Sharpening Carbide Cutters

[James E Gaydos]

I'm sure some of you are using the newer tools with carbide cutters. This will be in reference to the Easy Rougher Tools. It seems to me to be a real waste to through away the carbide cutters when they get dull. One can get a carbide saw blade sharpened, why not these cutters. I thought at about $17 a piece that's a waste of my money.
I know that you need a diamond wheel to sharpen carbide, and they are expensive about $150 for a 6" wheel.
Dremel has a diamond wheel that's .875" in diameter for $12 at Lowe's.

I just finished drawing a jig, using the dremel tool with a diamond wheel and will build it tonight and try it out.

If anyone has any thoughts or comments on this, please join in and share your ideas. I don't know if it will work or not.
Thanks, Jim

 

[Steve Worcester]

I have sharpened some (not the Easy Rougher) on a Tormek, but it is a slow process. If it is the square, flat face, would not be real difficult, round a whole 'nother story.
It is probable with a diamond and Dremel, but the cutter into the jig placement will have to be spot on. Otherwise it will try to take too much material off and scrape off the diamonds.

 

[Mark Mandell]

I have sharpened some (not the Easy Rougher) on a Tormek, but it is a slow process. If it is the square, flat face, would not be real difficult, round a whole 'nother story.
It is probable with a diamond and Dremel, but the cutter into the jig placement will have to be spot on. Otherwise it will try to take too much material off and scrape off the diamonds.

To sharpen a round carbide cutter, I'd spin the cutter and use a flat diamond surface as the hone on the bevel. You'll loose a bit of cutter diameter, but very little; better than just pitching the carbide. I'd use a flex shaft with a mandrel to hold the cutter. Might not get the same grind as new, but I'm sure it will be sharp.

 

[Matt Hutchinson]

Well, I have a couple carbide cutters from EWT that I experimented with for hollow turning. I have never tried to sharpen them.

I don't know how effective a wheel sharpening system would be. Router bits can be sharpened by using a diamond hone (including inexpensive "credit card" hones") by merely sharpening the flat of the carbide, not the bevel. I would think that just sharpening the flat top of an Easy Wood carbide cutter would have a positive effect. But again, I haven't tried it myself.

Hutch

 

[Wayne Spence]

This afternoon I attented a demonstration of Sorby equipment given by a Sorby representative whose name I cannot recall but believe his name is Clive and is in product development. It was an extremely informative session, 3 hours, and much useful information was given and obtained.Sorby is promoting their new Soverign Ultima, an articulated system for hollowing using SS cutters. One of the products is a sharpening device, a jig for holding the SS cutters similar to the round carbide cutters on the market today.The jig is in the area of $30. I THINK it could be used with a diamond file, a carbide wheel or a flat belt with a carbide (SILICON) belt. Tools are usually of tungsten carbide, and grinding wheels and abrasives of silicon carbide. I am not sure of the hardness of either but the silicon carbide would need to be harder or at least near the hardness of the tungsten carbide in order to give any degree of sharpening.

for further information contact www.robert-sorby.co.uk

 

[AlanZ]

I recently received some diamond abrasives for our Jooltool setup. I've seen demonstrations of this sharpening carbide router bits, and I am looking forward to trying it out on some year old EWT bits this weekend.

 

[DOCworks]

I have several of the EWT bits that I've made into tools. I was given a stash of old, dried oak burls, similar to cutting concrete. I'm not putting my good bowl gouges any where near this stuff, but the bits to a good job. I even had to hang some screen around the lathe as the little chips were going everywhere. I just take the bits off the too,l flip them flat side down and run them across my diamond hone, 10 to 15 strokes and the bit is ready to go. I don't bother on the round one trying to grind the bevel, just the flat surface of the top. Puts a nice edge back on, if you wanted too I guess you could put a burr on it.

 

[Richard Coers]

One of the reasons these cutters work so well is the fine polish they have on the cutting edge. Something like the Dremel diamond is probably too course and will not give you the factory edge. Maybe good enough, I don't know.

 

[robo hippy]

I'm with Mark. Can't see why you couldn't make a mandril of some sort to put the cutter (round ones any way) on a drill, and hold it up to a fine diamond hone.

robo hippy

 

[Bill Boehme]

I have sharpened some (not the Easy Rougher) on a Tormek, but it is a slow process. If it is the square, flat face, would not be real difficult, round a whole 'nother story....

Why couldn't a round cutter be sharpened with the SVD-185 jig. That is the jig for sharpening bowl and spindle gouges. It also includes an accessory for sharpening hollowing scrapers of just about any shape -- round teardrop, or flat. The only requirement is a screw hole in the cutter.

