Sharpening problems

[Doug Rogers]

I am using a Jet slow speed wet sharpener. I bought the Tormek jigs to go with it. I also got the Tormek handbook and their instructional booklet and DVD for sharpening turning tools. I ground my rouging gauge and my skew chisel to the sugested angles. The finished product looks like the illustrations in the book and they feel sharp. The problem is that they don't cut. Both tools were honed prior to using. Any sugestions as to where I went wrong. What should I try to correct the problem?

Thanks in advance.

Doug Rogers

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Don, take pictures of the tools and post them here. Maybe, then, we will be able to help.

Make sure we can see the cutting edge and the bevel.

Thanks,

Bruce

[Doug Rogers]

Bruce,

Enclosed find a photo of the tools. The close up feature of my camera is not that great. The skew and the spindel gouge are shown.

77883

Doug Rogers

[Bill Noce]

Doug........Its hard to really tell from the picture but only a guest maybe when you honed them you may have rolled to edge over......try resharpening without honing see what happens then..

Bill

[Gordon Seto]

It is difficult to see from the small picture; just show us the tip end of the tools.

It looks like your angle on the skew is too blunt. The bevel length should be around 1½ times the thickness of the steel.


Gordon

[RL Johnson]

I have agree with Gordon, you should have about a 70 degree angle on the skew. It appears to be almost a scrapper. I also like my gouges with a bit more swept back on the flutes. Do you have a turning club in your area? You could talk to someone from there.

[Dennis Peacock]

It is difficult to see from the small picture; just show us the tip end of the tools.

It looks like your angle on the skew is too blunt. The bevel length should be around 1½ times the thickness of the steel.

Gordon


Right on there Gordon.....That bevel angle on the skew needs to be longer.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ditto what Gordon said. Bevel is to narrow and check your angle.

[Mike A. Smith]

I agree on the skew. It's hard to tell, but it looks like the gouge may be ground almost to a 'point'. If there's no opening into the flute there's nothing left to cut the wood.

[robert hainstock]

See pix. :D
Bob

[Dean Thomas]

Skew angles and bevel angles are a regular source of discussion, and most of us come off sounding as though we have the definitive answer, the be-all and end-all of angle-dom. And I can quote my resources to prove my answers. :D

The explanation that I received on skewdom was that the angle of skewness on the skew should be about 70º, but that some like it more open, some like it less open.

The angle of the bevel of the skew is a different deal. Some folks have done the math. I'm too overstuffed with ham and great potato salad and cauliflower to look for it or rethink it. The bevel needs to be approximately 1.5 times the thickness of the thickest part of the skew on your oval-bodied skew. Some folks like the oval skew to have an even longer bevel. If you start with the 1.5 figure and play, you'll figure out what cuts best and longest for you. Then you mark that down and continue to do that! :cool: Look at Bob's pic and you can see how long the skew's bevel is compared to yours, Doug.

The angle of the bevel of a spindle gouge is generally longer than that of a bowl gouge. I personally like a 45º on my spindle gouge, but have used 40 and 50º as well and was just as happy. For me, anywhere in that 40-50 range seems to cut well and does not seem to have much affect on the longevity of the edge. I tend to sharpen my spindle roughing gouges at a slightly steeper angle. I feel as though that makes my cutting edge sturdier and less prone to getting damaged as those corners come around and buffet the edge. I do keep the ears square on my roughing gouge, just so it's easier and quicker to sharpen in the Wolverine. Bob's gouge looks to be about a 50º angle.

Bowl gouges tend to be steeper or shorter angles. A lot depends on the sort of bowls that you want or tend to make. If they are shallow, contact lens shaped bowls, you can use pretty much any angle you want and be successful at gliding your bevel throughout the hollowing process and produce a great finish cut. With steep, deep walls, it's hard to do the bottom of the vessel with good bevel contact, so a shorter, steeper bevel is desirable. That keeps the tool itself away from the sides as you transition from wall to bottom. That's one of the goals with the shorter bevel.

One man's set of angled opinions.

[Bill Wyko]

I would have to agree. I sharpened my skew a little off and it was sharp to the touch but wouldn't cut. Then I made the angle a little steeper and it works great.

[Gordon Seto]

Doug,

When talking about angles, be sure everybody is talking about the same thing. Some use included angle; some use complimentary angle. They are very confusing.

Find a local club, there be people gladly give you some help.

Gordon

[Doug Rogers]

Thanks for all the good advice. I will go back to the drawing board and start over again. I was basically sharpening the original angle as this was a new set of tools. I measured the factory angles and set the jigs to the original angels. The skew was a part of a Robert Sorbey set. The spindal gouge was from a pinacle pen turning set.

I will regrind all the angles and report back.

Doug Rogers