Question About Amount Of Space To Allow For Grinder and Wolverine Sharpening Setup

[Dom Garafalo]

While I wait for my new (replacement of my first but damaged one) lathe (Jet 1221VS) to arrive I'd like to get started building a bench to put it on. Like all of my other woodworking equipment, I plan to make it portable by using retractable casters.

Although turning is completely new to me, I'm thinking it might make sense to make the bench large enough to permanently incorporate a slow speed 8" grinder and Wolverine sharpening set up on the headstock end of the bench top surface so sharpening can be quick, easy and convenient.

So I'm wondering if anyone has built or set up a midi bench this way and, if so, how much space front to back and side to side should I allocate for the sharpening setup? And if not, how much space did you allow for your grinder/sharpening setup on your fixed workbench?

Thank you

Dom

[Marty Tippin]

The Wolverine jig takes up a lot of room; I have my grinder mounted at the front edge of a "standard" 24"-deep cabinet that sits against a wall, and find that I barely have enough room to push the bar in far enough for some of the tools that I sharpen.

I also found that you need a lot more room to the left and right of the grinder than you might think - a long-handled bowl gouge has to move far to both sides while you're sharpening it.

Basically, I'd suggest you need a clear buffer of about 18-24" all the way around the grinder. If you can mount it at 90 degrees to the lathe (say, on the end of your portable bench), you should be in good shape.

[Robert Henrickson]

The height of a bench for a 1221 to sit on would be awfully low for a grinder -- you would probably want/need to increase the height of the area for the grinder. If it is on the end of the bench, setting the grinder up at 90* to the lathe would be a good idea. Are you sure you want to sharpen right next to all the shavings from the lathe? I know many people do. My grinder is only several feet away.

[David Delo]

Dom,

Don't know exactly what kind of space you have to begin with but as so set up a grinding station don't forget to include space for all the other tools and gizmos that come along with this vortex. I have the Wolverine system mounted on a portable cabinet that's about 24" x 32". My longest handle roughing gouge has a 14" handle so the tool handle socket (for me) come out to be 41" from the back of the cabinet. Here's a few pics of my set up. Overall, I've dedicated just shy of a 10' square for everything lathe related. Hope this help you come up with a plan for your set up.
lasu4.jpglasu5.jpglasu1.jpglasu2.jpglasu3.jpg

[Reed Gray]

I have my lathe in an 8 by 12 foot room. My grinder is behind me as I turn, so I have to do an about face to sharpen. I do like it to be at pretty close to the height of my tool rest on my lathe. It is more comfortable and 'familiar' to me. I do platform sharpen, and don't use jigs. I have never understood the long arm attachment for the Wolverine which is intended for spindle roughing gouges. I don't think it is used for any other tool. A short arm extension would be used for gouge jigs, though I never use them.

robo hippy

[Thom Sturgill]

My grinder is on a pedistal. If I was to mount it on the table with the lathe, I would think about mounting it at a 45 degree angle to the front and having an angled corner. I never use the long arm extended as I use a fingernail grind (in the jig) or the platform rather than the arm for 'convertional' grind gouges. So it could be shortened drastically. I have not needed to yet, so have not changed it.

[Dom Garafalo]

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. I think I'll make the table/stand 60" wide and 30" deep placing the lathe along the front right portion of it and the grinder/wolverine sharpening setup in the back left corner at either 90 or 45 degrees to the lathe. This should give me plenty of room.

[Justin Stephen]

The Wolverine jig takes up a lot of room; I have my grinder mounted at the front edge of a "standard" 24"-deep cabinet that sits against a wall, and find that I barely have enough room to push the bar in far enough for some of the tools that I sharpen.

I think this is the thing that bites a lot of people in the butt, leaving enough room behind the grinder to accept the length of the bar if it is pushed most of the way in (either for sharpening or just to get it out of the way when not in use).