Thread: Lathe Tool Sharpening "Tool Gauge"

Originally Posted by Disco_owner

Many of you who work with lathes would know this little "tool gauge" used to
measure the "Approach" , "Trail" , "rake" and "side lip" angles etc for a lathe
"Cutting tool" out of high speed steel or even just mild steel etc.

I made this tool to aid me measure the correct angles when sharpening the Lathe
cutting tool. the most amount of time it took to make the gauge was marking in/out
the correct angles and measurements.



It's Quite easy to make when you have to right tools to do it.

The numbers of angles were punched in with number punch
to help select the correct angles.

It's made out of brass , coutesy of TAFE.

I take it you are not a fitter-machinist. You would be sharpening single point tool bits by eye after the first few months of an apprenticeship. I worked alongside an old Pom who had worked at Lister Engines for nearly fifty years before migrating to Australia after retiring to be with his daughter and grandchildren. He did some part-time work machining Chrysler marine engines (Slant Six 225) from raw castings and forgings at Roberts Racing Engines. He could sharpen a single point screw cutting tool to the correct angle, 55 or 60 degrees, using a screw cutting gauge only as a final check. I suppose he had done this a few thousand times over his working life.

A good tool for amateurs and hobbyists though.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

I take it you are not a fitter-machinist. You would be sharpening single point tool bits by eye after the first few months of an apprenticeship. I worked alongside an old Pom who had worked at Lister Engines for nearly fifty years before migrating to Australia after retiring to be with his daughter and grandchildren. He did some part-time work machining Chrysler marine engines (Slant Six 225) from raw castings and forgings at Roberts Racing Engines. He could sharpen a single point screw cutting tool to the correct angle, 55 or 60 degrees, using a screw cutting gauge only as a final check. I suppose he had done this a few thousand times over his working life.

A good tool for amateurs and hobbyists though.

My sentiments exactly Brian, although not having done much lathe tool sharpening over the last 20 years, it would probably take some practise to get back into the swing of it.

even better - i just picked up one of these from hard rubbish
genuine deckel fifties model.



its an older model and needs a rebuild. Wont fit in my pocket though

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

I take it you are not a fitter-machinist. You would be sharpening single point tool bits by eye after the first few months of an apprenticeship. I worked alongside an old Pom who had worked at Lister Engines for nearly fifty years before migrating to Australia after retiring to be with his daughter and grandchildren. He did some part-time work machining Chrysler marine engines (Slant Six 225) from raw castings and forgings at Roberts Racing Engines. He could sharpen a single point screw cutting tool to the correct angle, 55 or 60 degrees, using a screw cutting gauge only as a final check. I suppose he had done this a few thousand times over his working life.

A good tool for amateurs and hobbyists though.

That's all I clasify myself as , I'm not a Fitter/machinist YET, Just a Hobbyist , It would probably take me hundreds of sharpening tools to be able to do it by eye , even then I'd still carry out final checks with the Lathe Tool gauge , It was nice to do that as a project thou.

Originally Posted by numpty

My sentiments exactly Brian, although not having done much lathe tool sharpening over the last 20 years, it would probably take some practise to get back into the swing of it.

Yes, I have got lazy and hardly ever use a HSS tool bit these days. Only for a special profile usually. Do just about everything with tungsten carbide indexable inserts.