# Sharpening Turning Tools: Options for the Beginner.



## wizer (29 Jan 2009)

I thought I'd post this and get the views of everyone. It will be helpful for all beginners who come after me.

The options I have are

Tormek + Jigs
Sorby Pro Edge
Worksharp 3000
Grinder + Jigs + new wheel

I guess the cheapest would be the grinder option. What are the downsides of going this route?

The Tormek looks good in the videos and lots of hype on these forums over the years. But is it worth it? 

I've seen the ProEdge in action and it's certainly very easy to use. The consumables cost seems to be lower, but the initial outlay is quite high.

I haven't seen much about the Worksharp system for turners, anyone used it?

Interested to hear everyone's views and what system they currently use.


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## MikeG. (29 Jan 2009)

Hi Tom,

well, this question is one which shows up the usefulness of fora (pl. of forum, I hope!!). Until I joined the Get Woodworking forum 6 or 9 months ago, I would never have dreamt of taking any of my blades to the bench grinder, and did the whole job on an oilstone. Every 6 months or so I would spend an afternoon with a friend who has a whetsone grinder (slow running, with water bath.....you know the kind of thing), getting everything back to square and the right sort of angles.

I was never too precious about angles (I'm still not that fussed).

Having heard from others who used a bench grinder, and after seeing one or to videos, inc. one from a member on here, I made an adjustable guide and then took my reserve chisels to the grinder.......with my heart in my mouth.

I needn't have worried......it is an absolute doddle if you don't work your way right to the edge. I also invested in a piece of glass and some spray mount, and now do "Scary Sharpening" with a cheapo honing guide. My tools have always been razor sharp, but have previously wandered off the straight and square a bit. Now, everything is ultra-sharp, and very square and straight. Additionally, because of the honing guide and a bench-mark, the bevel angle is pretty exact too.

So, that is my way...........£30 bench grinder, glass of water, and a bit of glass and sandpaper. It might be a different story if I was a turner, but I wouldn't bother with may hundreds of pounds worth of kit when I get magic results for virtually nothing.

Cheers

Mike


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## TEP (29 Jan 2009)

Bench grinder with White wheel. Or Pink, or Blue. Not a lot to choose between them other than the price, white is usually the least expensive. Home made grinding jig for repeatability of angle.

One thing to keep in mind is that even using a jig, home made or shop bought, there is still a learning curve to sharpening tools properly. This is where a lot go wrong and buy a more expensive set-up expecting it to be easier. It ain't, and all you need is a little practice.

This advice is only for turning, if your talking flat work, or carving, that is another ball game.


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## Vulthoom (29 Jan 2009)

I have the cheap white wheel grinder from Axminster - trying to sharpen by hand/eye (despite what Mr Raffan says) was a disaster of biblical proportions.

Now have the Sorby Deluxe Universal Sharpening jig in front of the cheap white wheel and life is much, much easier....


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## Finial (29 Jan 2009)

Bench grinder with White wheel. Or Pink, or Blue

or indeed gray. I actually like sharpening and i keep trying new methods and then back again. tormek gives a brilliant edge but at a rip-off price in my opinion. I started with an 8 inch gray wheel high speed dry grinder and sharpened freehand. The tools were carbon steel and I didn't burn them. I still use some of the same tools now after many years so they don't need to be ground away rapidly. it's a skill you learn like turning itself. What does help though is an angled jig for scrapers and skew chisels. That can be home made and makes getting a consistent angle very quick. If money is no object, get a tormek with fingernail jig for gouges (Don't get the so-called turner's pack, most is unnecessary) but you can easily manage without.


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## paulmann (30 Jan 2009)

Hi as a beginner I have the Sorby pro system, I can say that I have been able to sharpen all my tools without ruining the profiles and I guess the machine replaces years of experience. The only issue I needed to address was my tendency to blue small tools but this is more than likely me and not the machine. I have just changed to a ceramic belt and this seems to do the job better than the ali oxide one on HSS. See the thread about sharpening below this one. All in all sorby pro system very good.


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## loz (30 Jan 2009)

El cheapo B&Q grinder with a Sorby Universal Jig, Same profile each sinme !

Wonderful !


