Nora Hall Carving Tool Sharpening System - First Look

Sharpen your carving tools in mere seconds with this amazing system.
This video is a quick overview of what the Nora Hall Sharpening System is and how the system works. After I’ve had more time to work with the Nora Hall Sharpening System, I’ll be doing a more thorough review.
Both the Nora Hall Sharpening System and the Koch Sharpening System are thermo-reactive sharpening systems where the sharpening compound heats up and liquifies during the sharpening process. Thermo-reactive sharpening is not only incredibly fast, it also eliminates any burrs that form with other sharpening methods.
Years ago, I purchased the Koch Sharpening System directly from Nora Hall when I was in one of her carving workshops. That system made sharpening carving tools so fast, everyone in the class had purchased one by the time the workshop concluded.
However, the Koch System did have a few quirks. The most obvious for those in the United States was the 12mm hole used for mounting the wheels, which is too small to be used on 1/2” shafts common in the U.S. And for now, the Koch System is no longer available in the USA.
My first impressions of the Nora Hall Sharpening System is that this system is every bit as fast as the Koch System and has a few distinct advantages:
One wheel as opposed to 2-4 wheels
Larger diameter and wider wheel
1/2” mounting hole - a big deal for those in the U.S.
If you do any sharpening of carving tools, woodworking chisels or leather skiving knives you owe it to yourself to check out the Nora Hall Sharpening System. Thermo-reactive sharpening will take the drudgery out of all your sharpening chores.
My Video on the Koch Sharpening System:
• The Best Carving Tool ...
Tools & Equipment Used in This Video:
Nora Hall Sharpening System
www.norahall.com
Beall Collet Chuck
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Hirsh 30mm #11 Bent Gouge
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Manfrotto 014-14 Rapid Adapter - 5/8" Stud to 1/4-20" Thread
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[@fastrivers812]

A simple fix for many bench grinders and wheel spin direction: Remove the base from the motor and turn it 180 degrees. Reattach. If the switch is attached to the base then you will still be able to turn the grinder on from there but the wheels will be moving in a better direction for sharpening. I've done this several times. The only difference is you won't be looking at the name tag of the grinder anymore but that isn't a problem for function obviously.

[@CroakyOak]

Folks, this is a terrific tip! The typical 3450 rpm grinders found in the U.S. rotate too fast for the Nora Hall System, but a low speed grinder with the correct arbor size would work well. I suspect this tip works well with buffers as well. This is some seriously inspired thinking @fastrivers! Thanks for adding it to the comments section of this video!

[@buckbeans1]

I await your full review but actually very excited to have an American made product.

[@CroakyOak]

Thanks for commenting buckbeans1. Thermo-reactive sharpening is by far the fastest sharpening method I’ve ever used and I too am glad that we have an option here in the U.S. I’ve made these videos to help spread the word and make sure this amazing system continues to be available to the woodworking community.

[@GlennLaguna]

That Stubai / Koch green chromium oxide compound is the best. I used to know where to get it, but can't find it these days. But what you show wrapped in the paper, is how they pour it in the mold.

[@CroakyOak]

You can get the paste used in this video at: www.norahall.com/shop/tools Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@d.k.1394]

Nice

[@CroakyOak]

Thank you! It can hard to believe how much time using this kind of sharpening and/or this system can save. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@mikeodonnell9199]

Hi from Las Vegas, I bought the NH system, and it works great as advertised. My question is how do you clean the metal from the wheel, and how often should it be done?

[@CroakyOak]

Cleaning or truing of the wheel can be done with coarse sandpaper in a sanding block. Be careful when doing this. A sanding block can be ‘grabby’ when truing a wheel and you *DON’T* want your hand getting pulled into any rotating machinery. I can’t be more specific than to say cleaning and/or truing can or should be done as needed. If you think your system isn’t performing as well as it has, try cleaning the wheel. You’ll develop a feel for this fairly quickly. It’s not unlike feeling when it’s time to sharpen a carving tool. Personally, I try to do this as little as possible. Every time you take a sanding block to your wheel the fresh surface will need to be reloaded with the sharpening compound. Hopefully this answers your questions. Thanks for watching and commenting on this video.

[@whitelfner4582]

You have a great Beall Collet Chuck! I've got a Dental/Jewlery lathe with a very nice Wells chuck. I've used it for 4" buffing wheels of assorted sizes. Love the near instant and secure on/off... ...but it's just a 1/4" drive with maybe a little over 1/2" into the chuck. Like most buffing/sharpening it doesn't require a lot of pressure to allow the compound to cut/polish. Wonder if I'm nuts to consider using the Nora system? I could just buy a 4" hard felt wheel and use other compounds and might try that. It's a dual speed Baldor(?) motor 1750/3500 so I don't need the 4" wheel to reduce the speed of the rotating surface. I think I would be okay with the more convex surface. I understand the challenges there. Opinions? Ideas? I have several 1/4 - 1/2" arbors (I use them with some buffing wheels)

[@CroakyOak]

