Sharpen my turning tools with what?

[Duane Broussard]

What is the best way to sharpen my gouges and the rest of my turning blades? Seems like I heard (well not really hear), but someone on here mentioning a particular sharpener. Anyone care to point me in the right direction?
Thanks in advance
Duane

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Duane,

If you don't have a grinder, Woodcraft sells a 8" slowspeed grinder that works well.

A lot of folks like the Wolverine grinding jig system. It's a little spendy but worth every penny in my opinion. The basic system coupled with the vari-grind attachment will grind everything but skews. Skews can be freehanded but an attachment makes the angle a little more repeatable.

[Duane Broussard]

Thanks Ken. You mean just a regular stand mounted wheel grinder? And what about grit? I assume something pretty fine huh?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Duane....IIRC it comes with a 80 grit and 120 grit wheel. I've heard some folks don't like the 120 grit. They believe it's too fine. I like it.


Yeah it's just a regular grinder. Woodcraft often has those on sale for under $80 or $90 IIRC. That's where I got mine.

[Tim A. Mitchell]

I just got the Wolverine myself (a bit after many others on here). After I realized it did not fit under the grinder I had (6 inch with wide bsae) I also got the WC slow speed.

Just as with Ken, I like the 120 grit that the WC slow speed comes with. The reason I like it is that I have less tendency to reshape the tool when trying to tuch up. I noticed this more with the bowl gouge with a fingernail grind. I would get more flat spots using the 80 grit.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Woodcraft slow speed grinder with the wolverine jig. It works really well and comes with the wheels you need.

[Dennis Peacock]

The slow speed grinder and a wolverine setup works just fine and is very widely used. However, I used a Tormek for a long time before getting setup with a wolverine type setup (Thank You Jim Ketron). There are many opinions about what to sharpen with...but either way, just establish a consistant and repeatable method to the madness of turning tool sharpening. ;)

[Gordon Seto]

For turning tools, the most popular method is dry grinder and Wolverine jig. The Wolverine even not cheap, but it is practically free in the long run. Grinding gouges free hand has a long learning curve. With a jig, you save on tool steel. The Woodcraft slow speed grinder comes with 2 white aluminum oxide wheels; they are the best buy. If you don't like the wheel, you can replace it afterwards. Some of the more expensive grinders come with 1 gray wheel which is not suitable for tool steel.

[Judy Kingery]

Duane, I'd second the opinions you've received, dry grinding, white Norton or pink wheels (80 and 120 grit) with the Wolverine jig is great for sharpening your turning tools, especially the angles on the bowl gouges. Be sure to dress the stones every so often.

Only other thing I use, once in awhile, would be the belt sander. Little bench mounted about 100 grit, and I sometimes will sharpen a skew or parting tool on that, easier, quicker, flatter if that makes sense. Best to you, Jude

[Russ Peters]

Why are the gray wheels unsuitable for tool steel?

[Duane Broussard]

Well thank you all very much for the tips and info on sharpening. I'll look for this wolverine jig setup.

[Duane Broussard]

Good question

[Steve Schlumpf]

Another vote for the Woodcraft slow speed grinder and the Wolverine system. Only change I made was to remove the 80 grit wheel and add a 150 grit wheel. I use the 150 for very light tough-ups on my bowl gouges.

Ah, about the gray wheels... the white wheels are friable - meaning that as they are used the grit is constantly breaking down and fresh grit is being exposed. This keeps the operating temp at the tool lower and is the type of wheel recommended for tools as it doesn't remove the temper. The gray wheels are for fast stock removal and will super heat the tool in short order. While the temperatures are usually not a problem with HSS tools - it will destroy the temper on carbon steel. Hope that helps explain the reason we use 'friable' wheels.

[Jim Becker]

Why are the gray wheels unsuitable for tool steel?

They are too hard and not "friable" and therefore, gunk up very quickly. Friability is when little tiny pieces of the wheel fracture off during use, exposing a new grinding surface. No metal gets trapped in the wheel as it is used to sharpen. The grey wheels are cheap and fine for garden implements, but not appropriate for sharpening to the fine edge you need for turning tools.

BTW, I prefer 60 and 100 grit wheels for this purpose and use the Norton 3X version. I find 120 a bit too "slick" and just get more heat without any perceived real sharpening benefit.

[Brian Poor]

The gray wheels are great for lawnmower blades, but guess that's where it stops.
If you can get a 6 or 8 inch slow speed grinder with white or pink wheels at 80 and 120 grit, you should be set for quite a while.
And a dressing stick to keep your wheel surfaces flat and true.

