Originally Posted by
Eric Danstrom
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.