How Do You Sharpen A Woodturning Burnisher?
Burnishing refers to at least three different woodturning processes. An old turner’s trick involves holding a piece of wood against the turnery rotating on the lathe, creating a burnished surface. The bevel of a sharp cutting tool polishes as it cuts, also burnishing the work. The best known burnishing tool maintains the edges of scrapers and looks like a small honing steel, but many turners use simpler tools, such as the shank of a good screwdriver, for the same purpose. Any sturdy piece of hard polished steel will do. Maintenance of the burnisher itself involves polishing, not sharpening. Inspect the burnishing tool for nicks and scratches along the length of the shaft. Any blemishes in the tool will cause small faults in the edge of the scraping tool the burnisher sets. Removing these imperfections is the purpose of the polishing process. Mount the polishing wheel to either mandrel of the bench grinder, and tighten the fittings securely. The rotation of the polishing wheel against t
