Ben Orford-Grinding an axe-YouTube-ripshin lumberjack

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Ripshin Lumberjack

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Sep 17, 2014
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Hi Everyone

One more time! Please watch Ben Orford's Grinding an axe on YouTube. This is quite informative and doesn't harm the temper in the blade. It works! I've been sharpening my axes for years with a cheap Harbor Freight 1 x 30 inch belt sander.

New ideas are like little children not wanting to try a new food But once you get them to try the food all is O.K.

I have left axes out in the hot sun and the metal became so hot I couldn't hold the metal in my hand. Did it ruin the temper.....NOPE. I have never had a belt sander cause an axe head to become that warm....EVER.

Ben Orfords video on YouTube is great!=Ben Orford's Grinding a Axe.

ripshin lumberjack
 
I understand that it's exciting to you, but it's important to note that you absolutely can overheat the edge on an axe on a belt grinder, even the little HF ones. The edge itself is as thin as tinfoil and can be overheated in the blink of a careless eye if you aren't mindful of the fact, regardless of if the thicker metal behind it feels warm to the touch or not. Can you sharpen on them without causing damage? Absolutely. But let's not contribute to the false idea that you don't have to worry about it. :):thumbup:
 
Ripshin Lumberjack said:
. . .Ben Orfords video on YouTube is great!=Ben Orford's Grinding a Axe.

ripshin lumberjack
Click to expand...

He has more that one video. This is the one I watched:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGCcGCAOe68

I have a bench grinder, angle grinder, and two belt sanders, but have never used them to sharpen an axe. No logical reason, that's just me. I see no inherent reason not to use a power tool on an axe.

FWIW a few observations about the video:

- Ben does warn against too much heat and keeps water handy.

- He also advises against a bench grinder because of the heat. This would not be a reason for me not to use a bench grinder. I (along with a bizillion others) use mine to routinely sharpen my chisels, gouges and plane irons when I think they need more than a touch up. These are obviously thinner, but as long as care is taken no problems occur.

- Nothing to do with the topic, but I find it odd that he recommends a reversible belt sander so the belt moves away from the axe blade. Why not just rotate the blade 180 degrees?

As I said these are just my observations FWIW. No argument for or against a belt sander for an axe. And I have no argument for or against including a heat warning in posts regarding belt sander use. It is probably a good idea, but where do you draw the line with what and when to include warnings?

Bob
 
You may not get a super clean and polished look , but I prefer the satisfaction of doing it the old fashioned way. ( with a Nicholson single cut mill bastard , and stones )
 
Sharpening techniques and edge quality standards are personal preference with regard to how much you value a tool. Out of expediency 30 years ago (residential/commercial finish carpentry contracts) I took to sharpening job chisels with a fine stone bench grinder. When you use chisels daily in making a living (an expedient edge is better than a dull one) you always have "sharp" chisels on a jobsite. On the other hand these were never truly sharp enough to do precise smooth work so I kept a threesome (1/4, 1/2, 3/4") of vintage Sheffield-stamped chisels (hand sharpened via a jig on Japanese water stones) alongside. Over the course of 5 years the grinder sharpened chisels had become so short as to be relegated to 'hack' chisels and I had to start buying new ones. My prize chisels, on the other hand, are still going to this day and I thank my lucky stars not to have become lazy or careless in how they were maintained.
 
Hi Bob

Well.......I feel that I am guilty.... not giving a warning about excessive heat even with a belt sander. No one should put the metal to the sanding belt and just let it grind on one spot of the metal. YE GADS! This means EXCESS HEAT. However, moving the axe blade back and forth gets rid of most of the problems. AND I too have a container of water just in case I think my blade is too hot. I am glad to hear that you are using your sanding machines to sharpening your tools and axes.

I feel we should give instructions about moving the cutting edges back and forth at a good rate of speed to avoid heat problems. Also, have a container of water to quench
the blade if we feel the blade is too hot. If the blade is to hot to hold in your hand, then dip(quench) the blade in the water. I never let my blades get even that hot. PERIOD.

Having said that, I have two axe heads that had NO HEAT TREATMENT AT ALL WHEN I PURCHASED THEM AT A FLEA MARKET. I have ground these two thick cheeked axes to
an acceptable thinness for the axes to penetrate deep enough in the wood. I paid no attention to the heat as I ground the heads because I will now harden and temper the two axe heads as I have done many other times over the past 40 years.

Enjoy the axes

Glenn
 
300Six said:
Sharpening techniques and edge quality standards are personal preference with regard to how much you value a tool. Out of expediency 30 years ago (residential/commercial finish carpentry contracts) I took to sharpening job chisels with a fine stone bench grinder. When you use chisels daily in making a living (an expedient edge is better than a dull one) you always have "sharp" chisels on a jobsite. On the other hand these were never truly sharp enough to do precise smooth work so I kept a threesome (1/4, 1/2, 3/4") of vintage Sheffield-stamped chisels (hand sharpened via a jig on Japanese water stones) alongside. Over the course of 5 years the grinder sharpened chisels had become so short as to be relegated to 'hack' chisels and I had to start buying new ones. My prize chisels, on the other hand, are still going to this day and I thank my lucky stars not to have become lazy or careless in how they were maintained.
Click to expand...

I keep multiple sets of chisels on hand for exactly this reason.
 
Ripshin Lumberjack said:
New ideas are like little children not wanting to try a new food But once you get them to try the food all is O.K.
Click to expand...

We are the children, right? The new food is belt-grinding?

Ripshin, can you maybe share a photo of some of your axes that you think you have put an awesome belt-ground edge on?

I find older axes that usually have worn heels and toes and big/rough gouges - some of it is from years of use, some of it is a previous owner running them on a grinder or belt sander.

I own a belt sander and a Worksharp I received as a gift from my brother. And neither of those tools is what I think of as precise tools to carefully reshape an axe bit back to a flat/straight line from the heel to toe, carefully remove material right up to a worn toe or to bring it in line with a deep banana style grind. Reaching up the center of a thick cheek in the middle to reprofile is what my concern is.

Here is what I am thinking for example:





The work from them I see is mostly a rounding of the bit to meet existing wear and make it sharp - not take it back to its original shape.

Many of the videos of guys using the belt sanders rock them back and forth from heel to toe and get them sharp but they also seems to end up with rounded bits as well.

Not giving you garbage by any means but I'm having trouble picturing a belt sander doing to my axes what files can do.
 
For getting a nice blend up into the cheeks it helps to have a belt grinder with a contact wheel.
 
I don't know. I guess I'm 'Old School'. I've never used a power tool to sharpen an Axe. Never felt the need. I was always taught to use files and then stones to bring an abused Axe back into shape. It's easy, most steel used for Axe Bits are relatively 'soft' and a usable edge can be brought back pretty quickly.

As a kid, every home shop had an electric Grinding Wheel on the bench. And, I was warned not to use it to sharpen knives or Axes. In fact, the only 'blade' that ever got sharpened with the Bench Grinder was the Lawn Mower blade. And even then, I was told to have a container of water and keep it cool. I can't tell you how many knives and Axes had their Temper ruined by using a Electric Grinder. 'Belt Sanders' for sharpening weren't as common back then. At least not in my neighborhood.

As was pointed out, the edge gets paper thin and doesn't take a lot to ruin the Temper.

JMHO, YMMV.

SJ
 
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