Tormek Honing

[Burt Alcantara]

When I hone a gouge on the right wing, I can barely keep the wing on the wheel. I'm not even sure the wing is getting honed. The wmv file I got somewhere shows a gouge being honed so quickly that you can barely make out that it is mostly off the wheel.

So far, I've been using a 1/2" gouge but I recently got a new 5/8 which I will probably become the dominant gouge. I'm wondering if I'll be able to get that honed at all.

Comments?

Burt

[David Christopher]

Bert, Ive got the jet cloneand Ive had no problems honing my 5/8s thompson

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Do you have the DVD? It pretty much explains the gouge jig. You do have the gouge jig don't you? Thats the best jig to do your gouges.....

[Jim McFarland]

For the Thompson 1/2" V bowl gouge, I use:
SVD-185, Jig Setting 2, and using the TTS-100 tool setter a projection of 65 mm and tool rest bar offset using hole "A" on the TTS-100. Result for me is almost identical to the grind I got from Doug.

For the 1/2" spindle gouge, I use:
SVD-185, JS=2, P=55 and hole "B" for tool rest bar. Again, nearly identical to grind I got from Doug.

In both cases, I grind until I just feel a burr on the entire cutting edge (assuming I'm not removing a nick), then move to leather honing wheel.

I set the leather honing wheel tool rest projection using same respective TTS-100 holes.

[Wilbur Pan]

An easy way to see if there are spots on your gouge that are not being honed is to color the bevel with a Sharpie, then hone it. If the Sharpie ink is worn away, then you know it was honed in that spot.

As for keeping the wing on the wheel, with a 1/2" Thompson bowl gouge, I often find myself working on one wing, then sliding the jig over a little bit, and then working on the other wing. If I am real careful about positioning the gouge so that it is right in the center of the wheel, I can do both sides, but doing one side and then the other works very well.

[Ryan Baker]

You need to move the jig sideways as you are rolling from one side to the other as necessary to stay on the wheel. If you try to just leave it in the middle, you will easily run off the edge, and you will also wear a groove in the middle of the wheel faster. Regardless of what type of tool you are sharpening, keep moving it back and forth to use the whole surface of the wheel.

[Kurt Whitley]

When I use the jig, I cannot hone all of the way up the right wing because the 185 jig bumps into the support post for the universal tool support.
I like a grind with about 1" of wing and simply cannot go far enough to the right to hone the entire wing.
Maybe I'm missing something obvious, but it seems impossible to me.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I use a 5/8" and 1/2" gouge on the tormek. I do like Wilbur does and do 1/2 of the gouge then slide the jig over a little bit and do the other half.

[Burt Alcantara]

Kurt is the only one that is getting what I'm saying. The jig prevents the tool from advancing to the right so when the gouge is laid down flat on the wing it is already off the honing wheel.

There is a similar problem with the honing wheel but going in the other direction, i.e., grinding the left wing. If one wanted a severely deep winged 5/8 or larger gouge, then it would be easy to fall off the right side of the grinding wheel.

As it is, the 1/2 gets a good flat on the left side but larger gouges barely stay on the wheel.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I apologize, I misunderstood the question.

You grind a very long wing. I can see your problem now. Working off of memory, could you get more protrusion and change the angle, to get the same grind? Or I should say similar grind, since it won't be the same.

I free hand hone. Too much effort in moving the support. Yeah, not as exact, but easy.

[Mike Meredith]

I had the same problem. I cut off about 3/4" of the slide tube. This allows the gouge to rotate evenly over the wheel.

[Darryl Hansen]

Jeff Farris (Mr Tormek USA) says the 185 jig will preclude you from honing your bowl gouge

[Ryan Baker]

Yeah, i've had that problem too. Some grinds just don't work on the Tormek jig.