New Member and first lathe post!

[David Cramer]

Excellent "spinny thing" forum you have here! Tons of info and kind, sharing, 'talented posters' that hang out here. The pictures of your work don't lie. Much appreciated!

I just purchased a Delta Midi Lathe for $125 from a friend of a friend. Just starting to get into the lathe thing since I haven't touched it since high school, many moons ago. It's funny, when I turned in highschool, I don't remember the tools ever being sharp. I know they claimed to have sent them out or that someone picked them up to sharpen them, but they were "never" sharp when I used them.

I wish I had more time. Married, with 2 kids and I'm in my 30's. Life is busy but I gotta make time for this forum. Like I said, tons of info and the search functions have already allowed me to find a lot. Thanks guys and gals and have a great day! Really cool site!

Dave

p.s I gotta get that sharpening thing down, I just gotta!

[Mark Pruitt]

Welcome, David!

The sharpening thing isn't hard at all if you invest in the right equipment. There are several effective solutions but the one that seems most popular among members of this forum is the Wolverine Jig with Skew and Vari-Grind attachments, used in conjunction with a Slow Speed Grinder from Woodcraft. WC puts all those items on sale from time to time. It's the setup I use and I am completely happy with it. Using it, I can sharpen almost any tool in less than a minute (including setup time).

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Welcome David!

I've been turning about a year from now. One of the things I was advised here was as Mark advised......Wolverine jig and slowspeed grinder. The reason for the advice....let's the beginning turner worry more about learning to turn and less about "learning to sharpen and learning to turn" at the same time. Now a year later, I think it's pretty sage advice. I just recently purchased a "mini" set of tools for a special project I'm working on....can't use my Wolverine jig on them as the tool steel is too short....WOW! Learning to sharpen freehand is a whole different world!

Good luck with entry in the world of Spin Crack!

[David Cramer]

:) Thanks :) Mark and Ken for the welcome and motivation. I wish I could sharpen in less than a minute, but I don't see that happening for quite some time. I am going to purchase both the Wolverine Jig and the Slow Speed Grinder from Woodcraft. I am just waiting for a :D sale.

Thanks again for the advice, at least I have something to shoot for. When I get the skill down, I'll definitely post and let you guys/gals know about it. I am always afraid that I am going to take the profile down too far:( and screw up the tool edge. Practice, practice, practice.

Dave

[Jason Slutsky]

David,

Since I recently dropped so much money on a lathe, chuck, and other accessories I also have to wait a little while before getting a wolverine. In the meantime, I made a similar sharpening jig out of spare plywood, dowel, and a few thumbscrews.

Check out this website http://www.aroundthewoods.com/sharpening03.html

This is what I based mine off of and it works great. I made a different jig for each of my spindles and gouges.

[Brett Baldwin]

Until you get your sharpening jigs, freehand on the simple tools really isn't that bad. I bought the Harbor Freight set to work with and practice my sharpening on before I take an expensive tool to the grinder. I've had good results with a belt sander on the roughing and spindle gouges. Far from perfect but certainly usable. Enjoy your descent into the Vortex.

[Mark Pruitt]

I wish I could sharpen in less than a minute, but I don't see that happening for quite some time.
With good jigs and a decent grinder you'll be surprised how quickly you pick it up. The most time consuming task at the grinder for me was the initial grinding of a swept-back (aka Irish) grind on a 1/2" bowl gouge. That was a one-time thing; subsequent trips to the grinder for that gouge have only required a few seconds of touch up.

Go to this website (http://oneway.ca/multi-media/wolverine_videos.htm) to watch some video clips demonstrating how easy this system is.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Welcome David. You are right there are lots of good people here and lots of knowledge. You've already got lots of good advice. By the way many moons ago is like when you been out of high school 40 yrs. :D :D :D

[David Cramer]

Thanks Jason, Brett, Bernie and Mark! Cool link Jason, thanks for the idea. I will try your freehand suggestion Brett, and Bernie,.... you funny(although it still feels like many moons ago)! Thanks for link also Mark. Very interesting stuff! I now know it's possible for me after checking out some sites, videos, and reading. It is just soooooo intimidating at first.

Thanks guys,

Dave

[Tom Sherman]

Welcome David, I used to use a belt sander to sharpen my tools before I got the wolverine system, it worked ok, and never blued a tool with it.

[John Chandler]

[quote=Ken Fitzgerald] I just recently purchased a "mini" set of tools for a special project I'm working on....can't use my Wolverine jig on them as the tool steel is too short....WOW! Learning to sharpen freehand is a whole different world!
quote]

Maybe you could attach an extension onto the handles - find or make a dowel approx the same size as the handle, then maybe hollow out (shallow) two pieces of wood and use them on each side with thumb screws to tighten.

[Jonathon Spafford]

Welcome to this forum! Some good folks on here!!!

All ya need for grinding is something to grind with (obvious). You could go with go get a cheap grinder, or a belt sander, or there are even some cheap systems ($20) that go on your lathe! You might look into that to start with. Trouble is, if you are in the middle of something it would be a pain to have to set up the system everytime and remove what you are doing from the lathe... might work for starters though. You definitely don't need a jig to start with. I have been turning around 4 years and I still don't have one. I am by no means an expert, but I can get a satisfactory edge by hand. Doesn't mean you can't get a near perfect edge by hand, but I don't have those skills... yet! I have heard lots of people say, "Technique is more important than angle on your tool." and I believe it! Anyways, go for it and have fun!

[David Cramer]

Thanks Tom, John and Jonathon. Again, all good motivating advice and yes, this is a great forum. I found it around the holidays and joined on Jan. 1st. I can say that I have yet to see any bickering, period. A lot of guys have posts in the thousands! That just blows me away. That is what I call sharing information.

I actually asked a question on "another site" last spring and was blown away by the arrogance and condescending attitudes that I got. I left quickly and never returned. I see myself hanging around here for a long, long time. I just wish I had more time to contribute, but I'll do what I can.

I cannot believe how many guys have their own websites and produce amazingly cool pieces of art and then so willingly share what they know. That is really neat! I was told the following when I was a young lad: If you keep it to yourself, you'll lose it. If you share it, you'll have it the rest of your life. There are a lot of people on this site that definitely feel that way. Again, thanks for all who responded to my post.

Dave