Step-By-Step Lathe Bit Grinding Educational Aids

Learning how to grind your own single-point lathe turning tools can be frustrating when you don't know what makes a good tool, and why you shape them the way you do. So here's a series of oversized demonstration models that show each grinding step with its proper name. Significantly larger than the tools you're likely to be grinding for yourself in a home shop, this series of models simplifies and demystifies one of the most fundamental and useful toolmaker's skills for beginners and those looking to build their skills.

I've included two sizes of tool, a short numbered series and a longer, fully-labelled series, each in short and long variants. I encourage you to try the longer ones, as they're reasonably close to a typical HSS blank you might want to turn into a lathe tool.

NOTE: It's been the better part of a decade since I was regularly grinding my own lathe tools. It is very possible that I've mixed up the preferred order of operations for grinding steps. Don't yell at me, I can revise it if needed.