How would you sharpen?

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Hi guys, I usually build square stuff, and hang out in the other parts of this site, but as an old Oliver lathe moved into my shop today, I think it may be time for a visit.

I need a way to sharpen lathe tools. I use the scary sharp approach for my bench chisels and planes, but I want something faster for the lathe stuff. What should I get? Tormek? Slow speed grinder? Something else?

I wouldn't mind buying something that I could use on the bench chisels too, if possible. Thoughts?

[Richard Madison]

Steve, Get 8" low speed grinder. Others will follow here with a plethora of advice.

[John Fricke]

Yup 8" slow speed with a wolverine jig works great

[Curt Fuller]

I'm about the opposite, I've never done flatwork. So I can't tell you much about sharpening bench chisels. I've heard the Tormek is very versatile, but I've never used one. A grinder, slow or fast, 6" or 8", with a coarse 80 grit wheel and a finer 100-120 grit wheel will sharpen most any turning chisel. You can add a sharpening jig but I prefer the speed of freehand sharpening. The scary sharp idea doesn't seem to be any advantage for lathe work. There was a pretty good discussion about it here not to long ago. You make hundreds of feet of cuts in just a matter of minutes on a lathe so you would quickly lose the scary sharp edge and be constantly sharpening if you wanted to keep that kind of edge. You spend an awful lot of time sharpening with just a grinder edge anyway. Sharpening for the lathe is one of those very personal things that every one does a little different. You just learn the basics and then evolve towards what works best for you.

BTW, What model of Oliver? I'm an Oliver user myself.

[Judy Kingery]

Hi Steve,

Curt and I think along the same lines, I'd like an 8" variable speed grinder, but have the 6" with Norton wheels (80 grit and 120). Works aok with a Wolverine jig as I'm not good at freehand sharpening gouges. For my scrapers, skews, parting tools, (flat edge stuff) I just use the little table belt sander. It's slower so doesn't heat up the tools, consistent edge, works fine. Just a thought.

Best to you,

Jude

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Shish, you guys are fast! Thanks for the advice, I'll go shopping tomorrow. Any preferences on grinder brands? Dosen't really seem like there would be a lot of difference?

Curt, my lathe is a 159. I had a Shopsmith that kind of worked as a lathe a while back, but this is WAY better!

[Jason Clark2]

Lots and lots of turners use the 8" slow speed grinder from Woodcraft. It's $99.99 and is on sale fairly often.

Jason

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Steve,

A budget favorite of a lot of turners here is the 8" slowspeed grinder sold at WoodCraft. If on sale it can be bought for $80-90. It comes with a 100 grit and 120 grit white wheels. A lot of us, including myself, use this grinder. It is made in Asia and some have experienced some problems with them but with a little initiative and customer service by Woodcraft..most have been satisfied with them.

[Reed Gray]

Well, there is the slow speed Baldor 1 hp. Weighs a lot, and costs $700 or so. Worth every penny, and runs so smooth you don't have to bolt it down. I also have a Tormek which I never use (but would be great for bench chisels and plane irons), and a slow speed Woodcraft which is my roughing grinder, but would like to have a high speed one for that. There is no end to the toys you can get.
robo hippy

[Wilbur Pan]

I also have a Tormek which I never use (but would be great for bench chisels and plane irons)

Just for an alternate point of view, I have a Tormek that I always use for turning tools, and rarely for chisels/plane blades. I like the Tormek a lot.

There are many different ways to the same end. The main advantages that I see to the Tormek are [1] I don't have to worry about inhaling metal and grinder wheel dust, and [2] I'm paranoid about starting a fire from the sparks from a dry wheel grinder. The second issue is probably somewhat unreasonable, but I'm really glad I don't have to deal with the first.

I also think that the edge off the Tormek lasts longer overall between sharpenings, although one could argue that the initial fineness of the edge goes pretty quickly. For a last finish cut, though, I don't think that the edge off the Tormek can be beat.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Steve - another vote for the Woodcraft 8" slow speed grinder and the Wolverine system.

I started out with an el cheapo 6" high speed grinder and it worked just fine. When I moved up to the 8", as per the recommendations of many here on the Creek, I found that the slow speed allowed me to be able to just touch up the edge while not heating up the metal. I also found that I really liked the wider 1" stone as it gave me a larger area to sharpen on without worry of falling off the grinding wheel or cutting a groove with the edge of the stone.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Sounds like a call to Woodcraft is in order today. Thanks again to all.

[Burt Alcantara]

I started with a slow speed grinder & Wolverine. I now have a Tormek T7 but am painfully slow with it. I bought the Tormek mainly for kitchen knives and the fact that there are a lot of turners who use it as a primary sharpener. Perhaps, what threw me over the edge, so to speak, was Richard Raffan, who recommends it in his new "Turning Wood" DVD.

Get the slow speed because it is a great too for shaping and reshaping tools regardless what you end up with for your final edge.

[Greg Haugen]

I'll throw in my vote for a 8" Slow Speed Grinder (Woodcraft model is my current grinder) and the Wolverine system. On a side note with that, I do a far amount of sharpening free hand/platform. Alan Lacer (www.alanlacer.com) is one of the only people (Oneway Dealers) that I know where you can get a second platform so you don't have to flip back and forth between wheels. Even if you don't do a ton of freehand sharpening, it's handy to have that second platform to have it dedicated to your scraper or skew angle. No more checking the bevel angle, etc. I have one set to my skew angle and the other is the one I use for everything else.

I also just saw in Packards catalog, http://www.packardwoodworks.com, they have a different wheel for the tormek for HSS and powder steels, it's a Blackstone Silicon Wheel and runs $179.95, and that's in addition to the tormek. Getting up to approx. $1,000. To me that's just pretty steep. If I would spend that on a sharpening system, as Reed mentioned, I'd go with a Baldor and top quality wheels. That's the cadilac of the systems. A 8" grinder and a good base system (wolverine) are the required components. Along with practice, a light touch, and patience.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I also have the Tormek T7. I have the Woodcraft slow speed grinder that I use to shape my gouges but use the Tormek to sharpen and hone them.

[Robert Parrish]

Just don't buy a Delta 6" VS the Wolverine won't fit without major surgery! I just went through that.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

So many Wolverine users. Must be a good product!

I have and use a Tormek. If you decide to get the Tormek, try it on one of your chisels. Yes, it will take a little while, but IMO it's better than the scary sharp. But I stop at 600 grit. If you go higher, the SS method may be sharper. Very consistent edge, and it's hollow ground, no need for that secondary bevel. Once you get your chisels sharpened, it takes just a little touchup to resharpen. Once set, you can also sharpen all of your chisels without changing anything. Provided they are at the same angle of course. But I'm niether a cabinet pro or turning pro. Just my .02.

And the wife loves it because the kitchen knives are always sharp.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

My vote goes with John. *" slow speed grinder and Wolverine system make the best combo out there. You get sharp edges in seconds and repeatable angles with only one facet.

Don't get much better than that!

Bruce