Thread: I think I can say the quest is over.

You sound very happy with your finds!

Can you please post pics of the plates and how you mounted them on a lathe? I often get presented with sad neglected chisels with an expectation that in 5 minutes or so I can return them fully fettled and razor sharp… currently I re-flatten the backs of the worse ones on a linisher but I’m not a fan and it’s bloody hard not to dub the sides.

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

You sound very happy with your finds!

Can you please post pics of the plates and how you mounted them on a lathe? I often get presented with sad neglected chisels with an expectation that in 5 minutes or so I can return them fully fettled and razor sharp… currently I re-flatten the backs of the worse ones on a linisher but I’m not a fan and it’s bloody hard not to dub the sides.

First pic is the result. Could do a lot better but I'm not that interested in taking the time. It'll come good as I lap the back over time.

Next is my grinder with the MDF wheel on it. It's an old 3phase pedestal grinder hooked up to a VDF. I probably lap at about 25-30htz. I use a grey compound. When sharpening the far disk is charged with white compound to give the chisel a nice shine.

Third is the 100grit diamond plate mounted on the lathe - just sandwiched between the live centre and face plate. I run it at about 25-50rpm so I only need to eyeball it to make sure it's close to centred. Give it a liberal dousing of water from a spray bottle. The plate is contact cemented to a MDF disk that's been painted to resist the water.

The last pic is what I used to use. The blue disk is a self-adhesive zirconia disk. I don't use velcro ones as they have a soft backing and will round everything. It's stuck to a 12mm thick aluminium disk. When they get dull, it'll take a long time to remove material and the heat buildup is high. I wouldn't try to remove any sort of deep pitting on a sanding disk.

I was looking at getting a 200mm CBN wheel to do the chisels and then happened to see a post here about using the diamond plates to grind carbide... At $90 each it was worth it to see if it worked well or not. Definitely made short work of the process. Just have to be careful with the dust - it ain't good for ya. I'll vacuum up around the lathe and the disks.

Because I'm spinning at such a low rpm I free hand everything. The diamond plates don't build up much heat at all. I'll knock any high spots off the chisel, usually the neck, on the grinder first to save the disks.

Very nice chisels and also very nice work prepping them. It's the sort of tool gloat that makes a man jealous.

That's one heck of a grinder you got there. No chance of bogging that thing down.

I agree that it's worth hunting up the ones you like the best and sending the others down the road to somebody who really wants them. It makes everybody happier that way.

I totally agree on machine grinding chips and dings out of the bevel. I flat lap the backs using sticky back PSA roll on a surface plate, as the machine can mess up geometry pretty fast. 80 grit makes fast work flattening, then I go up through P1000. Done right, it doesn't dub corners. Of course, sharp corners can be a problem of it's own.

Often the machines give a very non-random grind pattern. As a result, that ONE fat grit leaves a deep grind mark. Sandpaper and diamond plates also seem to preferentially cut heavier on the sides as the grit wears, leaving a slightly fat profile. Going finer on the same machine only refines it. Move to a decent, fine grit stone that's flat and ten-passes reveals all the funky machine grind marks.

I have recently decided that finish honing on stones before buffing gives me better results. I think it's is worthwhile for paring, where the buffing is extremely light, but when chopping hard woods, I'm not sure the extra effort is worth it. I machine sharpen those to P800 go and straight to the buffer.

Of course, the caveat to all this is that I test chisels and only keep the ones that perform well with my process. As such, my preferences don't necessarily shake out the same as a lot of people. For example, I really like early 1950's Marples with round necks and embossed touch marks.

So last night I did a tally on costs and what the eleven I'm keeping cost me. All up ~$45 each. That includes the cost for two 300mm diamond disks... If I remove that, as they're an expense that will continue to be an asset, it's ~$27 each.

I'd say, considering the cost of new, high-quality chisels, that's a pretty good price, and bergs I sold for ~ $45 each.

Have had the opportunity to use five of them and all I can say is they're excellent quality - very happy with them. Can't believe I stuck it out with mediocre chisels for so many years. I even vaguely remember a Finewood Working, before there was an internet, article on them not being that good, or you needed to get past the first quarter inch before you hit good steel. Well I've got past that by heaps and they're still just OK.

But then again. I don't really know if they're that good LOL, because I've not got any other high-end chisels to base it on. I sold them before I clued in and should have tried them first

I could have done a lot more to fix them up but I can't be bothered.