A grinding jig will almost eliminate the learning curve to getting consistent bevels and will therefor save you a tremendous amount of time and costly steel in the process.

You can buy a jig ready made for gouges or make your own if you are so inclined.

I am partial to an Irish grind (swept all the way around).
Here is a link to David Ellsworth's pages:

http://www.ellsworthstudios.com/david/jigs.html

[Gordon Seto]

Duane,

The video from Oneway would give you some good information on how to use the system:
Wolverine video (http://www.oneway.ca/multi-media/wolverine_videos.htm)
Pay attention to the shape of the tool, know when and where to stop. The jig only gives you the repeatability of grinding.
Sharpening.pdf (application/pdf Object) (http://www.thompsonlathetools.com/images/extra/Sharpening.pdf)
Our Club had Bill Grumbine for demo last weekend. We had a bowl gouge clinic. Members brought in their problem gouges for him to tweak. He hardly changed any angle; most of them he just fixed the bumps and dips on the side grind. Afterwards he let members to try their newly fixed gouges on a big bowl blank he set up. It was very informative to learn how a gouge shape should be.
BTW, he has a diamond wheel dressing jig that is much easier to use than the one sold by Oneway. Get the Wolverine system with Varigrind from Oneway, if you don't want to make your own DIY version.

[Paul Douglass]

The gray wheels are great for lawnmower blades, but guess that's where it stops.
If you can get a 6 or 8 inch slow speed grinder with white or pink wheels at 80 and 120 grit, you should be set for quite a while.
And a dressing stick to keep your wheel surfaces flat and true.

A grinding jig will almost eliminate the learning curve to getting consistent bevels and will therefor save you a tremendous amount of time and costly steel in the process.

You can buy a jig ready made for gouges or make your own if you are so inclined.

I am partial to an Irish grind (swept all the way around).
Here is a link to David Ellsworth's pages:

http://www.ellsworthstudios.com/david/jigs.html

Brian, is that jig for only one size gouge or does it accept different size?

[Brian Poor]

You know, to be honest, I don't really know.
I would assume that those types of jigs will take various size irons - since not all gouges are created equal.

As an aside, this sort of jig would be pretty easy to cobble together with a simple rod or dowel and a block of wood set at the appropriate angle with a thumbscrew to hold the gouge in place..
I'm not trying to cut back on anyone's sales, it's just a thought..

[Jim Becker]

Brian, is that jig for only one size gouge or does it accept different size?

The jig from David is specifically for a 5/8" (1/2" in some brands) gouge. It will not work well for anything smaller. The Wolverine Vari-Grind takes that task on nicely.

[Joe Chritz]

I am just getting into some turning but I will most likely use a 2" belt grinder with any number of grit belts for sharpening.

It is sold through Grizzly as a knife grinder and I have made several knives from stock removal with it. Down to micron level belts you can mirror polish tool steel.

My learning curve is already paid for on that machine. I have access to a big slow wet grinder also that I may try.

Joe

[Gordon Seto]

Brian, is that jig for only one size gouge or does it accept different size?
The DE jig has a fixed leg. It also requires certain height for the pocket to give clearance for the jig.
The leg on the Varigrind is adjustable for various angles. It is more versatile for different gouges and grinds.

[Keith Spaniel]

I use my 4 x 36 belt sander with a 220 belt. It takes some time to get it set up at first. i have a (jig) board with angles on it that i line up, and move the belt angle to fit the tool . Its fast and easy now, I didnt have the money at the time for a grinder and stones ,or a tool to keep the stone square.. It works so well for me now, Im going to stay with it. Keith

[Brent Pauba]

Does anyone have any input on the Work Sharp 3000?
http://woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=20310

Would that be a good buy if I wanted to sharpen both turning tools and other woodworking tools?

[Bill Wyko]

Does anyone have any input on the Work Sharp 3000?
http://woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=20310

Would that be a good buy if I wanted to sharpen both turning tools and other woodworking tools?
I don't know if you will be able to find jigs to sharpen certain tools like an Elsworth grind. There's a book called the Woodturners FAQ book. In there they say that with a wet sharpener you can go much longer between sharpenings, up 10 times longer. IMHO you can get your tools much sharper using this method. This is why you can go longer between sharpenings. There will be those that will disagree with me but this it the method I use and it is also what this book says. (Just bought the book yesterday) I've had a Jet wet for about a year and it works great for me.

