Grinder

[Tim Thiebaut]

Well as per one of my last posts I have the wolverine sharpening system coming, I am wondering now though after reading some of the posts around here if my grinder will be up to par for it. I have a very good grinder, but it is a 6 inch one, all of the posts regarding the wolverine mention an 8 inch grinder. Will mine work, or will I have to cough up more for another grinder for it to work with? Thanks for any help you can give me on this.

On another note, I am still waiting on my lathe to be delivered to the Rockler store, it will be one month on friday, I was told 10 days, are they always this slow? Tim

[Kelvin Burton]

Tim,
I have the Wolverine jigs with a 6" grinder and it works for me. My setup is not nearly as sophisticated as some of the posts we have both been reading .. but it works :-)

[David Walser]

Well as per one of my last posts I have the wolverine sharpening system coming, I am wondering now though after reading some of the posts around here if my grinder will be up to par for it. I have a very good grinder, but it is a 6 inch one, all of the posts regarding the wolverine mention an 8 inch grinder. Will mine work, or will I have to cough up more for another grinder for it to work with? Thanks for any help you can give me on this.

On another note, I am still waiting on my lathe to be delivered to the Rockler store, it will be one month on friday, I was told 10 days, are they always this slow? Tim

Tim,

Congrats on the new lathe! I don't know what the average delivery time is for a lathe, so I cannot comment on whether Rockler is being slower than usual.

As for your grinder, a 6" grinder will work just fine. Plenty of turners use a 6" grinder. The primary disadvantage of a 6" grinder is that it's wheels are narrower, making it easier to slip off the edge of the wheel while putting a fingernail grind on a gouge. Just pay attention to what you're doing (easier said than done) and this won't be a problem. The other disadvantage to a 6" grinder is more theoretical than real. A 6" grinder produces a more pronounced hollow grind than does an 8" grinder. As a practical matter, the difference in hollow grind is so small it is doubtful you'd be able to tell whether a tool was sharpened on a 6" grinder or an 8" grinder based on the way it feels when cutting the wood.

Good luck and hope this helps!

[alex carey]

6" will do pretty good, 8" is better.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Oh great, that is good news, I mean I dont mind buying new tools, but I spent a BUNDLE this past month! LOL....a least I dont have to worry about the grinder, thanks for the help !! T

[John Keeton]

Tim, some folks double or triple bevel their gouges anyway - even with an 8" grinder. It tends to reduce the bruising that can occur in tight radius cuts.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Tim I used a 6" grinder for about a year. David pretty much said it when he said you have to pay attention to what you are doing. I must say when I got the 8" that it is a lot easier to work with.

[Jim Underwood]

Well as per one of my last posts I have the wolverine sharpening system coming, I am wondering now though after reading some of the posts around here if my grinder will be up to par for it. I have a very good grinder, but it is a 6 inch one, all of the posts regarding the wolverine mention an 8 inch grinder. Will mine work, or will I have to cough up more for another grinder for it to work with? Thanks for any help you can give me on this.


I have a 6 in high speed Delta with a 60 grit and 100 grit stone, and the wolverine system works just fine with it.

In fact I just got it set up last week after giving Doug Thompson a call about how to sharpen a bowl gouge...

Now my Raptor gauges/jigs have my gouges set on the exact angle I want, every time! Now if I could just figure out how to use the gouges right.;)

[Art Kelly]

...some folks double or triple bevel their gouges anyway - even with an 8" grinder. It tends to reduce the bruising that can occur in tight radius cuts.

I hadn't spent much time on tight-radius cuts until I wandered into the Christmas-Ornament sub eddy :eek: of the vortex and couldn't make as finely-detailed finials as I would have liked. This is because the heel of the bevel touches the curve I just cut about 1/8" behind the cutting edge of the gouge.

Does anyone have a photo of multiple bevels on a gouge? I could get a spindle gouge and dedicate it to this purpose, but I'm about over reinventing wheels. And bevels.

Thanks in advance.
Art

[Bill Bolen]

I've been using a 6" for a few years now. However if and when it dies I will move to an 8"...Bill...

[Art Kelly]

Does anyone have a photo of multiple bevels on a gouge?

I found a reference to grinding off the heel of a gouge bevel on the Tormek web-site video for the SVD-185 here: http://www.tormek.com/en/jigs/svd180/video_svd180_en.php It begins at 1:52 on the video. Apparently you don't remove much steel.

Art

[Harry Robinette]

Tim
Check the papers on the wolverine sys. They were going to put something about using 2 peices of 3/4" plywood under the grinder so the grinder sets higher then the clamps that hold the wolverines arms ,and the tools are on the upper half of the wheel .This gives you more wear on the wheel and a better angle on the tool when using a 6" grinder.

[Tim Thiebaut]

I will check that out, and thanks to all for your help and input here! T

[John Keeton]

I found a reference to grinding off the heel of a gouge bevel on the Tormek web-site video for the SVD-185 here: http://www.tormek.com/en/jigs/svd180/video_svd180_en.php It begins at 1:52 on the video. Apparently you don't remove much steel.

ArtArt, the idea is to have a very short "bevel" so that a tight radius is possible without bruising. So, the amount of reduction in the bevel would depend on the customary usage. Triple bevels would accomplish this with less overall metal removed I suspect. In any event, I would not do this on my primary roughing bowl gouge as you would want the extra metal there. I think a dedicated gouge for finish cuts would be the prime candidate.

Most folks that do this kind of free hand it since the additional angles are not critical.

[Don Geiger]

Dear Fellow Woodturners:

I went through the comments quickly and I don’t think this has been covered:

If one were to take two identical gouges and ground each to identical bevel angles on two different sized wheels, the one sharpened on the smaller wheel will have a more acute edge. This is due to the difference in the radii of the hollow grinds.

The one with a more acute edge will cut more aggressively, will wear more quickly and will vibrate more on the wood.

My advice to persons that ask is: If you already have a 6” grinder- use it. If you don’t own a grinder or when you want to add a grinder, opt for an 8”. However, if you own any grinder with less than 1” wide wheels and you are going to be sharpening gouges using a jig, I advise against it. A 1” wide wheel is much safer.

When setting any grinder, read the instructions provided with your jig system to determine the recommended axle height. Especially in the case of a 6" grinder, you may need to elevate it.


Don Geiger

[Art Kelly]

... I think a dedicated gouge for finish cuts would be the prime candidate.

Obviously, gouges are like chucks: You can't have too many. I like Bernie's scheme. I'll be back to bowls and vases after the holidays and am going to get three more 1/2" bowl gouges before I start.

Art