet top, while gouges and other supplies will be at the ready on the right-hand side, closest to the lathe.The cart rides on casters, for easy transportability between lathe (gouges, etc.) and workbench (chisels, plane irons, etc.).

This project:I think I have accomplished our goals, with the completion of this project.As many of you already know, LOML is the wood turner, and needs sharp gouges and chisels, etc. During her turning episodes, she might just barely touch up an edge, or hone it. But, from to time, she also must sharpen during her wood turning, to get good results on the lathe. As a result, the sharpening station remains close to her, and to the lathe.On my end, I have a need to keep chisels sharp, and the hand plane irons, too. For the most part, I use the Scary Sharp technique. But, to quickly get the steel edges ready for scary sharp, especially on many of the older tools laying around, I prefer to use a grinder and a suitable jig.For the most part, this sharpening station will remain close to the lathe. But (I hope) that, if I ever have the need to use it for an extended period, say an hour or two, I can roll the entire thing closer to me .

From WIP (Work-In-Progress), to completed:

Now in its place – notice I changed the drawer front design, to better match existing cabinets in the shop: I had to show you the cabinet with the door and drawers open. I still have to install the knobs and pulls; and, to allow for some minimal clamping, I used a laminated top a good friend gave me for free:

This is the old “sharpening station”: An old typing stand, modified to hold the Wolverine jig:

I am glad this is done – now LOML can use this nifty little sharpening station, as needed. BUT, what about a good way to hold all the chisels, gouges, etc., just to the right of the Wolverine jig? She designed and built the round holder seen in the photos – maybe it can be mounted on something with bearings, so it rotates easily? Shhhh… I may just surprise her….

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—— Al

Filed Under: Blog, General, Lathe, Sharpening, Shop tools Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Tool sharpening station almost finished – for woodturning gouges and chisels, and for hand plane blades

September 28, 2007 By


A few days ago I showed you this cabinet being sprayed in my home-designed-and-built spray booth

Edited on Saturday, September 29, 2007, to add the following:

I have had several questions about the dimensions of this cabinet. As a result, I include the following drawing, extracted from the design information. I did not include the countertop in this drawing, as your own design could use an inset top, for example. And, getting ahead of myself: I used a regular laminated countertop, as shown in subsequent photos, with sufficient overhang to allow clamping of “stuff”:

During construction, after installing the slides and checking for fit of the drawers:

I changed the drawer design, so this cabinet would match one I made several weeks ago. As a result, the drawers in the following photos will not look like the ones in the original design rendering above.

Today I had a chance to get close to completing assembly, including installing the counter top – is it obvious I did not do the edge treatment on the glazed door? I used a door edge treatment router bit to do the drawers, but forgot to do the door… I am tempted to just redo the door, as I don’t think that doing the edge at this point will provide good results. Also missing at this point, are the (adjustable) shelf that is still in the spray room and the drawer pulls.

This photo shows the new cabinet in place, near the lathe:

This is what I mean about the missing edge profile on the door: The door looks a little blah without the profile. Plus, I still need to plug some holes on the floor, as I got overzealous with the lag screws for the casters:

The top-right corner houses a fixed shelf; its front is a hinged door that swings open from the top:

Below you can see the old cart that the new cabinet replaced – an old typing stand. The ad-hoc sharpening station has the regular Wolverine sharpening jig installed under the grinder, and the Flat Tool Sharpening & Honing Jig sitting on the shelf below. Behind the grinder and hidden from view, are markers, a container with water to cool steel, in case the heat from grinding the steel tools becomes too uncomfortable:

All that remains at this point is to transfer the grinder and the jigs to the new cabinet, and start using the new arrangement. My customer will be very happy!

Of course, projects are always lined up, waiting to be done. The following is another old, old cabinet in dire need of replacement. It contains a nice number of woodturning chisel, chucks, and other assorted woodturning stuff:

The design for this one is not yet completed. I will start work on the replacement for this cabinet soon.

Thanks for looking. Until next time, I hope you had a great week, and wish you a great weekend!

Al

Filed Under: Blog, Cabinetmaking, Sharpening

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