Newbie needs tips on keeping things square.

[Gawbo005]

I have been practicing with my Tormek t8 and I have one issue that seems to come up every now and then that I need some tips from you on how you work through this.

On occasion I seem to set things up properly but then when I am done grinding and I am looking at the grinding marks I see things as being very crooked. Then when I take my square edge to the chisel or plain blade that I am trying to sharpen I noticed that my grinder has taken it out of square. The wheel itself is flat and parallel to the support bar so it does not seem to be that and I feel it is more user error. It does not happen every time so I am wondering from all of you what do you do to help make sure that everything stays square on your tools?

[Ken S]

John,

If you use your black marker and check the squareness of your grinding early and often, your problem should be solved, especially if you complete your sharpening before enjoying your celebratory drinking. 

Ken

[Gawbo005]

Ahh damn autocorrect 

I meant to say done "grinding"

[RobinW]

May I recommend that you do a search in the Forum for "Square Edge Issues with SE-76" (Applies to Se-77 although screw adjustment built in).

Plenty of information there on multiple posts and the causes of problems. Don't get too bogged down.

As KenS has advised, the best way forward is to use a black marker on the surface being ground, keep checking it keep checking it, keep checking it, and you will spot when things start going out of square. Marker pen and eyeballs are the best way to see and learn how to correct any problems.

[Ken S]

Robin, old friend, it is good to hear from you. The metric tape rule you gave me several years ago has given me good service. I think of you whenever I use it.

Our newer members did not invent the unsquare chisels and plane blades; such things have plagued us for years.
"Markers and eyeballa", I like that!

Ken

[tgbto]

But, if the chisel is already out of square, wouldn't the sharpie trick just help keep the out-of-squareness constant ?

[Ken S]

Not if the sharpie is combined with the small square EARLY in the grinding process. If the chisel (or plane blade) is out of square initially, the grinding should start at the long end of the blade.. Check with the square. if the grinding is square, the very start will be parallel with the square. If it is not parallel with the square, adjust the blade until it is. At that point, continue sharpening.

Ken

[tgbto]

Now that makes sense. Thank you !

[RobinW]

Hi Ken - I'm still vertical and breathing! Not much happening on the Tormek line but I have a stack of chisels and some plane blades now needing attention.

Comments for tgbto  - as KenS has advised others many times previously, start your learning curve using a 3/4" or 1" chisel. Do not start with your expensive chisels! Use a cheapy.

Fit chisel to SE-76 or SE-77 jig with say 2" protrusion. Set the angle as per the book. Mark the area to be ground with black marker. Gently start grinding. Do not rush. Do not get caught up in too much precision initially. Do not press too hard. You have a Tormek so that your finger joints will not suffer!

After a few revolutions of the wheel, check what is happening at the ground edge. Is it square or cock-eyed? Look at how the chisel is meeting the wheel. Try and understand why the grinding is occurring as viewed. (Plenty explanations in the previously referenced posts.)

Then why not try a wee trial?

Adjust the chisel in the jig, so that it meets the wheel with a few degrees angular offset ie not square to the wheel. Apply a grind and recheck the outcome. You will now definitely have an un-square grind.

Now consider what you have to do to correct this deliberate error. Apply correction. Apply black marker, try a grind. Apply more correction if necessary. Keep practising this until you become relaxed that you can apply an error and then its correction.

You will note that I have not said anything about using a square to measure accuracy at chisel end. Use your eyes. Black marker and eyeballs are your best tools at the moment. Once you are comfortable how to make corrections, then you can start getting pernickety with the introduction of a square for accuracy of squareness. Then decide angle of grind you want to apply, and single or double bevels.

Also get used to using the honing wheel. In use you will just need to polish up the bevel frequently to regain sharpness. Re-grinding is not that frequent. Somewhere in the past Herman included magnified pictures of a ground edge showing difference between hand and ground edges.

Before you start to grind your expensive chisels, flatten the backs of the chisels, and polish the back. (See referenced posts). You only need to concentrate on the end of the chisel not the whole back. Once flattened and polished, you should not need to touch the back for a long time, apart from removing a burr when sharpening.

Some of my chisels are ground at 25 degrees - usually for paring and fine work.
Some are ground at 30 degrees - usually kept for chopping out with a mallet
A few have double bevels 25&30 degrees.

I rarely use a square for checking the squareness. The fact I may have a miniscule out of squareness will not affect my work. I can introduce plenty of other factors!

[Elden]

Excellent post, RobinW!

[Gawbo005]

Thank you all so much for the tips. I Believe these are great solutions and hopefully will solve my problems. This weekend is dedicated to practicing