Metal lather tooling jig

[The Wizard of BC]

I have been reading through old posts trying to find the answer to a question.

Does anyone know of a jig that will handle the grinding of metal lathe tooling?

The most basic single point cutter requires at least 6 different angles on the faces of a blank of high speed steel.
Traditionally this was done on a high speed grinder by hand.  Getting precision angles requires practice, experience and patience.  I can do it but I bought my Tormek specifically to help me achieve higher accuracy with the more complex angles.

At a minimum I would need a jig that is adjustable in both the horizontal and vertical along with the angle to the faces of the diamond stone.

Does anyone know of a jig or plans for one.

[RickKrung]

Rich Colvin posted a sort of platform for this.  Don't know if it meets all of your angle needs, but see what you think. 

Sharpening Metal Lathe Cutting Tools

I occasionally have need of this type of grinding and have a couple nice brass protractors like Rich's, but have never gotten to the point of making one. 

Rick

[RichColvin]

I'd love to see Tormek come out with a Goniostat.

[RickKrung]

I'd love to see Tormek come out with a Goniostat.

I forgot that you show one and provide information about the Goniostat on your Sharpening Handbook site. 

I had previously downloaded the drawings for the Goniostat from your site and just looked at them again.  I work from drawings like these all the time, and almost always create them for projects that I work on.  It would be some work, but is basically straightforward for machining and assembly.  I am having difficulty visualizing how this Goniostat is used, however.  Do you have any photos or other information showing how it is mounted or setup with a grinding wheel and how it is used?

Rick

[cbwx34]

I forgot that you show one and provide information about the Goniostat on your Sharpening Handbook site.
...

https://sharpeninghandbook.info/indexJigs.html#Goniostat

 

[RichColvin]

Accu-Finish makes a grinder which uses the side of diamond plates.  I'm thinking that something similar to the DBS would work quite well. Instead of holding a drill bit, it would hold the cutting tool. And you would slide the tool's holder left & right to grind the edge.  

[RickKrung]

Accu-Finish makes a grinder which uses the side of diamond plates.  I'm thinking that something similar to the DBS would work quite well. Instead of holding a drill bit, it would hold the cutting tool. And you would slide the tool's holder left & right to grind the edge. 

The DBS is an excellent platform for many things like that.  I've used it for grinding facets on surfaces of a tool I use for holding strips of bamboo on a mill for planing, in the the early stages of making bamboo fly rods.  I posted on this here on this forum, this one using my Viel belt grinder:

Adapting a Tormek Jig (Drill Bit) to a non-Tormek/Sharpening Function

Here is a photo showing a different fixture for that project.  BTW, I abandoned the Viel in favor of grinding on the outer surface of the Tormek wheels.  You might recognize the part being modified, these parts having been 3D printed in metal. 
You cannot view this attachment.

Haven't tried grinding on the side of the wheels, but no reason that couldn't be done.

Rick

[The Wizard of BC]

Well, I have a mill and a rotary table.

I think I will work on a jig adjustable up to 20 degrees either side, in two axis.  The third axis will be to the wheel.

I also have a BGM 100 which I will mount to use the side of the diamond wheel with the same jig.

I have other projects ahead of this so give me a week or two.  Photos to follow.

[RichColvin]

Steve,

If the jig you're making would fit on the slide for the DBS, it would be awesome!  I'm thinking it could be only one piece:  a holder which rides on the ridge on the Turning Plate (#3 in the parts breakdown).  Additional holes may be needed in the Sliding Plate (#2) to give the best angle.

I've just always thought that a new Sliding Plate was needed as the adjustable angle needs to be so wide, as shown on the one I made with a protractor.  But maybe, the existing Sliding Plate could be used with a rotating arm added, using the screw (#9) as the pivot point.  We'd need some way of marking the plate with degrees.  A sticker version of a protractor would work, but having them engraved would be better. 

[The Wizard of BC]

I do not have a DBS as I use a drill doctor for drill bits.

I was not planning on using any of the existing jigs but developing a new, stand-alone jig.  Drilling the holes for the slide is the easy part.

I spent part of yesterday doing notebook pencil sketches.  Size and weight are the primary factor right now.

I also would prefer engraved degree markings and a rotary table makes those easy.

Progress reports to come as I have them.  Right now first project on the lathe are tools for my wife's weaving loom.

[RickKrung]

The sliding plate, with the angle scale, is flat.  To provide a "fresh canvas" on which to mill a radiused slot, engraved angle markings, attach a rotating fence, or whatever, I would add another plate to the top of the sliding plate.  Two existing holes in the sliding plate may be usable for attaching this new plate, but more might be better, but no other modifications should be necessary.  I've put several holes in mine already for other modifications/enhancements.  Ideally, such an added plate would be aluminum, but wood or other materials more easily cut could be used. 

Rick

[The Wizard of BC]

Rick,

While I appreciate the idea I really do not think the DBS will work for what I need.

A lathe tool is ground using compound angles.  In all three axis at the same time.

You cannot view this attachment.

So I would need a surface adjustable in the Y and Z axis with the angle to the stone as the X axis.

[RickKrung]

Maybe I don't understand the issue, but it seems to me that those facets are not ground all at the same time.  In the terms of your diagram, set the side relief with the platform, set the side face cutting angle with the protractor, grind the side cutting side.  Change the platform relief angle (if necessary) to the end relief, set the end cutting with the protractor, grind the end angle.  In the diagram, most of the the side and end relief angles are the same so the nose radius can be ground last by just rotating on the platform.  I'd probably grind the side rake first. 

Rick

[RichColvin]

Rick,

There are 3-5 grinds for these.  I noted them in pages like this https://sharpeninghandbook.info/MW-Lathe-Tools-Carbide.html.


Steve,

Interesting thoughts.  Looking forward to what you come up with. 

Rich

[RickKrung]

Rick,

There are 3-5 grinds for these.  I noted them in pages like this https://sharpeninghandbook.info/MW-Lathe-Tools-Carbide.html.

...snip...
Rich

Yes, my point is that taking into account the vertical angle set by the platform, only one is ground at a time with the tool on the platform, however many there are.  It could be said another way: given the vertical relief (platform angle), that two angles are ground at the same time. 

Rick