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I found this amuzing

M

Mark Warden

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I'm learning how to sharpen my turning tools and made a comment to my wife how frustrating it was to grind away an $80 chisel and not get what I wanted.She went to harbor freight and bought these http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?itemnumber=03793&Submit=Go so I could practice on them.I can't even get them to cut I'm using some 4x4 pine from a crating skid and it burns before it cuts.So if you have $10 and you like a challenge try these out.🙂
 
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Well, she's right you know . . . . you do know, don't you?

Those are good to practice on .... and, furthermore, when you can sharpen those tools so that they cut properly, then you will have greatly improved your sharpening technique. No matter how lowly their pedigree might be, you should be able to cut with those tools for at least a while before needing to resharpen. And, since you will be resharpening often, you will gets lots of practice. In one of his videos, Del Stubbs shows one of his fist gouges ... it was made from a piece of ordinary galvanized water pipe ... and it worked quite well.
 
Ditto what Bill said. I would also recommend getting the sharpening DVD that the AAWsells. It is excellent. You can find it by clicking on the AAW symbol in the upper left corner and then click on "products". 3 professional turners show you how to sharpen using different techniques. This allows you to pick the one that works best for you.
 
Yes Bill I totally agree in concept but these tools are anti sharp! I won't stop trying though any practice can't hurt.I have made a couple scrapers that work quite well from old files from the flea market and a bedan type tool from round stock that also works pretty good so I'm not totally inept at sharpening.That video is already on my list John.

Thanks
 
For me, it was the Wolverine jig that made sharpening "click"!

There are other jigs on the market that do virtually the same thing......same operating principle......and, I suspect just as good.

Prior to the Wolverine, I did all my sharpening by hand. Of course, you can do equally as well by hand......but the jig makes a lot of hand sharpening skills a moot point.

ooc
 
"antisharp"?
A high carbon steel tool is supposed to take a keener edge, but not hold it as long as A2. We are putting typically a 60-120 grit edge on our tools.
I've always wondered why people don't use jigs from day one, takes the mystery out of where the problems are.
I use the jig wood-cut tools make.
 
Grinding Wheels

I looked up the owner's manual on your grinder, and the wheels are 36 and 60. While the 60 might be ok for basic shaping, neither wheel would be your best for sharpening turning tools. I suggest you upgrade to white wheels that are at least 80 grit, or one 80 and one 100 for better results overall.
 
I suspect that you are burning the edge of the tools. Is the edge of the steel turning blue? The gray silicon carbide wheel causes the the steel to get much hotter than aluminum oxide wheels. One pitfall that troubles many beginners is applying too much pressure against the grinding wheel -- you should only be applying a feather light touch and it should only take a few seconds to get the edge sharp.
 
Mark Warden said:
I have made a couple scrapers that work quite well from old files from the flea market...
Click to expand...


Turning old files into scrapers is an accident waiting to happen.

Old files have been known to snap when used in this fashion.

I would suggest tossing them, they are simply not worth the risk.
 
Ditto what Ron says. I did write an article on how to make a file safer to use because this issue comes up everytime a bunch of turners get together. Much better and safer to use good steel, not files.
The 3 best things I did to learn sharpening was #1. Learn to true up and balance the wheels. A wheel that doesn't bounce the tool makes it so much easier to control the grind.
#2 Light touch. Most new turners push the tool into the stone. This not only wears out and grooves the stone but eats up the tool as well. It also overheats the metal which is a great concern if you use High Carbon steel. A light touch also gives you more control.
#3 I learned to sharpen by hand and still do on some of my tools, but I'm a fan of the jigs. Using a jig properly will remove almost no steel each time you sharpen. It makes the tools last much longer and reduces the learning curve for beginners. I still think you should learn to hand sharpen because it's often necessary if you want a shape you can't get with the jigs.
I know a lot of turners and they sharpen with everything from 60 to 400 grit. You can't tell the difference in the final product. It's all about technique and how you finish the vessel. I'd stick with anything from 60 to 100 and just learn how to sharpen and use the tool. Which grit you actually sharpen on is irrelevant in the long run.
 
Somebody - I think it may have been David Ellsworth - said to get a bolt the same diameter as your gouge you are trying to learn how to sharpen. Grind away on the bolt until you can get the shape and such - then switch to the gouge and you save on all that expensive metal. Good idea.
Hugh
 
Limitations

David Wilkins said:
"antisharp"?
...I've always wondered why people don't use jigs from day one, ....
Click to expand...

Umm, can't afford it? I've come to turning from neither flat work nor engineering. I simply cannot get every tool I might need. A mini-lathe and a basic grinder was it. No bandsaw, no drill press, no sharpening jig, no $80 grinding wheels. Fortunately, I can eyeball 30, 45, and 60 degree angles accurately due to the requirement in high school to take 5 years of drafting, even after over 40 years.
 
Update

Ok after getting over my can't be me problem (gets me all the time) I gave it another shot. Yes i was overheating the metal(turning blue) watched my videos again and lighten my touch and turned the speed up on the grinder.I ground 1 of the spindle gouges down flat and reground a fingernail grind on it.Cuts like a charm I'm no longer so amused but I do appreciate all the time you guys spent helping.

Thanks

P.S. Won't be using the chisels anymore 🙂
 
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David Wilkins said:
"antisharp"?
A high carbon steel tool is supposed to take a keener edge, but not hold it as long as A2. ....
Click to expand...


David
Did you read Alan Lacer's recent piece ("Refining the Edge, in American Woodturner, co-authored by a Doctor in Materials) on tool steel and sharpening? Where he showed that, given care you can get as keen as en edge with M2, A2, V10 or even V15 and HCS.

This is in line with a conversation of I had with a co-worker with his masters in Materials some years back.

You can get a "razor" edge on V15 steel, it just takes more effort ( and things like a diamond hone instead of a leather strap)
 
I have no doubt you can place equal edges on many different types of steel.
Most of my tools are hss, some are m2 hss. I do have some hcs, and I like them too.
I guess the point is, a poor craftsman blames his tools.

My point to jigs is they aren't necessarily expensive, my first grinding wheels were $30, they are still my preferred wheel. I guess it depends on the approach to the craft.
 
Amusing

Mark,
Please don't take it as an insult. I, too, have heard this old saying and believe it was offered as a reference only.
 
According to my grandfather (d. 1966), "It's a poor mechanic that blames his tools." And I've heard it later, too. Craftsmen likely adopted/adapted it.

And, when you make your own tools, you can still use it and blame yourself.😉😀
 
Joe Greiner said:
According to my grandfather (d. 1966), "It's a poor mechanic that blames his tools." And I've heard it later, too. Craftsmen likely adopted/adapted it.

And, when you make your own tools, you can still use it and blame yourself.😉😀
Click to expand...

I have always heard the expression the way that your grandfather stated it with the term "mechanic". I suppose that it could be considered an oxymoron to say "poor craftsman" except in the monetary sense.
 
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