oneleggimp
Member
I just started back into turning last June when I got a midi lathe for Father's day. Since I am a full-time wheelchair user and can't get into the basement, I am using it upstairs in the living quarters. I therefore decided to limit my efforts to pen turning (maybe bottle stoppers, shaving stuff, etc) which would create less mess. I started off with two carbide chisels from PSI: A 3/8" gouge and a 1/2" oval skew. That has gotten me by without getting into sharpening. In my former able bodied life, I sharpened HSS chisels by using a six inch wheel mounted on a morse taper "Work Arbor" and used in the headstock of my lathe. I held the chisels to the wheel entirely just with my hands. Lathe tool rest didn't work for me. That lathe got sold when I became disabled and all the accessories went with it. Wish I'd held unto them since my new little lathe is also morse taper number one as my old Craftsman (King Seeley) lathe was. All this brings me to my present situation. I got a set of six HSS Midi chisels for Christmas and they will need sharpening regularly. Woodcraft will have fifteen percent off on Rikon tools on the seventeenth and eighteenth of January and I've been considering biting the bullet and buying a Rikon 8" "low speed grinder" at the fifteen per cent off price. Seems like some people like it. In the meantime I've looked at the literature on sharpening jigs. I downloaded the instructions for the oneway Wolverine jig and noticed that it says you should use a high speed grinder (3450 RPM) and NOT a low speed one such as the 1750 RPM Rikon 8" that I'm interested in. What is your experience on this issue? I really need to know. I can't afford to spend money on the wrong tool.