Intro and a couple questions

[Jeremiah Tyson]

Hello everyone. I've been signed up on the forum for who knows how long, but haven't posted until now. I've acquired some basic wood tools to play with and hopefully make some cool stuff out of over the last few months. The one I've been playing with the last few days is a lathe. Nothing terribly fancy, but I feel like I got a good deal on it. It belonged to an elderly man who passed away and left it to his son who never got around to even turning it on, let alone using it.

Delta 46-700 that came mounted on a decent home built cabinet, has a couple different type of tool rests, a 3 jaw chuck, a 4 jaw chuck for a round tenon, a handful of different size face plates, a drill adapter for the tail stock, about 25 various tools and a whole lot of various pieces of wood. Probably missed some other stuff too. All for $400.

I did some reading and a lot of people said it is a mediocre lathe and that will probably be perfect as I'll likely be a mediocre turner for a while. If I decide I like this, I may upgrade down the line. For now this is a budget setup that I just want to self teach on as much as I can.

Now questions.

Is a jig a must for correct sharpening on tools? If so, I know I've seen the Wolverine, but has anyone found any plans for building one similar? I'd rather save the coin and make my own if I can.

When sharpening tools, is a 60 grit aluminum oxide wheel sufficient? I know I could spend $750 on a slow speed grinder and metal diamond coated wheels, but at this point, that isn't an option, so I'm just looking to see if what I already have is okay and not going to ruin anything.

If a tool is already sharpened very poorly, is there a way to reset the bevel to a general degree like you would on a knife with a damaged cutting edge? Without affecting the hardness of the tool of course.

Is there any specific type of tool steel used to make these tools? I possess the ability to make my own metal tools, but don't ever make anything with a cutting edge, so I wouldn't be sure what material to use.

Can I grind the straight tool rest edge smooth without concern for the hardness of that metal? It was apparently a victim of some hefty catches in the past and has a few serious divots on it that impede my ability to slide my tool evenly.

I am VERY green to all this so I appreciate any info anyone has. I made a mess of a couple pine 2x2s to test tools out and then turned a small handle out of black walnut. Otherwise I have zero experience and only slightly more knowledge from what I've read online and watched videos on.

[Dennis Peacock]

Hello Jeremiah :)
Questions you asked....sure. We all had lots of questions when we all first started turning wood. Isn't is amazing how obtaining a lathe brings about questions, curiosity, and money flying out of one's wallet!! :D

IMHO, a sharpening jig is critical for repeatable sharpening that helps minimize the amount of metal lost with each sharpening. I use a 100 grit A/O wheel on a 1750 RPM grinder. I also have a 60 grit on the other side of the grinder for tools that need reshaping or putting a good edge on a new or new-to-me tool.

If you have HSS tools, you don't have to worry about heat as much as you do with standard carbon tools. Besides, the HSS tools will hold a good edge longer than standard carbon steel tools. Can you sharpen on a standard grinder that is not a slow speed? Sure. You just need to pay attention to pressure during sharpening and keep the tool edges as cool as possible during the grind. The good thing about using a jig for sharpening is that you are repeating what you've done before, so time sharpening is just really quick because you are just "touching up" that edge to cut once again.

Oh, and don't buy tools in a "set". Buy the tools you need and then build your tool collection from there. Ask questions like crazy and then educate yourself on each phase and make the best educated decision you can to help save you both time and money in the long run.

Welcome to turning!! :D :)

[Gary Baler]

That is a lot of info to answer ... but the answer is simple. Find a woodturners club near you. Go to a meeting ... meet a mentor ... spend a couple of hours with the mentor ... Waaa Laaa ... Is that spelled correctly? You will have these questions and many more answered. Example: Yes you need a jig to sharpen. No. You don't need to spend $750. There is a good slow speed grinder available for $99 and a good jig abailable for $99. They will pay for themselves in a year or so if you turn a lot. If not, you can probably sell them for most of what you have in them. Find a mentor. You will save lots and lots of time and money ... and reduce your frustration level ... and get on the right path immediately. Have fun ... its a great trip.

[John Grace]

A 60 grit is more of a 'shaping' stone...you want something in the 100-120 grit as your sharpening stone. Having both stones will allow you to re-shape a tool's bevel angle and then sharpen. CBN wheels are considered one of the premium methods these days, they are quite expensive and the traditional stones will 'get you there' while you figure things out. And while a slow speed grinder if preferred, you can obtain a reasonable edge with any grinder with the correct grit wheel.

