Sharpening Jigs

[Holmes Anderson]

I'm considering buying or making a sharpening jig and would like to hear some opinions. I build mostly furniture and cabinetry so I don't use a lathe every day and can't justify buying an expensive sharpening system just for turning tools. I have a bench grinder and a narrow belt sander-grinder like this https://www.elitetools.ca/en/product/viel-s-5-m-sander-grinder/# . I mainly sharpen my turning tools freehand with the narrow belt sander-grinder. Does the added precision of a sharpening jig make a big difference in the finished work or just make sharpening easier? Are there any jigs (homemade or off-the-shelf) that would work with a narrow belt sander-grinder? Any that accommodate a rounded edge skew?

[Reed Gray]

I sharpen every thing on a platform, and change the angles as necessary. That belt sander you have can do all of the sharpening you need. Most do not readily take to platform and free hand sharpening. Skews and scrapers are pretty easy, and a platform is how most sharpen these tools. Bowl gouges are another matter. Since I was doing a lot of turning, it was simple for me to make that transition. I do have a sharpening video up showing how I use the platform. You Tube

As for sharpening jigs, by far, the most popular is the Oneway Wolverine system.

robo hippy

[John K Jordan]

I'm considering buying or making a sharpening jig and would like to hear some opinions. I build mostly furniture and cabinetry so I don't use a lathe every day and can't justify buying an expensive sharpening system just for turning tools. I have a bench grinder and a narrow belt sander-grinder like this https://www.elitetools.ca/en/product/viel-s-5-m-sander-grinder/# . I mainly sharpen my turning tools freehand with the narrow belt sander-grinder. Does the added precision of a sharpening jig make a big difference in the finished work or just make sharpening easier? Are there any jigs (homemade or off-the-shelf) that would work with a narrow belt sander-grinder? Any that accommodate a rounded edge skew?

A jig makes sharpening spindle and bowl gouges much easier and more consistent and without grinding away a lot of steel.
Some tools, such as skews, scrapers, and spindle roughing gouge I sharpen

You can build something that works for nearly zero cost. Many people have made sharpening jigs. Some years ago a friend (Josh Bowman) put together a "cheap sharpening system" document. I did the illustrations for it:

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The angles on this is fixed but it could be made to be adjustable like the Oneway Varigrind.
I don't know where the PDF file is available but if you are interested contact me and I can email the PDF.

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JKJ

[Holmes Anderson]

Thanks guys. I may try building that jig to make gouge sharpening more consistent. I can work with the jpg images. The larger tools are the ones I have most difficulty sharpening free hand, particularly a 1.25" rounded edge oval skew. The oval shaft does not register well against the platform so I try to register the bevel against the platen. That eventually results in multiple bevels that take a lot of time to remove. I don't know if it's because of the rounded edge or bad sharpening technique but it is difficult to work with the heel of that 1.25" skew so I end up using a smaller skew with a straight edge. Anyway, it is difficult to maintain an angle over the span of larger tools.

[Holmes Anderson]

Reed, do you have a website where you sell the Roborest? The angle of the toolrest on my grinder is held by a friction fit that slips with too much force, which is a big reason that I have been sharpening freehand.

[Reed Gray]

Holmes,
I am not making the grinder platforms. Some one else will have them coming out this spring some time. The bowl rests should be out any time now. Can't say who that person is.... yet.

robo hippy

[John K Jordan]

Thanks guys. I may try building that jig to make gouge sharpening more consistent. I can work with the jpg images. The larger tools are the ones I have most difficulty sharpening free hand, particularly a 1.25" rounded edge oval skew. The oval shaft does not register well against the platform so I try to register the bevel against the platen. That eventually results in multiple bevels that take a lot of time to remove. I don't know if it's because of the rounded edge or bad sharpening technique but it is difficult to work with the heel of that 1.25" skew so I end up using a smaller skew with a straight edge. Anyway, it is difficult to maintain an angle over the span of larger tools.

The oval skew is always a problem. I have two but don't use them as much as the Thompson and other skews. I finally learned how to hold the bevels against the CBN wheel without making multiple bevels but it's not nearly as easy as a flat-sided skew.

I've wondered about fabricating a thin plate (from wood or plastic) with a rounded recess inset just wide enough to hold the oval skews nicely without twisting and let that slide on the angled platform.

Another thing I've done is grind the bevels with a slightly smaller included angle than I want, using a coarser wheel. Then set the angled platform for the angle I want and sharpen, not the entire bevel, but just a relatively narrow bevel at the edge, using a 600 grit CBN wheel. It's quicker and easier to get a good cutting bevel. I haven't noticed a bit of difference when using the skew with the narrow bevel, although I wouldn't give it to a beginner when teaching the skew.

You may have see these but I made plastic gauges to let me quickly set the platform to the angles I use. This saves fitting the bevel to the wheel, adjusting the platform to the tool, then making small adjustments if needed.
These make sharping normal skews, scrapers, and NRS quick.

I made these from clear plexiglas then later sprayed one side with white paint to make them more visible.

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Here I use one to set the platform for an exact 90-deg grind on a hand scraper.

JKJ