The Nora Hall System is NOT the same as a hard felt wheel and ‘regular’ buffing compounds. The system uses thermo-reactive sharpening compound which liquefies from the heat generated by the friction between the wheel and the tool. This method allows the compound to flow around the tool which eliminates any burrs. There are also no intermediate steps. A tool can also be shaped with a 100 grit sanding belt and go straight to the wheel and compound and be made razor sharp in seconds. I’ve found this type of sharpening to be the fastest and easiest way to sharpen carving tools and flat chisels. Highland Woodworking sells a lathe arbor that is a #2 morse taper on one end and a 1/2” diameter thread on the other. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@microstrader]

Howdy... can I ask a question. I am debating between Nora Hall System and the Burke Tote Sharpening system. Nearly the same price at the end of the day. I am concerned the compound for the Nora Hall system will NOT be available one day. Should this be a concern? Any advice on selecting the system.

[@CroakyOak]

I’ve never heard of the Burke Tote system so I can’t comment on that. The sharpening compound is made by a major tool company in Europe and I doubt they’re going anywhere. I believe there is currently only a single importer in the USA for the sharpening compound and that could be an issue, but only a very small issue. I you get the Nora Hall System and like it, buy another block or two of the the compound. The blocks are large and last a loooooooong time. Seriously, the block of sharpening compound is far larger than the typical sticks of jeweler’s rouge etc. you commonly find here in the states. Honestly, I wouldn’t let any *potential* supply chain issues dissuade you from using this method of sharpening. The time savings and ease of use are well worth it. Thanks for watching and asking a question.

[@DonFaulk0517]

What did you use to Mount the Nora Hall Sharpening wheel to your lathe? I have a Powermatic 3450B lathe and would like to use it to Mount the wheel instead of buying a separate grinder.

[@CroakyOak]

In this video, I’m using a Beall Collet Chuck with a bolt mounted in the chuck and a nut with a fender washer to hold the wheel. A better and less expensive solution would be to use this lathe arbor from Highland Woodworking (see link below). You can leave the arbor and wheel mounted together so mounting the wheel in your lathe is quick and easy. The reverse end is also threaded to accept a 1/4-20 draw bolt. If you’re not using the tailstock to keep the arbor in the headstock, I recommend using a draw bolt to keep the arbor from coming out of the headstock taper. www.highlandwoodworking.com/lathearbor2mt.aspx?A=1601&B=28 This link is an affiliate link. If you purchase something using this link, I receive a small commission on the sale at no cost to you. I’d certainly appreciate you using the link, but doing so is not necessary. You’ll love the Nora Hall Sharpening System, and having such a solid lathe will make setting up and using the system a breeze. Happy carving and turning! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@robertmunguia250]

Is that wheel similar to the marathon wheel? It has different hardness as well hard, medium and soft.

[@CroakyOak]

I’m not familiar with the wheel you’re referring to, so I can’t comment either way. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@erscheirer]

Could you do a video of you sharpening a carving knife similar to a flat detail knife or rough out knife? I’m really intrigued by this system as I am both a woodturner and a woodcarver so I have both types of knives and turning tools. Thanks

[@CroakyOak]

Yes I can. I’ve got a couple of short, straight-bladed knives I can use for a sharpening demonstration. Look for the video(s) in a week or two. I’ll update this comment thread with the scheduled release date and links. Thanks for the request.

[@erscheirer]

@@CroakyOak awesome thank you so much I am looking forward to seeing them.

[@CroakyOak]

There will be three new #shorts videos posting in about eight hours. The links are: Very Fast Carving Knife Sharpening: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5K2h6WOpdmioas Very Fast Chip Carving Knife Sharpening: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5K8aZScjLmSb7s Fast Paring Knife Sharpening: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6LMeHZmlrSEns0 If these links get messed up, the videos will be at or near the top of the video feed.

[@erscheirer]

@@CroakyOak I tried to watch it but it shows that the video is private.

[@CroakyOak]

Wow, you checked a bit too soon. I guess my note wasn’t clear. They are all visible now. Thanks for watching.

[@annlong9543]

What material is the wheel made of and where can I purchase the wheel and the paste

[@CroakyOak]

The Nora Hall Carving Tool Sharpening System can be purchased at www.norahall.com. There are also more links in the video description. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@Javy8a]

Croaky, I originally purchased a Koch wheel many years ago from Nora and I could have sworn that I was told to stay at 1200 rpm for best results. Just purchased a new wheel and rouge form her daughter and the info states 2000 rpm. What's your opinion on that or is the 800 rpm a real deal breaker.