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## duncanh (30 Jan 2009)

I use a Perform (from Axminster) grinder with a wide white wheel at one side and a thinner, coarse, grey wheel at the other. They don't sell it anymore but this in their white range appears the same.

I've had it since 2004 and the white wheel is getting close to being replaced. When I looked at the Axminster site they don't appear to have replacement wheels, but after lots of searching I found one sold by ToolPost for Record grinders and it fits.

I use a TruGrind jig and a home made jig for by roughing gouges.

I'm pleased with the system I have but I've bever tried anything else, so I can't compare.


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## John. B (30 Jan 2009)

For my turning tools, I use a Tormek for my gouges, A thousand year old Wharco double ended with a red wheel one end,
and a white one at the other for my skew, scrapers, and parting tools.
For reprofiling I'll replace one of the wheels for a coarse grey one temporarily.
For my carving tools I've a small double ended slowish grinder with a mop one end, and solid rubber wheel covered with diamond dust.

John.B


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## jpt (30 Jan 2009)

Over the years I have tried different ways of sharpening, I have a Tormek, which I brought second hand, but only use it now for my wifes carving tools, non turning chisels, plane blades, knives etc.

In my opinion there are 4 problems with Tormeks.

1/ The inital cost of purchasing it.

2/ The cost of replacement wheels.

3/ The cost of the jigs, this applies to most other jigs as well.

4/ The time it takes to set up for each jig/tool, this applies to most other jigs as well.

I now use the following system





The tool rest on the left is set for my gouges, I use the same angle on all of them and I can even do long grinds on this system.

The tool rest on the right is set for scrappers and one bowl gouge which has a very flat bevel to be used on the bottom of deep vesels.

For skews I use the left rest, I have drawn 2 lines on it to get the angle of the skew correct.





I line the edge of the skew up with the line and the tip with a mark on the guide attached to the left side of the guard, like this.





This system works for flat, round and ovel skews.

For parting tools I have another mark on the side guide to line the tip up and then just move it across the wheel and it is done.

Like all systems it does take getting used to but I know a couple of new turners who made their own system like this and they picked it up very quickly. It is also cheap to make, which has to be a plus.

john


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## Anonymous (30 Jan 2009)

Cheapo grinder, white Sorby wheel, Keith Rowley home made rest. Simple ply template to set the angle.

Less than 30 secs to sharpen a standard grind. As our colonial brethren are wont say 'Go figure'

Loadsa sharpening toys out there... if you want fancy, borrow someone's to see if it suits .... before you shell out hard earned readies!

There's a link (one of my postings) on here somewhere pointing to a youtube vid by Mike Mahoney showing simple and long grind methods...


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## Wanlock Dod (30 Jan 2009)

Wizer,

I'm another fan of the grinder and freehand grinding of turning tools. The only real down-side that I see to this is that you really need to find somebody to show you how to do it (at least that was how it was for me).

Once I had got an OK technique I find it quck and easy. I found the instructiosn for freehand grinding in Rowleys book to be of no help, but once shown a slightly different method (by Tony Wilson) I found things to be far better.

Cheers,

Dod


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## wizer (30 Jan 2009)

Thanks for the responses so far guys. I'm thinking, due to budget more than anything, that I'm going to start with a grinder. I need one for normal WW Chisels anyway, so it won't be wasted money. I'll have a go at freehand/homemade jigs. I have Rowley's book and am slowly working my way through it. There's some stuff on YouTube which I found useful. If I remember, I'll post links. In a few months I can consider the Sorby Jig or plump for a full 'system'. Actually I just noticed on our turning club's website that there's a 'Grinding Evening' on the 11th. Not sure if that's demonstrations or just an opportunity to sharpen your tools. Will check with the club.

Keep the ideas coming, this will all be useful for other newbies.


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## tekno.mage (30 Jan 2009)

I've been turning for about 6 months now and to start with neither myself or my partner had much joy with freehand sharpening anything but roughing gouges or scrapers on a grindwheel & sharpening by hand on a flat stone (as I do with my carving tools) was never going to be a sensible option for HSS. 

