# World's cheapest short chisel sharpening jig



## luthierwnc (Jul 15, 2013)

Hi All,

I recently got a Grizzly 10" water grinder as an intermediate step between the bench grinder and my diamond/water stones. It was finally time to get my box of chisels in better shape but the jig for flat blades wasn't much use for short chisels-especially ones with a socket or socket-shaped attachment.

On the net I found a Tormek jig just for that application. It's around $40 shipped which seems reasonable but it was there and I was here. Soooooo … voila! I hacked a 12mm slot in a 1" galvanized iron pipe coupler, tapped a 1/4" thread for a thumbscrew and ground away. I made some mistakes and might make another with better tolerances but this one worked pretty well. It will only take chisels up to a little over 1" wide.

My model is one of two old matching Stanley chisels that go in my toolbelt or get used when there's a good chance of hitting a nail. This one is 1/2" and the other's 3/4". There isn't much steel left but these were good units in their day and hold a fair edge. They fit in the belt too.

If you have the time and standards, I'd recommend the Tormek. If you need it now, you probably have the parts in the plumbing bin.

Cheers, Skip


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

What's the purpose of the slot? Would it not have done the same thing if the coupling was left intact?


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## luthierwnc (Jul 15, 2013)

Here's a picture of the Tormek jig in action. The slot fits down on a 12mm bar that runs perpendicular to the grinding wheel. When you lock the tool down with the thumbscrew, you set the depth. The two parallel rings stabilize front and back movement so the angle stays consistent relative to the stone.

If you have enough blade that the flat portion references the bar, it also holds the edge at a consistent angle. My stubby chisel wasn't long enough so the portion of the steel between the two rings was round. No biggie but you have to keep checking the edge for square. For a gouge you'd want that rotation.

Hope this made sense. sh


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

Ah ha! I see. Thanks for thst


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## luthierwnc (Jul 15, 2013)

Sorry, I didn't do a very good job explaining that tool bar. They are the primary jig holder on these slow-speed water wheels. I've got a much older horizontal water wheel that works great to flatten plane and chisel blades.

The Tormek bars are more precise than mine but the idea is the same. You slide them forwards or back and lock them in place. You can use them into the wheel rotation or spinning away from you, depending on the application. The jigs themselves are also adjustable. Once you have the bar and jig how you like it, all you need is a stop gauge and every subsequent tool gets an identical primary bevel.

I really like what it does for me. Not generating any heat as the steel gets thin is a big plus. A small downside is the mess. I have it in a place where that doesn't matter but sliding a wide plane blade across the wheel sends a dribble of water alternately on top of the motor housing and my shoes. I'm toying with some quick and dirty ways to channel that back into the trough-maybe one of those plastic paint bucket rims?

I also stick a neodymium magnet (the back of an old name tag) in the trough to collect the swarf. I read somewhere it keeps it from clogging the stone. It looks like a chia pet after a couple plane blades. The powered stone just gets dumped out with the water. Seeing both reminds me to wear a dust mask at the bench grinder.

Cheers, sh


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