Flat or hollow grind for lathe chisels?

[Alan Zenreich]

I know that most turners use an 8" bench grinder to sharpen their chisels.

It's a quick, convenient and relatively inexpensive setup.

The curve of the wheel produces a shallow hollow grind.

My question is... which would you really prefer? My grinding setup (a Bader III 2"x72" belt grinder) can be configured to use an 8" hard rubber wheel, or a flat steel platen behind the belt.

In my case, it's just as simple for me to create a flat grind as a hollow grind.

Some folk prefer a hollow grind to make it easier for them to hone on a stone... others prefer flat grind (especially on skews).

So taking the equipment out of the equation for the moment (and assuming exactly the same effort of grinding an edge)... given your preferences, which grind type would you set up for?

[Bob Bergstrom]

I think we are beginning to see the altering of bevels to improve our turning. Sorby now has a belt grinder, and the latest issue of one of the woodturning magazines has an article on converting belt sanders to use in grinding wood turning tools. Many turners are grinding away the heel of the bevel to assist in turning the corner in bowls(the heel only leaves compression marks anyway). Some advocate a convex shape on the inside of the bevel. If you want to hone the bevel, hollow grind it. If you don't, try the straight grind. I modify a lot of my bevels.

[Thom Sturgill]

I hone, so I prefer the hollow grind. That said, I also round off most of the heel and
I have started grinding my skew chisel with a rounded face (opposite of hollow ground) as shown by Jimmy Clewes to see if I like that better.

[Gregory Cowart]

Check this system out. I ordered it and I am waiting for it to arrive. Greg

http://www.bigtreetools.com/products/sharpening-machine.html