A Nice Problem To Have

[Martin_S]

A little background - last spring I bought a Ryobi mini-lathe from who posted it for sale here on the BT3Central board who had upgraded to a Jet. I saw this as a good deal for the price. Having never turned anything, I knew that I would need to get some woodturning tools before I could even attempt anything. It had been my intention to order myself a low cost "starter" type set, but for one reason or another I never go around to it. A couple of months ago I told my wife that she could get me some for Christmas.

Imagine how surprised I was to find an 8 piece Crown HSS set under the tree! Certainly a lot more than I would have expected. And I also got the promise of a trip to the store to buy the necessary sharpening gear. (This is going to happen next Saturday.)

Here is the problem - I don't have a clue what to do for sharpening. I currently do not have any type of grinder. I've looked around and can see that something like the Tormek is the top-of-the-line type system. But for $4-$600, does it make much sense? I certainly don't expect to be turning something every day. More likely I might turn a project a month at the most. (I really like thought of turning bowls, but have yet to try one.) At what point do you justify the cost of the sharpening system in relation to the tool you are sharpening? With a set of high quality tools like I have, does it make sense to spend more for a better quality sharpening system?

Suggestions? Comments?

Thanks

Martin

[Brodie]

Martin,

You need a slow speed grinder (1700 RPM) most of all. If you went to WoodCraft it would cost you about 100-120 and probably come with the white aluminum oxide wheels that don't burn your tools that much.

With the above you can get by. You will make some mistakes, but you won't be taking the tool down to its nub to get a grind either.

You can add to that with the Wolverine grinding system, again a little over $100, I think. The wolverine also has a bowl gouge jig. The current or Fall version of the American Association of WoodTurners magazine has an article on sharpening gouges, if you follow that you can do without the bowl gouge jig.

The Tormek is certainly the cadillac of sharpening systems, however if you get your gouge out of profile it will be a cold day in he11 before you get it back on profile with that grinder. The pro turners who have one, still have a regular grinder as well for profile changes.

I've been using a high speed grinder for 4 years now and although I occaisonally burn a tool, I haven't used one up yet. You can also use the slow speed grinder for lawnmower blades, chisels, etc.

Regards,


Brodie

[SteveR]

That is a nice "problem" to have Martin!
Ditto what Brodie said. But I am a newbie turner, but this is what I use.
I have the woodcraft slow speed grinder......check this thread for links/info.
http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=25882
A big assist would be the wolverine system in sharpening....sharp tools make all the difference (not 100% sure on the crowns but most do not come sharpened/ready to use). There are some homemade versions of it as well....just do google a search for homemade wolverine jigs or variations thereof.
For bowls, I would suggest bowl gouges if they did not come with your crown set, otherwise you may get some wicked catches with spindle gouges (I tried and launched one into orbit ).
Steve

[dabeeler]

Sharpening System

Check out this link. http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/wlvrinervu.html

I toyed a long time between getting the Wolverine System or the Jet Slow Speed sharpener which is cheaper than the Tormek but uses all of the Tormek accessories. I finally decided this weekend to go with the Wolverine after reading the above review. I just ordered one from Hartville Tool. You can get a 15% discount by putting "Wood Net 15%" in the shipping comment box when you place the order. This turned out to be the best price I could find for the Wolverine System.

[Jim Boyd]

I made my own base, based on the Wolverine jig and use a 6 inch grinder. For bowl gouges I got the vari-grind jig and use it on my shop made base. I do not use my Tormek with turning tools.

[BigguyZ]

I posted a similar thread earlier. If you look there, there's a link to a DIY wolverine jig. The Woodcraft slow speed grinder w/ the good wheels isn't a bad idea. I went another way. I bought the HF strip sander for $30 (normally $40) and will use that to sharpen. It was mentioned in the thread, and I also saw someone (the host from The American Woodshop) use the same thing. I think it'll be an easy way to get a repeatable grind, and with a higher grit belt I should only need to touch up the chisel every once in a while. Hopefully.

[JTimmons]

I'll second the Woodcraft grinder, but if memory serves me correctly I paid about $90 for it on sale. I know they frequently have it on sale, not sure if you can wait. As far as jigs go I went with the Wolverine also.

[DeanKC]

Amen on the Wolverine system.

The Woodcraft grinder sometimes goes on sale for $75, with the good wheels on it. Such a deal!! $50 worth of wheels on that $75-90 grinder!!! Worth a look, for sure.

Wolverine is made by Oneway. If you go to their site, you can watch a couple of videos on how to use the system. Very helpful.

Wolverine also recommends NOT using a slower grinder. They sharpen at the full 3450, FWIW. If you want to go a little more $$, you can get a Delta dual speed that runs at both 3450 and 1725. But you'll have to buy the wheels.

Buy the 8" if you can at all afford it. I really like the radius of an 8" on my tools much better than my own 6" grinder. Upgrading to the 8" is on my agenda, next larger purchase.