Sharpening PIMO Spade bit.

[Schubeck]

Does anyone have a good tutorial on how to sharpen a spade bit from PIMO? I'm not quite sure which part to put a file to.


Thanks,

Chris

[taharris]

Not a file. Get one of these and touch up the bevel.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200591 ... -Fine.aspx

Todd

[Jthompson1995]

Not a file. Get one of these and touch up the bevel.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200591 ... -Fine.aspx

Todd

What he said.

[socrates]

Thanks

[Charl]

Or just take it to the benchgrinder. Put the bit in a hand drill on reverse and just do a quick touch to the wheel.

[Joe Hinkle Pipes]

You can also use a fine grit shaping disk. Go lightly with 400 at the proper angle.

[sandahlpipe]

Or just take it to the benchgrinder. Put the bit in a hand drill on reverse and just do a quick touch to the wheel.

I don't recommend doing this. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Besides, using a diamond hone will get your edge sharp and smooth. The smoother your edge, the longer it will last. An edge that is sharpened with an 80 grit wheel gets dull a lot quicker than a 400 grit hone. I really like my EZ-Lap diamond hones.

[Charl]

Why?

[socrates]

Not a file. Get one of these and touch up the bevel.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200591 ... -Fine.aspx

Todd

Thanks Todd! Just for the heck of it I checked on eBay and found the same exact one. It cost me $8.23 and free shipping. I have used diamond sharpening tools for years and love them.

[Charl]

Apologies for not being clear: Why does it seem like a recipe for disaster?
Every pipe maker should be able to grind and touch up their own spade bits on a benchgrinder (that is, if they use them and not spirals or spoon bits).
It's quick, it's easy and it is cheap. You can make any profile you want and you keep the symmetry, which is essential for drilling well with a spade bit.
Honing them with a diamond sharpener is all good and well, but only works up to a point. At some stage you'll have to take it to a grinder.

[sandahlpipe]

Touching up bits on the grinder is definitely necessary. Doing it with the drill bit in a hand drill not so much. I don't see how you're going to get enough precision that way. Not to mention the proper bevel on the edge. I can just picture a novice like myself trying it out and chipping up the wheel and the spade bit.

[wdteipen]

Charl's method works well for shaping bits. The benefit of shaping chamber bits with a drill in reverse and a grinding wheel or sanding disk is that it keeps both edges symmetrical. Doing so reduces chatter. That being said, I wouldn't sharpen a bit that way. It's too aggressive. diamond hones are better for that task unless your bit has gotten out of symmetry and you're getting chatter.

[Charl]

Thanks for putting it more eloquently, Wayne

[Schubeck]

Thanks taharris. I'll look into one of those mini hones.