Old School Sharpening

eisman

eisman

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2009
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Picked this up this past weekend. I've been looking for one that wasn't all beat to pieces. While it's slightly out of round, it's square on the axle and turns freely. It came with a handle, but that seems a bit awkward to me. Did they turn it up to speed and then grind until it slowed? I can't imagine trying to hold something true to the stone while turning the wheel.

p9Fg1KX.jpg


Likewise, I'm not sure what the hook would be good for. Perhaps a small can of water? I was thinking of hanging a tray underneath to keep the stone wet when turning.

eGcSv49.jpg


Since it's all "right and tight" I don't foresee taking the spindle out of the stone, but it is interesting how they put this together.

mltwyPI.jpg


The other side appears to have once been able to accommodate a foot treadle, but there's no evidence of one ever having been attached to this stand. I am tempted to see if I can fashion one, most I've seen were fairly primitive.

SimcEoh.jpg


For now a little soap, water, and oil, and it'll be just one more thing to look at. I'll have to sharpen something on it. That's what it was made for...
 
eisman, Oh man, nice stone!

You could true it fairly easily by diamond blade on a mini grinder held stationary. Slowly rotate the stone and grind away the 'high spots'. Move the grinder closer and closer to the centre and keep turnin'

Congrats! Great project

Michael

P.S. Nice pictures too
 
Lostball said:
Perhaps a stationary bicycle flea market find and then..
Click to expand...
I was thinking maybe an old drum pedal. I could put a shaft with a bearing on one end...But I can find bike parts cheap, and I bet I can find (or make) a sprocket that could go where the handle is. Have to keep the turning ratio way low though. These things were never made for speed.
 
My grandfather had a very similar wheel, the extension on the other side of the handle had a steel rod with a loop which fit around the groove, went down to a piece of wood secured by a hinge, acting as a foot pedal. The crank was just there to get the wheel turning, then you would pump the foot pedal in rhythm to keep the wheel to speed. I leaned to sharpen axes and splitting mauls on that wheel. You have found pure gold with this piece, it looks to be in excellent shape. The wheel could be brought back to round by knocking off the high spots, this would require a fixed bit of hardened steal which would be set to just catch the high spots with some sort of jig. If it's a little bit off it will still work just fine. The metal rod going up is there to hang a can with a hole in the bottom filled with water to keep the tool being sharpened from overheating and to wash away the slough from the stone as you are grinding the steel away. Very nice find, I have asked about my grandfathers wheel but nobody remembers it except me, it probably took a ride to the dump, sadly.
 
Neat find! Here's an old guided sharpener... you didn't think those fancy modern guided sharpeners were original ideas did you? ;) I bought it just out of curiosity but ended up selling it. The buyer uses this exact sharper to touch up shears in his textile factory. Neat that they are still used after all these years!

patented in 1910

CsckQax.jpg


G12OcVr.jpg


1TBv5tA.jpg
 
By the looks of it, that is almost exactly as I remember peperes wheel, that shaft where it meets the stand, may have or still may be riding on a leather and lead seat, the lead acted as a lubricant and was easily replenished and re packed with more lead when things wore.

http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/BabbittWhatIsIt.ashx
 
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^ OK, That's plain cool. I've never seen one like that. I can see using it for scissors...

I've got a tool for sharpening saw blades and a couple for kinking the teeth (Saw sets). Most folks have no idea what those are.
 
That is a great find! My dad has a similar one, the wheel is super uneven due to hand cranking with the right hand and sharpening with the left but it still works:thumbsup:
 
eisman said:
Picked this up this past weekend. I've been looking for one that wasn't all beat to pieces. While it's slightly out of round, it's square on the axle and turns freely. It came with a handle, but that seems a bit awkward to me. Did they turn it up to speed and then grind until it slowed? I can't imagine trying to hold something true to the stone while turning the wheel.

p9Fg1KX.jpg


Likewise, I'm not sure what the hook would be good for. Perhaps a small can of water? I was thinking of hanging a tray underneath to keep the stone wet when turning.

eGcSv49.jpg


Since it's all "right and tight" I don't foresee taking the spindle out of the stone, but it is interesting how they put this together.

mltwyPI.jpg


The other side appears to have once been able to accommodate a foot treadle, but there's no evidence of one ever having been attached to this stand. I am tempted to see if I can fashion one, most I've seen were fairly primitive.

SimcEoh.jpg


For now a little soap, water, and oil, and it'll be just one more thing to look at. I'll have to sharpen something on it. That's what it was made for...
Click to expand...
Treadle Power Forever!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup::cool::thumbsup::D
 
eisman said:
I was thinking maybe an old drum pedal. I could put a shaft with a bearing on one end...But I can find bike parts cheap, and I bet I can find (or make) a sprocket that could go where the handle is. Have to keep the turning ratio way low though. These things were never made for speed.
Click to expand...

sitflyer said:
My grandfather had a very similar wheel, the extension on the other side of the handle had a steel rod with a loop which fit around the groove, went down to a piece of wood secured by a hinge, acting as a foot pedal. The crank was just there to get the wheel turning, then you would pump the foot pedal in rhythm to keep the wheel to speed. I leaned to sharpen axes and splitting mauls on that wheel. You have found pure gold with this piece, it looks to be in excellent shape. The wheel could be brought back to round by knocking off the high spots, this would require a fixed bit of hardened steal which would be set to just catch the high spots with some sort of jig. If it's a little bit off it will still work just fine. The metal rod going up is there to hang a can with a hole in the bottom filled with water to keep the tool being sharpened from overheating and to wash away the slough from the stone as you are grinding the steel away. Very nice find, I have asked about my grandfathers wheel but nobody remembers it except me, it probably took a ride to the dump, sadly.
Click to expand...

As I look at it more I believe that sitflyers is on the money with how this operates. Reconstructing the pedal mechanism shouldn't be too hard. Although I think it would be nicer to have it set up on a bicycle type system but using belt drive instead of chain drive. Pulleys come in a wide range of diameters and because of the way they mount to shafts would make it easier to adapt to that one as well. And V-belts come in all sizes as well. Plus it would be quieter. But then if you have small children or grandchildren who would love to earn a quarter they could stand there and turn the crank.:D
 
Lostball said:
As I look at it more I believe that sitflyers is on the money with how this operates. Reconstructing the pedal mechanism shouldn't be too hard. Although I think it would be nicer to have it set up on a bicycle type system but using belt drive instead of chain drive. Pulleys come in a wide range of diameters and because of the way they mount to shafts would make it easier to adapt to that one as well. And V-belts come in all sizes as well. Plus it would be quieter. But then if you have small children or grandchildren who would love to earn a quarter they could stand there and turn the crank.:D
Click to expand...
I actually used the thing, the steel rod had a loop on the wheel side, and a hook at the pedal side so it could be disassembled to move it. The pedal had an eye hook for the loop to catch. The inside diameter of the loop was just large enough to slip over the end of the shaft to ride in the groove. The foot pedal needs to be just long enough so that it does not bottom out at the lower end of the stroke. Incredibly simple, could be fabricated with scraps of wood, an old hinge and an eye hook in short time.

Nowadays we have readily available threaded rod, machine screw eye and hook hardware and threaded couplers, a working connector rod could be made from parts available in most hardware and home improvement stores by matching the correct size stock.
 
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Come to think on it some more, you might could get her spinning with a length of chain to connect the pedal, the pressure needed is only on the down stroke. A little grease in the groove and you could have that wheel spinning in short time.
 
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