Sharpening System Questions

[Kevin Votenz]

I am just recently bought a Delat 460 lathe and a set of Sorby turning tools ( Includes a 3/4'' roughing gouge, 3/8'' bowl gouge, 3/8'' spindle gouge, 1/2'' round-nose scraper, 3/4'' skew with oval shank and 1/8'' parting tool) and am starting to look into a sharpensystem to use.

I have to talked to someone that has the Tormek T7 and loves it stating that it gives him a very sharp tool every time. But the Tormek are expensive. I have seen that Grizzly also has a 10" wet grinder for much less $$$ but how are there jigs and will the Tormek jigs work and which ones are better.

I have also looked into a sharpening system at Woodcraft that includes the grinder and the Wolverine sharpening jig (http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2085963/45175/Woodturner's-Sharpening-Kit.aspx).

Looking for opions on the two systems, pros/cons between them and what other jigs would I need to sharpen the tools that I have.

My local Woodcraft store is having a sharpening demo next week Saturday and I am planning on attending and just wanted some feedback before going.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Duane Meadows]

Should give you an idea or 2...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zUph9zEjck

http://www.packardwoodworks.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=packard&Category_Code=sharp-trugrin

[Thomas Heck]

Wolverine System and Slow Speed Grinder work great for me. But, I've never used the system you mentioned. It good be great also.

[Richard Coers]

Tormek or knockoffs work great if you don't want to change the chisel profile. If you have to take the wings off a bowl gouge, removing 1/8" of hard high speed steel, you would prefer the Woodcraft/Wolverine system.

[Roger Chandler]

I have the wolverine system and a Jet [knock off of the Tormek] wet sharpening system. For turning, I would much rather have the wolverine system for lathe tools. I added a CBN wheel to my grinder, and I don't think you can get a better system for turning gouges, etc.

The slow speed wet grinder will do fine for just touching up the edge, but if you need to do any heavy grinding then the wolverine is the best of both worlds............less expensive as well and is the standard system that is most used by turners for a reason.........it just plain works!

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I have four grinders in my shop. (Don't ask). My latest acquisition was a Grizz slow speed wet grinder. I bought it because the already low price was further reduced by 20 bucks and I had cheap access to a Tormek Bowl gouge jig. After trying it, I decided it was too much hassle filling a water trough for each turning session. I do like it for sharpening spindle gouges. The technique I use lends itself to the slow speed wet stone.
However, I wouldn't suggest a slow speed wet stone as my only sharpening system for lathe tools even though lots of great turners swear by them. There are just too many times I want to quickly remove metal. Spend your money on an inexpensive 8" bench grinder and a CBN wheel.
faust

[Josh Bowman]

Kevin, it's very easy to buy duplicate tools, I know, I've done it and do it all the time. I started with a tormek and swore by it. It does a fine job, but alas the mythological sirens began calling and I found a bargain on a wolverine system. The wolverine is not as messy, setup is about the same until you switch to a different class of tool, like a scraper or skew and then that's where I found the wolverine is some faster. Don't get me wrong, I'll not sell my tormek, it puts one of the finest edges on a tool. But woodturning will remove that fine edge in a heart beat. So for the money and the ease, I'd go with a wolverine, $100+- slow speed grinder and a CBN wheel. At that I think you'll be $$$ ahead......unless you hear the sirens calling.

[Reed Gray]

I think that the Wolverine set up is by far the most popular sharpening system that is marketed and sold. I do have a Tormek, some 20 years old, and all I use it for is my kitchen knives. The most versatile set up would be a 3/4 hp grinder with CBN wheels. The CBN wheels are by far the best grinding wheels available, and though they cost you a bit more, they save you money in the long run. I prefer the 1 1/2 inch wide wheels ( D Way and Optigrind), though 1 inch wheels are available (Craft Supplies and Packard, oh, and from Canada, the Cuttermaster). Personally, I haven't used a gouge jig in years. I found free hand sharpening to be much faster and efficient. Now, Lyle does claim that you grind off more steel by free hand sharpening, a point that I will dispute. A number of free hand sharpeners will use very coarse wheels (60 grit), which will remove steel faster, especially if you are heavy handed.

This is a link to a clip I shot with a friend of mine because he does things differently than I do. Interesting point is the Sorby gouge jig. The thing I like about is that the pivot point slides on a bar so you don't grind away the center of the wheel, though that isn't a problem with the CBN wheels. If you scroll down a bit, I have a clip on free hand sharpening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdZ4iDyPhWo

robo hippy

[Guy Belleman]

I have produced good sharpening on 6" and 8", slow and fast, speed grinders. The sharp tool is produced by technique rather than the grinder, although grinders do need an after market table to align the process. There are many good examples of how to sharpen tools. Gwinnett Woodworkers makes probably the best series of 6 videos on sharpening, video 1 is at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ljhd_WbAOw For quite a while I used Richard Raffan, Stuart Batty and Mike Mahoney techniques, but now use the Wolverine method. Cindy Drozda has a very good video on YouTube on sharpening. There are many good videos on YouTube. Craft Supplies USA has one on the Wolverine system at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZYnlg1k6DI. Not sure all of the accessories are really needed though. Highland Woodworking has a good video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31pzViUhJuQ Lyle Jamieson has many good videos on sharpening, although dated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zUph9zEjck. Although I use the Wolverine guide, I use my own sliding pocket, as I just didn't need that long metal tubes of the Wolverine system and needed to be more portable. When in a bind, I have produced sharp tools on a belt sander too. Good luck.

