Sharpening Handbook

Because sharp enough

... usually is not

 Razor blade

Thread Chasing Tool Set

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Outside chaser
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Inside chaser
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Grooving tool

The cutters are sharpened to have a negative rake on the top of the tool.

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click on the gray block to see more

The tool is then honed by rubbing a 150+ grit diamond file against the top of the tool. The area to be honed is shown in the pictures as the area marked red.

Allan Batty's video (link below) is an excellent reference on how to sharpen these tools, and his guidance on how he modifies them to make them work better.

Woodworkers are knotty.

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More Information

Books & Papers

  • The method outlined for sharpening and honing thread chasing tools comes from Bill Jones, and are described in his books (both of which are very worthwhile reads): “Notes from the Turning Shop”, & “Further Notes from the Turning Shop”
  • There is a great article, “Chasing Threads : Simple tools and a lot of practice makes perfect”, showing how to use these tools is on the AAW web site.

Videos & Presentations