can afford removing much more metal to achieve a
new, fresh edge.
● Keep the tool moving, using the entire surface
of the stone. This ensures you’re removing mate-
rial evenly from the tool and keeps the wear on the
stone f lat and uniform.
● Hone off the burr or wire edge that is created
during sharpening, by hand, with a couple of passes
on a whetstone.
● Swap in a leather stropping wheel to finish
the edge and make it razor-sharp. The leather is
treated with machine oil to keep it soft, and you
should apply a small amount of abrasive strop-
ping paste to the wheel, too. Do this with the wheel
turning away from you and from the sharpened
blade—it will polish any remaining imperfections.
Belt Grinder
Belt grinders excel where precision is required,
with the ability to create surfaces that are f lat,
square, or beveled at an angle.
For many grinding tasks in fabrication and
repair, you’ll want to set the work rest to 90 degrees.
Use a square to set it perpendicular to the belt
where it travels over the platen—that’s the hard
surface that supports the belt. If you need another
angle, you can set it using a sliding T-bevel.
Like with most grinding operations, keep the
workpiece moving to prevent it from getting too
hot, and use the full surface of the abrasive belt.
Belt grinders don’t create as much heat as their
wheeled counterparts, but you should still keep a
cup or tray of water on hand to cool the workpiece.
Often work rests can come off so you can grind
long, f lat edges or surfaces, and the head can rotate
to orient the platen horizontally.
- Wear an N95 mask or respi-
rator to prevent inhalation of
dust and grit (along with eye
protection or a face shield). - Bolt your grinder to a ped-
estal or small stand so you can
orient it away from other work
surfaces or in an area of the
shop where dust and grit won’t
harm anything. - When possible, position
grinding wheels over the end
of a bench, so debris can fall to
the floor. - If a grinder is bolted to your
workbench, build an open metal
box behind it to prevent grit and
dust from covering everything
else on the bench. - For shops in the garage, pull
vehicles out onto the driveway
before beginning work. This will
protect painted and polished
finishes, as well as glass, from
potential scratches. - Use a shop vacuum to clean up
debris immediately after grinding
sessions whenever possible. - Keep drop cloths or old
bedsheets around to cover any-
thing else in the shop you want
to protect if you have a signifi-
cant amount of grinding to do.
EYE PROTECTION
Use it. Take it from someone
who had a tiny bit of hot metal
fuse to their eye and need
removing. Aside from that not
being fun, the risk of losing
sight is just not worth the time
it takes to don eye protection.
While there are all kinds of
fancy types, an ordinary set of
goggles is all you need.DEALING
WITH
DUST
GENERAL
GRINDING
SAFETY
GLOVES
They seem like
a good idea, but
grinding wheels—
as well as wire
wheels found on
many grinders—can
grab gloves, pulling
them, and hands,
into the machine.
So skip them.LONG HAIR AND
LOOSE CLOTHING
Just like gloves,
anything long and
loose—hair and cloth-
ing, for example—can
get caught and pull you
into the machine. Tie
your hair back, and avoid
baggy clothes around
the grinder.WORK RESTS
Use these platforms when-
ever possible to steady
whatever you’re grind-
ing and maneuver it on the
wheel. When that isn’t
practical, grind on the lower
half of the wheel; that way,
if the workpiece catches, it
will be thrown down rather
than toward you.Grinding is messy—
grit flies everywhere.
While it may be tempt-
ing to use a traditional
shop dust-collection
system, don’t. Parti-
cles of metal coming
off grinding wheels
are hot and could
ignite fine, dry
sawdust in a dust col-
lector, causing a fire.
There are dust-collec-
tion systems specific
for grinding, but
they’re usually geared
toward commercial
use, quite expensive,
and not practical in a
home. Try these strat-
egies to deal with the
grit flying around in
your shop.January/February 2022 77