Anyone?

[Peter Blair]

i know I recently read a shop tip about a jig used to sharpen the 3/16" cutters a lot of us use when hollowing but I can't seem to find or remember where I saw it. Can anyone help?

[John Keeton]

Peter, I simply use the platform on the Wolverine by holding the cutter on the platform with my fingers and rotating it against the wheel. It is quick and simple, and I have sharpened a bunch of them without any problems. Just have the platform close to the wheel, and tilted up to give you a little bit of angle to the grind.

[Peter Fabricius]

Hi Peter;
What John said! But I have a platform that has been cut with a slot to fit the stone inside the platform leading edge. The cut is about 3/8" deep and just allows the stone to run freely in the slot. This allows you to hold the 3/16 cutter bit with more control as you swing it to the sides.
Hope this works for you.
Peter F.

[Thomas Canfield]

Don Pencil included a holder with his Scorpion or other hollowing tool to hold the 3/16" round cutters. It is a piece of square steel either 5/16 or 3/8" with a 3/16" hole in end and a set screw tapped to hold the cutting tool and keep it from turning. The square steel sits flat on the grinder rest that is set at whatever angle you want. I have bought a larger piece of square steel to make another holder but have not got O-2-it. I would suggest putting the bore hole low in the square end to provide better tap hole for a set screw.

[Steve Campbell]

DSCN0162.jpgPeter. All mine consists of is a chunk of hard Maple with two hole drilled at right angle to each other. I drill and tap the top hole for 1/4" X 20 threads. then just use a common 1/4" bolt. The front hole is round and just big enough too insert the cutter. The bolt when tightened down keeps it straight. I just use the platform from my wolverine. Hope this helps.

Steve

[Harvey Ghesser]

Dway Tools has a great solution called the widget. Made from aluminum, with a 3/16 slot to hold the cutter. Very elegant and quick.

[Tim Rinehart]

I also do what JK described, but emphasis really does need to be on maintaining the platform close, i.e 1/16" to the wheel. You DON'T want to be in a situation where the little HSS tool is being rotated to grind the side edge and gets caught between the platform and wheel...something will give, likely the wheel.

That makes the case for one of the little holders a good one but care and a close platform has always worked sufficient for me. Also...it's basically the same way and angle I use to sharpen all the other little HSS pieces like scrapers, and so on that wouldn't fit in a holder for the 3/16" or 1/8" tools.

[Peter Blair]

Thank you gentlemen. As described above. I have been sharpening with my Wolverine platform in which I have cut a notch to fit past the front of the wheel but wondered, out loud, if there was a better way to maintain the nice even curve, especially when the cutter gets quite short.
Some good ideas but it seems that hand eye coordination is what it will continue to take.

[James Roberts]

Mine is along the lines of Steve Campbell's but I snagged a small block of aluminum from the machine shop at work (1/2" X 3/4" X 3"), drilled a hole in the end to fit the cutter and then drilled and tapped for a set screw to hold the cutter in place. Works good on my Wolverine platform to sharpen 3/16" cutters. Also made one out of 3/4" inch square aluminum stock about 3"-4" long, drilled to fit a 1/4" cutter then drill and tap for set screw. Hope this helps.

[Peter Blair]

Thanks James.

I wonder if you can answer a couple more questions?

Does the hole you drill need to be closer to the bottom or ????

Do you have a particular angle to sharpen these cutters?

[Steve Campbell]

Peter, I drilled my hole for the cutter bit as low as possible so that I could use the same platform setting that I use on my regular scrapers. The higher you drill the hole the more it changes the angle. Hope this helps.

Steve

[Jamie Donaldson]

John Jordan also makes a reasonably priced jig for grinding these cutters, available on his web site. I learned a trick from David Ellsworth about grinding these cutters by rounding over the edge of your grinder wheel with a dresser, and simply grind the cutter on both sides while still in the tool- works like a champ!

[Peter Blair]

Thanks Steve. Makes a lot of sense.

[James Roberts]

Here's a pic of my two jigs, notice the hole is lower on each. When sharpened the bits are about 75 degrees. I use the same platform angle that I sharpen my scrapers on and those come in at about 79 degrees. Hope this helps.

[Peter Blair]

Greetings James. The pictures really help.
I will make one to try. I have lots of pieces of square aluminum stock.
Much appreciated!