Sharpening Wood Carving Tools

Sharpening carving tools is an essential step in carving. A sharp carving tool works better because it slices through the wood easier, making it safer and quicker to use. It, also, leaves a cleaner path behind. A good sharp edge means less effort, which means less force. When less force is needed, more control is possible, making the work safer.

There are many methods of sharpening carving tools from power grinders to wetstones to sandpaper and finally the strop. The most inexpensive method is using a couple of grades of sandpaper and a strop.

How much sharpening is needed depends on how damaged the edge of the blade is. If damaged or dull, you will need to use a 400 grit sandpaper laid on a flat surface such as the edge of the table. Place the blade edge down and drag it across the wet surface of the paper at an eleven degree angle. One way of finding an approximate eleven degree angle is to use either a nickel or a dime beneath the spine of the blade.

If your carving blade is three quarters of and inch in width or more, lay your blade flat on the sharpening surface and raise the spine of the blade until you can fit the edge of a nickel under it. If it is less than three quarters of an inch, use a dime.

Drag the edge along the wet sandpaper surface until all the nicks are gone and you have a smooth edge. Then do the same thing using a 600 grit wet sandpaper.

Finish by loading your leather (strop) up with your white aluminum oxide to the point that it won't absorb any more compound. You can use some light oil to help create a paste-like consistency. Make sure you wipe your blade clean of any sandpaper residue with a cloth. You don't want to get any grit on your strop. Then drag your knife edge along the strop at the same 11 degree angle, and continue equally on both sides, sharpening until you get a mirrored edge.

You can test the sharp edge by taking your knife and carving across the end grain of a piece of carving wood. You should see a smooth shiny surface and the end grain clearly. If you see a white line in your slice, you have a nick in your edge. You need to go back and start the process over. Once you have the edge you like on your knife, all you should have to do is strop about every fifteen minutes and protect your edge when you're not using your knife.

Sharpening Wood Turning Tools - 7 Things to Keep In Mind

Woodturning is one of the most basic of crafts and the requirements are simple; a wood lathe to hold the work and make it spin, wood to shape and tools to cut the wood. This is woodworking at its most basic. In order to also make it among the most enjoyable of woodworking crafts is that most basic of wood cutting needs, sharp tools. There are a few things to keep in mind when sharpening wood turning tools.

First is the edge that is sought after. Many wood workers seek to sharpen a knife, chisel or plane blade to a razor edge for a clean cut and lovely shaving. However the wood for a typical woodworker stays still while the blade cuts. At the wood lathe the opposite occurs, wood spins and the tool is guided to the cut. The spinning wood, often with bark, knots and perhaps included grit rapidly ruins a razor edge. So the edge sought is one that works well but is not so sharp as to disappear.

Second is the equipment needed. Woodworkers often get a beautiful edge with various stones while woodturners are more at home with a good tool grinder. Most of the time the tool will be sharpened at the grinder and presented to the wood. A good wheel made of aluminum oxide with a grit of 80 to 100 will give a serviceable edge with a good surface left on the wood.

Third is the skill needed to sharpen that array of woodturning tools. Many woodworkers will need to sharpen straight edges with the possible foray into sharpening saws and wood carving gouges. Woodturners have tools with blades straight, curved, round, and fluted. Many have angles of sharpening that vary along the curved edge. While being able to sharpen freehand is a great asset, sharpening guides are wonderful assets to both the professional and the amateur.

Fourth is the frequency of sharpening. While the person who has learnt how to sharpen a knife well will find themselves infrequently going to the sharpening bench, a woodturner may find themselves at the tool grinding machine every couple of minutes. This makes a difference as to how a person sets up the shop to prevent too many footsteps between the wood lathe and the grinder.

Fifth comes the selection of tools. Principally they are made of three materials for the blades, high carbon steel, high speed steel and specialty steels. For all intents and purposes, most turners use the high speed steels. They will hold an edge longer than high carbon and are significantly cheaper than the specialties. A grinder with that aluminum oxide wheel will do a good job on them and will be adequate for each of the others, especially when using a sharpening jig.

Sixth is the consideration of what cuts are required by the tool. This may mean that some otherwise identical tools need to be sharpened with different configurations. Turning wood bowls is an excellent example. Some cuts are best performed with a bowl gouge sharpened straight across at a forty five degree angle. Others need a similar bowl gouge but shaped to have long wings and an angle varying from about seventy degrees at the tip to forty five along the edges. Again, a sharpening jig simplifies the sharpening process.

Seventh and perhaps most important is learning to relax while sharpening the various tools. If a poor edge or the wrong angle is obtained, it is a simple matter to return to the tool grinder and fix it. Tension is more likely to ruin an edge than is poor technique. Besides, woodturning is meant to be fun. Relaxing and enjoying such a large part of the process only adds to the amusement. Once again, consider making or buying a sharpening jig to add to the joy of woodturning.

Sharpening woodturning tools is a skill accessible to everyone who wishes to turn wood or work with a wood lathe. There are a few things to keep straight but as in all things with wood turning, practise may not make perfect but it goes a long way to getting great results.