Need some help for our club.

[Josh Bowman]

We had a workshop yesterday on sharpening. I was surprised at how many folks had some tools that had been mis-sharpened. I feel that some of them can't afford a sharpening system. Does anyone have any links to a homemade simple sharpening system, that might could be build at a workshop session? I'm thinking along the lines of the Wolverine type system, but with fewer adjustments. Key word is simple and I feel from looking at the tools they brought in, free hand is not going to get it. Thanks

[Dave Schmittou]

Try this Woodturner's workshop. Hosted by Brian Clifford's woodturning resources.

[Ted Reischl]

Josh, I just finished building a wolverine type system. It includes the extra jig for doing the winged bowl gouge grinds.

It was extremely easy to do. Just a bit of cutting metal tubing, drilling some holes, etc. I used some 1/4 wall thickness aluminum angle I picked up at the local scrapyard to form the pocket for the heel of the tool.

What we do in our carvers club is create kits for some things, maybe your group could do the same?

I know what you mean about the grinds you see, mine were atrocious! Now? They look like Joe the Pro sharpened my tools!

[Brice Rogers]

Google "$2 Eddie casteline jig" and you'll find this link: http://eddiecastelin.com/yahoo_site_....133190118.pdf

Also, he has a Youtube video - google with same

It is an Ellsworth TYPE of sharpening jig. This tells how to set it up: http://eddiecastelin.com/yahoo_site_...p.54183427.pdf

There are other helpful things on his website as well as other sharpening hints on his youtube site.

[Neal DaMommio]

Complete instructions including how to setup and maintain a grinder. http://www.aroundthewoods.com/sharpening01.html
I still use a couple of the swept back jigs to sharpen some of my tools. It may help someone who already has a belt sander to know they can sharpen without a grinder. I use a 6 x 48 sander with a ceramic belt and it is my preference. I haven't used my grinder to sharpen in years.

[Chris A Lawrence]

I built this jig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfmIv0iXjis out of scraps I had around the shop. Just had to buy a few nuts and bolts. Works good for me I was able to get nice even grinds on all my gouges. I built the adjustable rest that it sits in out of a few scraps of 3/4 ply and a piece of 1x2 red oak from the big box store.

[John K Jordan]

We had a workshop yesterday on sharpening. I was surprised at how many folks had some tools that had been mis-sharpened. I feel that some of them can't afford a sharpening system. Does anyone have any links to a homemade simple sharpening system, that might could be build at a workshop session? I'm thinking along the lines of the Wolverine type system, but with fewer adjustments. Key word is simple and I feel from looking at the tools they brought in, free hand is not going to get it. Thanks

Hey Josh, I remember some from my books I can look for if you don't come up with something on-line. I remember one jig that was made from a small block of wood that worked just like the Varigrind except it had a fixed angle.

It's nice to hear about your sharpening workshop. From some of my own shop visitors I found that even some people who have Wolverine/Varigrind just need to be shown how and sent home with a properly ground gouge that they can touch up. I've seen some gouges enter the shop with grinds so "interesting" that I don't think I could duplicate if I tried!

JKJ

[Russell Neyman]

I often consider the notion that woodturners are lazy; that we're so accustomed to the latest gadgets that we don't apply common sense.

Advise your members to go back to the jig-free basics and simply put a sharp edge on their tools, then have at it. It wasn't that many years back that we simply sharpened with a stone, and the results were pretty good.

I hope this doesn't come off as being critical of anyone; just a notion I have watching people I see every day.

[John Hart]

I agree with Russel
Most of what I do is in the "traditional" way....before all the gadgets.
Maybe it's time people learned their way...instead of buy their way.

[Josh Bowman]

I don't think these guys are lazy, but nor do I think sharpening without a jig is a good option for them. That actually is the problem, they have been hacking an edge on their tools by hand and some had so many facets that it was impossible to follow a bevel. I'm really looking for a simple design that they can 1) afford, 2)easy to build, maybe in another workshop session and 3)Can make a consistent edge on a spindle roughing gouge, skew and bowl/spindle gouge.
I've gotten some good ideas here and thank those for them. The gouge jig is really easy to do, I think. But I can't get my head around a simple platform rest. I'm starting to lean toward making several non adjustable rests (blocks of wood) that simple plug into place. Each cut a specific angle for skews, scrapers and the roughing gouges. That would be about 3. As president of the club, one of my challenges is getting turners up and going quickly and cheaply and making good cuts safely. I would prefer they all just go out and buy Wolverines. But most are on a fixed income and another $100+ is just not going to happen.
Again I'm looking for simple, not adjustable. I have a fundamental belief that within reason specific angles of a bevel is not as important as learning to use the tool properly and keeping it razor sharp.

[Mike Peace]

Josh, do a Pinterest search for woodturning sharpening jigs and you will get some ideas. Keith Rowley has a platform jig in his book, Woodturning a Foundation Course. One of your guys must have a copy if you don't. The varigrind jig I would make with just one non adjustable angle, perhaps the angle shown on Doug Thompson's site. Look at Cpt Eddie's video on the varigrind jig from pvc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i9RDnJHz9g and you might get some ideas from his Black Hawk set up. Ernie Conover has a DIY set up in his book The Frugal Woodturner. He has a great design for a basic setup that raises the grinder as part of the design. Here is a great link to something by Jerry Hall, the guy that created the Mustard Monster site. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1.../preview?pli=1

[Don Orr]

www.aroundthewoods.com

www.woodturningonline.com

Several articles on many interesting topics.