Looking For Tool Input

[John K Jordan]

So if I go with the Tormek 8” grinder, will the Wolverine and Varigrind jig work with it?

You might be able to mount the Oneway stuff on a Tormek but it would be some work.
It is fairly simple to go the other way and mount the Tormek jigs on a bench grinder. I bought the pieces and mounted them on a wood block next to the grinder. (They have a kit for this now.) I can use either the Wolverine or the Tormek rests and jigs.

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The Tormek with a stock water wheel is great for putting a very fine edge on a turning tool. I used one for years. There are two downsides and one big limitation. One, it takes a little while to set up each time since you have to keep adding water in the reservoir and until it's saturated. Two, the wheel wears away and must be trued and eventually replaced. The edge it leaves is excellent but has this limitation: it's very slow to remove metal because the grit is fine and wheel turns so slowly - great for sharping a tool that is already shaped to suit but terrible for reshaping. I never want to reshape or even sharpen another large skew chisel on it.

I hesitate to make specific recommendations since what I turn and my methods may be different from some. I almost always turn dry woods and I like to turn very hard woods so I want most tools sharpened and honed/stropped with a razor edge. I don't turn green wood often.

I currently have two Tormeks and several 1/2 speed bench grinders.
On grinders:
- an 80 grit CBN: good for reshaping and heavy grinding, use it occasionally
- a 220 grit CBN: hardly ever use it, might take it off the grinder
- a 600 grit CBN: I use it a lot
On Tormeks
- a 600 grit CBN: loaned it to a friend who is getting started
- a 1200 grit CBN: I use it a lot


I first tried using the 600 grit CBN wheel on a Tormek. It's used without the water bath. It did not leave a fine enough edge to suit me on my spindle gouges. I replaced it with the 1200 grit CBN wheel. My spindle gouges are happy with it. However, it would be worthless for significantly reshaping a tool.

For reshaping tools there is nothing like an 80 grit CBN wheel on a bench grinder. Removes material easily and never needs to be trued like an AlOx wheel. But lots of people are happy with a coarse AlOx wheel for reshaping tools.

For sharpening skews, scrapers, and some bowl gouges I'm happy with a 600 grit CBN wheel on a bench grinder. I first tried a 320 grit CBN and it didn't leave a fine enough edge for me on the skews.

The 220 grit CBN too coarse for me in general but might be OK for bowl gouges for green wood, scrapers, and such. However, lots of people are happy with the either the 220 or 320 grit CBN wheels for general use. If you have just one CBN wheel you might be happy with one of those and use coarse AlOx wheel on the other side. If you can spring for two CBN wheels the 80 grit would be my pick.

JKJ

[ChrisA Edwards]

Talking of sharpening, thoughts on this one

[John K Jordan]

Talking of sharpening, thoughts on this one [Sorby ProEdge]

Doesn't that give you a flat bevel? I've gotten used to having a concave bevel which is easy to hone with a small flat extra-fine diamond hone when the edge starts to get dull - takes about 3 seconds. Is that hard to do by hand on a flat bevel?

JKJ

[ChrisA Edwards]

Doesn't that give you a flat bevel? I've gotten used to having a concave bevel which is easy to hone with a small flat extra-fine diamond hone when the edge starts to get dull - takes about 3 seconds. Is that hard to do by hand on a flat bevel?

JKJ

So here's a rookie question, should Ibe honing bowl gauges after grinding?

[John K Jordan]

So here's a rookie question, should Ibe honing bowl gauges after grinding?

That is your choice. Some do and some don't. For some cases I don't think it matters much - the grinding burr will be taken off in a few seconds a the tool is used. You may not even notice the difference between honing and not when, for example, roughing out bowls from green wood. If you look at the edge under a microscope, though, you can see that when the wire edge breaks off the edge is somewhat ragged.

On the other hand, when working with hard, dry woods I like to remove the grinding burr. A smoother edge will make a smoother cut. You can actually see the scratches from the burr on some cuts on hard, fine-grained wood. A smoother edge will arguably stay sharp longer. Take a look at the polished edges on carving gouges and chip carving knives.

I almost always remove the burr immediately after grinding. I use leather wheels on a Tormek loaded with polishing compound - one is flat and others are profiled to get into the inside of . I sometimes strop on flat leather. For skew chisels, I strop on a hard, flat surfaces with polishing compound. What I found works best for me is to resaw a piece of MDF into thin pieces and rub a stick of polishing compound on the rough surface. I hold the skew with the bevel hard against the surface then push down and draw the tool back while lifting the back ever so slightly.

When a tool begins to get dull in use I will usually strop again several times before I resharpen. For gouges it is easiest to use an extra fine "paddle" diamond hone and held carefully against the bevel while moving the hone around the bevel. I push on the front of the paddle with my forefinger to keep it from tilting and give an even stroke. My favorite little diamond hones are the EzeLap; I use the blue extra-fine for this. For inside the flute on gouges I use a round diamond hone (or go back to the Tormek)

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For me, having the edge as sharp as possible is key to fine control and smooth surfaces. Note that much depends on what you turn. I often like to turn small things from hard woods. This little finger top made from dogwood and the holly finial, for examples, needed no sanding. (I did sand the ebony finial with 600 and 800 paper)

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I'd say try it yourself - if you have two gouges with the same grind try some cuts with the tool right off the grinder and compare to a honed and polished edge.

BTW, I also hone off the grinding burrs from scrapers and negative rake scrapers and use a burnishing tool to raise a burr. This lasts a LOT longer than the grinder burr and gives more control since the burnished burr can be made delicate or aggressive to suit. A burnished burr is the method used for ages to prepare cabinet scrapers. I make and use curved hand scrapers to smooth turnings.

JKJ