How to: Make a Cutting Tool Sharpener from an Old Bread Maker

Check this one out: Scott, a maker and woodworker from Vancouver Island, BC, figured out a way to hack an old, busted breadmaker into a turntable-based powered sharpening system. He says,

I had a broken breadmaker handy, and this one had some interesting parts – a beefy motor, a massive gear and a thick circular glass viewing window. I figured I could salvage it to make a rotating sandpaper disc to do the heavy work on my tools before doing some quick establishment of the final edge with some finer grade of sandpaper by hand. Basically, the breadmaker would be hacked to mimic Lee Valley Tools’ $400 power sharpening system… for $0.

Scott harvested the key parts, placed them in a new wooden case, updated the wiring and added a switch, and snagged a couple of additional parts from an old hinge, a toaster oven, and even a leather briefcase, used here as a strop. 

He even managed to put a nice edge on an old axe in a matter of minutes. Check out the full process at Instructables, and keep your eyes out for an old bread maker. 

Sharpening System by makendo