Having tried a friend's Tormek, I liked the system but not the price so bought a Scheppach "Tormek lookalike" ex-demo for £70, fitted a Peter Child micro-crystalline wheel (£60) and then invested in the Tormek Woodturner's jig kit. Now sharpening any turning gouge is fast and easy and I have nice symmetrical, repeatable long grinds on those tools that need them. We still use the dry grinder for scrapers and some initail shaping of new tools and I use the softer original wheel that came with the Scheppach if I want to sharpen carbon-steel plane blades or similar items.

I would say that it's the jigs that make the real difference to sharpening repeatability, not the make of the wet grinder and I was lucky to find a wet grinder that takes the Tormek jigs & accessories at a very good price. I personally prefer using a wet grindstone there is no risk of overheating the tool edge and it's harder to remove too much metal in the wrong place than with a fast dry grindstone.

tekno.mage


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## John. B (30 Jan 2009)

Tom,
The club grinding evening is for members to bring grinding devices and or tools, and to show, and learn ,how to grind turning tools.
Hopefully there will be a plethora of grinders, jigs, tools and expertise.
We already have double ended grinders so so I doubt we'll need any of those.

John. B


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## wizer (30 Jan 2009)

I'm keeping my eye out for a cheap grinder. I know they're only £40 from Axi, but I'm trying to be Frugal. Got a lathe to pay for


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## cornucopia (31 Jan 2009)

I use a 6" grinder with a white wheel and keith rowleys toolrest just like the one in jpt's post and a tormek for my bowl gouges.


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## Gordon T (31 Jan 2009)

Hello all,

I have the sorby pro system, the trugrind system and sharpen freehand depending on which tool I am sharpening. I think it is down to what suits you following lots and lots of practice. 

GT


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## miles_hot (3 Feb 2009)

Unless I decide to hang the cost and go for the tomak it seems to come down to two choices - the Sorby Delux jig(s) and the Tru-grind. It appears that the sorby delux can do more than just my (to be purchased) wood turning tools and so can be used for plane irons etc - is this right?

Am I right in thinking that the Tru-grind is specifically for wood turning stuff and not for anything which is not mounted on a shaft?

Does the Sorbey jig perform well on plane irons etc or is it no better than a grinder with a normal rest? How repeatable is it for skews etc - this is something that the tru-grind seems to do well... 

Finally (and I'm sorry for all the questions!) can I mount both the systems in front of one wheel - I suspect not but I/m just hoping that I'm wrong as I have a horrible feeling that they address each other's weaknesses but are mutually exclusive! 

Many thanks
PS I'm assuming that both work best with the slow speed grinders to avoid burning the steel...


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## Jenx (3 Feb 2009)

The tru-grind can also sharpen wood chisels, drills, carving tools etc ...
Can't tell you anything about the Sorby.. but thats what the tru-grind does :wink:


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## miles_hot (3 Feb 2009)

Jenx":22druyra said:


> The tru-grind can also sharpen wood chisels, drills, carving tools etc ...
> Can't tell you anything about the Sorby.. but thats what the tru-grind does :wink:


can it do plane irons and other more odd ball things like knives etc? I notice that one one site they were selling some platform which appeared to attach to the jig slide - might this help out with this sort of thing?

thanks

Miles


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## Jenx (3 Feb 2009)

Miles - this may help ----

http://www.philironswoodturning.co.uk/i ... &Itemid=69

Its from Phil Irons site / online shop ...

I e-mailed him a couple of questions about it, when going through the process of buying... he was back with full answers within an hour.

I can't say about plane irons etc, as it wasn't something I needed to find out about... but Phil will know straight off.

I thought Plane irons were for the domain of the oilstone & hones .. but I don't use them, so I'm really not sure  


HTH , Jenx.


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## miles_hot (3 Feb 2009)

Jenx":1m1fa08z said:


> Miles - this may help ----
> 
> http://www.philironswoodturning.co.uk/i ... &Itemid=69
> 
> ...



Good call - I got s wrapped up in finding out what people thought I forgot to ask the supplier about the capabilities! 

Thanks

Miles


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## Soulfly (4 Feb 2009)

Never used any grinding jigs prefering to sharpen freehand. Time is money and feel these things are aimed at the hobby end rather than the serious turning fraternity.


