Sharpening???

[John Schumer]

How does everyone sharpen their turning tools?
Gouges and spoons to be exact?
My son and I are new to turning, and are thinking
of the Tormek system to sharpen our tools.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You
John

[Tom Sherman]

John the Tormek is one method, you might look at the wolverine system from oneway, makes sharpening almost idiot proof.

[Neal Addy]

John, the Tormek is a very fine sharpening system. A complete line of (optional) accessory jigs is available for turning tools. Its biggest drawback (other than price) is that it can take forever to reshape a tool.

I agree with Tom on the Wolverine. It makes sharpening almost foolproof. Combine it with a Woodcraft slow-speed grinder and you've got a good combination for a great price. Best deal on the market IMHO.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Have to agree with Neal on this one. I have the Wolverine system with a high speed grinder - which I figure on replacing sometime this year with a Woodcraft as the slow speed grinder would remove just a little less metal each time.

[Mark Pruitt]

I agree with Tom on the Wolverine. It makes sharpening almost foolproof. Combine it with a Woodcraft slow-speed grinder and you've got a good combination for a great price. Best deal on the market IMHO.
Ditto what Neal said. Woodcraft puts these items on sale from time to time, if you're patient enough to wait. Even at regular prices it's the best value IMHO and it really does simplify sharpening.

[Jim Ketron]

I use a homemade version (steel) of the wolverine system.
and I have both a slow speed and a high speed grinder.
IMO unless you need to sharpen more than lathe tools such as hand plans and things of that nature you would not use the Tormek to its full potential and IMO wasting a lot of money when the wolverine and a grinder would be much cheaper.

[George Tokarev]

How does everyone sharpen their turning tools?


The way that suits them. You can hone by hand with stones and cones, dress with a grinder or belt sander freehand or jigged, or even use a Tormek. Concentrate less on trying to duplicate someone else's shape and more on presenting what you have for clean cuts. Chances are you're not the same height, nor is your centerline in the same place as others', so don't go stealing steel until you have tried a few permutations, then change your grind incrementally, though the Tormek is not what I'd choose for reshaping.

[Wilbur Pan]

John, the Tormek is a very fine sharpening system. A complete line of (optional) accessory jigs is available for turning tools. Its biggest drawback (other than price) is that it can take forever to reshape a tool.
This does depend on your definition of "forever". I just bought a Tormek recently, and made my first attempts at sharpening a box of used turning tools that I bought. One of these was a 3/4" roughing gouge that had the wrong bevel angle and was asymmetric. I got it reground to a new angle, got it symmetric, sharpened and honed in about 6 minutes. Not a huge amount of time, to my thinking. Also, because of the repeatability of the Tormek jigs, you only have to do this once, unless you put a big chip or dent in the tool by dropping it.

The biggest advantages of the Tormek to me are:

1. I feel like I have much more control over the sharpening process.
2. I'm removing less metal to resharpen a tool compared to a grinder, leading to greater longevity of the tool.
3. No sparks, and I don't have metal powder and grinder wheel dust spewing all over my shop and into my lungs.

[Jeff Moffett]

John, based on my experience researching the same topic, I've found that the majority of turners sharpen with a dry grinder and the Wolverine system. That setup is extremely popular because it's fast, accurate, and probably the best bang for the buck. Having said that, I'm a Tormek guy. In my opinion, it's the finest sharpening system available. The traditional complaint is that it's too slow. Turners want to be turning, not sharpening. Tormek largely addressed that complaint last year by introducing a new jig called the "turning tool setter (http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/cgi-bin/shopper?preadd=action&key=175-4100)". It allows you to very quickly set the universal support bar and accurately place your spindle or bowl gouge in the SVD-185 jig. With that combination of jigs, you can touch up a gouge in under a minute. Personally, I love my Tormek and wouldn't want to be without it.

[John Hart]

I'm the odd man out, but you asked...soooo.. I sharpen my skews free hand and I have a little tilt table in front of my wheel that I adjust and sharpen my scrapers and gouges. I hear the merits of a sharpening system, but just haven't gotten around to building or buying one.

[Jeffrey Fusaro]

ok...

now that john has agreed to be the first one to admit it...

i also sharpen by hand.

just me and the craftsman 3400rpm grinder/polisher/cutter/wire wheeler.

i used my first turning tool, a 1/2" fingernail bowl gouge, until it couldn't cut butter.

i wanted to buy a fixture, but didn't have the money, so i figured that i could hardly make the tool any worse than it already was.

the first grind was pretty ugly - but it was a lot sharper than it was 30 seconds before.

my technique has gotten a lot better since, so i don't think i'll be buying a jig any time soon.

i also hand sharpen my 1/8" parting tool, 3/4" roughing gouge and a hardwood scraper. these are a bit easier to sharpen than the fingernail grind.

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

John, if you've got the money to spend on a Tomek system, you might want to look at a completely different type of sharpening system. It's called a Jooltool. I've just recently gone from using a Wolferine system to freehand sharpening with this tool. It's very different, but boy it sure puts a razor sharp edge on turning tools Their website is: www.jooltool.com (http://www.jooltool.com) There's several downloadable videos that show the tool in use. I've only had mine for a few weeks, but so far, I'm very impressed.

[Daniel Heine]

John,

I was a wood carver for about 8 years before I began turning, so I learned to sharpen freehand. I hold the shaft very steady with my right hand, and rotate the gouge with my left. I've had enough practice that this works out well for me, and I can use the money for a Wolverine on some other turning tool.

Happy Turning,
Dan Heine

[John Schumer]

Thanks Everyone,

Just trying to figure out what is easiest for my son to use mostly.

[John Schumer]

Thanks Again for the input everyone.
I went to a sharpening demo at my local Rockler and ended up
purchasing the Tormek. So far I Love it!! Quick and easy.
Again, Thanks
John

[John Daugherty]

Wolverine for me.