Canadian Contractor - July-August 2015

MAXWELL’S
Stuff We Like
The first and most important involves safety. The tip of any
tool must always point in the same direction as the buffing wheel
rotation, not against that direction. Ignore this requirement and
the tool will be caught and flung out of your hands dangerously.
Power buffing is quite safe as long as you remember this detail.
buffing is tangent to the edge of the wheel. It’s essential that the
tip of the chisel or plane iron doesn’t get rounded over or made
more blunt than its ideal angle of 25º to 30º. Rounding so the
cutting tip is steeper than this means the tool won’t slice like it
should, even if it is smooth and shiny.
After buffing the tip of the tool you’ve been working on, the
edge will always shine like polished silver. That’s impressive,
but cutting performance is what really counts. Grab a piece of
softwood and try slicing the end grain at a slight angle. A really
sharp edge will slice the wood with no tear-out or roughness at
The second crucial issue has to do with cutting performance.
Since the abrasive action of this honing technique is so
aggressive, it’s possible to remove visible amounts of metal from
a tool tip quickly. This is why the process is so fast, but it also
poses a challenge. You must hold the tool so the surface you’re
54 July/August 2015 www.canadiancontractor.ca