Do you need an expensive jig? No...but you would be best using some sort of jig or platform with preset angles. The idea is repeatability...you want to be able to recreate the same angle on your bevel over and over. Look at either the Veritas grinding platform or Robo Hippy's platform sharpening platform...both are readily affordable and do excellent jobs.

If I was faced with your dilemma on the tool rest...I would try and grind it 'straight and clean'. Tool rests are readily available if that doesn't work out for you.

A turning club and mentor is a great way to learn quickly but there not always practical...and if not, you'll find many great videos either on YouTube or the WoodTurner's Resource web site that can readily demonstrate just about anything you'll ever want to do or adapt to.

While you asked many of the same questions I had early on with respects to tools and turning, I noticed you didn't ask anything about safety. Turning and the eventual sanding produces a tremendous amount of dust so you'll also want to find a good respirator system that works for you as well as some form of faceshield. You'll also find numerous videos on turning safely from both a physical vantage point (i.e. body positioning, etc) and air quality.

Good luck and welcome...hope you enjoy the hobby.


Hello everyone. I've been signed up on the forum for who knows how long, but haven't posted until now. I've acquired some basic wood tools to play with and hopefully make some cool stuff out of over the last few months. The one I've been playing with the last few days is a lathe. Nothing terribly fancy, but I feel like I got a good deal on it. It belonged to an elderly man who passed away and left it to his son who never got around to even turning it on, let alone using it.

Delta 46-700 that came mounted on a decent home built cabinet, has a couple different type of tool rests, a 3 jaw chuck, a 4 jaw chuck for a round tenon, a handful of different size face plates, a drill adapter for the tail stock, about 25 various tools and a whole lot of various pieces of wood. Probably missed some other stuff too. All for $400.

I did some reading and a lot of people said it is a mediocre lathe and that will probably be perfect as I'll likely be a mediocre turner for a while. If I decide I like this, I may upgrade down the line. For now this is a budget setup that I just want to self teach on as much as I can.

Now questions.

Is a jig a must for correct sharpening on tools? If so, I know I've seen the Wolverine, but has anyone found any plans for building one similar? I'd rather save the coin and make my own if I can.

When sharpening tools, is a 60 grit aluminum oxide wheel sufficient? I know I could spend $750 on a slow speed grinder and metal diamond coated wheels, but at this point, that isn't an option, so I'm just looking to see if what I already have is okay and not going to ruin anything.

If a tool is already sharpened very poorly, is there a way to reset the bevel to a general degree like you would on a knife with a damaged cutting edge? Without affecting the hardness of the tool of course.

Is there any specific type of tool steel used to make these tools? I possess the ability to make my own metal tools, but don't ever make anything with a cutting edge, so I wouldn't be sure what material to use.

Can I grind the straight tool rest edge smooth without concern for the hardness of that metal? It was apparently a victim of some hefty catches in the past and has a few serious divots on it that impede my ability to slide my tool evenly.

I am VERY green to all this so I appreciate any info anyone has. I made a mess of a couple pine 2x2s to test tools out and then turned a small handle out of black walnut. Otherwise I have zero experience and only slightly more knowledge from what I've read online and watched videos on.

[Michael Mills]

In regards to the sharpening jig; here is one from Cap'n Eddie and there are lots of other plans on the web. Since you can make your own tools you can probably make a jig like the Cap'n from all metal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i9RDnJHz9g

For tool steel HSS is normally used. Some places sell bits which are maximum 8" length and up to 1/2" round or square. WTTools usually has a decent selection at reasonable prices. It is tough to find stock over 1/2" wide. A lot of your current tools may not be HSS and that is OK. You just have to be more careful when sharpening and quench often. With 25 tools already I would not buy any until you find what you really need.

For the tool rest I would use a file. If you use a sander with wet/dry to finish you will want to use the longest pad available in order to keep the rest dead straight.

[Tom Beatty]

Lots of questions and I agree join a club in your area, just check AAW website and you can find one close.
Grinder - i like a low speed grinder , but some good turners use a hugh speed grinder and turn directly off a 60 grit wheel.
Jig - you do not need one, but it really helps espicially when you are just srarting. Captain has plans he sells fir making jigs, or giveasaway, nit sure. I made my first jig to look like a wolverine, but used a wooden drawer slide and a chest corner fitting and it worked until I could afford the wolverine. Go to you tube and check out thd videos, you can learn a lot, but try to stick to some of the better known turners since there are some videos which show some dangerous ways to turn.
Ood luck and enjoy

[Aaron Craven]

Welcome from one greenhorn to another!

