sharpening system

http://www.instructables.com/id/Sharpening-system/

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Sharpening systemby makendo on January 1, 2015

Table of Contents

Sharpening system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: Sharpening system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Repurposing and sharpening philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2: Dismantle breadmaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3: Make platter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 4: Add glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 5: Build housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 6: Add switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 7: Magnetic sweeper arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 8: Finishing plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 9: Strop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 10: Build a sharpening jig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 11: Sharpening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 12: Scary sharpening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 13: I've an ax to grind... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13


Author:makendoI'm probably off making something. Most likely a sandwich.

Intro: Sharpening systemChisels, plane blades and other edged tools need regular TLC to keep them functioning properly. Mine were getting blunt and I'd misplaced my oilstone, so I decided tomake a powered sharpening system using parts hacked from a broken breadmaker. I also used a busted toaster oven to get a glass baseplate for creating the finaledge, and a ruined briefcase to make a leather strop.

Step 1: Repurposing and sharpening philosophyWe've now had 7(!) breadmakers (3 different brands; 4 were replaced under warranty) fail from metal fatigue on the paddle driver. It seems it is not in the manufacturers'best interests to make this part strong enough to survive more than a few hundred kneadings. So, as a result, I had a broken breadmaker handy, and this one had someinteresting parts - a beefy motor, a massive gear and a thick circular glass viewing window. I figured I could salvage it to make a rotating sandpaper disc to do theheavy work on my tools before doing some quick establishment of the final edge with some finer grade of sandpaper by hand. Basically, the breadmaker would behacked to mimic Lee Valley Tools' $400 power sharpening system... for $0.It is important to find an effective method of sharpening that works for you. For example, I long ago gave up trying to get kitchen knives conventionally sharp, because Ifound that a cheap crossed carbide sharpener gives my knives wicked micro serrations that are super-effective slicers of everything from fresh baked bread to softtomatoes. However, wood is a lot harder than food (at least it should be...), so you need a better way of getting a good lasting edge.

Image Notes1. The paddle driver is just a piece of bent metal. Here you see one arm bent over...2. ...and this one broken off entirely


Step 2: Dismantle breadmakerPretty straightforward - remove all the screws and you should be able to extract the innards fairly easily. You need to keep the round glass window, motor, power cord,capacitor, and gearing system. Recycle the rest.

Image Notes1. All these bits got discarded2. What the breadmaker looked like originally3. Round glass window4. Capacitor5. Motor6. Big plastic gear

Step 3: Make platterYou will need a circular platter to mount the round of glass on. I cut mine out of 15 mm plywood using my router table; I just clamped a piece of wood with a nail in it at theright distance from the outside of the bit, raised the router into the work piece a few mm, rotated 360 degrees, and repeated until I had a nice circle. I chamfered the edgethen screwed the large gear onto the plywood circle through the plastic arms. This necessitated drilling a hole through the steel mounting plate.

Image Notes1. Crosspiece clamped to router table2. Router piece raised underneath3. Nail goes only partially into workpiece4. Cutout allows wooden circle to sit flat on the gear5. Testing fit6. Holes drilled in baseplate to allow the gear to be screwed to the wooden circle


Step 4: Add glassTo allow removal of the glass for easy replacement of the sandpaper, I used adhesive velcro to join the two discs, and glued a 120 grit round of sandpaper on the glass.

Image Notes1. Chamfered edge matches size of gear with size of window Image Notes

1. Sandpaper and glass ready for spray-on adhesive


Image Notes1. Velcro2. Velcro

Image Notes1. Securely spinning desk. If anything, the velcro works TOO well - it's pretty hardto remove the disk

Step 5: Build housingI needed a way to mount the sharpening system, so I built a plywood box out of offcuts to keep the gears and motor out of harm's way. There is nothing fancy about thebox - it is just two frames, one inside the other to provide a ledge for the metal frame to be secured to. The pictures show how it was built. I haven't specifiedmeasurements because I didn't take any myself - I just marked against the metal frame. The box was assembled using wood glue and a nailgun, my favorite method forquick builds. The top and bottom are 6 mm plywood, screwed in place for easy removal in case of maintenance issues. Note the cross piece with slots cut for the belt toprotect the motor from dust.

