F. A. Draper

Unless one has had considerable practice, the sharpening of wide chisels and plane irons on a emery wheel is quite likely to be an unsatisfactory operation, the difficulty being to get a perfectly straight edge at an even bevel. The easily made device here to be described will enable the most inexperienced to do good work without requiring particular care on the part of the operator. It can be attached to a lathe and used with an emery wheel mounted on an arbor, or by means of proper supports easily adapted to a regular grinding wheel or grindstone. The dimensions given are dependent upon the size of the lathe or wheel, but can easily be figured out to any desired size. It is best made out of maple, or other medium hard clear grained wood.

The pieces A, are supports, the rear ends being bolted to the top of the bed. Strips 2" wide and 7/8" thick will be quite strong enough. A rectangular frame, B and H, made of pieces 3/4" square and 8 or 9" long, the centre space being as full as 3/4" wide, is then fastened with screws to the pieces A, the screws being put through from the under side, one in each piece B. The slide is made of the piece C 4" long, 2 1/4" wide, and 3/4" thick; the piece D a scant 3/4" square and 4" long and two pieces E, 2 1/4" long, 2" high and 1/2" thick. The piece D is glued to the centre of the under side of C, the ends E are attached with long screws to the ends of C. Holes are bored in the upper front corners of the ends E to receive large, round-head screws put into the ends of the piece F.

The tool holder consists of the piece F, 3 7/8" long, 2" wide and 1/2" thick, and the piece G, 3 1/4" long, 2" wide and 1/2" thick. The left ends of pieces F and G are held flush, and holes for small bolts with thumb nuts N are bored 3/8" from each end of G. The heads of the bolts are then fitted into the under side of F, and washers placed under the thumb nuts on G. A large screw eye S is then put through the right end of F, on the rear side, the lower end resting on the piece C. Two screws are then put through the end pieces F into the centre of the front ends of F forming bearings for the tool holder. The tool P is put between the pieces F and G, fastened in place by tightening the thumb nuts AT, and then adjusted to rest on the emery wheel W, at the desired angle by means of the screw eye S.

In sharpening the tool, the slide is pushed back and forth, graphite being used to lubricate the surfaces of B and B. About the only precaution to be observed is that of adjusting the ways B and the tool so that they will be square with the arbor of the emery wheel, the bevel on the tool being regulated by the distance it projects from the holder towards the emery wheel.