mfs1976

Does anyone know of a company that sharpens lathe tools? I do not have all the right equipment to sharpen my own, am working on it

The woodsman

I don't know of any,but my guess is that with what you would pay to get then sharpened,you would be better off saving up and getting the wolverine system.I don't see how that would work out anyway as you may have to sharpen a gouge or other tool 2 or 3 times before finishing a project.

john lucas

I don't know of any companies that sharpen lathe tool. Turners usually sharpen their own. I would be glad to do it but the shipping both ways might be a little steep.
I would suggest trying to find another turner or club nearby and ask them for help. If you will give us a location we might be able to help you find another turner.

AZ Termite

You don't have to have anything real special to sharpen tools. A bench top grinder does a good job. You just have to be careful to keep the bevel of the toll you are sharpening. A grinder is all I use, you also have to watch the pressure you use so you do not overheat the metal. You can pick up a grinder for about $50.00

johnep

The work sharp where you can see the actual edge as you grind should pay for itself in 20 sharpenings.
johnep

thekctermite

I bought a Delta variable speed grinder that goes fairly slow for my lathe tools' sharpening....$130 at Lowes, works fine. Having someone else do it is largely impractical due to the need to re-sharpen often while working.

john lucas

I bought the slow speed grinder that Woodcraft sells for about $89. It does an excellent job.

jporter5333

If there is a Woodcraft store close I think they do it.

Gordon Seto

At $4.99 a tool, you can buy your own Tormek with full accessory very fast. A tool cutting a 6" turning at 1000 rpm will cover over 1500 linear feet, that is a lot of tear and wear on the tool edge. Depending on the abrasiveness of the material, you may need to sharpen your tools quite often. It is impractical to use outside sharpening service. You will need spare tools. By the time your tools come back from the service, your blank may not be round.

john lucas

I could not agree with Gordon more. I often sharpen a tool 2 or even 3 times when just doing the interior of a bowl and I have the latest state of the art tools that hold an edge longer. I love cutting with a really clean sharp edge. You have so much more control and it reduces sanding to the minimum.
That's why I'm also a fan of the various sharpening jigs. The take sharpening and make it easy and you remove the absolute least amount of steel making your tools last longer.
One of the things that improved my turning the most was looking at my tools as consumables, like sandpaper. Instead of pushing and pushing them to cut before sharpening I now sharpen as often as needed. This had 2 benefits. First Learned to sharpen better which removed less steel and actually made my tools last longer. Second, I enjoy the turning more because a freshly sharpened tool cuts like butter so I'm more relaxed and the shapes of my bowls got better. Not to mention I actually save money on sandpaper.