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## wizer (4 Feb 2009)

I know I'm wasting my time here. But what part of the serious turning fraternity are you from Soulfly? What sort of work do you do?


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## Jenx (4 Feb 2009)

"Time isn't Money" to me laddie ...
Time is *leisure* where my turning's concerned.


I''ve neither the aspiration, ability or desire to make a penny from what I do ... I don't expect to make money from my motorcycle, from my guitars, or from my fishing.... and the turning is no different for me, and I suspect many like me.

Just a small question for you ....
would you know what a bit of wood was, if it jumped up and bit you in the Ar5e ?

I strongly suspect not
( and I don't reckon I'd be alone in that either)


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## TEP (4 Feb 2009)

I don't like getting in on this bickering, and you may prefer to sharpen free hand *Soulfly*, and long may your wheel turn. But MANY registered turners on the demonstration circuit use a jig. As do many who man the stands at the shows around the country. Many of these jigs are home made, but more seem to use a jig for sharpening than not IME.


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## Richard Findley (4 Feb 2009)

Hi Wizer,

I use a veritas grinding platform like this:







It's about £35 from Axminster. With this you can grind ANYTHING!

I bought this before I bought Kieth Rowley's book so I hadn't seen his platform. I have since made one for our club grinder. As you have the kit Wizer, you wouldn't have anything to lose (except an hour or so and a few nuts and bolts) in having a go at making one. I could probably scan the picture from the book and email it over if for some reason you haven't bought his book yet.

The main reasons I use this method over a jig are:

a) I'm a woodturner and so by nature a little tight so 100 odd quid for a jig seemed a bit steep

b) with my joinery background I was pretty confident with a grinder already so kind of taught myself to use it

As for Mr Soulfly's comment, I'm not sure how valid it is. I know of a number of highly regarded pro's that use jigs or Tormeks, most say it's because of the repeatability of a jig (Jimmy Clewes) and others of the razor sharpness of the Tormek (article by Dave Register) 

Personally I'm not convinced you need turning tools to be as sharp as a Tormek can make them but if you've got one I see no reason not to use it.

Sorry to go on, but you did ask!!

Cheers,

Richard


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## wizer (4 Feb 2009)

Thanks for this Richard. I do have a copy of Rowley's book and have seen the platform your talking about. As yet I'm still not completely decided which method I'm going to use. Funds are limited, so it probably will be grinder and jig to begin with. As Jenx was intimating, most of us are hobbiests, so if a jig saves us time and we are happy to spend the money on one, then I don't feel bad about buying/using one. I have no intention to turn for a living, I doubt i'd ever be good enough. I'll leave that to the professional turning fraternity.


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## Anonymous (4 Feb 2009)

Wizer you seem to have sussed out the likely best bits within your current budget... try before you buy

the professional/amateur sharpening debate goes on ... and on... and is largely irrelevant unless one enjoys trolling :lol: 
If you're ever in my neck of the woods I'd be happy to show you the simple way of sharpening that works for me...
(that offer is open to anyone on this forum :!: )


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## glenn lucas (4 Feb 2009)

Hi all, 
In my own business I only sharpen free hand as it is the most flexible way to get exactly the grind I want. Practice is what it takes to get it right. 
I personally get frustrated with grinding jigs because of their limitations and I never get exactly what I want. 
However I would recommend the use of a grinding jig to anyone who cannot perfect the tool grind because if you don't have a good edge you can not make fine work. 
In my classes I have the tru grind grinding jig for students which also takes a bit of practice but it allows each person to keep the profile on the tool and cut cleanly when used correctly. 
In short get a jig if you have a problem sharpening. 
There is a lot of choice on the market. 
My preference would be for the woodcut or Oneway systems. 

I hope this is of some help. 

Regards, 

Glenn


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## big soft moose (4 Feb 2009)

Soulfly":1dtwhskd said:


> Never used any grinding jigs prefering to sharpen freehand. Time is money and feel these things are aimed at the hobby end rather than the serious turning fraternity.



someone should tell dave register and keith rowley (and numerous others) presumably they arent part of the serious turning fraternity either :roll:

IME a true pro will use anything that makes the job easier and faster - time being money and all  some use rests some dont, but there is no need to disparage those who do


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## wizer (4 Feb 2009)

Cheers Graham that's a kind offer.

