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Thread: Sharpening bowl gouge

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Scottsdale, Arizona
    Posts
    120

    Sharpening bowl gouge

    Hi, Folks!
    I made a jig to sharpen tools requiring a fingernail grind. It works great, except that the angle isn't quite the same as the original grind. For example, if I set the center of the grind on the tool against the stone and adjust the tool so the grind is correct there, then do a grind from the wings to the center, the center is ground correctly but the grind on the wings does not extend all the way to the cutting edge. I suspect this is simply due to the difference in dimensions of my grinding tool vs. the original jig. I'm tentative about sharpening my Sorby bowl gouge on this tool, though, because I like the grind of the edge and don't want to change it. However, it needs to be touched up. Is there a method I'm unaware of that can be used to find and emulate the original grind angles? I know this is a function of the length of the leg on the jig, the degree of extension of the tool through the jig, the size of the wheel, and so on. Just wondering what you folks do. Advice?

    Thanks!
    Rob Miller
    Scottsdale, AZ

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Fort Pierce, Florida
    Posts
    3,498
    Check out this thread and the Doug Thompson video. He discusses the leg angle and its effec6t and how to duplicate a grind on someone elses rig when you can't change it.
    Retired - when every day is Saturday (unless it's Sunday).

  3. #3
    Rob, I don't know the configuration of your jig, but with the Wolverine, one can duplicate the nose angle any number of ways, but the side grind is largely effected by the length of extension of the arm in which the jig sits. It is also a factor of the other two settings - the angle of the Vari-grind jig and the angle of the presentation of the gouge to the wheel, but usually, once set, the Vari-grind jig is never changed and the angle of presentation to the wheel is usually consistent.

    If the arm is not extended as far as when the gouge was originally ground, then the grind will not reach the edge. In other words, one could change the angle setting on the Vari-grind jig to achieve the nose angle (sounds like what you did), but that would cause a different angle on the wings. So, unless your jig dimensions and angle are identical to the setup used initially to sharpen the gouge, you will never achieve the same results.

  4. #4
    Lyle Jamieson has this four-step procedure. Do all these with the grinder off.

    1. Set the Vari-grind jig angle so the nose angle matches the nose of the gouge you are sharpening (or duplicating).
    2. Roll the gouge over to the wings and move the extension arm to match the angle of the wings.
    3. Go back to the nose and reset the vari-grind jig angle once again to match.
    4. Finally, go back to the wings and reset the extension arm if necessary.

    I confess to not having done this procedure yet since I don't have a particular grind I've tried to duplicate. But, Mr. Jamieson knows what he's doing. Might be worth your time to try it out. If this procedure doesn't match up with your gouge to your satisfaction you can always just not flip the grinder on.

  5. #5
    Well, I would have to see it to be able to figure out what is wrong. Many have done home made jigs for gouge sharpening. It might be that you just have to keep the wings on the grinder a bit longer, but still, without seeing it, I don't know. I will be in the vendor area at the Symposium, and might be able to help, but I do free hand platform sharpening.

    robo hippy

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Scottsdale, Arizona
    Posts
    120
    Quote Originally Posted by Thom Sturgill View Post
    Check out this thread and the Doug Thompson video. He discusses the leg angle and its effec6t and how to duplicate a grind on someone elses rig when you can't change it.
    Thanks -- this is a pretty great video. Sounds like I just need to set my initial angle off the wings rather than the nose. I'll give it a try on something and post results.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Scottsdale, Arizona
    Posts
    120
    Thanks -- this was very helpful. Also really helped me to understand the qualitative deficiencies of the old Craftsman tools I've started with. Some are simply impossible to sharpen really well because of the poorly stamped steel. I tried sharpening a small gouge last night and noted that the walls on either side of the flute are not symmetrical in terms of their thickness or shape. That makes it difficult to get a good fingernail grind.

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