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Brian_P
21st January 2017, 05:28 PM
Hi guys.
Being new to pen turning & now sharpening my tools, I opted for the Vicmarc sharpening system which a fellow pen turner recommended.
I purchased an 8" Vicmarc slow speed grinder, the grinding jig for my spindle gouge & the grinding rest for skew chisels etc. It seems I have the gen 3 model which is a little different to the photos on the website & the youtube video that Brendan Stemp put up a couple of years ago. The grinding jig is pretty much the same but the grinding rest has no slide adjustment for distance to & from the grinding wheel. Maybe this is not necessary as decided by Vicmarc & a set distance from the wheel is all that's required. Is it necessary to have the flexibility to move the tool rest in & out from the wheel or once set, it really needs no adjustment.

My purchases from the website, slightly different to what was delivered. No problem with the service or quality from the suppliers website just wondering if my tool rest jig is missing the adjustable slider or I'm all good. Anyone else purchased recently care to share their thoughts?

Vicmarc V00438 Grinding Rest (http://www.timberbits.com/vicmarc-grinding-station.html)
Vicmarc V00437 Grinding Jig (http://www.timberbits.com/vicmarc-grinding-jig.html)
Vicmarc P00319 Grinder, Bench Slow Speed - 1475 RPM P00319 (http://www.timberbits.com/vicmarc-grinder-bench-slow-speed-1475-rpm-p00319.html)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMi3bWEakbo

dai sensei
21st January 2017, 05:49 PM
Something sounds wrong, it needs in/out adjustment, give them a ring.

Brian_P
21st January 2017, 06:18 PM
Just two locking nuts to lock the tool rest to the mount but no way to adjust it towards or away from the wheel.


404612404613

Just to be a bit more clear, the tool rest does have some forward & backward adjustment via the bottom locking lever to & from the grinding wheel.
It just doesn't have the sliding adjustment as previous models. I'm not sure if Vicmarc have decided that the sliding adjustment is now not necessary or I'm missing something. I see quite a few other tool rests that have the exact two adjustments as mine like the Veritas grinder tool rest from Carbatec.....https://www.carbatec.com.au/sharpening-grinding-and-polishing/sharpening-machines-and-accessories/accessories/grinder-tool-rest-veritas

NeilS
21st January 2017, 10:10 PM
Brian - All you need for the platform is those two adjustable swivel points. That will give you most of the required angles for platform sharpening. In my experience, once set, the base can remain in the one spot.

It is the gouge jig that needs the sliding arm to set the distance from the wheel for the different gouge grinds.

Stay sharp!

Neil

Brian_P
21st January 2017, 10:21 PM
Brian - All you need for the platform is those two adjustable swivel points. That will give you most of the required angles for platform sharpening. In my experience, once set, the base can remain in the one spot.

It is the gouge jig that needs the sliding arm to set the distance from the wheel for the different gouge grinds.

Stay sharp!

Neil


Thanks Neil.
I managed to find a photo of what looks like my exact setup excluding the CBN wheels.

404616

Mine does have a forward & backward adjustment as well as the adjustment for the tool rest.
It was just different to my mates setup & it seems Vicmarc have released an updated version which confused me a bit.
I've sent Vicmarc an email with some photos for clarification.
Cheers

dai sensei
21st January 2017, 11:04 PM
Brian - All you need for the platform is those two adjustable swivel points. That will give you most of the required angles for platform sharpening. In my experience, once set, the base can remain in the one spot.

It is the gouge jig that needs the sliding arm to set the distance from the wheel for the different gouge grinds.

Stay sharp!

Neil

Correct. Helps if I read the post properly, I was assuming the gouge jig

rtyuiop
22nd January 2017, 09:39 AM
Yeah, vicmarc have done a few minor revisions to this setup, so the various different instructions can be confusing.

Mine is the same as yours by your description, and NeilS is correct - between the two swivel points you can move it forward and back and set the angle. Generally I use the bottom handle to set forward/back first (it doesn't need to be particularly precise) and then the top handle to set the angle.

Cheers,

Danny

Brian_P
22nd January 2017, 01:56 PM
Yeah, vicmarc have done a few minor revisions to this setup, so the various different instructions can be confusing.

Mine is the same as yours by your description, and NeilS is correct - between the two swivel points you can move it forward and back and set the angle. Generally I use the bottom handle to set forward/back first (it doesn't need to be particularly precise) and then the top handle to set the angle.

Cheers,

Danny


Thanks Danny.
It looks like mine is the newer version as is yours.
Any tips on what distance to mount it from the wheel.
I will of course allow for some forward adjustment.
Cheers

rtyuiop
22nd January 2017, 02:12 PM
Any tips on what distance to mount it from the wheel.


If memory serves, Vicmarc has some suggestions on where to mount the hardware that is bolted to the bench in the instructions for the gouge jig - set up the 'slides' that are bolted to the bench under each wheel following those, so you can use either jig or rest on either wheel.

Then, when you attach the grinding rest to the mounting hardware , just push it back the whole way - you'll see it mounts in a pretty clear way when the bolts line up. Then set the distance and angle with the handles.

