Tip #33
Tips & Techniques For Better Lathe Turning (continued)
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The Importance Of Sharp Chisels

No article about Lathe Turning (or any other woodworking function, for that matter) would be complete without some mention of how important it is to always work with sharp tools. Dull tools not only compromise your results, but could jeopardize your safety, as well. This is especially true of Lathe Chisels. Dull Chisels can easily snag a turning, causing personal injury...or, at the very least, producing a rough or ragged surface that's less than attractive.

So, how do you sharpen Lathe Chisels? If you're a Shopsmith Power Tool Owner, there are three excellent options:

• The first is the Shopsmith Sharpening Guide Kit. It mounts quickly and easily to the surface of your MARK V's Extension Table and comes with complete instructions for using your 12" Sanding Disc to achieve the sharpest possible edges on all of your Lathe Chisels.
  

  Sharpening Guide

  
  
• The second option is the Shopsmith Grinding Wheel Guard and Wheels.
  

  Grinding Wheel

  
  
• The third is Shopsmith's Strip Sander Chisel Sharpening Attachment.
  

  Strip Sander Chisel Sharpening Attachment

Other sharpening options include the use of special Gouge Slip Stones for curved gouges and Roundnose tools; small, combination slip stones for smaller sized straight and round-edged chisels or flat combination stones for straight-edged chisels.

Honing Stones and Oil

So, there you have it. The basics of Lathe Turning, in a nutshell. For more about working with the Lathe, get a copy of Shopsmith's authoritative woodworking text, Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone. It's jam-packed with great tips and techniques for working with one of woodworking's most enjoyable tools.

Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone

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