Honing on lathe

**efgee88** · 2nd November 2010, 09:09 AM

After passing a few ideas around with Ern, I decided to make some honing wheels from mdf and mount them on my DVR-XP. I wouldn't have bothered posting this if it was not for the fact that it works brilliantly! It doesn't matter at what speed you hone, just a light "lick" with the tool and its razor sharp. No need to go into reverse, just leave the lathe running as you work. I pass the tool under the wheel and pull it gently towards me until I hear a change in sound - thats where the honing is happening at the tip. I use the flat piece between the wheels for skews. As you can see I made 2 different width wheels.
I use metal polish (tube) but I reckon any automotive cutting compound will do just as well. Just put some sparingly right around the wheel - so far done it once only.

BTW I made sure I left a big hole in the centre for the knockout bar.

And just to prove how effective this metal polish impregnates the mdf, I tried to reshape one of the wheels after I'd used it for a bit and immediately buggered the tip of my skew completely - took about 0.5mm off the end and hardly affected the wood!
Had to sacrifice a mcjing steel to scrape the stuff back first. So I reckon the wheels should last a fair while.

Prior to this I have been sharpening my tools every 20 mins on a wheel using tormek jigs - a bit tedious as you know. The problem with that is you do end up using a blunt tool for quite a while.

Definitely ready to attack one of Erns big lumps now!

Cheers,

FrankG

**Sawdust Maker** · 2nd November 2010, 09:52 AM

great, thanks for posting

I gather it's just affixed to the handwheel with 4 bolts. Do you now use the outer wheel for a handwheel or something else?

Looks like it will fit my lathe, send it up

**hughie** · 2nd November 2010, 11:20 AM

Good post Frank.

Something that's been on my to do list for a few months now.

**rsser** · 2nd November 2010, 02:05 PM

Good effort Frank.

Let us know in time how many hones you get before having to go back to the grinder.

**efgee88** · 2nd November 2010, 02:45 PM

Originally Posted by Sawdust Maker

great, thanks for posting

I gather it's just affixed to the handwheel with 4 bolts. Do you now use the outer wheel for a handwheel or something else?

Correct - 4 bolts. After fixing securely to the handwheel then I trued and shaped each wheel (all 3 pieces are glued as well by the way).

The outer wheel is also used for honing, but I do brake the lathe with it as well (run my hand along the outer side).

The sacrifice to all this is no view of the indexing window on this lathe - which I don't use anyhow.

Cheers,

FrankG

**rsser** · 2nd November 2010, 02:53 PM

You should be able to buff your fingernails in idle moments too Frank ;-}

**artme** · 2nd November 2010, 05:25 PM

Nice one Frank!!

**SawDustSniffer** · 3rd November 2010, 05:49 PM

good idea frank , just remember to remove it before swinging up to full revs ,while polishing a pen , when MDF gives way it dose it in a big way

**efgee88** · 3rd November 2010, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by rsser

You should be able to buff your fingernails in idle moments too Frank ;-}

Would that classify as a fingernail grind, Ern?

**Sawdust Maker** · 3rd November 2010, 08:17 PM

Originally Posted by efgee88

Would that classify as a fingernail grind, Ern?

good one!

**NeilS** · 4th November 2010, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by efgee88

Would that classify as a fingernail grind, Ern?

....

.

**Rifleman1776** · 6th November 2010, 10:54 AM

Clever idea.

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