TipLap style tool sharpener

[olderdan]

After using a Tiplap tool sharpener for many years I really missed this excellent machine when I retired, particularly when an accurate screw cutting or acme tool bit was needed.
Buying one was to expensive for my now occasional use but making something similar out of the scrap box seemed feasible.

I already had a spare six inch bench grinder and a steel baseplate to mount it all on (I am sure a decent wood base would be ok).
A cupped diamond wheel is used and I was fortunate in finding a damaged on for a song, a one inch chunk had been knocked of the rim and this was repaired with plastic metal and has been used for many years now.

The only accuracy needed is the squareness of the bar in relation to the wheel, this is easily achieved by placing a flat bar or disc on the wheel and using a DTI in the tool holder until squareness is obtained at which point the end blocks are bolted down.

Sizes are flexible to suit your needs , mine uses a 1 inch bar an easy fit in the alloy blocks.
In use I rarely clamp the tool being ground as thumb pressure alone seems to work combined with the end stop, It also makes it easy to remove the tool for inspection and replace it exactly where it was for further grinding. It works very well in sharpening carbide tools and tips.

This is of course a finishing process keeping the land to about .050 max after the blank is roughed out using a grit wheel.

I have also sharpened end mills and twist drills (4 facet method) with a few simple fixtures.

[Toolmaker51]

olderdan has a soundly designed T&C setup here. I am not familiar with commercialized TipLap. I suspect their proofs of concept and initial prototyping was identical to this. A lot of recognized equipment gets that way from sales volume and marketing, even if only making a "I've seen those before" reaction.
But generating homebuilt is a whole different cookie, especially where I think too many get caught up in thread cutting exercises, to substitute the micrometer head. Add graduating a barrel, thimble, backlash comp, means of zeroing....yaddy yaddy yaw. What for? It's still just a cut thread (often better, modify a SHCS in a easily divisible pitch - in smooth rolled threads).
Anyway, this version can be easily tuned square and parallel. Adapting a few special holders would tip solid boring bars and anything guys pant on single lip Deckels for; and not 3something grand used!

My contribution would be a collet block, 5C and probably 24 stop indexing. I can see this (mine?) in extruded 80/20, linear guides on a large granite tile with rubber feet.

[C-Bag]

My contribution would be a collet block, 5C and probably 24 stop indexing. I can see this (mine?) in extruded 80/20, linear guides on a large granite tile with rubber feet.

Do you think 5C is better than R8?

[Frank S]

A lot depends on where you are using them and what you need to use them for
the 5c uses a hollow draw bar where as stock can be passed through in the lathe such as a rifle barrel bore center guide can be adapted to the rear of the draw bar now the barrel can be held perfectly concentric to the bore in the lathe.
Obviously the R8 collects are made more to hold short stock or end mills and can be used either in a lathe of a millthat is the main difference to them in my opinion but if you put a dollar with it you still couldn't buy a decent cup of coffee now days

[C-Bag]

I like this design a lot. It seems historical engineering says 5C is what's always used and when it was asked why in some of the discussions, the same reason was given.

But it's been a hard one to take as I don't own any 5c, but have two sets of R8. If I would have seen this design I think I would have gone this route because it's more my style and something I think I could have achieved. But having more $$ than I had time I broke down and bought a Chinese Deckle copy that uses the R8 collets. It's not perfect, but I've been able to get end mills, carbide router bit and drill bits back in service. It even came with a stone and 2 diamond wheels. I'm awaiting the attachment for doing the flutes.

One thing amongst many that I didn't know was my new set of R8 collets has an internal shoulder that was not helpful for some of the longer bits. I'd almost gotten rid of my old R8 set that came with my mill/drill originally. Good thing I didn't as they have no internal shoulder. For once procrastination paid off.

[Toolmaker51]

You want to learn collets, go to the Hardinge website, nobody covers collets like they do. Then, manufacturers have their own too! There are 100's.
Collets exist in two basic forms; workholding and toolholding. Even when diameters are the same, the steps to next size are much smaller in workholders. 5C's main advantage is the range of sizes, shapes, and commonality; whatever collets a shop has, some will be 5C. Toolholders tend smaller to keep spindle and quill diameters reasonable, big bearings = big money. Not much issue in lathes, certainly milling and drilling for many reasons. 2J is another workholder, kind of overgrown 5C at 4x cost. I can't pop those $$'s. I scored a bucket of good 215's a year ago. Not popular but in scale with 2J. Looking for a D1-6 lathe collet nose, all are used and beat. BUT a couple are posted here, 5C, but dangit I know how to measure. Important part, they undertook a precision build under their own roof successfully. Their text is perfect proof of concept. When the electricity goes in, that will be Project One, exercising a lot of resources within.
Maybe its exorcising, maybe excising, whatever. Wild browser wants to spell check me, but don't know Jack about a manufactory vocabulary. Can't figure how PC's get made in the first place without it! I constantly add them, but the more I write, red squiggles still appear like confetti at a New Year's party.
That's me in the recliner, laptop and literary lubricating liquids in hand.
Letting ligaments of the left not linger or lapse during liaison of liter to lips, of course.
yep it's fothurtyindamornin!

[DIYer]

Thanks olderdan! We've added your Tool Sharpener to our Sharpening category,
as well as to your builder page: olderdan's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Tool Sharpener by olderdan

tags: grinder, sharpening, dial indicator

[Paul Jones]

Sorry about hijacking older dan's posting but thank you Toolmaker51 for the references to the Hardinge website.

I do mainly lathe machining for 1" or smaller diameter rod materials and like 5C and ER32 collets because of the thru hole holding for longer stock and higher accuracy than my 3-jaw chucks (these are not run true chucks). The 5C collets for hex, square stock and some rectangular stock extends the possibilities of what can be held very accurately in the lathe. If I had a 6-jaw run true chuck, I think this would be my main holding device the rod and hex stock except for the 3/8" or less diameters. The little ER16 collet chuck I made for my Unimat lathe has now become the go-to chuck for this small 3" swing lathe because of its accuracy. R8 collets are great for the milling machine but buy the best you can afford with the least TIR in order to extend milling cutter life. Good quality carbide milling cutters are expensive and the longer the cutter tool life the better.

Thank you for the discussion.
Paul Jones

[Jon]

Congratulations olderdan - your TipLap-Style Tool Sharpener is the Tool of the Week!

Another really tough week to choose a winner. Nice Stitching Pony from frugalolegeezer, Engraving Pantograph from mklotz, and QCTP Holders from mattthemuppet. An Anvil Stand from gustave also really stood out. It's challenging to walk into a discussion where everyone has built a specific tool, and then post the best version of it.


olderdan - Great work posting a winning tool in a highly competitive week. You'll be receiving one of our official HomemadeTools.net T-shirts:




Please PM me a mailing address, black/white color choice, and size preference, and I'll get it mailed out shortly.

And, we've added the wrench-on-pedestal award to the awards showcase in your postbit, visible beneath your username:


Congrats again and nice work!

[olderdan]

Many thanks Jon