An experiment

[Hatchcanyon]

Working the mirror (back) side of iron normally must be done only once.

To eliminate rough scratches or milling marks I use as Tormek recommends the side of the stone. Stone preparation can be done the same way as on the circumference. So I switch from a coarse grit to the finer one.

Bringing the back side to a mirror finisch I used as recommended the leather wheel with honing compound what produces always some mess, slurry. Can this be done less filthy?

I gave another method a try and behold - it works for me without any mess!


Polishing the mirror side on a SJ-wheel

Due to the fact that the SJ-wheel is very reluctant to remove steel one must not fear a modification of the mirror side. It works more or less similar to the leather wheel. An additional advantage for me is no rounding of the edge due to sinking into the leather. (Yes you can round the edge too with this method!)

The result:

Mirror side

The Millimeter graduations shows a deep scratch in the iron resulting from an earlier not very sensitive modification.

Rolf

[Ken S]

Rolf,

A most interesting experiment!

I would not be too concerned with the scratch shown in the photograph. It effects your pride more than the efficiency of the chisel.

I remember an article in Popular Woodworking several years ago. I believe the author's name is Adam Cherubini. He was comparing the flatness of chisel backs today compared to those of earlier craftsmen. While the general state of many tools today is sad, the most pampered tools are flatter and more highly polished than in the past. The author questioned the practical need for such flatness and polish. We do a lot to show our proficiency. The tiny "Empire Dovetails" are for show. they are no stronger, if as strong, as more humbly cut dovetails. The high polish of the intersection of bevel and back makes the cutting edge more keen. Beyond the first millimeter or fraction of an inch, the polish helps the craftsman enjoy looking at his smiling face in the mirror.

I believe your experimental idea is worth pursuing It would be especially useful for flattening bowed (outwardly) chisel backs.

Keep up the good work!

Ken

[RichColvin]

Rolf,

I'd like to see more of the rack you use to store your jigs.  That looks like it is very well done.  (And I'm always looking for good ideas to steal replicate.)

Kind regards,
Rich

[Hatchcanyon]

Rich,

the sharpening place is part of a roughly 4,6 meter long bench. The bench holds the lathe my wife uses, a router table and a drill press. So far the tormek is the last addition.

From the beginning it was planned to use the wall above the tabletop for storing tools. The only problem: The room is an old abandoned indoor pool. Therefore the walls are tiled. The idea was to elongate the back feet of the bench up to the rim of the pool and to use plywood sheets between these pillars. Hence they got grooves in which the plywood sheets are simply inserted from above. Simple screws or hooks can hold a lot of things, sometimes it needs a bit more to store items. The I build for example small boxes from scrap and thin  plywood.

In the beginning it looked like this:

Utility bench years ago with elongated back feet


Lathe with tools and things


The bench last month - note the pool!

Wall storage behind the Tormek:

Last week another LED tube was installed above the Tormek.


Some jigs are riding on dowels resembling the Universal Tool Rest

Rolf

[Ken S]

Nice shop, Rolf!

In the photo of the bench with the router table and miter saw, what is (are) the yellow tool(s) on the left end of the bench?

Ken

[Hatchcanyon]

I don't know exactly what you mean....

In the beginning there was a Scheppach Double Wheel Grinder. Not very useful!

Rolf

[Ken S]

Rolf,

Clever. I like your idea of using dowels to hold your Tormek jigs. Your grinding wheel storage would keep them from rolling (falling). How do you store your grinding wheels when you remove them from the Tormek and they are wet?

Ken

[Hatchcanyon]

Ken,

storing the stones is an unsolved item. The place on the wall is definitely not for wet stones. I think about a rack made from polycarbonate to store the stones underneath the table. At the moment I store the stones on the floor covered with OSB boards. These are moisture resistant.

Rolf

[Ken S]

Rolf,

I used 5/16" (8mm) bolts to make storage facilities for my damp grinding wheels. For the relatively small extra cost, stainless steel is nice. I grind the hex heads round down to where they fit through the bore of the grinding wheels. I slip on a round nylon spacer approximately 12  x 12 mm with a center hole. This keeps the wheel away from the back surface to dry better. In my case, I mounted these on the corner holes of heavy prefabricated metal shelves, so I placed fender washers and nuts on each side of the shelf corner. For mounting on wood, a Tee nut should hold the bolt securely, perhaps with thread locking compound to keep it from turning. I also use the hooks which came with my work station.

I have gotten into the habit of removing the grinding wheel after each sharpening session to wipe off the Tormek. I find most wheels often require several days to dry out, or several minutes in Utah.

I suspect I am being ubergrundlich............

Ken

[SharpenADullWitt]

I wanted to say thanks for the laugh, as it gave new meaning to water grinding when I saw the shop was in a pool.

[Hatchcanyon]

Naa....not in a pool, it's an abandoned pool! 

THe building was erected in 1970. At this time heating oil was cheap. Therefore nobody took care of insulation. They simply blasted a hole in the rock on which the building lot is located. Then they made walls from concrete in contact with the base rock and covered these inside with tiles. Ready was the pool. It took not very long the owner recognized that heating the water (30 x 9 x 5 feet) consumed much more energy than feasible. Therefore using the pool ended after the first oil crisis (1973) around 1975 or 1976.

The poor insulation has a compensatory effect on climate in the shop. In Summer temperature never goes up higher than 77° F (25°C) and in Winter it will not fall below 50° F (10° C). That is quite good.

Also an advantage is the ceiling height of a little more than 12 feet. Good for handling long boards.

Rolf

[Ken S]

Rolf,

What a fitting location for a wet grinder! 

Well done.

Ken