 

[Paul M. Kaplowitz]

carbide cutters

I purchased the EWT rougher and finisher. While I liked both tools I realized that I was getting three bowls per cutter. (square) This added a cost of $5 per bowl at the $14 EWT was chargeing for replacements. Compared to 60 cents per bowl for gouge and wheel replacement, it made no sense to use the rougher, until I found a source to buy the square cutters at $2.50 each. At that price it adds less than $1 per bowl. I have not been able to find a source for the round cutter and have stopped using it. Sharpening carbide cutters is not something I care to do or to invest in the equipment to do it. It is not cost efective for me. The time to replace the cutter or sharpen a gouge is about the same.

 

[Mark Mandell]

Let's remember too that if the top of the cutter is profiled, like the Hunters, you would need a hone that matched in order sharpen on that surface. The profile creates the equivalent of a burr/knife edge, so, unless you have the matching hone, your only option seems to be working on the bevel.

 

[Jerry Hall]

The Lacer Diamond Hone

across the top of the cutter while in the tool has given me maybe double the life on the "square" cutter.

But it works fine for me to pay $3 each for an alternative source: HERE are the "Square" ones (4" radius on 15mm edge and slightly radiused corners.) Halfway down the page. Described as:
100mm face radius - 15mm x 15mm x 2.5mm. Fits "Byrd" Shelix ® Heads - Byrd Ref. P/N 1791212 (Priced per knife, sold in boxes of 10.) Knives marked with 'BT'
Price has gone up to 2.35 each from 2.00 plus shipping in packs of 10. Shipping priority mail is 7.25. So it nets out at about 2.73 each - 27.25 total maybe plus sales tax.

I only use my rougher to rough round till I can crank the speed up. I also use it a lot to hog out the interior on deep vessels. With honing, and the lower price I am spending only two bits I guess per bowl. Thats OK to spare my old body. But once sort of round, the bowl gouge is faster and of course cleaner.

 

[Steve Worcester]

Why couldn't a round cutter be sharpened with the SVD-185 jig. That is the jig for sharpening bowl and spindle gouges. It also includes an accessory for sharpening hollowing scrapers of just about any shape -- round teardrop, or flat. The only requirement is a screw hole in the cutter.

Never tried it, not a big Tormek user, just have it around for these types of experiments.

 

[Steve Worcester]

Let's remember too that if the top of the cutter is profiled, like the Hunters, you would need a hone that matched in order sharpen on that surface. The profile creates the equivalent of a burr/knife edge, so, unless you have the matching hone, your only option seems to be working on the bevel.

I don't think you would. I think just across the face would work. It would have to be darn near perfect. Thats why I just buy new inserts.

 

[Robert Manning]

I know a woodturner who sharpens his solid carbide bowl gouge with a green silicon carbide grinding wheel (around thirty dollars). It's a slow process, of course, because carbide is such a hard material.

 

[Ian Robertson]

I have sharpened some (not the Easy Rougher) on a Tormek, but it is a slow process. If it is the square, flat face, would not be real difficult, round a whole 'nother story.
It is probable with a diamond and Dremel, but the cutter into the jig placement will have to be spot on. Otherwise it will try to take too much material off and scrape off the diamonds.

I use the EWT Ci1 rougher for roughing down logs.
I sharpen on the Tormek with the black wheel.

Why couldn't a round cutter be sharpened with the SVD-185 jig. That is the jig for sharpening bowl and spindle gouges. It also includes an accessory for sharpening hollowing scrapers of just about any shape -- round teardrop, or flat. The only requirement is a screw hole in the cutter.

That is exactly what I use.

It takes a little practise as they are easy to tip sideways and gouge the wheel. DAMHIKT.

 

[James E Gaydos]

carbide cutters

Thanks to all for the info.
I took a round cutter, screwed it to a block of wood (what else would I use) and took my diamond hone to it . After about 10 passes, that thing was getting a new edge. I took about 15 more passes, and damned near cut myself.

My concern at first was grinding out the chipped edge of the cutter, but now I don't think that will be a big deal, move the chipped edge out of the way.

A special thanks to Jerry Hall, I had no idea the cutters could be gotten this cheap. I just didn't think joiner knives, and my friend has a joiner with this type of cutter head.
Jim

 

[pfduffy]

speaking of the little screw--

Yesterday I discovered that the set screw in my cabide cutter was not tightened. Whether it got that way due to my failure to torque it properly the last time it was turned, or it came lose on its own, we should be careful to keep that little bugger tight! A lose carbide cutter can make some interesting cuts where you least expect them. Philip

 

[rsser]

I'm with Richard on this one.

The EWT cutters, esp the Finisher, have polished bevels.

So it's not just a matter of grinding out the wear bevel on a green dry grinder wheel or a Tormek std wheel, another step is required.

And I don't know of any alternative to a rotary jeweller's lapping wheel and diamond paste of 5 micron or better.

Out of the factory, the EWT Finisher tip used as a scraper as recommended produces an exceptional finish on the wood, and you have to ask yourself why.