Does the Sorby ProEdge ruin your tools?

[Jimjam66]

Okay, so I got my ProEdge. Now I'm seriously worried that it's ruining my tools! You see, before I had it I would sharpen my tools once a session unless I was really battling. Now it's so darned easy that I whip the tool across to the ProEdge for a quick hone about every two minutes ...

... How long before my skew is a 'stubby'?

 

[Neil]

Well there's a topic for a controversial debate - How often do you sharpen your tools?

I use a continental spindle gouge for most of my pens and when I take my lathe to a show I probably make thirty (wood) pens a day if the wife's manning the stand and I dont sharpen it all day, no need to!

 

[yorkshireman]

The bulk of my work is done with a 1in crown cryogenic roughing gouge and that does roughly 20 pens between visits to the pro edge.

 

[Shaver]

Once the novelty of the new tool wears off you'll be back to sharpening as normal. He says tongue in cheek!

Depending on what timber I'm using, I tend to tickle my tools just before they need sharpening. Clever eh! As said, could be a controversial topic, with some heated answers.

 

[Grump]

I sharpen my tools whenever I think they need it, I have no set pattern each tool and log is different.

 

[paulm]

I know what you mean David, when I first got my pro edge I was sharpening every rotation of the lathe, now its when there's smoke from the gouge and the wood goes black.

 

[Woody]

I have to agree with Brian on that one how often depends on the type of wood you are turning so sharpening on the pro edge the same as on a grinder or diamond stone or any other stone as and when needed

 

[Walter]

I sharpen my tools whenever I think they need it, I have no set pattern each tool and log is different.

Likewise, and often it is just a quick hone with a diamond file rather than a trip to the grinder.

 

[Pete B]

David you got a point and me thinking.
I don't know is the answer.
I love it, it is really easy and quick but even using 180 grit or finer.
I use a big bowl gouge and it is starting oi shorten noticeably, maybe it is because i sharpen more often.
Maybe i do sharpen too often because its there and quick.
Got me thinking though as its wasting money if i am sharpening too often.

Pete

 

[John Doyle]

I once knew a bloke who was too busy cutting wood to stop and sharpen the Axe. Lathe tools are relatively cheap in relation to their life expectancy and being over 70 years of age I think I will probably peter out before the chisels do.

 

[Jim]

At the moment i have the fine belt on the Pro-Edge and run the gouge over it regular, but as Walter mentions with the skew, i hone with a diamond file more often than sharpening on the Pro-Edge ..

 

[Woody]

being over 70 years of age I think I will probably peter out before the chisels do.

Same here John LOL

 

[Jim]

I once knew a bloke who was too busy cutting wood to stop and sharpen the Axe. Lathe tools are relatively cheap in relation to their life expectancy and being over 70 years of age I think I will probably peter out before the chisels do.

One way of looking at it John .. Welcome to the forums BTW ..

 

[paulm]

Lathe tools are relatively cheap in relation to their life expectancy and being over 70 years of age I think I will probably peter out before the chisels do.

Welcome to the forum John. I think you're right... except in mine and Alex case where we still have a few sets of chisels in us

 

[Penpal]

Welcome to this forum John reminds me of my grandfather and his axe maintained it was the original only so many heads and handles. Sharpen smarten how many wings on an angel all pie in the sky. Some timbers I have are so soft compared to others then up comes the old Snakewood, the African Ebony and so on another ball game. I have a literal bucket full of special tools designed supposedly with different temper and steel and shape impossible to compare with your chisels, age etc what is certain the most profound turner in my experience self taught and an expert in everything he does tells me the secret is to sharpen often and use whatever means to maintain that edge and good results follow.His results are breathtaking and in competition he cleaned up his finish otherworldly he won every competition against Richard Raffan then would get embarrassed and not enter for a year or two he turned lattice worked bowls to beautiful pens. One day if I can I will ask him to share some pics of his work, his profession as a remanufacturer restorer of and great mechanic was gearboxes manual to complex automatic not a tall man he would heft 400kg gearboxes with ease

Thanks for your takes on sharpening this my small experience or two.

None of this conversation applies to members of this forum simply me philosophising with an imaginary mate at a club night maybe for the continuum on this subject there are no answers only experiences that guide us all.

Have fun above all the results are in the pics. Runs on the board.

Kind regards Peter.

 

[mick the pen]

i've gone over to carbide tip tools because useless at sharpening tools.

 

[Doug]

I just feel the cutting edge of any tool with my thumb & judge that way if I think it needs sharpening, works for me

 

[mattyts]

I sharpen them when I feel they need sharpening.As most of my turning is done with a round nose scraper or a skew chisel..I can sharpen them easily on the 1,000 and 6,000 grit stones I use to sharpen knifes and they remove minimal metal.