Sharpening Incannel Gouges?

[Downwindtracker2]

I recently picked up a patternmakers tool chest, one of the chisel sets was a set of Wm. Marples & Son inchannel paring gouges, instead of square across they are rounded. So I have to shape and sharpen.

[Gregory of Sherwood Forest]

fine sandpaper wrapped around a dowel works pretty well, and it's cheap. Alternatively, you could buy a cone waterstone (Amazon, Woodcraft, LV, etc) and if you really want to go fancy, you could buy the DMT Wave sharpening plate.

[blackhat]

Dowels and progressively finer paper. A hard felt wheel with green polishing compound and mounted to a grinder or motor arbor will be your friend.

[Joe Bailey]

I believe I speak for many when I say:
"How about some pictures?"

[AHill]

Diamond paste on a dowel also works. You can also put the green stuff on a dowel for the final hone.

I bought this when I took up carving with Flexcut tools. It's not a one-size-fits-all kit, but it's excellent for stropping to keep that keen edge. It's the Flexcut Slipstrop Sharpening Kit. It's about $18 at Woodcraft. Probably could find it elsewhere for less.

[Timberwolf]

Quote:

---

So I have to shape and sharpen.

---

By "shape and sharpen" I take it you will be "squaring off" the working edge. If this is the case, you will probably lose most of the inside bevel.. Do you plan to retain the inside bevel or will you be sharpening them with an outside bevel? In either case, you will be removing lots of steel...The outside bevel will be easy but the inside bevel will require more sophisticated tooling than sandpaper..

If it were me, for an incannel, I would chuck a "cylinder-shaped" mounted AO stone that fits the radius, in a lathe chuck and restore the bevel in that way. It's tedious, but it could be done..You could also use a hand-held die-grinder and do it free hand...much faster..

Personally, I have never found much need for incannel chisels, but YMMV...

[Downwindtracker2]

I've a confession to make, I'm old and stupid, certainly around computers. Even if I could post the photos of the haul, it's so impressive that doing so would be in very bad taste. It's one thing to gloat over a 3/8" Anchor Works ( Jermbolaget) chisel like I picked up this weekend at a antiques mall for $2.50, which I will gladly do, but a complete set of Berg butt in the box, almost complete sets of Wm. Marples & Sons paring, and Wm.Marples & Sons bench, plus Yankees,and braces and bits. That would be just plain boastful and I'm a Canuck.

However, not woodworking but super interesting. The seller asked me what was this blue machine that he got with the lot . Oh, that's a toy (metal) shaper. A what? OK, how about for $50 more you can have it. It's a shop made welded steel bench top sized with a stand. 6 1/2" stroke, 1/3 hp motor . Nothing fancy, but it was a lot of work to make . The stand with it's motor mount, jack shaft, clutch, and table raising mechanism is made of thick 2x4s, plywood and angle iron bolted with square headed bolts and nuts. It does have power cross feed using a ratcheting box end wrench. South Bend, Logan and Atlas all made ones about this size for home shops.

Ray

[Downwindtracker2]

Yes ,that's what I meant, They are cranked neck, I would think they would be handy doing the barrel channel in gunstocks. I use a Lee Valley spoon scraper now.

[Timberwolf]

Quote:

---

I would think they would be handy doing the barrel channel in gunstocks.

---

My problem using incannel in that way would be the fact that they want to "dive" into the wood, unlike the outside bevels which want to "climb" out..But once the barrel channel is roughly established, the scraper is a good way to finish up.

And once the edge has been established { whichever way it is sharpened}, I find the correct sized hard stitched buffing wheel will produce a hair-popping edge on gouges. Actually two buffing wheels are better...One charged with coarser compound and the other charged with chrome oxide.

[Phil S.]

There's an article by Jim Thompson on sharpening incannel gouges on Wictor's site, here,
a more aggressive approach if you need to do serious reshaping.