It's the little things............Stu-pid.....

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

.....boy do I feel dumb today..... (I know, I know, but ESPECIALLY today...)

I got some new toys from the local guy who sponsors all the turning demos, I figure the slightly higher price is worth it to keep this guy going, and he gave me 10% off for being a member of the local club, plus free shipping and it came in two days, so I figure what the hey.

So I got one of the new Eli Avisera bowl finishing tools (I'll be writing a review on it, but in a nut shell, you GOT to get one of these!!) and some potions....

Attachment 43548
.... a nice bigger faceplate, and a diamond wheel dresser.

I was using the old "Star Wheel" type of dresser, getting the diamond dresser was kind of an afterthought, boy, what a good after thought....

The diamond dresser makes the wheels so much smoother, and flatter, it is now so much easier to get nice sharp tools, and they have a finer edge too.

Yep, well worth the money!

Cheers!

[Corey Hallagan]

Congrats Stu. I need to get me one of the diamond wheel dressers.

Corey

[Bernie Weishapl]

Congrats Stu. I got one of those diamond dressers and it works great. Flat wheel and smooth. Do you have a pic's of the bowl finishing tool?

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I don't, but I have pics from the demo that Eli did....


Showing how the tool is presented to the work


Using the tool on the outside of a bowl


Again, the tool in use


Close up of the business end, bottom side


Close up of the business end, top side


Again, in use


More use, VERY light cuts, when he was done, he started sanding at the #400 grit range



Sharpening it, upside-down


Putting the second bevel on it, again, upside down.

On the thin edge

Now here is a VERY crude drawing of the tip of the tool......

Attachment 43552
The tool is sharpened upside-down, so that a small burr is left on the top edge, there is also a second bevel on the nose of the tool, this give you a lot of manouverability when using the tool. The way the tool is presented to the wood, it is actually "Cutting" not "Scraping".

I've had fantastic results with it already.

It is a Hamlet #416 finishing bowl tool.

I hope that helps!

Cheers!

[Dennis Peacock]

Congrats Stu!!!!!!!!!! Remember to use a lite touch while using the diamond tool on your grinding wheels.

Now....on the turning tool. Wouldn't you get the same "type" results from sharpening a scraper in the same upside-down fashion? Talk to me and tell me what I'm missing Stu.

BTW, you get a box from me yet?

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Nope, no box, yet.....

No, you would not get the same thing, because the tool is very thin, and it is used as show in the pics, truly, you should have seen the jaws drop and the eyes pop of the group watching the demo, and some of these guys are VERY accomplished turners, not newbie hacks like me.

I'm not kidding when I say the finish was like silk, amazing.

VERY hard to explain, but once you see it in action, you sort of go "WOW"

I'll try more later to explain it etc. maybe even some pics and vids, right now I'm for bed, as I got to get up and go have my eyeball fried to the tune of $1500 tomorrow........LASIK

I won't be around until Tuesday.

Cheers!

[Mike Vickery]

Congrats Stu!!!!!!!!!! Remember to use a lite touch while using the diamond tool on your grinding wheels.

Now....on the turning tool. Wouldn't you get the same "type" results from sharpening a scraper in the same upside-down fashion? Talk to me and tell me what I'm missing Stu.

BTW, you get a box from me yet?

Dennis the difference is this looks like a negative rake scraper (notice bevel on top) not sure why it works but suppossedly it is less chance of catching on harder woods. I got a free AAW magazine at my last turning meeting and they had a whole article on negative rake scrapers. Never used one before though.

[Bill Boehme]

When I saw the sketch, my reaction ws that it looks to be essentially the same as a negative rake scraper with some extra material removed on both the top and bottom. The main difference is that it seems that sharpening would be quicker because #2 bevel is shorter length.

Bill

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

But they way it is presented is so important, it cuts, it does not scrape, this is accomplished by the thinnes of the 1st bevel, allowing it to be presented in this way.

Like I said, hard to explain....

[Jim Becker]

And the OneWay dressing attachment for the Wolverine actually makes the wheels round again!! But yes, a diamond dresser (T-style) is really nice to have to keep your wheels clean and "metal-free"...

[Vaughn McMillan]

And the OneWay dressing attachment for the Wolverine actually makes the wheels round again!! But yes, a diamond dresser (T-style) is really nice to have to keep your wheels clean and "metal-free"...

I've got an old skew that I've been using as a sacrificial tool for grinding experiments. I'll have to mess around with the shape you showed, Stu.

Just to change subjects, I got a t-style dresser, and it's got one diamond chunk that's a bit higher than the others, so it leaves a groove in the wheel if I keep the dresser in one place very long. Any ideas on how to remove that one chunk of diamond? (I can't really grind it down, I guess. )

- Vaughn

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I've got an old skew that I've been using as a sacrificial tool for grinding experiments. I'll have to mess around with the shape you showed, Stu.

Just to change subjects, I got a t-style dresser, and it's got one diamond chunk that's a bit higher than the others, so it leaves a groove in the wheel if I keep the dresser in one place very long. Any ideas on how to remove that one chunk of diamond? (I can't really grind it down, I guess. )

- Vaughn

Show us the results of you "Experiments"

As for the T-bar grinding dressing wheel, do you have an angle grinder with a concrete cutting disc? I you did, I bet you could grind diamond with diamond............

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Some pics to look at................

Attachment 43677

Attachment 43678

Attachment 43679
The Eli Avisera bowl finishing tool, By Hamlet tools


Attachment 43680

Attachment 43681

Two shots of the double bevel Eli uses on his gouges to get a different presentaion to the wood so you are always cutting never scraping.

he got a super smooth finish on maple that had to be seen to be believed.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

..............and my sharpening station, I think someone asked about it...?

Attachment 43682

Attachment 43683

All hand made, works fairly well.....

Attachment 43685

New tools, well the bowl gouge is only there for size ref, but the Hamlet diamond dresser and the Eli Avisera Bowl finishing tool.

Cheers!

[Greg Koch]

Stu..

Sorry, I couldn't help noticing the "brand" of your grinder.... Having lived many years in Japan myself, why doesn't it totally surprise me? It is "interesting", though.