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I was digging around in my garage automotive toolboxes and found a tapered reamer I bought who-knows-when. Thought I could get more use out of it in the lutherie shop, but I'd like to get it sharpened and restored to the sharpness it had when it was new. Is this done? If so, who does it? And what do I ask for? Economics aren't as much a factor as the satisfaction of rescuing a dormant tool,

Thanks, folks.

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Peter Havriluk

try passing a stone over the inner surfaces of each of the "blades", much like you would sharpen a router bit. Keep the stone flat on flat of the blade.

Ed M

Is it a straight or a spiral reamer?
Straight you may be able to do it as Ed said, spiral - trickier.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I'm no help...never sharpened a router bit, either!

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Peter Havriluk

Here is a set of instructions for a reamer meant for more precision and for metal, but look at the drawing and tip #6

https://www.brownells.com/userdocs/learn/Inst-161.pdf

Ed M

Very helpful, thanks!

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Peter Havriluk

If there are any machine shops in the area, there will be a tool sharpening shop. Call them and ask around. It's really not a DIY job if you want best performance.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Thanks, Chris. I think my takeaway here is that these things can be sharpened. That sounds good to me; I didn't want to discard a tool that could otherwise do a job for me.

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Peter Havriluk

Oh, well. Just got off the phone with my local friendly saw shop. . . Uneconomic by a lot.

Thanks, folks. Any work on the reamer will be DIY. That link will be handy.

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Peter Havriluk

You could check with these guys who advertise with such services.

https://boggstool.com/

I've been throwing old files and rasps in a box to send them when moved to do so but have not yet tried it.

I'd love to have old files and rasps restored.

They claim sharper than new.

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

I have used Boggs - amazing. I know people who send them NEW files and they do come back better. You can fit an uncanny number of files in a Priority Mail envelope. I have also used Muriatic Acid to sharpen old ones - you have to watch and check every 20-30 minutes and use baking soda to neutralize, but they get MUCH sharper. Don't know if it would work on a reamer though

Ed M

I would hesitate to use muriatic acid on a reamer. Files have small teeth that nibble away at the work, the acid "sharpens" them by leaving them a bit snaggletoothed. Reamers are more knife like, and should produce a shearing cut. A small diamond hone might be the way to go.
http://eze-lap.com/products/diamond-hone-stone/

I used reamers for windsor chairs. Made one , bought a large 1" metalworking thats over kill for wood. Also bought a spoon taper bit that works great in soft wood.Last year I made one for bridge pegs from the shank of a spade bit. I found instructions somewhere.

The small one used to clean up small pipes is great for tuner holes dull or sharp.
I have learned a lot here and other luthier forums about metal working procedures that seem to apply to luthier work great..
Never thought of sharpening a file.

Thanks
Bob Howell

If you haven't got a slip stone that fits between the cutting edges of the reamer you can always turn to abrasive paper, perhaps glue it to a thin veneer.
I have a few reamers and one of them really could do with sharpening.

IMHO the only reason to sharpen an old reamer is because no one makes a duplicate to replace it.
All the above procedures will work especially if you are hand reaming, but you are not sharpening the reamer you are polishing it. For a one off it is fine but it will not last and if power driven will usually overheat. Even regrinds don't last as long as the original and I have had boxes of tools resharpened and custom made over the years.

If it's for a one off I have had better luck drawing a carbide scraper over the edge and throwing up a burr similar to what you would do to a card scraper. That will actually cut. Reamers, as Peter found out, are meant to be perishable tooling and not worth reconditioning.