[Mummy]

First post; sorry it may be long. My wife has taken up bas-relief carving and is a Nora Hall fan. Over the past 8 months she has procured a variety of carving tools thru Nora Hall's website and has done quite well with her learning curve over this period of time. The problem is sharpening tools. She has the stones and leather strop (sp) and has tried very patiently to master the sharpening process, but would like to get a power sharpener and honing device. I volunteered to do the research on what would be the best machine to get based on her needs and have now hit a brick wall.
I have read many posts from this website and others, watched videos, and made many comparisons of machines by Veritas, Tormek, Work Sharp, Burke, Ultimate Power Sharpener, Koch and Jet. Every one has some form of design issue, mainly lack of fixturing to maintain consistancy in mechanically holding angles seems to be high on the list. Tormek seems to have the best of everything, but the water puddling around the site is a potential problem as she wants the machine on her carving table.
Her complement of tools includes straight and spoon chisels, straight and bent gouges, fish tails, V tools and veining tools.
Any help you can provide will mbe greatly appreciated.
Gwen's Husband.

[Clifford_Parker]

She needs to understand how to sharpen by hand before going to power IMO.

Power sharpening systems can ruin a tool a heck of a lot faster if you don't understand the proper way to hone and strop them. These things are learned by doing them over and over again.

Look at buying Ev Ellenwood's sharpening DVD first then, after she understands and has developed the skills, she will be ready for power honing and stropping.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I agree with Clifford.....I always recommend the "Scary Sharp" method for beginning sharpeners..its cheap, and it will teach one how to hold the knife or chisel....... power will eat up many dollars worth of good steel before someone learns how to use it.....and not sure how long that would take....when its slow and by hand you see and feel what you are doing...imho (scary sharp is on google...do a search) I use 400, 800, 1200 and 2000 grit and a strop.

[Mummy]

Thank you both for the responses. I agree with you about learning the hand sharpening processes first. She has watched sharpening videos. read books and even talked to Nora Hall, but the hand grinding technique is still an issue. Honing and stropping are ok. Now some of the tools are starting to look pretty scarey and need correct sharpening. Tuesday I broke down and bought a Tormek T7 and plan on setting it up and teach her the proper methodology for using the different fixtures, etc.. First though, I have to learn its' operation. Thanks for the warning about over grinding. I was a manufacturing engineer during my active career and now a carpenter in semi-retirement; counting on that experience to help out. I'll use this to sharpen of my stuff too; chisels, planer knives, jointer blades and more.
Mike

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

Your good to go! You know sharpening already. The only difference between sharpening wood carving tools from carpenter tools is USUALLY wood carving tools will have a longer bevel. Teaching the wife may be a different story. Mine is mechanically challenged. Heck of a good cook, but anything mechanical is a chore.

[cats pa]

Originally Posted by Mummy

I have read many posts from this website and others, watched videos, and made many comparisons of machines by Veritas, Tormek, Work Sharp, Burke, Ultimate Power Sharpener, Koch and Jet. Every one has some form of design issue, mainly lack of fixturing to maintain consistancy in mechanically holding angles seems to be high on the list.

You forgot the Makita 9820-2. I have one and love it for WW'ing tools, carving tools and planer/jointer knives, among other things. Fixturing is excellent, and comes included in the base price. Might be a little too messy for your wife's taste.

Oh, well, now it's too late. Good luck with the Tormek.

Parker

[Mummy]

Thanks Parker. (last name /first name??) I appreciate your input on the Makita. I have a few woodworking tools made by Makita and they are OK. I'm really sorry that I missed the tool sharpener in my quest. Total cost on the Tormek cha-chinged out over $650 plus my 10 hours to learn how to properly put a double bevel at the correct angles on a 16mm gouge. That was a humbling experience. Next on the learning list is a v tool. Have a couple of those that look like survivors from West Side Story. I personally have 3 plain chisels I regularly use in my carpentry practice that I have always sharpened by hand in a fleeting moment as I leave my shop, never doing the blades justice. Am anxiously awaiting the time I can sharpen those the correct way. First things first though. I only wrote off 8% of this expenditure for business use.
By the way, this T7 Tormek seems to be fairly well engineered. I was concerned about the water spillage, but there is really a minimal amount and that is when I am square facing a gouge and it sits concave to the water flow forcing the water out to the side away from the trough. All the other phases of the carving tool sharpening process are splash-free.
Anyway, a little mess along the way (a guy thing I guess) gives me a feeling of accomplishment as I review a completed task.
Mike

[Kcubal]

I have a work sharp tool and I love it. However I sharpen most of me tools with diamond hones and a strop. The secret to keeping tools sharp is work on them as you carve. A little sooner will be easier than a lot when the knife don't want to cut. There is a bit to know when you work with steel. never over heat your tool. when I use power I do it bare handed with my fingers close to the work, so I feel when the metal gets warm, you must quench. To stay away from this use a hone and strop. the less metal you take of the longer your knife will last. You want you knife edge to look like a mirror the shinier the edge the better the cut. The more you know about metal structure the better you will do. I took metallurgy in collage and it was one class that I have used the knowledge I got through out my life. Angle means a lot in the ability to cut with less force applied to the knife. Take a old knife and practice, something you don't have to worry about screwing up. Don't be afraid to try. My wife carves and she didn't know how to sharpen her tools, she would give them to me and I told her one day it was time for her to learn how the keep her tools sharp. She does great now. She got me the Work Sharp for last Christmas. Good luck, have fun carving. Kcubal

[aulddiy]

After a life time sharpening knives, fisherman and sailor I thought I knew how to sharpen a knife. Then I started carving - it took me a year to learn how to get a really good edge on a knife. So your wife is on the learning curve I was on. I find that regular honing on a strop almost stops the need to sharpen. The mistakes I've made making knives from cut throats have always been power related, ie. over heating.
rgds
John

[btree50]

Sharpening is an ongoing learning process. Use the system that you are most comfortable with. But if you are like a lot of us, a new way will come along and you are just gonna want to try it. Thats part of the fun.