Help With Sharpenning

[Carl Eyman]

This may be asking for more of your time than I should. I am considering buying some sharpenning tools from Rockler. I need to sharpen turning tools and maybe some larger carving tools. I have selected a Wolverine jig, Delta varispeed grinder, and Norton wheels. The list can be viewed at: http://www.rockler.com/wishlist.cfm?user=59596&sid=V2001. (I hope I've not sinned here) I am anxious to know if I've listed all I'll need, or if I should be looking in another direction entirely.

TIA for your time and trouble. Carl

[Mark Hulette]

Carl-

Looks like a good start. From my personal experience, you might want to add a means to dress the wheels initially and to clean them after you have done some sharpening. If you don't, you'll glaze the wheel and won't be able to sharpen anything with it DAMHIKT.

If you want a fingernail grind on your tools, you may also consider the Vari-grind jig from Wolverine for about $47 anywhere. It's super easy to use and gives consistent results.

I'm sure others will chime in w/ what works for them. Good Luck

[Carl Eyman]

The grinder comes with a wheel dresser. The Norton wheels list a dresser with their wheels. I don't know if it is more appropriate than the one with the grinder, but I thought I'd try the free one first. And yes, I am including the vari grind attachment in the order. Thanks for your response.

[Richard Allen]

The grinder comes with a wheel dresser. The Norton wheels list a dresser with their wheels. I don't know if it is more appropriate than the one with the grinder, but I thought I'd try the free one first. And yes, I am including the vari grind attachment in the order. Thanks for your response.

Hi Carl

The woodcraft grinder might be a better product. You can get a 8" half speed grinder with white wheels for about $95. The 8" wheel has some nice features when sharpening turning tools, like a more shallow hollow grind.

<a href="http://shop.woodcraft.com/Woodcraft/productr.asp?pf%5Fid=144290&gift=False&0=dept%2Easp%2Cdept%5Fid%3D10000%26Tree%3D%2CDepar tments&1=dept%2Easp%2Cdept%5Fid%3D1021%26menu%5Fid%3D%26T ree%3D0%2CSharpening&2=dept%2Easp%2Cdept%5Fid%3D2054%26menu%5Fid%3D%26T ree%3D1%2CGrinders%20%2D%20Sharpening&3=product%5Ffamily%2Easp%2Cfamily%5Fid%3D4605%26Tr ee%3D2%2C8%22%20Slow%20Speed%20Grinder&HSLB=False&mscssid=C5DC146DC6654D7BB125EFB68A268DB4">Woodcraft slow speed grinder</a>

<img src="http://shop.woodcraft.com/Woodcraft/assets/product_images/144290.jpg">


For carving tools, even large ones you might want something other than a grinder.

Thanks

[Lynn Sonier]

Carl, might I offer some of my tools to experiment on?
Lynn

[Keith Harper]

Piece by piece I have acquired the complete Wolverine sharpening jig. Should have bought the entire set initially. My turning tools are now great. I am able to produce a consistent shape in a minimum of time. I couldn't be happier. Turning is now a real pleasure.

[Wolf Kiessling]

This may be asking for more of your time than I should. I am considering buying some sharpenning tools from Rockler. I need to sharpen turning tools and maybe some larger carving tools. I have selected a Wolverine jig, Delta varispeed grinder, and Norton wheels. The list can be viewed at: http://www.rockler.com/wishlist.cfm?user=59596&sid=V2001. (I hope I've not sinned here) I am anxious to know if I've listed all I'll need, or if I should be looking in another direction entirely.

TIA for your time and trouble. Carl

Since you are starting from scratch, I would recommend you consider an 8" grinder versus the 6". For about a year, I used a borrowed 8" grinder. Ultimately, I had to return the machine and I was lucky enough to get another grinder that was a freebie but it was a 6" model. I have been using that for a couple of years now. I've got to say I prefer the 8" machine because I prefer the shallower grind. If I had to go out and purchase one, I would get the 8" model.

Also, I would not sharpen carving tools on a grinder, even the larger tools. Of course, I don't know if we are talking about the same thing. If you have the money, I recommend the John Burke Sharpening System at 300 bucks for the one shaft machine and 400 for the two shaft model. Then you can sharpen both small and large tools. Actually, it depends on just how much carving you do. I do a lot of it and don't like to spend much time sharpening. The Burke system really speeds up the process and makes it fairly easy and convenient. If it's not convenient, I tend to slack off on sharpening and spend way too much time with dull tools). I was never really too competent at sharpening until I purchased this machine. I bought the two shaft model with the shapable paper wheels on the bottom shaft and I do my knives, gauges, chisels, veiners and v-tools with relative ease, both palm tools and mallet driven.

Wolf

[Steven Wilson]

This may be asking for more of your time than I should. I am considering buying some sharpenning tools from Rockler. I need to sharpen turning tools and maybe some larger carving tools. I have selected a Wolverine jig, Delta varispeed grinder, and Norton wheels. The list can be viewed at: http://www.rockler.com/wishlist.cfm?user=59596&sid=V2001. (I hope I've not sinned here) I am anxious to know if I've listed all I'll need, or if I should be looking in another direction entirely.

TIA for your time and trouble. Carl

Go with an 8" grinder - the slow speed one from Woodcraft works well and is cheap. I also recommend the Oneway wheel dressing attachment as well as the varigrind jig. I use the Wolverine/dry grinder combo as well the Tormek and prefer the Tormek (edge quality is better), but the dry grinder works better for me in the Winter and besides my turning buddies all use dry grinders so it's a good skill to pick up.

A dry grinder will work ok for carving tools (my instructor free hands on a grinder) as long as you follow up with a strop and use slip stones on the inside. But there are some carving tools that you really can't sharpen on a grinder and need to do them by hand, so you will need to develop that skill. One way to improve your skill is to videotape yourself and work on keeping your lower arms locked in position while moving the tool over the stones, this will insure that you maintain a consistent angle and don't dub over the edge. I like to use oil stones for sharpening carving tools by hand. I find that I can find the bevel easier by looking where the edge just starts to push out the oil, then I lock my arms and have my body push my arms through the stone - it takes a little time but once learned the technique is great for any weird tool, and carving tools are weird.