sharpening turning tools

[Jacob]

I knew several very good turners who refused to use a ProEdge because of the lack of concavity, preferring to use a wheel of about 4" - 5" diameter.

edit - I should also say I knew others who swore by them.

Mainly because they are unavoidable with a wheel, even more so at 4" diameter and you stick with what you get used to.
Interestingly Richard Findley does both concave and convex together on his skew beading chisel in this demo.
These serious pro turner demos are good and make a nice change from the wild enthusiasts on ego trips who think they have discovered the "correct" ways!

 

[Jacob]

It's worth hanging on to good carbon steels skews, but that's about it.

.....and all the others. They are cheaper and easier to sharpen. Ideal for beginners, which is what I am really, though I've had a lathe and fiddled about with it for many years.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

These serious pro turner demos are good and make a nice change from the wild enthusiasts on ego trips who think they have discovered the "correct" ways!

They don't use oilstones. Hoist by your own petard.

 

[richnfamous]

If you want a no-brainer solution, the Sorby Pro-Edge with suitable attachments will make sharpening just about any turning chisel an absolute breeze; but it doesn't come cheap.

A cheap grinder with a suitable budget jig (e.g. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lathe-Tool...ocphy=1006864&hvtargid=pla-698027314259&psc=1) will be a more wallet friendly option.

I've got all the sharpening kit I need - and I only use a grinder to restore badly damaged edges. tormek-style machines take far too long compared to sharpening by hand

 

[Jacob]

They don't use oilstones. ......

Probably not but it doesn't mean that I can't.
Does seem to worry you a lot!
PS My lathe (Arundel J4 senior) cost £100 (Ebay).
One new Norton stone was about £20, the others all cheap from ebay etc
Tormek plus diamond wheel is getting on for £750, that's before you've bought any of the elaborate accessories and other gadgets on offer.
It'll be a long time before I could justify that sort of expenditure, if ever, and it's 90% daft gadgets anyway.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It doesn't worry me at all, I just wonder why you insist on perpetuating outdated methods and information when people are learning. You are welcome to do as you wish.

 

[Jacob]

It doesn't worry me at all, I just wonder why you insist on perpetuating outdated methods and information when people are learning.

1. Cheaper.
2. Easier, especially for beginners.
3. In general it can be good to get back to basics as it is empowering and it puts things in perspective - not least the price of gadgets today!

You are welcome to do as you wish.

Thank you so much!

 

[Lons]

Didn't anyone tell you not to start a sharpening thread? I'm sure there are loud sirens go off for a certain member whenever the word "sharpening" appears. He should change his avatar to a huge ancient oilstone.

The fact is you can use whatever method suits you depending on your turning habits, existing equipment and budget. I, at various time do a fair bit of turning, I have a number of systems and tried most but use what I find easiest, quickest and most effective.

* I had a Tormek T7, great machine gives a razor edge and good for bench chisels and plane irons but I didn't like it for turning tools. (I recently sold that).
* Bench grinders, I have a couple but these days are used for general grinding not sharpening apart from cold chisels and drill bits. Just std 6" wheels btw
* Oilstones, effective but messy and I wouldn't dream of using them on my turning tools there are far better methods.
* Diamond plates, my go to for all my bench chisels, carving tools and plane irons these days, too slow for turning tools which need a constant touch up

So that leaves me with my tried and tested Pro-edge which I use for turning tools. I bought it s/h years ago and it's simple, easily repeatable angles takes seconds to put an edge on a tool and unless re shaping you don't need to dunk in water. I use a 240g belt which for me gives a nice edge, fine enough to burnish the wood with a skew but I have other grades if I want them, and the belts last for a long time.
Angles aren't that important imo but it can be helpful to change depending on the material you're turning which is why turners often have duplicate tools. I don't look what angle I need, just loosen the rest plonk the tool on the rest, offer up to the belt and slot the lock into the corresponding hole, takes maybe 10 seconds to repeat the angle and just touch the edge.
There are arguments that hollow grinding removes less metal, I don't buy into that as you're just removing the metal earlier in the process and I've had the same chisels for decades and they'll still have plenty of meat on them long after I'm gone.

I'm not recommending you use what I do, there are as many opinions as there are woodworkers but they are just that - opinions. Try a few methods, go to a men's shed or join a club and try stuff out without having to buy and you'll find what suits you, we're all different.