Image Notes1. Glued ready for nailgunning2. This crosspiece - along with the magnetic sweeper, see later - help keep the motor free from dust3. This hole was cut using the same method as for the circle

Step 6: Add switchCaution: electricity is potentially dangerous. If you are in any doubt about a task involving wiring, consult a professional electrician.

I also added a large switch to the side (a regular wall switch from my box of electronics). All the wiring was done with pigtails and wire nuts, and was not complicated (justpop the switch in line with the line coming from the wall). The disc doesn't spin all that fast (about 200 rpm, based on inspection of video - it takes about 7 frames at 24fps to describe one full rotation), but that's OK - remember that this process works just fine by hand, and you don't want the tool getting too hot anyway. The commercialone spins at 600 rpm.

Image Notes1. These short lengths were salvaged from an offcut2. Wire nut for making pigtail join


Image Notes1. This prevents the cord being yanked out of the box

Image Notes1. Capacitor screwed to interior wall2. Hole cut using my really crappy jigsaw3. I recycled this from the breadmaker, too - it stops the wire being pulled outaccidentally

Image Notes1. Completed power sharpener

Step 7: Magnetic sweeper armI screwed a hinge from my bits box so that it hangs over the disc, and added a large rare earth magnet to it. This sweeps up the metal powder you make during thesharpening process. It generates a surprising amount and fast, and you will have to take the magnet off periodically to clean off the metal dust.


Step 8: Finishing plateThe powered platter does a decent job of restoring the bevel on a tool that has been damaged or nicked, but it won't get the tool really sharp. For that, a nice cheapsimple approach is the scary scarp method; basically, using sandpaper of increasing grit counts glued to plate glass. I didn't have any plate glass handy, so I removed theglass door from a broken toaster oven, scraped off all the glue and scorch marks, and gave it a good clean. The dimensions of the plate are 290133 mm. It's only about4 mm thick, but I figured that given it was designed to handle large thermal fluctuations it ought be reasonably tough. Any sort of glass is probably fine for this purpose,the bigger and thicker the better. I like mine because none of the edges are sharp - they've all been neatly beveled and polished.

I don't actually bother gluing the sandpaper to the glass, because I use a jig that allows me to sharpen one-handed while I secure the paper with the other hand. It meansI only need one piece of glass and can use whatever grit paper I like. See later for how I go about it. The approach I've used is a simplified version of Brent Beach'smethod. I highly recommend his site for anyone interested in getting things seriously sharp. The three grades of high-end micro-abrasive he uses are available here orhere. I've not used them myself, but will be picking some up at some stage if I ever feel the need to start shaving with my woodshop tools...


Step 9: StropA strop is just a piece of leather that burnishes the blade by removal of the minuscule strands of metal left over after creating and breaking off the burr. I made mine bygluing a piece of leather, shiny side up, to an offcut board 3707518 mm. If you're using the aforementioned microabrasives, stropping will not help.


Step 10: Build a sharpening jigIf you're an experienced sharpener you can get a good edge by hand. I'm not, so I rely on a jig - it makes the whole process vastly easier. You can buy such jigs, but theycan be expensive ($50 for this one), so I made mine for $0 with two pieces of wood that trap the blade with a couple of flat head screws. These are easy to make, holdthe blade very firmly with only light tightening, and you can size them according to the size of your chisel/plane blade. The one shown is made of two pieces of wood(533818 mm and 53386 mm) and two pocket hole screws.

Step 11: SharpeningThe powered platter does most of the donkey work. Sand the back until it is nice and flat and scratched all over. Then put the blade in the jig, setting it so the bevel isflush to the sandpaper. Just make sure that you're making one facet, not several, and that the end of the chisel stays perpendicular. This step is more of a rough grind torestore the primary bevel and remove any chips; all the real sharpening gets done on the plate glass.