I sharpened freehand on a belt sander for many months before I got a good deal on a slow speed grinder and Wolverine setup. I would have tried to build my own jig, but my flatwork sills are pretty dismal. It is possible to sharpen freehand, but depending on the tool, it is difficult and wastes steel (though for some tools like simple scrapers, all you really need is a good adjustable table on your grinder). I never got my bowl gouge as sharp with the belt sander either. I suppose my point is that you shouldn't let lack of a grinder/jig hold you back from learning and practicing, but I'd suggest getting on as soon as possible.

Other than that, I definitely agree HSS steel is a good idea, and finding a club/mentor can make a huge difference.

Welcome to the vortex!

[Reed Gray]

Like Gary said, find the nearest club. Probably more help than you need. You will most likely find mentors and used tools as well.

60 grit is a bit coarse, but some use them. You don't need jigs to sharpen, and platform or free hand sharpening isn't as difficult as most people think. I have some sharpening clips up on You Tube, and a bunch of bowl turning clips. Type in robo hippy.

Most people will find jig sharpening more simple, and you can make a lot of your own jigs if you are handy with other tools in the shop.

robo hippy

[Dennis Ford]

I think you got a good deal on the lathe / tools.
* "Is a jig a must for correct sharpening on tools?" Not in my opinion but many turners would disagree. Nearly all of my local turner friends use a jig but only a few of them get what I consider a good shape of the cutting edge. There is a learning curve whether you use a jig or do "free-hand" sharpening.

* 60 grit aluminum oxide will work - a finer grit on the other wheel would be better IMO.

* You can reshape the grind any way that you want. If the tool is carbon steel, be careful to keep it cool or be prepared to harden and temper afterwards.

* The better tools are High Speed Steel (M2, M4, M42 or powder metal) with considerable effort spent on hardening and tempering.

* Do whatever you need to but get the tool rest straight and smooth. It is most likely cast iron.

[Thom Sturgill]

If the nicks in the tool rest are not too deep, a good long mill file is your best bet to keep it straight. Fastening the file to the edge of a 2x makes a good handle for leveling. Wax the rest after you re-shape it.

What size is your grinder? A 6" wheel tends to put too much hollow grind on the tools, and a high speed grinder may burn them. AO is fine for carbon or M2 HSS. (M2 is the most common variety) CBN, not diamond, is recommended for advanced powdered metal steels like v11 and M42. CBN wheels can be had for about $150 (2 for $250). Capt Eddie has plans for an inexpensive grinding jig or you can buy a kit from him. There are plenty of plans available on the net. I started with a home brew wooden jig in the wolverine arm.

[Brian Kent]

I will just go against the common wisdom on tools. I started out with the Harbor Freight HSS tool set. I still use all of them. The first thing I added was a top quality bowl gouge, which I have used massively.

[Jeremiah Tyson]

Wow thanks to everyone for all the info. I'll have to snap some pictures of what I have and take stock on what type of tools I have exactly. I don't really want to dump any more money into this venture until I find out if it is something I want to continue doing. I don't want to spend a load and then find out in 3 months I'm tired of making the same bowls and spindles over and over.

The grinder I'm working with is just a Craftsman high speed 6" bench grinder. I know it isn't ideal, but it is what I have for now, and likely what I'll have for a while. I'll see if I can source a good deal on a finer wheel. Currently it has a 36 grit on one side and the 60 grit on the other.

I think I'll do some looking at jigs and see if I can build my own with scrap metal I've got around the shop. I have an abundance of that, and more time than money, so may as well put my welding skills/tools to work.

I'll see if I can find a club here in town. I'm sure there is something. I'll definitely watch some videos on youtube. Honestly that would be my preferred method to learn anyway considering the majority of my free time is after 11:00PM.

On the tool rest, what kind of wax should I use after I refinish it?

[Thom Sturgill]

Bee's wax or paraffin either one should work. Since many of us use bee's wax for some finishes, its what's handy to me. It just provides that little extra bit of lube to make sliding the tool easier and does not mess up the wood like machine oil might.