Sharpening tools

I'm the only machinist in the maintenance shop which is where this lathe is . They are not permitted in the machine shop . :grin: If they ever left a machine in this condition in the other shop , they would no longer be employed . I have some very nice Colchesters 20 ft away from me . I don't even worry about this 13" anymore , it's a lost cause .

What pizzes me off is , I brought this machine into the shop and it was in great condition . They had a POS SB lathe in here before that . The ways were so worn you prolly needed a taper attachment to cut a somewhat straight shaft ! :grin: Didn't take long to get this one to the same point .
 
A SB13 is a nice machine. Sorry the one you brought in was treated so poorly. I think I would have had a "meaningful" discussion with whoever did that.
 
This is was a Clausing Colchester ! :big grin: The upper etchelon didn't want the lathe in here in the first place because of someone not qualified getting injured . I just turn my eye and use the machine shop equipment . :)
 
Oh, wow! Doing that to a SB would be tragic but to do it to a Colchester ... very not good. Sorry to see that happen but it underscores the point we've all been trying to make to the OP - best not to get abrasives anywhere on your machine and especially on purpose.
 
mikey said:
Sorry to see that happen but it underscores the point we've all been trying to make to the OP - best not to get abrasives anywhere on your machine and especially on purpose.
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Exactly my point :encourage: We have a grinder right next to that same lathe . :grin: Where they get 'em at ? :rolleyes:

at ?
 
Ed, the problem of preventing stray grit from getting in the wrong places on a lathe notwithstanding, there is a matter of convenience. Tool post grinders are used on a lathe for specific purposes but require a set up procedure. So if you are in the middle of a turning job and need to sharpen the cutting tool, it is far simpler just to remove the tool and touch it up freehand on an appropriate grinder than to change the lathe set up for grinding and back again. It is relatively easy to acquire the skill to sharpen tools freehand.

ed crumbpacker said:
chuck up a grinding wheel, put the tool in some type of tool post, and, running the machine at a slow speed, use the lead screw/cross slide to create a perfectly straight precision edge or better yet compound edges?
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As for mounting the grind wheel in the spindle I would need you to explain the set up you would use in detail. I can't imagine one that would be practical for most of the knives and tools I have to sharpen.
 
Grinding a lathe bit does not have to be super precision in order to get a good cut. Some folks seem to think lathe bits need to be ground to very tight tolerences just because they are used on a precision machine. Not so. A good free hand grind will produce a quality cut.
 
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