sharpening

[PenPauli]

Hello,
I am brand spankin new to turning and have turned 9 pens so far(I screwed one up) and I am addicted. If anyone can give me information regarding sharpening my tools I would appreciated it. I saw the tormek at the wordworking show and that is way out of my price range. If anyone could help it would be great and also with the tecnique of sharpening, is it hard to do? Thanks for your time. Oh yea and this web site is wonderfull I have already learned tons of things. Thanks everyone.

 

[darbytee]

Hello and welcome. Alot of the people here (myself included) use the Wolverine sharpening system, made by Oneway. There is a link to it here:

http://www.oneway.on.ca/sharpening/index.htm

It is a pretty easy system to use and much less expensive than the Tormek. You can buy it at Woodcraft for under $200 if you have your own grinder or with their 2 speed grinder for about $300 total. It's also available at numerous places online.

 

[Scott]

Hi Paul,

We're sure glad to have you here at Penturners.org! And this is a great first question!

As Fred said above, the Wolverine system from Oneway is probably the quickest and surest way to sharp turning tools out there! If you already have a bench grinder, you're half way there! The Wolverine is a jig setup for a bench grinder. And if your're a handy person, there are sites on the Internet that have plans for a homemade version.

Even if you can't swing a Wolverine, it would be best to at least get a bench grinder. Some are better than others, but if it runs it will sharpen your tools. I have a Jet grinder I bought off of Ebay. Many bought the slowspeed grinder from Woodcraft. Fast or slow, they both work. One suggestion I have is to invest in at least one white wheel for your grinder, two if you can afford it. Pick one in the 80 grit range.

I had been sharpening my tools by hand for too long before I bought a Wolverine. I find it easier to just touch up by hand than to set up the Wolverine. Oh, I'll set it up someday, then I'll have much nicer, more consistent grinds on my gouges. Until then I'll have to make do with ugly sharp grinds on them!

I hope this is a boost in the right direction. Don't forget to post pictures of your pens! And remember that the only dumb question is the one that isn't asked!

Scott.

 

[Fred in NC]

One more Fred opinion:

I have the Wolverine. After initial setup I can touch up my gouges very quickly. A touch up is all that is needed, and therefore very little metal is removed from the gouge. For that reason, tools last a lot longer. This is the main reason I decided to invest in this jig. Also, I have the VariGrind attachment for sharpening bowl gouges.

I know it is not cheap, but in my opinion worth it. A properly sharpened tool is a necessity. Also in reality the price of a lathe is only a small part of the total investment in a turning setup.

Welcome to the forum and please keep coming back.

 

[PenPauli]

Thanks for the info. I just got my woodcraft catalog today and I see there is a Delta Universal wet/dry grinder in there, it has 5" 100 grit wheel for dry grinding and a 10" 220 grit 70rpm wheel with constant water for cooling for $165. Is anyone familiar with this and would it be ok for sharping lathe tools, if not I'll just have to wait a while longer and save up for the wolverine setup and grinder. Thanks again for all the help.

Paul

 

[Fred in NC]

For sharpening turning tools, the wet/dry is useless in my opinion. The dry wheel is too small, and will put too much of a hollow in the tools. The wet wheel is too slow.

I think your best bet, from the Woodcraft catalog, would be getting the 8" Slow Speed Grinder, Product Number: 144290, $94.99, with 1725 RPM speed. This is what we call slow for turning tool grinding. And the basic Wolverine, Product Number: 125676, $89.99. Later you can add accessories to the Wolverine if you want to turn bowls.

The grinder itself is no big deal. If you cannot afford the grinder from Woodcraft, my best advice would be to get a cheap grinder, and later replace it. I started with a 6" no-name grinder, and it was not slow speed.

I want to explain something about grinding speed. Carbon steel tools can lose the temper if they get too hot. To keep this from happening you keep dipping the tool in water as you grind, before it starts changing color. Of course a slow speed grinder does not get the tool as hot (slow is about 1700 RPM).

Most lathe tools today are made from HSS - High Speed steel, usually M2 steel. These can take a higher temperature, besides being better steel. Don't dip HSS in water.

I have ground all kinds of tools with a cheap 6" high speed grinder and had no problems. I just take care not to get the tool too hot, and with carbon steel tools, I keep a can with water by the grinder.

My point is that, if you can afford it, get the Wolverine and the Woodcraft 8" grinder that I listed above. If you can't afford that, I would still get a Wolverine, and a cheaper grinder, 8" if possible, but a 6" will do. If the grinder is used, make sure the wheel is in good shape and square. Otherwise a new wheel, which costs little, would be advisable.

Hope this helps! Fred

 

[Guest]

Get a bench sander.lot of grits available,belts are inexpensive easy to change.
A diamond stone to touch up while turning is all you really need.

 

[thiggy]

I too recommend the Oneway Wolverine sharpening jig. However, for budget considerations, there are several plans on the 'net for sharpening jigs which work just like the Wolverine. Try a Google search for them. I do recommend the slow speed bench grinder from Woodcraft. The two stones which come with it are just what you need to sharpen your turning tools.

 

[fhinde]

This months (Nov 2004) Popular Woodworking magazine has an article on sharpening turning tools. It does not cover all of the jigs available to help you with getting the proper angles on the tools but it has some good information on the how to's.