Cheers,

Danny

Brian_P
22nd January 2017, 02:56 PM
Unfortunately the instructions I have & the ones I downloaded from the Vicmarc website are for the older style of mounting hardware.
Mine aren't interchangeable like the older version so the The tool rest jig wont fit the sliding gouge jig mount.
I'll just go with what the manual recommends, should be close i guess.

rtyuiop
22nd January 2017, 03:14 PM
Ah - if they're like mine, they are interchangeable, it's just not immediately obvious how!

So the outer portion that bolts to the bench is interchangeable - the bit that slides inside that for the gouge jig comes out. I had to get some advice from vicmarc on this, it's not at all obvious! There are some pictures of how mine works in this thread:

http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/cbn-wheel-installation-vicmarc-grinder-205206/2

Cheers,

Danny

Brian_P
22nd January 2017, 04:39 PM
Ah - if they're like mine, they are interchangeable, it's just not immediately obvious how!

So the outer portion that bolts to the bench is interchangeable - the bit that slides inside that for the gouge jig comes out. I had to get some advice from vicmarc on this, it's not at all obvious! There are some pictures of how mine works in this thread:

http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/cbn-wheel-installation-vicmarc-grinder-205206/2

Cheers,

Danny


Thanks Danny.
I'm all for change & upgrades & stuff but what really annoys me the most is ordering from a website that has clear & identifying pictures of what you want, then you receive something different. Even the suppliers website has the old version still on there which is really quite annoying. I was under the impression that the tool rest I ordered was fully adjustable as indicated by the pictures but get one that has no such flexibility. I've emailed Vicmarc asking for the older style mount so I'll await their reply. I'm a little bit angry to be honest & if I don't get what I paid for, I'm getting rid of the whole setup & going with Tormek instead.

Xanthorrhoeas
1st February 2017, 05:22 PM
Hi Brian,

I have the Tormek T7 and the various jigs and I am happy with it so I don't think you could go wrong there. The instructions and videos are good too.

However, it is a pretty expensive set-up once you buy a lot of the jigs. I purchased it primarily for knife, plane and chisel sharpening and only added the wood turning kit later. But, I'm not sure I would have gone that way if it was for sharpening only woodturning chisels.

I have also seen the Vicmarc set-up in use at the Qld Woodturners hut in Greenslopes here in Brisbane. That one has the CBN wheels and it is quick and easy to use with great results. I suggest it is worth exploring it a bit before you dump the Vicmarc. If I had known about the CBN wheels and the Vicmarc setup before I bought the kit of woodturners jigs for the Tormek I might have made a different decision.

Hope it goes well

David

Mobyturns
6th February 2017, 08:04 AM
Thanks Danny.
I'm all for change & upgrades & stuff but what really annoys me the most is ordering from a website that has clear & identifying pictures of what you want, then you receive something different. Even the suppliers website has the old version still on there which is really quite annoying. I was under the impression that the tool rest I ordered was fully adjustable as indicated by the pictures but get one that has no such flexibility. I've emailed Vicmarc asking for the older style mount so I'll await their reply. I'm a little bit angry to be honest & if I don't get what I paid for, I'm getting rid of the whole setup & going with Tormek instead.

I know how you feel. Having a product supplied which does not have a feature that was a defining feature in your decision making choices is very annoying. Or worse being told one thing when questioning a specific feature only to find out you were given an "alternate fact."

Unfortunately many small manufacturers leave themselves wide open to claims through consumer protection legislation because their promotional material does not match the product supplied. To many rely upon the fine print, that product may not match images. When you don't have physical access to view a product I feel it is an obligation on the supplier / manufacturer to at least have up to date images on their website.

Phily
7th February 2017, 05:40 PM
Hi Brian, just wondering how you got on with Vicmarc? I've recently invested in a CBN and found it a big improvement on my Tormek - except my grinder is too fast, so I am looking at the Vicmarc half speed grinder as an option.
Cheers

pommyphil
9th February 2017, 03:14 PM
What do you mean Phil,You having problems? mine runs at full speed and I'm very happy with it. Cheers Phil

Phily
9th February 2017, 08:20 PM
What do you mean Phil,You having problems? mine runs at full speed and I'm very happy with it. Cheers Phil

yehh, kind of. I use to put a morning aside for sharpening on the Tormek. Kettle on hand, stereo on classical, make a cup of tea and after a while have a dozen sharp gouges. All very enjoyable and relaxing. Taking the same approach with my CBN on high speed - before I have time to pick up a tea bag 10mm of my chisel has disappeared!!! OK I exagerate a tad, but I think you get me - there is a whole world of difference in the sharpening speeds between a Tormek and a CBN. Point is, I loved the control I had with the slow speed of the Tormek. I'm finding the high speed a little nerve wracking in comparison. Thought a half speed a good compromise. Cheers (also pommy) Phil

pommyphil
10th February 2017, 06:31 AM
Mine lost that very aggressive cutting quite quickly and settled down to just quick, and you get use to it I suppose.

Phily
10th February 2017, 08:41 AM
Yep, the wheel is still quite fresh. Thanks for the tip, I'll stick with it a while to see how it settles.

rtyuiop
10th February 2017, 09:37 AM
My (very unscientific and error prone) impression is that I get a sharper chisel now that my wheel has settled down, too, for a bit of a bonus :).