[@CroakyOak]

Well, the one thing you DON’T want to do is exceed the maximum rpm for the wheel you’re using. That is a serious safety issue. I run the Nora Hall System at about 1,500-ish rpm. The key to both systems is getting the friction between the wheel and tool to generate enough heat to liquefy the sharpening paste. You can tell that’s happening when the liquid paste comes over the edge of the tool. This liquified paste is also what removes any burr that may form on the inside of the tool being sharpened. When I took the workshop from Nora years ago, she had a motor that appeared to have been scavenged. I suspect (I don’t remember exactly.) that the motor was a slow speed motor. I have no idea if that is where the 1,200 rpm recommendation came from or not. The Nora Hall System uses bigger wheels so the surface speed at a given rpm is higher than the Koch System which uses wheels about 2 inches smaller. I don’t run either system at a very specific rpm because my lathe doesn’t have a digital readout displaying the exact rpm. If the sharpening seems to be going too slowly, I’ll speed the lathe up. If the wheel is throwing sharpening paste all over me, I’ll slow the wheel down. If I was going to sharpen a small tool, I’d slow the wheel down a bit so I have more control. My opinion, (and an opinion is all that this is) is that if you are getting satisfactory results at a lower rpm, then use that lower rpm. Going slower isn’t likely to damage anything. That said, as long as you don’t exceed the maximum rated speed for a wheel, try using a higher rpm once or twice. You may like the results. Thanks for posting this question. I have more videos with the Nora Hall System in the works and it’s clear I need to address the rpm more specifically than I have in the past. Not everybody has the luxury of a variable speed setup. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Cheers, -Birch

[@Javy8a]

Croaky, Thanks for the reply. I researched and found the HT2000 Koch system runs at 1,350 RPM. My old Koch wheels are on a 1,725 motor and the results were always ok for me.There is an old ac cooler two speed motor that runs at 1,140 on the low end laying around that I'll will try Nora's and the old Koch wheels on. Hopefully the slower RPM helps with the science of controlling the heat of the paste for optimum results.

[@joelklaverkamp3307]

The Nora Hall wheel has a 1/2” arbor hole. Most grinders are 5/8.” How might one deal with that issue?

[@CroakyOak]

This system is not meant to be used in a bench grinder, even a low speed grinder. The top of the wheel needs to be spinning away from the user, which is the opposite direction of every bench grinder I’m aware of. The typical bench grinder in the U.S. also spins at 3450 rpm which is too fast. One easy solution is to find or buy a low or lower speed motor. In the U.S. this is most likely going to be a motor spinning at 1725 rpm. And then mount the wheel on the motor shaft using a motor arbor adapter like these from McMaster Carr: www.mcmaster.com/motor-arbor-adapters/for-shaft-type~straight/ This type of adapter allows you to mount the wheel directly to the motor shaft. Another option is to use a mini lathe with a #2 morse taper in the headstock. And then mount the wheel in this adapter from Highland Woodworking: www.highlandwoodworking.com/lathearbor2mt.aspx?A=1601&B=28 A used mini lathe is fine here as long as it has the correct taper in the headstock. #2 morse taper is the most common headstock taper on wood lathes. You’ll need a drawbar to make sure the lather arbor stays in the headstock. A drawbar is easy to make with threaded rod. In my opinion, this is the best way to use this system. With a lathe you can change the speed of the wheel and you have an adjustable tool rest as part of the machine. If the mini lathe you’re using doesn’t have a reverse switch, the mini lathe can be turned around and used from the back so the wheel is rotating in the proper direction for this system. I use a similar set up in a full size lathe. This may seem like a lot of work. I assure you that once you use the Nora Hall system and find out for yourself just how fast and effective it is, the effort will be well worth it. Disclosure: The link Highland Woodworking link above is an affiliate link. If you buy something with this link, the channel receives a small commission that helps support this channel at no cost to you.

[@indianatone218]

So where do we get it and how much ? looks really good .

[@CroakyOak]

You can get this system at www.norahall.com. I don’t know wha the current price is. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@indianatone218]

thanks.@@CroakyOak

[@calD57]

why did the wheel have a black streak before you started?

[@CroakyOak]

The black streaks are left behind after sharpening a tool. They are a normal part of this type of sharpening. They are NOT scorch marks. Thanks for your question.

[@microstrader]

Would you sharpen turning tools with this?

[@CroakyOak]

You certainly could, although I have no idea how long an edge this keen will last while turning wood. I have never tried doing this because I use my lathe to hold the sharpening wheel for this system. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@h6705b]

What kind of machine "holds" the wheel?

[@CroakyOak]

In this video the wheel is mounted to a wood lathe using a collet chuck. Standard bench grinders are too fast and rotate in the wrong direction for this system. However, you can mount the wheel to just about anything else with a 1/2” shaft that rotates in the proper direction at about 1725-ish rpm. Having the top of the wheel rotating away from the user is critical with this system. This is the opposite of a standard bench grinder. Having the top of the wheel moving toward the user won’t work and is VERY DANGEROUS. Whatever you do, be careful most of all. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@calD57]

so! its just a wheel?

[@CroakyOak]

The Nora Hall Sharpening System is a wheel and sharpening paste. This system uses thermo-reactive sharpening and it is not a complicated system. And while thermo-reactive sharpening is not complicated, it does require a very specific combination of wheel and sharpening paste. This type of sharpening system is amazing because of the speed and simplicity (in that order) of the system. I have no idea why it’s not more widely known about, especially in the USA. Thanks for commenting and asking questions!