Hollow Chisel Sharpening

[memzey]

Hi everyone,

Not wanting to kick off another sharpening debate rather I wanted to know where people got their kit for sharpening hollow chisels from? The only ones I could find in stock were at the £50 ish price range from Axminster and Tyzack online. Axminster look to have a cheaper £5 option using a conical diamond stone but wouldn't you know it - its out of stock! Does anyone on these boards know of another supplier at the lower price point? Alternatively is the other kit really worth £40+ more?

Thanks in advance!

 

[PAC1]

The £40+ version is only worthwhile if you need the diamond plate.
The £5 conical sharpener is great for sharpening the inside edge of the chisel as long as you make sure you are square on the chisel. The £40+ version has guides for the cone sharpener which reduce the risk of being out of square.

 

[memzey]

Cheers pack. I have numerous oil stones for the outside edge of the chisels so don't really have any interest in the diamond plate. I was planning to chuck the cone in my drill press with the chisel held in the machine vice to ensure squareness and then rotate the chuck by hand or by manually pulling on the belts. In theory I think that should work fine I'm just stuck for a source of conical grinding stone.

 

[blackrodd]

Axminster sell these,---
Even give you directions how to use!
http://www.axminster.co.uk/diamond-cone ... -sharpener
HTH
Regards Rodders

 

[Rhossydd]

Axminster look to have a cheaper £5 option using a conical diamond stone but wouldn't you know it - its out of stock!

It works well and there is some stock at your local branch in High Wycombe. Worth a call to confirm before you travel, but it's less than an hour from St Albans.

 

[memzey]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I did see that the Wycombe branch may of had one but time was too much of a factor for me so I bit the bullet and ordered the snazzier one. Should be arriving this morning. I'll let everyone know how I get on with it. One thing to question with these is whether it is safe to use them under power i.e. with the drill press or cordless switched on or whether it is more advisable to use them under manual power and control. I have a Fobco star and I think the slowest speed it does is 450 rpm or thereabouts which might be a bit on the fast side for this application and the lack of control one has when using a cordless puts me off that option as well. How do others on this board use these?

 

[PAC1]

We used to do it by hand using a brace but now in an electric drill set very slow

 

[Beau]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I did see that the Wycombe branch may of had one but time was too much of a factor for me so I bit the bullet and ordered the snazzier one. Should be arriving this morning. I'll let everyone know how I get on with it. One thing to question with these is whether it is safe to use them under power i.e. with the drill press or cordless switched on or whether it is more advisable to use them under manual power and control. I have a Fobco star and I think the slowest speed it does is 450 rpm or thereabouts which might be a bit on the fast side for this application and the lack of control one has when using a cordless puts me off that option as well. How do others on this board use these?

Just use gently in a brace. No need for any speed presuming it is a sharpener like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cutting-Edge-Cl ... B00IEI2QV6

 

[memzey]

I don't have a brace so will do it manually on the drill press. Thanks!

 

[Beau]

I don't have a brace so will do it manually on the drill press. Thanks!

If it is like mine it wont work in a drill press as the back is square so only works with a 2 jaw chuck as on a brace.

 

[memzey]

It's not like the clico one. This has a back to it that looks like a bit holders'.

 

[bugbear]

It's not like the clico one. This has a back to it that looks like a bit holders'.

You mean 1/4" hex?

BugBear

 

[Beau]

It's not like the clico one. This has a back to it that looks like a bit holders'.

Much better system

 

[memzey]

It's not like the clico one. This has a back to it that looks like a bit holders'.

You mean 1/4" hex?

BugBear

That's the jobbie.



Looks a nice bit of kit. I plan to try it out tomorrow. Will let you guys know how well it works.

 

[RobinBHM]

It works fine in a cordless drill. It is quite easy to get the sharpening bit seated square. I use a small needle file on the corners of the chisel. A needle file is also used to sharpen the auger.

 

[memzey]

I tried it out yesterday and it worked a treat. I also touched up the auger tips with a needle file and that helped too. The machine is working very well now I must say. The only thing is; it is a bit squeaky in operation. How do others deal with that or is it just to be expected with these machines?

 

[Guggs]

When sharpening the chisel , make sure you get a small burr on each of the four sides of the chisel face DO NOT hone these off , honing makes the chisel tapered , leading to sticking in deep stock plus it aids in standard morticing .
Also the auger needs to be the same diameter as the chisel . Anything smaller and the machine will struggle anything bigger and you won't achieve your required mortice width .

 

[Rhossydd]

it is a bit squeaky in operation. How do others deal with that or is it just to be expected with these machines?

I find the same. I've tried putting PTFE spray down the chisel, but nothing seems to stop it, but it works fine so I just don't worry any more.

 

[Eric The Viking]

it is a bit squeaky in operation. How do others deal with that or is it just to be expected with these machines?

I find the same. I've tried putting PTFE spray down the chisel, but nothing seems to stop it, but it works fine so I just don't worry any more.

I get that too. I think it's:

• Damp wood (DO NOT ASK!!!).
• Distance between chisel and auger. I've experimented with my Axminster AW16BMST, and found a 2p piece is about right for 1/2" and 3/8" in softwood, but you need to reduce the gap a bit for smaller mortices and hardwoods.
• Roughness in the cone or chisel slot, causing chips to stick.

On sharpening: I have the more expensive set ("countersink" cutter+guides and the diamond plate). I think the diamond cheapie would be way too agressive, and, given what you're paying for it, likely to do more harm than good (leaving annular scratches on the cone).

I use the cone cutter I have with Trefolex and a slow cordless drill usually (and a good wash-off afterwards in meths) it works really well in my experience - the smoother the cone is the better. I also found that keeping the auger really keen helps a lot too.

And working the body of the chisel with a rat's tail file and a half-round diamond needle file helped too - I was surprised how rough they come. The chips need to clear as easily as possible - anything, anywhere that they can catch on is a nuisance.

Finally I have sprayed mine with PTFE, and although it does help a bit, it doesn't stay on there very long, so I've largely given up now.

E.

 

[memzey]

Cheers everyone. The thing I perhaps should have made a bit clearer was that the squeaking doesn't happen when the chisel is plunged rather just when the auger is spinning freely. I wonder if the chisel and the bit aren't quite in exactly the same plane. Has anyone else had this problem? To be honest it is just a matter of fiddling round the edges as the machine itself is cutting mortices very well - albeit a bit noisily!