Step 12: Scary sharpeningPut your plate glass on a thin (~6 mm) sheet of material. You want to raise it slightly because that will make it easy to create the microbevel you need for a really sharpedge. Now set your jig up so the bevel is flat to the 150 grit sandpaper when the jig is resting on your workbench. Tighten the screws, then sand the bevel until it is flatand smooth all over. I usually then swap the sandpaper for 320 grit, remove the scratches, then swap again for 600 grit to make it shiny.

Remove the plywood under the plate glass and sand again with 600 grit paper until a microbevel appears along the full width of the blade. THIS DOES NOT TAKELONG, so don't overdo it. Removing the plywood changes the angle of sanding just enough to create a microbevel. I have some 1200 grit paper with which I like to createfinal bevels on both sides of the blade.

I find that at this point I have a really good edge, but I drag both sides of the blade along the strop anyway - it removes any stray bits of metal and leaves the blade silkysmooth. You can shave fine hair and sever end grain fibers without any crushing with this edge. That makes it roughly as sharp as a new Exacto knife blade.


Step 13: I've an ax to grind...The sharpener is good for things other than chisels and plane blades, of course. My ax had a rather dinged edge so I spent a happy 10 minutes lightly sanding out thenicks. The system is nice and quiet; the cutting action is not aggressive and does not get the blade hot. The photos shows how much metal dust was generated duringthe sharpening process. All sharpening here was done by eye (no jig) and the edge created was deliberately kept quite blunt for longevity. An ax doesn't need to beespecially sharp for splitting firewood.

Image Notes1. My axe hasn't been sharpened for a while

Image Notes1. In-progress sharpening

Image Notes1. Love this photo. The metal dust collected on the magnet

Image Notes1. The final edge. Still a few nicks and deep scratches, but precious little value inremoving the last of these


Image Notes1. The other side

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Comments50 comments Add Comment view all 54 comments

Kaljakaaleppi says: Feb 21, 2015. 10:27 PM REPLYAt the moment I'm using my fourth breadmaker. I was planning on scavenging the heating element from the last I broke, but this was an excellent idea! Onmy machines the seal for the axle that goes through the bucket for the bread itself broke down, so that water leaks in the machine...

flamesami says: Feb 20, 2015. 3:11 PM REPLYGreat idea! My breadmaker still works, but this is making me think of ways to hack my hand-cranked grinder! A belt going to a right-angle drive should workwell!

makendo says: Feb 20, 2015. 4:18 PM REPLYOr make some wooden gears - see Mathias Wandel's site for a gear-generator and how-tos.

GregW4 says: Feb 20, 2015. 12:31 PM REPLYYou could probably do this entire project with an old hardrive as well.

makendo says: Feb 20, 2015. 4:17 PM REPLYThe difference in rpm and torque will be massive. Bet the harddrive with a microabrasive would make for a great way of sharpening razor blades, though

steve000 says: Feb 20, 2015. 3:15 AM REPLYUnreal! one of the best projects on here.


makendo says: Feb 20, 2015. 10:15 AM REPLYthanks!

mfinch4 says: Feb 19, 2015. 11:20 AM REPLYI wouldn't advise using any electrical device to sharpen a metal tool. Any heat will affect the metals properties and it's hard to monitor the temp of the cuttingsurface. The age old manual slog is always the best and a little often is always the best route to take.

Billymac814 says: Feb 19, 2015. 2:34 PM REPLYI disagree with that. Most knife makers use power tools to sharpen knives and just about any profesional sharpener will use power tools to sharpen tools.You just have to know how to do it. This one spins slow enough it's probably not going to get too hot. You can also dip the blade in water every fewseconds if you wish. I use a Tormek which is water cooled but I have other non cooled power devices that work well too. A good rule of thumb is to not letit get hotter than you can stand to touch.

kai.h says: Feb 19, 2015. 2:03 PM REPLYWith regard to heat - use the rule of thumb. If it's too hot to put your thumb on, you're overdoing it. As long as you keep the speed down on the platterand the metal is not too hot to touch with your bare skin, you're OK.

