Outboard Honing Wheel

[OGYT]

Here's the outboard honing wheel that I made to hone the flutes of my bowl gouges:
Two 8-1/2" disks of 3/4" MDF, screwed/glued together. Bored a 1-1/4" hole through center, and 'threaded' it onto the outboard spindle. The spindle made it's own "threads"... not deep, but deep enought to hold it while turning and honing.
Outside disk is turned down to fit the U Flute on my Thompson 1/2" bowl gouge.
The inside disk is turned to fit the U Flute on my 5/8" Thompson.
I charged the wheel with black emery rouge, and melted it in with a torch. Now all I do is re-charge it once in a while, and it works a treat, honing the inside of the cutting edge.
If you want to make one, when you first get the bead close to the right size (you want it taller than the depth of the flute), stop the rotation and try the gouge on it sitting still.. rock the gouge a little, and the shoulders should mark it for you, then cut it down slightly more. Turn it down til you can just rock the flute side to side on the bead slightly. Once I got it to fit the flute in that manner, I melted the rouge on it.
When I hone it, I put flute on the bead with the cutting edge out a bit from the bead, then, while rocking the tool shaft, ease the tool back just til the rouge begins to curl over the edge... you're done. Too much, and you'll dull it instead of hone it.
Now that the glue is set, I think I might take the screws out, and charge the outside flat... it would be a good place to hone the skews....

[rsser]

Nice work Al.

... now skew honing might be of interest for peeling cuts ;-} Let us know how the adaptation goes.

[ticklingmedusa]

Al,
when it comes to inventiveness you are one of my heroes.
Very clever indeed!
tm

[Jim Carroll]

Al what do you use as a handbrake now that you have the honer on the end.

[Manuka Jock]

Good idea Al .
I may will do the same myself .
to use the outside flat , the 'case hardened ' surface would have to be removed down to the fiber , , to accept the honing compound , would it not ?

Jock

[OGYT]

Ern: Let us know how the adaptation goes.
Will do, Ern. Don't see why it won't work. Probably be better'n my present system.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
tm: Al, when it comes to inventiveness you are one of my heroes.
Very clever indeed!
Hero indeed!...thanks for the kudos, but it ain't original with me, tm. Saw something like it somewhere, and just adapted it for me.
Jim: Al what do you use as a handbrake now that you have the honer on the end.
Never used the regular handwheel since I made it... always used the chuck.
Jock: the 'case hardened ' surface would have to be removed down to the fiber ...
I think you're right, Jock, I don't know how deep it's hardened, but I'll just try the 60 grit gouge on it. That oughta give it some tooth for the rouge.

[Toolin Around]

Al what do you use as a handbrake now that you have the honer on the end.

The Oneway has a preprogrammed electric breaking system (others with VFDs may also have them). You learn about it fairly quickly the first time you try to decelerate the lathe too quickly with your hand. It will "resist" your attemp to stop the lathe until it reaches a very low rpm.

[Toolin Around]

Good idea Al .
I may will do the same myself .
to use the outside flat , the 'case hardened ' surface would have to be removed down to the fiber , , to accept the honing compound , would it not ?

Jock

Shouldn't need to do that. The honing plate I use had the compound on the face and there's no problem with adhesion.

[OGYT]

ToolinAround: The Oneway has a preprogrammed electric breaking system.
But it doesn't work if you have your deceleration switch set to "long", which mine is usually on, due to my forgetfulness. I always set the switch to long deceleration when turning large pieces, to keep it from shutting down... which it will do on a heavy piece... then I have to turn the power switch off and wait 20 - 30 seconds for it to reset.

I went to the shed this afternoon and quickly dulled my skew, flattening the face of the honing wheel. Then I sanded with 60 grit on a flat board. Charged the wheel, and melted it in, then I recharged it and tried it out.
As you downunder Blokes put it, "It works a treat". It's going to save me a lot of steps, because the wheel I used to hone with is across the shop.

[hughie]

Al,

Nice one! I have contemplated making one for some time. But the other end of the MC1100 is all drive gear.
I have consider putting it on a face plate and working it from there...too many other projects on the list at the moment