Thread: What are these tools and gouges?

Originally Posted by NeilS

Not sure where it is now, but if I do still have it may fit on the Tormek bar. I

Neil the original does fit straight onto the Tormek bar. Pity the Heligrind platform isn't as user friendly on the Tormek gear, due to the Heligrind clamp design..

Originally Posted by Mobyturns

Neil the original does fit straight onto the Tormek bar. Pity the Heligrind platform isn't as user friendly on the Tormek gear, due to the Heligrind clamp design..

Are yes the Heligrind jig the concept has always fascinated me, although never got my hands on one.

Originally Posted by hughie

Are yes the Heligrind jig the concept has always fascinated me, although never got my hands on one.

Of all the jigs I've used I believe it is the most elegant and so simple to use.

Although it is dedicated to only one profile grind, there is some room to play with the angle & length of the bevel.

Like all jigs it has pros & cons. For my preferences, it does not produce a very friendly grind on some of the heavier cross sectioned "detail gouges" due to the depth of steel below the flute. However I haven't used another jig that produces as better grind profile on "detail gouges" either. Works nicely on "skewchi gouges" if you like them.

Originally Posted by hughie

Are yes the Heligrind jig the concept has always fascinated me, although never got my hands on one.

Had a look for mine but couldn't find it. Must have given it away some time ago otherwise you would have been welcome to it Hughie to have a play with.

Originally Posted by NeilS

Had a look for mine but couldn't find it. Must have given it away some time ago otherwise you would have been welcome to it Hughie to have a play with.

Most generous Neil. Its action and the look of it as Moby has said. It greatly appeals to the engineering side of me

Originally Posted by hughie

Most generous Neil. Its action and the look of it as Moby has said. It greatly appeals to the engineering side of me

Hmm... had a look for it Hughie and couldn't find it. I must have given it away to someone sometime ago.

Sorry to have made an offer of what I no longer have.... should have looked first...

However, the concept is simple enough for you to make your own version.... with your eyes closed!

It is just a sleeve inside a sleeve with a pin in the inner sleeve that rides on the profile cut from the outer sleeve. Here is an old sideways photo of it from when I was attempting to use it in fixed mode with a leg like an Ellsworth jig.

Heligrind gouge jig conversion.JPG


And, here it is seen from the top...

Heligrind detail.jpg

The cut-out in the outer sleeve is replicated on the gouge.

I may have played around with reshaping the cut-out to better suit my preferred bowl gouge edge profiles, but it didn't fit any of my larger gouges, so I just moved on to making my own Ellsworth style jig for those...

Jig for larger gouge.jpg

Then progressed through a swing arm version to fit my smaller bowl gouges...

DIY metal swing leg.jpg

And finally settling on the Woodcut Tru-grind jig. Although I have also played about with a 3D printed version of that style of jig and that has been surprisingly good. The advantage there is that I can get one of my grandsons to print me any variations I would like of that...

"gouge sharpening jig" 3D Models to Print - yeggi

No dramas Neil its on a fading wish list that has always been superseded by reality .

Originally Posted by NeilS

I have also played about with a 3D printed version of that style of jig and that has been surprisingly good. The advantage there is that I can get one of my grandsons to print me any variations I would like of that...

"gouge sharpening jig" 3D Models to Print - yeggi

And you can also buy 3D printed ones... Woodworking Gouge Sharpening Jig for Lathe for bowl spindle detail gouges | eBay