Wolverine Jig

[Tim Thiebaut]

I have some questions regarding my new sharpening jig, I would really appreciate some input from you all...

1. My grinder has "6 wheels, I was told this was basicly setup for an "8 wheel for best performance, I know from talking to a lot of folks here that my 6" will work ok, my question is this, in the instructions it shows sertting the center line of the wheel at approx. 6 1/4 to 6 1/2 inches above the spacer plate. Since the 6" wheel is smaller then the 8", do I need to compensate for this by raiseing my grinder a little further?

2. When I picked up the new sil-carbide wheels the other day they only had the "fine" grit, since I am useing brand new tools can I get by with just this one for now, or do I need the coarse grit right away?

3. I believe it was Mr. Keaton that recommended I get the vari-grind "2" jig....will crud I made the mistake and got the regular vari-grind in. Will this work ok, or should I send it back and get the vari-grind 2?

Thanks for your input, sorry if this seem like dumb questions I just want to try and get it setup right from the start.

[John Keeton]

Tim, as to the first question, the instructions from One-Way state -

With some grinders (particularly 6 inch grinders) it may be necessary to
mount your grinder on a spacer approximately one inch thick to achieve the
6-1/4 minimum dimension. This will be necessary if any part of the base

interferes with the wheel guards and when using the ONEWAY Dressing

Jig.


I think the "fine" grit wheels should work OK.

As to your third question, actually I prefer the Vari-grind original, though I do understand the possible dangers associated with dropping a tool off the edge of the stone. With the one you have, there are more possibilities IMO for sharpening, but you must be careful. If the tool slips off the stone, it is possible for the jig to contact the stone and create a disaster. I think that problem has arisen as a result of using too much force on the tool. When I sharpen, I use a very light touch, and do not keep the tool on the stone more than a few seconds.

And, finally, the only "dumb" questions are the ones that go unasked!!;)

[Tim Thiebaut]

Hi thanks for getting back to me, and good, I must have had it backwards, now I am happy I got the regular vari-grind! I should be able to finish mounting the grinder today then and hopefully be ready to do some turning soon, I want to have everything ready before I get to far into it, although I did finish getting the new lathe setup yesterday! I will try and get some pictures taken today to show folks, although I have to warn everyone, if I dont have "the" smallest shop, I am at least in the running, especialy considering how many tools I have packed into it!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Tim - I started off with a 6" grinder and did have to use a block to get to the right height. Also, fine grit wheels work great - just take a little longer if you are changing the profile on a tool. Right now I am using a 120 grit and a 150 grit wheel and am very happy with the combination. Remember to use light pressure when grinding and check the edge often until you get the hang of it.

[Jim Silva]

My grinder at the shop is 8" but the one I have at home for my mini lathe is the Delta 6". With this grinder you not only have the height difference but it's base won't allow you to center the wolverine's base under the wheel. To solve that I mounted the grinder on a 3/4" piece of plywood raised above the bench by a few inches and mounted the base units UNDER the plywood base. This allowed me to center the unit on the wheels and still have full functionality.

I found it necessary to add a small wooden block into the vee arm pocket to re-raise me to the proper height on the wheel but it works fine and can go between work and home with the same tools and settings on the vari-grind without adjustments other than to the length of the arm.
(Someone with a better grasp of geometry could most likely overcome that minor change easily but it's beyond my limited math skills lol)

Jim

[Prashun Patel]

I was counselled to use AO wheels. The SiC wheels can run hot. At any rate, don't make the same mistake I made with my first wheels of pressing hard. Once your bevel and sweep are set, it really just takes a very light touch to resharpen. Pressing only burns, makes furrows, and wastes both steel and stone (DAMHIKT).

[Bernie Weishapl]

You have gotten good advice and would only add I like the original vari-grind over the 2. I have used both.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Thanks to all of you guys, the amount of knowedgely here is amazing, and you all have been very friendly and open, I truely appreciate it!

[Tim Thiebaut]

So this morning I finished getting my grinder setup, it is all ready to go now, I have an old set of Harbor Frieght turning tools that are about 20 years old I figured I will practise on these before I even think about letting my brand new set of Ben's Best touch that wheel. So I "eye-balled" the bevel with a roughing gouge and a scraper, the difference was almost immediate, tons sharper then they were before in no time. But I did notice that my eye-balling the bevel left a new grind somewhat over/higher then the old grind. How do you all make sure you have the bevel set just right for any given tool? Is there a guage that is supposed to be used, or do you all eye-ball it as I did today? If I sharpen a bowl gouge, then sharpen a skew....then a few minutes later need to touch up my bowl gouge again....how do I get it set exactly the same as before?

Thanks for any help I didnt want to start another thread since it is related to the op.

[Clint Baxter]

One way to match the bevel is to color the entire bevel with a permanent marker and then just touch it lightly to the grinding wheel so you can see where it's grinding. Adjust until you get it just where you want it.

I use a piece of 1/4 baltic birch plywood as a gauge to set my v-support. I cut it so it is the correct distance between the mount and the tool support. Make it a rectangle and use the other dimension for a different setting. Write the tools it's set for on the spacer and you're set. Just place the spacer on top of the arm, slide it in till it's snug and lock it into place. Instant repeatability. If you decide to shorten your distance as your grinding wheel wears down, it's easy to just trim a little off the setup gauge.

Good Luck

Clint

[Jake Helmboldt]

Tim, I have not yet done this, but Stu Ablett in Tokyo has a youtube video of some plywood templates he made to quickly set the extension of the main support (that holds the skew handle or leg of the Vari-Grind). The key is to have repeatable settings for the Vari-Grind and the extension of the tool rest (outward from the grinder). So a simple pice of plywood or similar can be cut to the proper dimension to set the distance from the "pocket" to the face of the wheel. Or you could make marks on the toolrest for determining extension.

Also, as an FYI, you set the bevel angle by moving the support in and out, not by adjusting the leg of the Vari-Grind. Changing the leg angle is used to change the sweep of the wings (though it will affect the nose angle as well, so you need to compensate for that with the extension adjustment.

[Prashun Patel]

I make marks on the v-arm and the base. Per recomendations, I follow Doug Thompson's advice of using the same projection of the tool tip over the end of the varigrind and the angle arm of the vg constant for all of my gouges. If you're like me, it might take some experimentation with the 3 variables until you find something that feels right. If you get a real good intuitive feel for the effect of the 3 variables on the sweep and bevel, you are a better man than I.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Ok, I wll see about making some templates to guage my angle with, thank you for the input!

@ Prashun - If you make a mark on the v-arm, as the tip of the tool is worn down from grinding, wont the angle of bevel actatly change as the tool gets shorter?

[John Keeton]

At first, I marked my Wolverine arm for the settings. Now, I just put the tool in the Vari-grind and match the existing angle against the stone. It may vary by a degree, but that would be all. I never change the setting - same for all tools, and I have a wooden block on the side of my bench with a hole in it that is 2.75" deep, as I recall (whatever the recommended extension is.) I use this method for my spindle gouge, detail gouges, and bowl gouges. The only variable is the amount of "swing" of the tool to sweep the wings, and the amount of time spent initially on the sides, etc. to get the correct profile.

[Roger Chandler]

The gauge block I use has a 1-3/4 hole in it........I think that is the one recommended, if I am not mistaken. I like the way John sets his gouge against the wheel to get the correct bevel.......I do the same, and I get a consistent bevel without having to change the vari-grind jig, but as the grinding wheel gets smaller, then adjusting the length of the arm on the wolverine set up will take care of that.

Hope this helps.