[Dave Bornstein]

Here is an excellent link on how to sharpen turning tools. He details how to make a sharpening Jig. The concepts of his jig are the same as the Wolverine grinding jig system and the Ellsworth sharpening jig referenced above.

http://aroundthewoods.com/sharpening01.html

[Dan Allemand]

Nobody is mentioning the wet sharpeners. I bought the Jet wet sharpener with a few of the tormeck jigs. I also have a 6 inch grinder.. Never got them as sharp as I thought I could.. Untill I bought the jet. My wife loves it because I can sharpen all her kitchen knifes .. I think that that is about the second best investment in my shop.. The first being my lathes.. LOL

[john l graham]

The wolverine jig does not fit under the Jet wet grinder? Do the Jigs made to work with it cost more than the wolverine? Sharper tools are always better.

[Jim Becker]

There is no question that the wet sharpeners can put a very nice edge on the tools. My issue, an likely the same issue that many turners will have, is the fact that we sharpen every few minutes in many cases. A dry grinder with the Wolverine system is much faster. When doing finishing cuts on something spalted, for example, it may be necessary to resharpen after less than a minute of actual turning...

[Dan Allemand]

The wolverine jig does not fit under the Jet wet grinder? Do the Jigs made to work with it cost more than the wolverine? Sharper tools are always better.

No it is a totally diffrent system.. But the Jet and tormeck jigs work on each other. The jet system is a little better then the tormeck.. But the tormeck jigs are better then the Jet jigs. I understand the speed issue.. But after a few times of doing this. I have gotten pretty fast at it. The only issue I have is no water in my shop.. So I have to bring it in from the house..

[David Pearson]

Can anyone tell me the disadvantages of using a belt sander vs. a grinding wheel?

[David Walser]

There is no question that the wet sharpeners can put a very nice edge on the tools. My issue, an likely the same issue that many turners will have, is the fact that we sharpen every few minutes in many cases. A dry grinder with the Wolverine system is much faster. When doing finishing cuts on something spalted, for example, it may be necessary to resharpen after less than a minute of actual turning... (Emphasis added.)

I know it's not safe, but I'm going to disagree with Jim. I've got both a dry grinder with a Woverine type jig (the Woodcut Tru-Grind) and the Tormek with its jigs. Other than the need to fill it up with water at the beginning of the day and clean it out at the end, the Tormek is just as fast at restoring an edge as is my dry grinder. With either system, most of the time is spent putting the tool in the jig and setting up the grinder, not in grinding. If anything, I think the Tormek might be slightly faster since I find those jigs easier to set up. (The TTS jig makes setting the proper bevel angle very quick and easy.)

Now, Jim would be right if he were talking about sharpening without the aid of a jig or if he were talking about reshaping a tool's geometry. A good freehand sharpener will be done before you or I could even get our tool mounted in the jig. But once mounted in the jig, it only takes a second or two to restore the edge with either a Tormek or a dry grinder. The difference is the Tormek will produce a much nicer edge.

YMMV

[Gordon Seto]

Can anyone tell me the disadvantages of using a belt sander vs. a grinding wheel?

Whatever works is the best for you. The belt sander is the latest gadget from Sorby:

YouTube - ProEdge Ultimate sharpening system (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E2zRo7x0S8&feature=related)

A member in our Club is making the knock off using the same principle.

[CPeter James]

Check out Jon Siegel's web site and his sharpener. A flat grind does make a difference vs a hollow grind.

http://www.bigtreetools.com/products/sharpening-machine.html

Check out the articles on sharpening on his site. I have seen his presentations based on these and they are very helpful.

http://www.bigtreetools.com/articles.html

CPeter

[Paul Douglass]

Here is a picture of my poor-mans sharpening jig I made. I got the plans off the Internet some time ago, can't remember where. There is also a pretty neat vari-jig that goes with it, but I have not built it yet. Might be worth it to buy Wolverine's vari-jig to work on this. Anyway, it works good for the bowl gouges and skews. I really need the vari-jig part now because I just bought a Crown spindle gouge. This is very similar what Dave Bornstien is referring to. Neat site Dave. Just wanted to add and than you can all poo poo me, those who scoff at wood jigs, that is our media isn't it?

OK edited one more time, here is the location of the sharpening center, by Brian Clifford:

http://www.turningtools.co.uk/widgets/grindingjig/wtsharpen.pdf

[Steven Wilson]

I have a Woodcraft slow speed grinder and Oneway Wolverine setup as well as a Tormek. I like the edge off of the Tormek better and prefer sharpening on it. The Wolverine works well it's just a personal preference thing. For straight grinding (establishing a new profile for example) the grinder/Wolverine setup works best.