Whilst I wanted this info for myself I also wanted it to be a resource for future turners. Something that can be referred to when the next newbie says "How do I sharpen this tool". I think it's achieved a good balance of replies.


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## big soft moose (4 Feb 2009)

wizer":z92sibua said:


> I know I'm wasting my time here. But what part of the serious turning fraternity are you from Soulfly? What sort of work do you do?



now now tom , we already know that hes from the very creme de la creme of the serious turning fraternity, up in the stratosphere whose work is too perfect to be shown to the eyes of meer mortals such as us. :roll:


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## big soft moose (4 Feb 2009)

Wizer - my first 18 months as a turner i used a cheap chiawanese thing (10 quid from b&poo), with the keith rowley platform, but the wheels were so narrow that it was difficult to roll a large gouge across them.

I looked at buying some wide wheels from axi but by the time i added the cost of these together it would have been cheaper to just buy the wide wheel grinder from them.

which was what i was going to do , until i spotted a second hand cruesen for sale on here and bought that instead.

( If money is really tight it is possible to just sharpen with a diamond slip stone, but if you are going to do any ammount of turning I'd strongly reccomend getting a wide wheel grinder - it will be money well spent in the long run.)


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## PowerTool (4 Feb 2009)

I sharpen freehand on a wide-wheel grinder,and have a couple of diamond files for honing.Skews get done on a diamond stone or an ordinary oilstone.
It's horses for courses - suits me,but that doesn't make it right or wrong :wink: 


Andrew


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## miles_hot (5 Feb 2009)

Richard Findley":11izfpq3 said:


> the razor sharpness of the Tormek (article by Dave Register)
> 
> Personally I'm not convinced you need turning tools to be as sharp as a Tormek can make them but if you've got one I see no reason not to use it.
> 
> Richard



Do you feel that the tormek gets tools sharper that other systems (e.g. jigs on slow speed wheels)?

Many thanks

Miles


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## TEP (5 Feb 2009)

Sharpening has always been a controversial subject with woodturners!

My experience is that IF you only wish to sharpen for turning, a bench grinder is more than enough. BUT it must have a decent wheel. I tend to use white/pink stones, a 100 and a 60 grit, but as the 100 wears down I have been looking for another and as yet I have not found any, they all seem to stop at 60 grit.

The benefits of a slow/half speed bench grinder are such that as a learner it gives you more time on the stone before over heating, but I think this small benefit is outweighed by the cost of such machines. Especially as all it takes is a little practice and you won't burn the tool anyway.

Slow wet grinders such as the Tormek are great tools but IMO not for woodturning, I base this on the fact that as much as it is nice to have the sharpest edge possible, it just doesn't last long when you have the surface of a piece of timber passing it at yards per second in some cases. The Tormek will give a sharper edge than a grinder, and if you posses one, great I would use it, but they are very expensive to buy just for turning. 

Another of the great failings of beginner woodturners is that they don't sharpen their tools often enough. I watch folks at a club I go to and they will turn for a couple of hours and never approach the grinder. When working at home I know within a few minutes how often I will need to redress the tool while working on a certain piece of wood. You should never sharpen when the tool is blunt, you always sharpen the tool before it gets blunt. Even if it means going to the grinder every 10 minutes. Then ALWAYS sharpen before doing the last cut, that way you are getting the best surface possible from the tool.

I used to sharpen all my tools free hand, on a flat platform (aka K Rowley) but after watching Jimmy Clewes, Mick Hanbury and the like I now sharpen my gouges using a jig. I still sharpen all my other tools on the flat platform, but my 3/8" and upwards bowl gouges, and my spindle gouges are all done on a jig.

SO IMO if you are a turner and cost concious a bench grinder is fine, if you have the money buy the best but I don't think your turning will benefit. As with all things in life nothing is that easy and all hobbies need a little patience and perseverance when learning a skill. I'm sorry to say it is not something you can buy.

On this note I will finish, but if anyone is really struggling and wants a bit of help with their sharpening, or anything else. (turning only :twisted: ) Get in touch and we could maybe arrange to spend an afternoon going over bits were you think you are struggling. As with all turners, my way is the best way O so I can only show you how I do it.