Heat treating involves temperatures in the red heat range. Tempering heat-treated steel requires temperatures over 150C.

makendo says: Feb 19, 2015. 1:08 PM REPLYsure, each to their own

tovey says: Feb 19, 2015. 12:12 PM REPLYModifying the magnet for easy cleaning is simple.

Idea 1 - Using clear duct tape or clear packing tape

1. Enclose the magnet in clear duct tape or clear wrapping tape. Adhering the duct tape to the magnet as per normal use.

2. On the bottom where the filings are collected, attach double sided tape.

3. The filings will be collected as usual and should stick to the tape.

4. When the tape is full, simply peel and discard replacing the tape.

Thepoint of using clear duct tape or clear wrapping tape is to give thedouble sided tape a surface that it can adhere to, but be easily peeledoff from without there being a build up of adhesive from the tape.

Since the adhesive on tape does not stick to the surface of the tape as rolls are wrapped around itself.

Idea 2 - Making a small metal pick up tool - Large commercial versions of this are available for easily cleaning up nuts, bolts, washer or other metal spills inshops

1. Make a plastic case that the magnet fits inside of.

2. Attach a rod to the magnet so that it can be used to lift the magnet off of the bottom of the plastic case.

2a. This will require a bit of trial and error in order to insure that the distance that the magnet moves away from the bottom is sufficient for the magnet to letgo of the filings.

3. Filings will collect on the bottom of the plastic case where the magnet rests while in use.

4. To clean, simply pull on the rod which lifts the magnet away from the bottom of the plastic case. The filings will fall off the bottom of the plastic case intowhatever container you have it hung over.

Take Care.

Scott A Tovey

makendo says: Feb 19, 2015. 1:07 PM REPLYThanks for the suggestions, but cleaning the dust off only takes a few seconds even for the uncovered magnet.

hhanlin says: Feb 19, 2015. 12:37 PM REPLYAt one point I was actively disappointed that my bread machine seems to be working... Great Ible!


makendo says: Feb 19, 2015. 1:03 PM REPLYHa, thanks. Bake a few more loaves, if my experience is anything to go by, it soon won't be!

oilitright says: Feb 19, 2015. 12:34 PM REPLYHats Off to You. I am a fanatic on sharpening and have invested thou$and$ in sharpening equipment, Google Tormek to see an example. For chisels, handplanes and other straight edges this is an excellent DIY project. It has all the elements needed to get a good sharp edge.

makendo says: Feb 19, 2015. 1:01 PM REPLYhey, thanks! I'd coveted a commercial sharpening system for a while but I don't use hand tools enough to justify the expense.

dave367 says: Feb 19, 2015. 11:19 AM REPLYI apologize but I seem to have my stupid hat on today; in what way are the filings dangerous? They're basically powdered iron--soon to become powdered rust.Iron oxide is great on roses; makes the colors more intense--especially the leaves. This was a friend of mine's "secret weapon" when he was showing roses--sweeping up the shop near the grinding wheels and spreading the filings around the base of his prize roses. :-)

makendo says: Feb 19, 2015. 12:55 PM REPLYI think you need to address that question to RSUSummoner - beats me. I like your idea though, and I have a climbing rose right outside my workshop...

doug21951 says: Feb 19, 2015. 12:38 PM REPLYGood job. Would be easy to take to the next level with some jigs and a bar.Well done!

