honing cutting tools

Although it _is_ "honing", I was taught "stoning". I keep a 1-1/2" x 4" x

For drawing out as fine a finish as possible on aluminum, nothing beats a good stoning of the bit to a (relatively) high polish.

I have one of the little "EZE-LAP" diamond hones you're talking about, and have never used it on my bits. I'll bet it would take out the grinder marks a lot faster than my stone... then finish up with the Clinton Rock... gotta try it.

LLoyd

Works for me. I find this a critical step in some operations to get the tool cutting exactly as I want it. I also use the same (cheap) diamond hone to touch up carbde tooling.

Me. Lathe tools (and some home-made milling bits). I'm using a DMT combination file (one side 600 grit, other 1200; it opens like a leatherman). Very happy with it. The diamond block is collecting dust. For polishing (if needed) I use some SuperFine ceramics stick. Really astonishing how quickly you get a mirror-finish with them.

Nick

Love it. :-) ...lew...

============= As indicated on another thread, the easy way to do this is with an abrasive bristle brush. Chuck it up in your drill press, run at slow speed and swipe the cutter or tool across it a few times.

I lifted this idea from a cnc Darex drill pointer that had a "hone" option.

see

Unka' George [George McDuffee]

------------------------------ Watch out w'en you'er gittin all you want. Fattenin' hogs ain't in luck.

Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908), U.S. journalist. Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings, "Plantation Proverbs" (1880).

Yeah, I use a diamond hone for roughing out tools, a ceramic or Arkansas stone afterwards for finishing and threading tools. It does make a difference. You don't have to do the whole ground surface, just the cutting edge.

Stan

I use an Eze-Lap brand diamond hone.

I radius across the face of the cutting edge then usually do a final touch vertical, twisting the file on a light pass to clean up the edge.

If the tool geometry allows, I will often do a stroke across the top face to clear any burrs.

I use a lot of HSS tools straight off the grinder too, if they pass the feel test. (If it feels sharp,usually sticky sharp, it is sharp)

I have watched more than one guy put nice grinds on a tool, then spend the next 15 minutes honing away any semblence of a cutting edge, through poor technique, but the worst was the guy that was conviced that the wheels on the two grinders were meant to be used in order, so he rounded off what was left of the edge with the deburring wheel. :-/

Cheers Trevor Jones

On Tue, 27 Mar 2007 16:36:55 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Lew Hartswick quickly quoth:

Did you ever see the sign they have in Arkansas for him?

-- We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same. -Carlos Castaneda, mystic and author (1925-1998) -------

It does make a difference. Remember that any fine scratch on your tool will show up on the piece you are cutting. Also it will reduce the friction between the chip and the tool.

John

Thanks so much for the responses!

When I first tried honing (many years ago) I over did it and got poor cutting action for my efforts. For a long time, I gave up honing until just a few years ago. I don't remember why I tried it again., but I remember thinking that I must be rocking the tool while honing. To minimize this, I tried to carefully, just clean up the edge. As suggested by some of you, "just a lick, does the trick". With my lathe tools, I hone three sides of the cutting corner and to look at the bit, you might think that it was chipped or dull. But it definately improves finishes and seems a lot sharper.

I'd be interested in hearing if any of you hone milling cutters. I read a post some time ago (have lost the thread of course) where the writer expounded on honing brand new end mills to bring them up to a keen edge. Thoughts?

Thanks again gang, I always enjoy reading this forum!

Doug

I watched one guy grind the top of his tool rounded, he was rocking so much. He insisted it was the way he was taught in school. We were shown to take a single lick off each edge, just to knock back the burrs.

Cheers Trevor Jones

I just finished the tool grinding section of my course - and it agrees with Trevor. Do the grind right, then one lick should take off any burrs. And to re-hone, just a wipe or two - makes a difference when going for a nice surface finish. No real point while your roughing out, but excellent for finishing.(And I don't know what grade stone it is (will have to find out, thanks for the reminder fellas) its one you grab from the storeman when it needs doing....can consistently get

Andrew VK3BFA

If everyone would practice grinding each face without chopping it up in segments, and use the periphery of the wheel at all times, the hollow grind provides a perfect guide for proper stoning of the tool. A couple controlled swipes is usually all it takes to improve the edge.

Using a tool right off the wheel tends to reduce its useful life. The tiny ridges left by even a finely dressed wheel tend to round off, raising cutting pressure and increasing heat production. It can even have an effect on the finish of the machined piece, but not always. Depends on how well the surfaces were blended by the wheel. In the hands of one that's good at grinding, you may not see any difference. Over stoning, or improper stoning, alter clearance and rake angles, often with terrible results.

Harold