NeilS
24th April 2018, 08:09 PM
My old bowl gouge jig, which I really liked, was starting to wear and not hold gouges reliably in the same position each time. So it was time to buy a new one.
I thought I would try the Vicmarc Vrs 5 (the one on the right here (https://vicmarc.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=147&virtuemart_category_id=20)) because it can hold some of my larger gouges (up to 32mm and until now had to use a different jig for those) and because Vicmarc have a good reputation for engineering and design.
I needed a second grinder, however, I didn't go with the VM half-speed grinder as I rarely ever sharpen anything that isn't HSS, and because life is too short to spend more time sharpening than necessary.
The grinder I went with was this 2850 rpm, 1HP Hafco MetalMaster.
434269
The dimensions were slightly different to the VM grinder (by about 5mm), so I had to raise the jig slide base by that much to match the specified height and position to the centre of the spindle.
The result was that I was unable to replicate my preferred grind that has a 62deg nose angle and swept back side grind. The slide on the jig just wasn't long enough.
I then removed the packing under the jig base and ran into my next problem. The jig then hit the base on which the grinder was attached. It was a good thing the grinder wasn't attached to the bench, as I had to cut out part of the base to allow the jig to complete the left wing of my bowl gouges.
434270
With that done I was only just able to replicate my preferred bowl gouge grind with hardly a mm to spare before the jig slide ran out of length again.
A few other things about the gouge jig.
The part that holds the gouges is a hefty piece of engineering that I don't expect will ever fail to hold gouges firmly and repeatedly in the same position. However, at over 800gms before you put a gouge in it, you won't have to go to the gym after working out with it...:)
The leveraged screw to clamp a gouge in place has a low gearing so that even the the most arthritic hands will secure a gouge firmly for grinding. The downside is the number of turns it takes to clamp and un-clamp a gouge from the jig. The position of the knob also restricts how much rotation can be achieved with each grasp, so that I could only manage a 1/4 turn at a time when clamping up and about a half turn at most when un-clamping.
I'm not yet fully convinced that this is the ideal bowl gouge jig for me, so I'll give it a bit more time before I decide.
It might be ideal for you, but if you are considering it, I would suggest you find someone who has one and who is willing to let you try out your gouges with your preferred grind on them to check out if it is going to work for you. In my case it very nearly didn't.
I thought I would try the Vicmarc Vrs 5 (the one on the right here (https://vicmarc.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=147&virtuemart_category_id=20)) because it can hold some of my larger gouges (up to 32mm and until now had to use a different jig for those) and because Vicmarc have a good reputation for engineering and design.
I needed a second grinder, however, I didn't go with the VM half-speed grinder as I rarely ever sharpen anything that isn't HSS, and because life is too short to spend more time sharpening than necessary.
The grinder I went with was this 2850 rpm, 1HP Hafco MetalMaster.
434269
The dimensions were slightly different to the VM grinder (by about 5mm), so I had to raise the jig slide base by that much to match the specified height and position to the centre of the spindle.
The result was that I was unable to replicate my preferred grind that has a 62deg nose angle and swept back side grind. The slide on the jig just wasn't long enough.
I then removed the packing under the jig base and ran into my next problem. The jig then hit the base on which the grinder was attached. It was a good thing the grinder wasn't attached to the bench, as I had to cut out part of the base to allow the jig to complete the left wing of my bowl gouges.
434270
With that done I was only just able to replicate my preferred bowl gouge grind with hardly a mm to spare before the jig slide ran out of length again.
A few other things about the gouge jig.
The part that holds the gouges is a hefty piece of engineering that I don't expect will ever fail to hold gouges firmly and repeatedly in the same position. However, at over 800gms before you put a gouge in it, you won't have to go to the gym after working out with it...:)
The leveraged screw to clamp a gouge in place has a low gearing so that even the the most arthritic hands will secure a gouge firmly for grinding. The downside is the number of turns it takes to clamp and un-clamp a gouge from the jig. The position of the knob also restricts how much rotation can be achieved with each grasp, so that I could only manage a 1/4 turn at a time when clamping up and about a half turn at most when un-clamping.
I'm not yet fully convinced that this is the ideal bowl gouge jig for me, so I'll give it a bit more time before I decide.
It might be ideal for you, but if you are considering it, I would suggest you find someone who has one and who is willing to let you try out your gouges with your preferred grind on them to check out if it is going to work for you. In my case it very nearly didn't.