[Mike Peace]

+1 on 8" slow speed grinder and Wolverine setup. A downside of the Tormek is you are not nearly as able to get any help from a fellow turner in learning how to get the right profile. If you go to a hands-on turning class you are almost certainly going to have access to a grinder/Wolverine setup - Not a Tormek.

[John Thorson]

`The Woodcraft package would be a great sharpening station, more than a starter system. I may not have read carefully enough but it needs a wheel dresser to keep those wheels clean, flat and good-cutting. CBN wheels can be added as a later upgrade to this setup.

[Thom Sturgill]

`The Woodcraft package would be a great sharpening station, more than a starter system. I may not have read carefully enough but it needs a wheel dresser to keep those wheels clean, flat and good-cutting. CBN wheels can be added as a later upgrade to this setup.

A *good* wheel dresser (OneWay ~ $70, Geiger ~ $90) plus a balancing system (Oneway ~ $70) is a significant portion of the cost of a CBN wheel (D-Way ~ $185). Neither is needed with a CBN. Until you've used a properly dressed wheel, you do not realize how much problem an out of true wheel can be, and how nearly impossible it is to dress a wheel true by hand with those T-shaped dressers.

[robert baccus]

I recently found a sharpening wheel that looks like the CBN wheel (8") but is available with various grits of diamond. Just over $200--anyone with experience or opinions with the diamond wheel. I love my diamond 6" discs for honing.

[Paul Gilbert]

I have the Wolverine setup with CBN wheels and a Tormek T-7. The wolverine gets used on all of my lathe tools and the Tormek sits in a corner of the shop and gets used occasionally on knives, plane irons, and jointer blades. I think the edge the CBN wheel puts on a gouge is unsurpassed, especially Thompson's gouges which are my primary tools.

I have my skews ground in the Alan Lacer manner. I tried in vane to grind them on the Tormek and finally gave up. I would like to meet some one who can sharpen a big skew with a Lacer grind on a Tormek. With the slow speed grinder fitted with a CBN wheel and an aftermarket tool rest it is a simple exercise.

[Reed Gray]

Diamond is great for grinding things like carbide, glass, concrete, masonry, and ceramics. It breaks down fairly quickly if you sharpen steel on it. Not sure why. There was a diamond wheel that Woodcraft had out for a while, and it is 3/16 inch of matrix bonded onto an aluminum hub. Cindy Drozda has a You Tube clip up on using one with a brush that has oil on it. Guess it works better for that. CBN is designed specifically for hardened steel.

robo hippy

[Pat Scott]

A downside of the Tormek is you are not nearly as able to get any help from a fellow turner in learning how to get the right profile.

Kevin if you get the Tormek and need help getting the right profile, let me know.

I have both Tormek and dry grinder with Wolverine jig. I do like the profile that the Tormek puts on my bowl and spindle gouges. I know you can use the Tormek jigs on a dry grinder, I have the mount to do it, but just haven't got around to setting it up yet.

A CBN wheel is on my buy list as soon as my Norton 3X wheel wears down a little more. I use the Tormek for bowl and spindle gouges, and the dry grinder for everything else. I think once I get a CBN and set up the dry grinder to use the Tormek jig, I might sell the Tormek.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I would like to meet some one who can sharpen a big skew with a Lacer grind on a Tormek.

Use the upper mount. Just like you use a dry grinder.

My 1-1/4" Sorby and the Lacer grind. I like the Tormek and the edge I get, but obviously us Tormek users are in the vast minority.

[John Thorson]

The story on the diamond grinder wheels is that the heat activates the natural affinity of the diamond to bind with the carbon in the steel, weakening the diamond on the wheel. The CBN wheels on the other hand should not be used to grind anything but HSS. Some folks say they will clean up over time if you do grind other metals on them but I would rather not test this theory. What I'm using on a daily basis is a 80 grit Norton ceramic (no wheel balancer needed, I may have gotten lucky) and the 180 grit D-Way CBN mentioned earlier.

[Garth Sheane]

Like most others here, I use the Wolverine system. Someone else mentioned a balancing system, which in my opinion is a must. I have used bench grinders without balancing and the difference is wonderful. Trying to sharpen a chisel with a vibration happening is absolutely frustrating, especially if you are a beginner. They are worth the money and you only need to buy them once.

[Reed Gray]

Garth,
The wheel balancing systems are like CBN wheels, you only have to buy them once, but they don't need a balancing system or a dressing/truing set either. Yes, I am very pro CBN......

robo hippy