Old timer showed me a trick for reading tool wear that I never thought of

I was chatting with this retired machinist at a shop supply place yesterday, and he pointed out that I was checking my insert wear wrong. He showed me how to look at the edge under a bright light at an angle, not straight on. Made a huge difference in catching chipping early. Has anyone else gotten advice from the old school guys that saved you money?

2 comments

2 Comments

ruby_murphy28d ago

I hear you on that trick with the light angle, that's a good one. I had an old guy at the hardware store show me a similar thing once for checking saw blades. He said to hold it up to a window and tilt it until you see the light glint off the edge, then you can spot any tiny nicks or dull spots you'd miss with your eye alone. Saved me from replacing blades that still had life left in them, that's for sure. It's those little tips that stick with you, you know?

the_logan27d ago

Oh man, actually I gotta be careful with that trick. It's good for catching nicks but it can also fool you into thinking a blade is dull when it's just dirty or has some sap on it. I learned that the hard way, spent twenty minutes trying to sharpen a perfectly good blade because I saw a weird light reflection. Turns out it was just pine resin catching the light different. Now I always wipe the blade down with a bit of mineral spirits first, then check it against the window. Makes a big difference in what you're actually seeing.

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