Quote Originally Posted by Eric Danstrom View Post
Belt Sander works well it's just that you'll use the belts up quickly (higher actual cost compared to a grinding wheel). I used a 1/3hp 3450rpm grinder with a 120grit white abrasive wheel for a few decades before I sprung for a 8" 1800rpm grinder with white wheels. It worked very well.

No matter what method, having a sharpening strategy for turning is critical to success (as is the case for all wood cutting tools). When I'm turning Chechen I need to sharpen my spindle gouge for each 5" handle I make. Once I had my low cost grinder running I started enjoying turning.
I understand some use ceramic belts for sharpening, which last longer.

BTW, another strategy for turning abrasive woods which I've been using for years: I keep six Thompson 3/8" spindle gouges (unhandled), all sharpened identically. When one gets dull I swap it for a fresh one and keep turning. When all get dull or I take a break I stop, setup the jig once on the Tormek, and sharpen all six. Since setting up the jig perfectly takes more time than sharpening a gouge, doing several at once saves a lot of time!

JKJ