How to Sharpen Woodworking Tools With a Slow-Speed Grinder

Woodworking hand tools such as chisels, hand planes and gouges must be kept sharp in order to allow them to cut cleanly. A sharp tool requires less effort to cut through wood or other material and as such is actually much safer than a dull tool. You can sharpen woodworking tools with a slow-speed grinder or a wet grinder, both of which will create far less heat in the tool than a bench grinder will, allowing the tool to hold its edge much longer.

Slow-speed grinder or wet grinder with adjustable tool rest and stropping wheel
Grinding clamp
Container of water
Stropping paste
Cotton cloth
Sheet of paper

Instructions

- 1
  Turn off the grinder and lift any protective shield out of the way. If using a wet grinder, fill the water reservoir with water.
- 2
  Insert the chisel, plane iron or gouge into the tool-sharpening clamp, and tighten the screws on the clamp to hold the tool in place. The tool should be perpendicular to the long axis of the clamp, and the beveled edge of the tool should be oriented downward.
- 3
  Slide the clamp onto the tool rest. Place the beveled edge of the tool against the grinding wheel and inspect the angle of the bevel against the grinding wheel. Adjust the height of the tool rest until the bevel is completely flat against the grinding wheel. Tighten the set screws to lock the tool rest in place.
- 4
  Turn on the grinder. Ease the tool forward until the beveled edge of the tool is on the grinding wheel. Slide the tool left and right across the face of the grinding wheel until the entire beveled face of the tool is cleanly ground. If using a dry wheel, grind in short, 4 to 5 second bursts to avoid heating the tool. Heating the metal edge too much makes it brittle and it will become dull much more quickly.
- 5
  Turn off the grinder and remove the tool from the sharpening clamp.
- 6
  Place a bead of stropping paste onto the leather stropping wheel, and turn on the grinder. Place the beveled edge of the tool onto the stropping wheel, with the motion of the wheel turning toward the tip of the tool. Hold the tool on the stropping wheel for a few seconds, then wipe off the excess stropping paste from the tool. This step will remove the burrs on the tip of the cutting edge caused by the grinding.
- 7
  Hold a piece of paper in one hand and push the tool, sharpened end first, into the edge of the paper at a 45 degree angle. If the tool is properly sharpened, it should slice the paper with ease.

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