qestions on tool sharpening and olive wood

[triw51]

I was watching a video on tool sharpening and the gentleman doing the demo said you can get a gouge too sharp. His reasoning is that the Tormex sharpening system will get your gouges so sharp that you can not get a starting cut.This does not sound right to me.
So my question: for those who have more experience that I: is it possible to get a bowl gouge too sharp?

2nd question involves green olive wood. I was given some large pieces of olive wood trunk just cut about a week ago. Other than painting the cut ends is there any other steps I should take to protect this investment?

Thank you William

 

[TonyL]

I intentional repeatedly sharpen my gouge and skew. I never had a problem with any wood or non-wood. I use a 220 CBN wheel if that means anything.

 

[plantman]

Protect it from the weather and rotate the logs every so often to keep the drying even. Good air circulation also helps. I have been sharpening tools fo over 60 years, and have never had a tool to sharp that it would not cut. You can however, sharpen a tool to thin, and cause a very weak edge that will dull much quicker or chip the metal. Jim S

 

[Woodguy95]

I've been working with the tormek system for about 2 years or so now and never had this king of problem. I am not sure if that is even possible. I do sharpen my fingernail gouge to a razor sharp edge and it lasts for a while so I don't think I have the problem of geting the edge to thin...

 

[SteveG]

A cut, full log section will develop checks (cracks) at the ends as the wood dries. If you have nice, long sections, and are willing to throw away a portion on each end, then seal the ends and let it sit. If you want to get more yield, act now. rip the log right down the centerline with a chain saw. Those two half logs will be able to dry with much, much less end-checking. You could cut it into bowl blanks, and get quicker drying. Still seal all the cut ends. Some like to turn bowls oriented where the pith ends up as the turning center of the bowl (it will be at the center of the bottom of the bowl). Then the pith is a problem, and typically needs to be removed and replaced with a small plug. If this is your ultimate plan for this log, then obviously you do not want to split it in half. Letting a large, intact log dry takes a long time. It is not something you check every day...more like every year

 

[low_48]

Not getting a cut started has nothing to do with sharpening and all to do with technique. You need to be cautious with who you learn from on YouTube. You can learn even worse techniques than what you started with. I don't know if Alan Lacer has any videos on there, but his work in fine sharpening is very good.

 

[TurtleTom]

Someone was just too lazy to even admit it. Too sharp? I only wish.

 

[Boss302]

Even if you take the good advice given above, Olivewood is one of the harder woods to get dry without checking. The slower the drying the better. If you expect a few checks to start with it's not quite as frustrating when you see them later.

 

[robutacion]

There are 2 things that, don't go that well with me, the first is having too much wood and the second having too sharp tools, no tool can ever be too sharp, in my view...!

As for green Olive wood, it depends on what you want to do with it at later time and how long, you want to start using it.

If you want to start using it soon rather than later, I suggest you rip the logs in oversize dimensions to what you need, for example pen blanks, about 1" is sufficient. Slicing the log up, will increase the dry time about 7 times however, if the wood is that fresh, expect at least a couple of years before it is dry enough to safely use, something that I consider at about 14% moisture content. Remember that, the natural oils on the Olive wood will always read high in the MC% 14% in olive wood, represents about 8 to 10% in most non-oily woods.

I like what you said about, "protecting your investment" and while I have tried that for over a decade with the Olive wood I've got, there is no telling what it will do, Olive wood is well known to have a mind of its own and unless you have a good kiln to control its drying, you will have cracks and probably big ones, regardless on what you do.

I have found that, with the normal air-drying system, cutting the Olive wood into blocks, square, rectangular, 4" to 6" and of size enough to fit in an electric fry-pan, and coated it with a thick coat of melted wax (I use the non-scent, large white church type candles). This is what you see done by the big timber boys that buy green wood and have it on the market, a couple of weeks later as you may have seen...!

Depending on the quantity you've got, I suggest you slice up half of what you have and the rest, seal the ends and put it away from weather and in a well ventilated area. Not only you cover the possibility that one day you need some large pieces and also the fact that, by the time you used the half you have sliced, it will be some years later, and the logs will be a lot more stabilised, then...!

Good luck...!

Cheers
George