Wolverine Vari-Grind Jig Help - Long

[ke4rdb]

I just recieved my Vari-Grind and have a couple of questions I hope you all can answer.

In the instructions on grinding a bowl gouge, Oneway says to set the Vari-grind leg angle to the down position (close to the front, end facing grinder wheel). I did that and using a cheap 3/8" BBest bowl gouge got a good fingernail grind but the edges seem's awful long...quess my question is what is the angle for the leg should I use? Also how do you measure the leg angle? I have tried protractors, ect and because of the way the jig is made can't really get a good measuerment. Has anyone figuered out the angle of each of the notchs for the leg? It would sure be a lot easier if Oneway would stamp the degree marks next to the notchs on the Vari-grind jig.

Also tried it on a spindle gouge, quessed the leg angle to be around 35 to 40 degree, well the 1st attempt made a huge sweep on the side wings about 1 inch. How do you set this dang thing for spindle gouges. I just kind of quessed on a second attemp on the leg angle and it came out a little shorter on the side grind and it cuts pretty good...

Don't get me wrong its a great tool but not that well documented...I have the printed instructions..watched the videos on the Oneway site...but they all seem, well just not clear...at least to me or maybe I'm just thick headed...Hope you all can kind of understand all this not sure if I'm being clear....any help anyone can give me I would sure would be grateful...hate to keep grinding away that expensive metal..

Thanks

James

[DonHo]

You can watch video instructions on using the Wolverine sharpening system here

http://www.oneway.ca/multi-media/wolverine_videos.htm

The videos show how to use all parts of the wolverine jig including the vari-grind.

DonHo

[guycox]

The angle of the varigrind jig sets how much "wing" gets created when you roll the tool through. The length of the bevel is controlled by the distance of the "V" from the wheel.

The jig is not automatic -- you can still get a too pointy a grind if you linger on the sides too long. - So, do the sides first and then come back and touch up the point.

Once you get it right - use a magic marker to get back to the bevel and wing angle you have on the bowl gouge. Mark the bevel and the wings with the marker, place the gouge on the wheel and rotate it about 10 degrees by hand... Check the "rub" mark to see if you have gotten back to the same angle. Toe only - move the v close, heel only move the V further back. Same for the wing angle-- move the arm down if if the bottom of the wing is getting hit..

Packard Woodworks sells a "reference" tool that you can use to get your varigraind set up empirically if you don't have a good "standard" gouge to use as a basis for the setup-- just never grind the reference.

There is so much Voodo surrounding the Varigrind -- get it close to the standard ellsworth setup and develop consistency.

2" tip extenstion, 4" vertical from the V to the tangent of the wheel and 7" from the V to the same point -- cut a block of wood so as the wheel gets smaller you can get back to the "standard" distances.

Some zealots put a triangluar bock of wood into the V so that it goes along with David Ellsworth's latest reference setup -- personally I think it's a bit pretentious to claim that changing an angle from 43 to 45 changes your life.