QAZW says: Feb 19, 2015. 5:42 AM REPLYamazing idea with that sharpening jig. Thanks, i think when i will build this it will help a lot

makendo says: Feb 19, 2015. 10:11 AM REPLYYes, a jig is really fast to make and has made me a vastly better sharpener.

alex4164883 says: Feb 19, 2015. 9:36 AM REPLYYu can use a belt or disc sander to sharpen wood working tools. It works very well and does not heat up the tool very much.Mike A

makendo says: Feb 19, 2015. 10:10 AM REPLYGood tip - I imagine that is true, but I own neither, unfortunately.

w00blyn says: Feb 19, 2015. 9:35 AM REPLYI really enjoyed this! Great work, thanks very much sharing.

makendo says: Feb 19, 2015. 10:07 AM REPLYthanks!

brewgoat says: Feb 19, 2015. 8:53 AM REPLYNice job but I'm more impressed with the amount of bread you eat!

makendo says: Feb 19, 2015. 10:07 AM REPLYHa, guilty as charged. Fresh baked bread is awesome

cr2457gy says: Feb 19, 2015. 8:22 AM REPLYIf you wrap the magnet in plastic wrap then it is much easier to clean the dust.


makendo says: Feb 19, 2015. 10:06 AM REPLYAgreed

agis68 says: Feb 19, 2015. 6:42 AM REPLYawesome creativity!!!

bryren says: Feb 18, 2015. 2:58 PM REPLYI like the low speed.I am thinking about forking the drive to do hollow grinding on the blade.

makendo says: Feb 18, 2015. 4:30 PM REPLYYeah, the low speed is good - nice and quiet and nothing gets very hot. Not sure what you mean by forking the drive though.

bucklipe says: Feb 18, 2015. 11:59 AM REPLYYou mentioned that the velcro works too well, I had a similar problem with some velcro. I used what could be described as a waxed nylon string garrotte.Two wooden handles + string. Slide the string between the two parts and slowly work it between the two plates...

makendo says: Feb 18, 2015. 12:50 PM REPLYGood idea!

redweaver says: Feb 16, 2015. 10:21 AM REPLYI wonder if an electromagnet instead of a rare earth magnet would make it easier to clean the filings off.

makendo says: Feb 16, 2015. 10:27 AM REPLYI'm sure it would, but you could also just wrap the magnet in cling film if you wanted to avoid any mess.

bucklipe says: Feb 18, 2015. 11:55 AM REPLYI made a sharpener with a magnet for filings as well. I put an inside out, snack size, zip top bag over it. To clean just pull the bag right side out andzip closed.

Orngrimm says: Feb 16, 2015. 4:23 AM REPLYCool idea with the magnet!

makendo says: Feb 16, 2015. 7:14 AM REPLYYeah, I confess I was pretty astonished the first time I flipped it up and saw just how much metal dust was there. It was a bit of an afterthought but I'mglad I added it.

RSUSummoner says: Feb 17, 2015. 12:30 PM REPLYThe magnet was a great idea, but cleaning up the filings from the magnet seems dangerous. How are you going about discarding the filings after thesharpening is finished?

makendo says: Feb 17, 2015. 12:53 PM REPLYI've just been putting the dust-covered magnet inside a garbage bag and scraping it off using the walls of the bag. It's very quick to remove 95%of it from the magnet.

mickryobe says: Feb 18, 2015. 11:51 AM REPLYHow about wrapping the magnet in a single or double layer of plastic wrap.

You can just peel it off inside a bag of course and dispose of it.Mickey


livichris says: Feb 16, 2015. 2:41 AM REPLYI'd never really seen a powered sharpening system until the Drunken Woodworker reviewed one on his youtube channel last week and I've now seenloads.... this one is the coolest by far though. well done

pfred2 says: Feb 17, 2015. 2:46 PM REPLYI kind of like the one I made.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Shop-Made-Sanding-...

8 different grits!

makendo says: Feb 17, 2015. 8:13 PM REPLYMilling machine, nice!

makendo says: Feb 16, 2015. 7:13 AM REPLYThanks. Hope this drunken woodworker still has all his fingers...

More Cowbell says: Feb 17, 2015. 5:05 AM REPLYGreat build! I love the scrap parts used.

makendo says: Feb 17, 2015. 7:59 AM REPLYThanks. Yeah, very satisfying.

More Cowbell says: Feb 17, 2015. 8:41 AM REPLYDo you happen to know the horsepower and RPM's of that motor?

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