Thread: sharpening hollow morticing chisels

They are available as cones or balls in a variety pack (best description I can come up with) in the el cheapo stores and probably places like Bunnings. You should only pay about $2.00 each for them. Sometimes they sit on the couters in a cardboard display box in a variety of shapes and sizes. Just match either the ball or cone to the chisel.

Best bet is to buy a Dremel with the accessories kit - several different decent quality rotary stones that would do the trick in the kit, and a Dremel is a whole lot easier to handle for the job than anything else. You'll find lots of other uses for it too.

Many of the cheap stones are mounted off centre on the shaft - makes it damn near impossible to do properly, so you need to be careful what you buy.

I have seen pictures of a steel sharpening cone ( like a bur) but not from a local supplier.

I'd be carefull about the mounted stones

perhaps a metal bur could be the go???

Mounted Points are available from most power tool shops or if there is a blackwoods or specialised welding supplier . Pferd is one brand . You can get all shapes and sizes.
It would mean taking the chisel with you and sizing it up with what is available.
They do work well for these applications.
Just find out what the maximum speed rating is for the one you get.

Plenty of options as above, but after being in a similar situation, I decided to order the Lee Valley sharpening cones. Glad I did as they are much more refined with diamond surface and better manufactured than any of the other options I looked at.

Shipping is likely to be more than the cone sharpeners themselves though. perhaps wait until you are ordering something bigger from LV (if you ever plan to) and add them to that order

Thanks guys,
I ended up ordering them from Lee Valley today as like Dean said they are more refined and purpose made for the job. Postage was $6 US (I also ordered a centring punch for hinges and other countersunk holes) They'll take a while to get here but that's okay, I don't own any chisels yet. There's only the one 3/8" chisel that came with the machine which was so badly overheated it's blue. I had to drive the bit out of the chisel with a hammer there was so much waste clogging it (the bit couldn't be turned). But I'm guessing that's why the original owner got rid of it after barely any use - didn't know how to set it up.

Mick