Side grind, bowl gouge

[Brad Hammond]

hello all, i'm trying to figure out how to get that side grind on a bowl gouge like i see in bill grumbines video. i've watched that sharpening section over and over and cant seem to get it right on my gouge. i'm using a wolverine system and a p&n supragouge. i'm thinking the supragouge is where the problem lies. i think the flute curls around a little too far. i've noticed on other gouges that the flute tends to lean out toward the edge of the radius of the gouge.
any thoughts?
thanx
brad

[Jim Becker]

The profile of the flute is definitely a factor in side-grind design. If you have a woodworking store nearby that carries turning tools, try to get a look at the flute design on "factory" side-grinds, such as the Ellsworth and/or Glasser.

[Paul Engle]

Brad heres the link for One Way grinding video on the page under multimedia. When I first got mine I got a wood dowl, put a flute in it and practiced on it till I got the technique down, or at least understood what was happening. Be sure and clean up the wheel when done as wood will clog it up. I practiced on my 40 grit 6 inch as I have Delta wet sharpener and it's white wheel is smaller.
http://www.oneway.ca/multi-media/index.htm
This link may help also:
http://www.woodcentral.com/newforum/grinds.shtml

[Brad Hammond]

hey those videos are premo! thanx so much! had to go to my dads to dl'em. lol still on dial up here at the house.
thanx all!

[Richard Madison]

Very cool idea from Paul to test/practice with a wood dowel! Wish I had thunkofit. And/but as Jim mentions, there is considerable variation in flute/gouge cross section among the various manufacturers. My Sorby has a "U" shaped "groove", if you will, to form the flutes, while the Ben's Best has a "V" shaped groove. So any one particular grind will give you very different included angles around the flutes of the tool, even if you start with the same angle at the very nose of the tool.

Presumably the goal is to achieve a nearly uniform included angle of ~60 degrees all around. This is just a nominal value, as every turner has his/her own preferred grind, and may grind identical gouges differently for different tasks.

The one variable I never see mentioned is the distance to extend the tool beyond the jig. It is always 1-3/4" to 2". You might want to experiment with this dimension as well as the others. Just a thought.

[Brad Hammond]

great thoughts. i think my i had two problems. i wasnt setting the varigrind jig up correctly to get the side grind and i wasn't grinding the little ears off before i tried a grind. i kept gettin catches, but now i see how to take those out of the equation. never saw those videos posted before. i saved them so i could refer back to them.
thanx all for the help!

[Raymond Overman]

I can't help much with the vari-grind jig but I know that the 16MM Supra gouge (5/8) isn't easy to get a nice round wing grind on. You have to increase the angle quite a bit at the tip to get the side profiles right. If I get a chance, I'll snap a picture of mine this evening and post it. The standard P&N is easier to get the profile you're looking for.

[Brad Hammond]

got it today! finally had a chance to play with it a little and i think i've got a grind i'm happy with. does well on some dry blanks. i'll try some green ones tomorrow. then i should see the shavings i want. hehe

thanx again all for the advice! it was a great help!