Thread: Chisel sharpening

Hi Paul
I don't want to sound harsh, but sharpening turning tools and grinding to an appropriate edge angle is an essential skill for a turner.
You should expect to sharpen a tool several times during a project.

Perhaps ask for someone to help you learn to sharpen / grind your tools?

Hello Ian

not taken harshly, i appreciate your suggestion to learn or seek asistance to sharpen them myself.

paul

As Ian said if you can not sharpen them yourself unless you have some one who can standing by it is unlikely you will ever finish a project

Thank you for understanding
after writing the above I found a comment from a turner on Saw Mill Creek who said that while turning, they sharpened their tools every 10 to 15 minutes.

As the others have said unless you can sharpen the tools yourself then turning is just not viable. That said it is not rocket science and it does not have to entail spending huge amounts of money either. It may be an idea to track down you'r local woodturning club or men's shed and go along to learn the basics of sharpening and turning. They will also advise on the best setup to suit your budget.
I sharpen my turning tools on a basic 8'' grinder I bought at Super Cheap Auto. I replaced one wheel with a white wheel and made some tool rests and jigs. Check out the sharpening on this site.
Wood Turning Lathe tips, techniques, instruction
I found a lot of good tips there when I was getting started.
Regards
John

Ha. I only just mentioned this in a reply on another thread. (About Wet/slow grinders vs bench grinders.)

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

With woodturning tools the edge really doesn't stick around for that long. Depending on the piece of timber I'm turning, on a good day I'll be resharpening around every 10-15 minutes. On a bad day, every 30secs or less. No joke.

This is why you're getting the advice you've been given above.

A good bench-grinder and an Al₂O₃ are all you need, although it can help beginners to make an adjustable platform rest to replace the grinder's in-built tool-rest. This is particularly suitable for scrapers, skews and spindle gouges.

For bowl-gouges, if you don't feel comfortable free-handing them there are jigs available, such as the Woodcut Tru Grind.

Have a look at https://www.cwsonline.com.au/shop/ca...-grinding-jigs

(I have no affiliation but Jim is a sponsor of these fine forums and at the least it'll give you an idea of what sort of prices you might be looking at over & beyond the grinder itself.)