Help, please: Honing machine speeds.

Stan the man

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May 5, 2016
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I am a new student and in the process of building my own honing machine to sharpen graver's, can any one tell me approx. what speed in R.P.M.s the turn table that holds the diamond wheels turns. I am guessing between 300 and 500 R.P.M. Does anyone know for sure thanks for your help. Stan the man.:biggrin:
 

Dave London

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Yep hone speed is in that range,fine for final finishing of Gravers. But will take forever to grind a new one from scratch ( don't ask how I know ). Much faster is better for basic shaping YMMV
 

Stan the man

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Orlando Florida
Honing machine speeds

Thanks Dave,
I have sent away for Sams Video on sharpening I know I will get a lot of answers there. In the mean time I have acquired the materials to build my own hone/grinder. Looking at the GRS machine I see its bi directional but not speed variable. in my reading I figured out I would need a multi speed machine capable of about 300-2000 rpm low speed for polishing and high speed for roughing in. Any additional thoughts?
Stan.
 

gcleaker

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When I am shaping graves I am running about 250 to 350 rpms. But when I polish, I will run as slow as 60 to 90 rpm. But I am using a faceting machine with diamond cutting plates and ceramic polishing wheels. I also cool the tooling and or my stones with water and dish soap it stops the dust and keeps the diamond plates from loading with waste. I hope this helps:thumbsup:
 

Stan the man

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Orlando Florida
Thank you for the additional information this helps me alot in knowing what speed range I need to be operating in and what pieces parts I will need during construction.
Stan.
 

Dave London

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Yep 1750 to 3000 for grinding keep the tool cool ,260 grit works fine for roughing. Good luck show pics when you are done
 
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Steve L S

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Nov 14, 2014
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NSW Australia
I have a friend with a CNC lathe which operates at tremendous speeds for very high production rates but squirts swimming pools of coolant from multiple jets all over the work piece. half jokingly I teased him for using so much coolant since he is using the very latest technology in high speed steel and next gen carbide cutters designed to handle friction heat buildup. He said that yes they handle heat build up far better than carbon steel but he has the production figures to prove he still needs to keep his tools as cool as possible. We use gravers not much bigger than a toothpick and once you get a point on them the edge can very quickly get very hot.

I rough out on a wet stone and I think engraving teacher Raymond Cover does the same and then I go to the diamond hones on the drill press set at slowest speed ( less than 380rpm) for final grinds. I have to be careful coz most of my work is burin hand push and I use a lot of carbon steel for sharpest possible gravers so YMMV
Steve
 

speeedy6

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Sep 16, 2013
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I use my home built hone for roughing only. Then I use my Lindsay sharpening system for final finish. My hone has a 3600 rpm motor with a 1-1/2'' pulley turning a 6'' pulley giving me about 680 rpm on my 600 grit diamond wheel. I think it's just right speed for me. I dip in water to cool the tool frequently and it's not so fast to sling slurry too much. It's fast enough to shape a new graver and still enable me to frequently check the progress with my scope. Then, it's a quick final sharpen by hand because the rough out is close to what I need.
 

Stan the man

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May 5, 2016
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Location
Orlando Florida
Good afternoon everyone.
As I stated in my first text I am a brand new student wishing to learn and I can't thank you all enough for your reply's, you make a new-bee feel very welcome.

I just got Sam's Expert graver sharpening DVD last night in the mail and sat and watched it. He answered my question as to speed of the table.......any guesses any one.........240 rpm. That's what I was after initially, I was in the ball park guessing at 300. after watching a few other videos.

Steve..... I too have a lathe and I am very much aware of using coolant to keep the heat down from the grinding friction. Good thing water is easy and cheap.

I woke up this morning with a new idea for my home made hone. It will look in shape similar to the GRS model and behind the panel at the front end where the on off switch is located will be the motor.
I plan to have a small opening above the motor in the table top( which I can close from the inside using a slide plate) this will allow me access to the end of the spindle shaft of the motor.
Through this opening via a coupling I can mount a 4-6 inch roughing stone directly to the motor (1750 RPM's) to grind the taper on the square graver and at the same time use the duel angle sharpening fixture to hold the square graver at a precise angle while doing so. Since I will not use the roughing stone that often it will be easily removed and stored for future use.
And Yes Dave..... When I finish building this contraption I will indeed share pictures and answer any questions.
OK so lastly does any one have any thoughts, suggestions, ideas, what ever? Happy to hear what you have to say from my fellow tinker-er-er's.

I figured since I have most of the components I would build my own hone and save my self $500.00 which I can use towards the stones and the angle fixture.\
Stan.
 

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