 

[Illy]

I've got all the sharpening kit I need - and I only use a grinder to restore badly damaged edges. tormek-style machines take far too long compared to sharpening by hand

Once you have your bevel angles ground then restoring the edge on Tormek is very quick and accurate - I can get back on the lathe in under a minute.

 

[sploo]

I've got all the sharpening kit I need - and I only use a grinder to restore badly damaged edges. tormek-style machines take far too long compared to sharpening by hand

For plane irons and chisels; agreed. For turning tools with curved flutes I'd use a jig as I don't think I'd be able to do a decent job sharpening by hand. Certainly for the Pro-Edge (and I assume with a grinder or tormek) it takes seconds to sweep the flute over the grinding surface and touch up an edge.

 

[sneggysteve]

Pro Edge - don't waste valuable time learning various methods, sharpen and turn.

 

[Lefley]

It's worth hanging on to good carbon steels skews, but that's about it.

You have my vote on that. Particle steel gouges are a game changer when you do a lot of wood turning. I mean you can still turn with an old hss tool if that's what you learned on in the 1920's but the new metals are night and day, holding and edge longer, etc. people get stuck on what worked for them years ago, and donot try new stuff either because of stubbornness or finances. Nothing wrong with that, they will still work, but it's nice to spend more time turning then sharpening. In my humble opionion.
just my 2 cents.

 

[richnfamous]

It doesn't worry me at all, I just wonder why you insist on perpetuating outdated methods and information when people are learning. You are welcome to do as you wish.

outdated? I need to sharpen quickly. a few strokes on a 2000 grit diamond stone, a finer arkansas and a strop takes a minute... a few times a year the primary bevel gets a regrind on a 160 grit and then a 400. a machine would take longer

 

[richnfamous]

It was brilliant. Many decades ago. Honing turning tools (especially HSS) is completely unnecessary.

I get the feeling that they don't need to be anywhere near as sharp as my usual chisels and gouges. thanks for confirming this

 

[richnfamous]

"Honing" on a medium grit. HSS too difficult to "grind" freehand but edge can still be kept tickled on an oil stone. Lot to be said for just sticking to tool steel chisels. Hang on to them if you have any.

definitely. I used to do a fair bit of sign carving (until a bloke with a laser machine started eating my lunch) but no way am I letting go of these

 

[Phil Pascoe]

outdated? I need to sharpen quickly. a few strokes on a 2000 grit diamond stone, a finer arkansas and a strop takes a minute... a few times a year the primary bevel gets a regrind on a 160 grit and then a 400. a machine would take longer

A jig take a minute or two - two or three times an hour if you're turning hard/difficult/dirty wood. Turning tools are not joiners tools.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I get the feeling that they don't need to be anywhere near as sharp as my usual chisels and gouges. thanks for confirming this

A fine edge on turning tools doesn't last a minute - there's no point in sharpening a turning tool (with the exception maybe of skew chisel once in a while) to that fine an edge - that's why HSS tools are generally better (cryo better again), they don't get quite as good an edge in the first place but it lasts much longer and it's largely unnecessary anyway. A turning tool will cut more in a couple of minutes than most hand tools cut in a day - horses for courses.

 

[Lefley]

A jig take a minute or two - two or three times an hour if you're turning hard/difficult/dirty wood. Turning tools are not joiners tools.

I've been to my sharping jig every 5 minutes when turning some woods!

 

[Lons]

I've been to my sharping jig every 5 minutes when turning some woods!

Exactly and that goes for some of the resin blanks as well.
There are times when scrapers need to be used and a fresh edge needed every few minutes so the cut rather than tear, try doing those quickly on an oil stone or diamond plate. Using a grinder or pro-edge takes a couple of seconds.
No need for anyone to spend hundreds on a pro-edge if the budget doesn't allow (though I think they're worth it and wouldn't part with mine). Get a s/h belt sander and make up a stand and rest or if the lathe has an outboard facility on the headstock stick on a faceplate with abrasive,

 

[Phil Pascoe]

There is another compelling reason for using a jig - economy. Why wear away a forty, fifty quid or more tool two or three times faster than you need to? If your grinder is mounted to a bench or board, find the perfect grind ......... your perfect grind, not someone else's ......... and glue a block at the required setting length. One gentle pass across the wheel and the job's done - the angle is exactly the same as it was before. You remove next to nothing. You might be the g.o.a.t. freehand grinder, but you cannot do that.