Need help with sharpening

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dbechtol

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Joined
Jan 2, 2017
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25
I have a several nice spindle gouges from Thompson tools that I am having a heck of a time sharpening. I use the one way wolverine jig and set it exactly how Doug Thompson says to do it in the instructions he sends. Every time I sharpen it, the end is pointy. It does not have the nice curve on it, that it came with. I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. I thought I might be extending it to far through the jig but have tried 1 3/4 inches like it says and 2 inches as well. Neither one is helping. The tool is getting sharp but it is pointy at the end and it makes it tough to use the tip.




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It sounds like you are spending more time on the side grinds than the tip. After doing the side grinds, spend some time on the very tip of the tool. A very light touch on the grinder is all that is necessary. My own problem is I tend to grind on one side more than the other. My tools look like a lopsided grin!
 
Doug Thompson is one of the nicest people I've met and is very helpful. Phone him and (if he's home) he'll spend as long as it takes talking about the problem you're having and how to get the exact grind he puts on the gouge.
 
I agree Doug is the best, when I first placed my order he spent slot of time with me getting everything right as I didn't know all the terminology. I love his tools, and just don't want to mess them up. I will try to call him tomorrow.


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Do you have the fixture for turning spindle and bowl gouges? This gives a "rocking" movement to make sure the grind is proper. FWIW, woodturner Cindy Drozda has a video on hand sharpening. One by Kirk De Heer is good, also.
 
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The best thing you do is find someone close to you that will volunteer to mentor you. You can start by putting your location in your profile, there might be someone that lives close and be willing help you learn the aspects of sharpening.
 
One thing that helped me when I started, is to mount the new gouge in the jig and without turning the grinder on, hold it up to the wheel and make adjustments until the existing grind is against the wheel. Sweep the gouge across the wheel (again, without turning it on) and see if it angle is correct throughout the sweep. When I did that it all started to make sense.

The distance of the bar from the wheel is more critical than the amount of stickout, in my opinion, and a little bit of change can make a lot of difference.
 
My guess, and it is only a guess, is that you are are grinding more on the sides than on the tip. This could be from applying more pressure when on the sides or from not rolling the tool at an even speed. It is also possible you are rolling the tool too far to either side.

What is that white spot on the top of the right wing? Did you re-grind the top?
 
Thanks Jim, I tried again last night and did not try the wings at all. The tip looked much better. Still not perfect but much better. I will work from there and try to see exactly what works when I roll into the wing. I have a weird technique and use the wing more than anything when I am making my alumilite bottle stoppers. I know it isn't the correct way, but it works for me.


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dbechtol said:
Thanks Jim, I tried again last night and did not try the wings at all. The tip looked much better. Still not perfect but much better. I will work from there and try to see exactly what works when I roll into the wing. I have a weird technique and use the wing more than anything when I am making my alumilite bottle stoppers. I know it isn't the correct way, but it works for me.


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Click to expand...

Glad that is helping. Once you get the shape back all you need to do to sharpen it is start on the wing and roll it onto the other wing and then roll it back to the first wing. Do it nice and steady speed. Very, very light pressure. You barley need more than the weight of the tool pressing against the wheel. That is all it takes to get a new sharp edge. Doing more than that is just grinding away more steel and is not getting you a better edge.
 
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