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## mikec (5 Feb 2009)

Just to add my 2p worth.

In support of Teps comments about sharpening often enough, I was in that situation until recently when I decided to give all my tools a sharpen. Scrapers that I thought were more than sharp enough now shear scrape beautifully and skew chisels produce the finest hairs of shavings.

I thought all my tools were adequately sharp, even touched them up with a diamond file, but one session with a grinder, (Record 8" with wide white wheel, Sorby jig) proved otherwise.

I'm now trying to work out how I can have the grinder near the lathe :? 

Regards,

Mike C


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## Mark Hancock (5 Feb 2009)

I've been following this thread with interest as I'm in the process of assessing the Tormek system having attended a very informative demo of it recently. Very interested to see George's comment about the use of both dry grinding and the Tormek. That's the way I'm thinking at present.

When training 20 years ago I was taught to grind freehand on a dry grinder. Since then we've had the introduction of the Celtic/Irish/Swept Back/Long Grind/Ellesworth/Fingernail grind which the majority of professionals use in it's many forms. I only know of 2 very well respected international turners who are able to sharpen this freehand. Consequently I don't believe the comment that the jigs available are aimed at hobby turners and not the "serious turning fraternity". That's certainly not my experience over the past 10 years.

For the beginner because of the cost implication of the Tormek system (about £500) I would suggest a good dry grinder with a wide wheel at least 1 inch, good grinding stones and a jig.

EDIT: I was responding to a PM and now have just seen Glenn's comment. That's 3 well respected international turners


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## miles_hot (5 Feb 2009)

Tep, Mike et al. 

Many thanks for taking the time to comment - it is much appreciated. I am slightly conflicted at the moment - the two prime reasons for getting a jig is to ensure repeatability (something that they all should give me) and to make it as fast as possible (within reason) to get from the lathe, sharpen and back to cutting. With this in mind something like the tru-grind looks good as it seems to be something like: push the took through the jig to a set amount (against s stop), tighten up, couple of quick swipes across the wide wheel (slow or fast speed), un tighten and remove, back to turning. Jobs a good un.

The only thing holding me back a little is the thought of all the other things that I should be sharpening (chisels, plane irons etc). For this the tormek seems to be a better bet (based on Tep and others' comments about the ultimate edge - which isn't really needs for turning). How fast is it to set up a gouge into the Tormek jig? If it is pretty much the same as the speed to get into (and out of) a tru-grind jig then I can see that I can use the Tormek for both jobs even if it is over specified for the turning aspects. The only other thing that occurs to me is the speed of moving between different tools to be sharpened (much as I would like to be able to turn a bowl with just the one gouge I normally find myself using at least 1 or 2 scrapers as well) - I can see that this is fast on the tru-grind however I'm not sure that swapping between jogs on the Tormek is that fast?

Thanks all

Miles
PS Whilst cash is important I think that it is more important to pick the right system or combination of systems rather than buy the wrong one and have to buy another tools or waste time and energy on working around my mistake!


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## TEP (5 Feb 2009)

Right lets see where we can go from here! Let's see who can find the least expensive white wheel bench grinder.

I have found this one, Silver Line 6". £26.64 plus £4.75 postage.


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## Mark Hancock (5 Feb 2009)

Miles

Having seen the Tormek demo it is pretty quick changing jigs for different tools and grinds.


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## wizer (5 Feb 2009)

TEP":179z58zd said:


> Right lets see where we can go from here! Let's see who can find the least expensive white wheel bench grinder.
> 
> I have found this one, Silver Line 6". £26.64 plus £4.75 postage.



That is cheap. I have seen them sub £20 in places like Netto, Lidl, Aldi. But they only come along once or twice a year. But don't you need a slow speed grinder?


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## Bodrighy (5 Feb 2009)

Having watched a retired pro using the same system as me to sharpen tools (a Sorby universal) I have come to the conclusion that whatever you use the result depends more on practice and experience than on the amount of money spent. I learnt more about sharpening in 5 minutes watching him than I have in all the reading etc. 

Pete


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## TEP (5 Feb 2009)

Hi *Wizer*.

In a word NO! As I said earlier slow speed, and wet grinders are fine, but you DON'T need one.

Also as you say you can get grinders cheaper than the one I mentioned, but do they have white wheels fitted? A cheap white wheel will cost you at least a tenner.


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## wizer (5 Feb 2009)

Sorry Tam, I missed the fact it had a Wide White wheel.

A bargain I think!


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## TEP (5 Feb 2009)

Don't know if it is a WIDE wheel *Wizer*, but a 1" wide wheel is plenty IME. You can sharpen on a 3/4" - 20mm but it is better on a 1" IMO. I have found that with the wider wheels I tend to get a groove in the face, so end up dressing the wheel more often. So I stick with 1" wheels, but I only sharpen turning tools.


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## wizer (5 Feb 2009)

Thanks Tam. I think eventually I'd look into getting one of the Norton wheels which are great for re-grinding normal bench chisels and plane blades.

How often do these wheels run out?


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## TEP (5 Feb 2009)

The more you use them *Wizer* the quicker they need replacing! :lol: I honestly don't know mate, I was looking around for a 8" grinder for a while as of course the wheels last so much more because of their size. Then realised that I have had a 6" x 1" white wheel for almost 4 years and it is just coming up for replacement now. It has been used for at least 3 days a week in that time, so I have just decided to stick with what I have.

It can be never ending this turning lark. I need/want a bigger lathe, better jig, better tools, better hollowing gear, better this, better that. Thankfully I am at the stage where I am more than happy with my lot, and only replace gear as it wears out. And not with bigger. 8)


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## CHJ (5 Feb 2009)

wizer":1ushnuu7 said:


> ........ I think eventually I'd look into getting one of the Norton wheels which are great for re-grinding normal bench chisels and plane blades.......?



Wizer just be aware that the Ceramic wheels cut much freer than the white oxide ones, hence only the lightest pressure on your turning tools else tool material will disappear at a great rate, also the stone may shed unnecessary grit.

The two wheels in this thread have been in use since 2005 and show no measurable wear on diameter.

If you dig around the various links (Example) in the associated threads you may get some ideas, as you may gather I don't spend on unnecessaries.


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## tekno.mage (5 Feb 2009)

miles_hot":1a8f6aie said:


> Tep, Mike et al.
> 
> How fast is it to set up a gouge into the Tormek jig? !



The first time you do it, it seems a bit fiddly. However, once you've done it a few times it's very fast indeed (well I find it so). I was actually quite surprised at how easy it is once you are familiar with the jig, as I had read reports critical of just this aspect. I found that the Tormek demo DVD made the system look far more complicated than it really is, but that might be because I learn things better by doing than by watching!

I've not personally used any of the other gouge jigs available, but have seen some in use at Woodturning club meetings haven't noticed any difference in apparent ease of use between them when they are used by people familiar with a particular system.

tekno.mage


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## wizer (5 Feb 2009)

Chas, thanks for posting those links. Your sharpening station is brilliant! Can I ask how your getting on with the fingernail jig since 2005? Anything you'd change?


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## CHJ (5 Feb 2009)

*Tom,* if you need a simple jig for a spindle gouge or a fixed angle bowl gouge it's fine as-is.

As mentioned somewhere in the various linked posts over the time I have migrated to a home made version of the Tormek gouge holding Jig, same as used by Sorby, only difference being in how I mount it and adjust the wheel to stone distance to get the profile I like.
In principle no different to the Tormek system which also needs a set of home made spacers if you need a profile outside the 'Tormek Box' so to speak.

I personally found that making the three basic Gouge holding jigs to be found somewhere in those threads (or web link below)has lead me to a far better understanding of tool cutting edge form.

Regardless of what jig you end up with the final shape of the tool profile is down to the operator, and this is where a few minutes with someone who has been doing it for a while is invaluable.


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## wizer (5 Feb 2009)

ok, I think I am armed with more than enough information to make a decision.

Thanks everyone for chipping in. Very productive thread


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## Anonymous (5 Feb 2009)

It's the dressing that reduces the wheel dia.... 

(If there's going to be a wheel dressing debate may I suggest starting a new thread rather than add a digression on this one :wink: )


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