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The #2 comment about jig sharpening taking off less metal than free hand sharpening just doesn't make sense to me. I have been free hand sharpening with a platform for some years now, maybe 8, and...

Number one priority when turning is to stand out of the line of fire. Dust is secondary, but not as big because I turn wet wood 99% of the time. When sanding, I have a dust hood up that encloses the...

I have mostly Thompson tools. I have some D Way as well, which are the M4HSS. There are other 'stays sharp 5 times longer ones'. As near as I can tell, the stays sharp 5 times longer means you can...

I have noticed that my jaw screws seem to work loose from time to time. Most of the time I discover it when reversing a bowl blank where I was sure I had done a perfect job on the recess so it would...

Here is a link to my You Tube channel. I have posted a number of new clips, including one on chainsaw and bandsaw bowl blank prep...

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7rV_Y9vwoTl18_dSSaffjw
...

I have been using the hardened drill rod rests for a number of years now. It is a lot harder than my tools, but I haven't put any dings in my tools from it. The way the tools just slide across the...

I almost never wear one. Mostly they were in the way, and blocked my vision. I do take great pains to stand out of the line of fire at all times when turning, which to me is first line of defense for...

Well, the more I learn, the more I realize I know almost nothing.... Lighting has changed. There are 2 types of lighting, general which allows you to see your way around the shop, and task lighting...

This just blew me away.... Master Class!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNPzdFQfkog

robo hippy

Way too pointy for a BOB (bottom of bowl) gouge. Most of them are in the 60 to 70 degree range. It would do well rolled over on its side with flutes at 45 degrees or so. Great on the outside. Good...

I found this on Facebook today:

http://tholman.com/bezier-curve-simulation/

robo hippy

BobL,
Interesting bit you posted here. I am wondering, since you used a cut off wheel, how much of the particulate is metal, and how much is the wheel? I haven't used a cut off wheel much, other...

I made an interesting discovery today. I have had the CBN wheels for years. I took a Moffat (brand name) lamp down off a shelf that was about 30 inches above my grinder. It was still in the box, one...

I had a rare privilege of a 3 day workshop with Allen and Stuart Batty. Allen has since had a stroke. He told the story of turning billiard balls from elephant ivory. It was a couple of years...

I have never had the chance to try out a Vicmark. Maybe at the Symposium in Phoenix next month. I did have one of the old PM3520A models for 8 years, and loved it, then stepped up to a Robust...

It's nice wood, but it makes me sneeze. Don't work it much any more. Shavings are not good for pets, especially horses and dogs. Can kill weeds and other plants as well.

robo hippy

If you haven't checked out 's clips, do so, especially his safety ones. They are excellent. Brendan Stamp (spell???) is good as well. Another US turner who has some good clips up is John Lucas....

Well, it is a bit of a long story, but here is one of my You Tube clips about grinders and wheels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDYdo1IoyRY

I had one set for 6 to 7 years worth of production...

I have a number of new clips up, with more to come. The DVD that I was planning, 'Weapons of Mass Destruction for Bowl Turning and How to Use Them' was just going to be too much trouble to handle....

After using them for maybe 10 years, they beat standard wheels in every single category you can think of except price. If you consider value, they again, by far, exceed any other wheel available to...

It took a while to translate. The kids call them gauges and plugs here. Personally I wouldn't have them, but some like them. Be very careful about the woods you use. Never some thing like any of the...

The biggest difference between the Optigrind and the Woodcut is that the Optigrind is 1 1/2 inches wide, and has about 5/8 inch on the side for a flat grind. The Woodcut is only 1 inch wide. Can't...

These wheels can be made in any grit you want, if you want to pay for it. It is much easier to get standard grits, which for these wheels is 80, and 180. Dave, at D Way does make a 3 by 6 inch hone...

I just came over to this forum to post the link to it. I think it is a great sharpening clip. Most beginners don't really have the concept of what the nose of the gouge should look like.

robo...

Well, first you run it through the thickness planer to remove the hump on one side. Then one very light pass to make sure it is all gone. Then you turn it over and remove the dip from the other side....

I think it falls into the spindle/detain gouge definition. I do have one or two like this that are ground to a ) nose profile, and I use them as a bottom feeder type of gouge. Great for high shear...

I asked Dave if they were from his supplier and he said no. So some one else is making them. He commented that there can be huge differences in the grinding matrix. So, I guess time will tell if they...

I have gotten used to the 1 1/2 inch width, which I prefer over the 1 inch wide wheels. I used to run off the edges when sharpening gouges, with and without jigs.

I would guess that the wheels...

Well, that is normal warping for Pacific Madrone. It is the same color, but don't imagine there is much of that down there. The way it went side ways indicates that it may be from the buttress part...

The radius edges are an idea from David Ellsworth. I am not sold in the rounded edges. The idea is that instead of rotating your handles through the whole arc. You swing part way, then push off to...

I don't mind at all. I did find out that it doesn't play on some computers, or the title page comes up but isn't active. You can bring up the media player, and it plays, but the chapters aren't...

I bought my first chainsaw from a Husky Dealer, not the big box store. The guys there said to run only high octane fuel in it. If you run it all day, every day, regular octane will be okay, but...

Brendan,
I have found all of your videos interesting. I learned to free hand grind after a work shop with Stuart and Allen Batty, and watched Mike Mahoney and Jimmy Clewes a lot. The interesting...

Well, I think a 1/2 inch blade will cut a 5 inch diameter circle pretty easily. Blade thickness is important as well, and I prefer thicker, which I think is 0.035, but am not sure. I don't know...

The Woodcut has been under development for a couple of years. I haven't heard about prices yet, but I doubt it will be more than the Oneway. The original Woodcut is a nice little system, but does...

Well, a few years down the road, and lots of sharpenings later, the balance point will change. I do like straight wood handles with no tapers or bumps, and bigger in diameter to fit my over sized...

Hmmm, another grinding jig set up in an already crowded market. I won't be buying one, but will check out at the next Symposium I go to. Since I haven't seen it in person, I can only guess. I don't...

I will confess that all I really know about the different turning tool metals is how to grind them. I do prefer to buy from the person who actually makes the tools, where here (US) would be Thompson...

Black Locust (Robinia psuedoacacia). It is good wood. Makes excellent tool handles. I bit rigid/hard for salad bowls, and sells in fits: some times I can't give it away, and some times I can't keep...

Osage is a wonderful wood. If I had to guess from the pictures, I would have guessed black locust. It is a more yellow/green color. Osage, is also known as hedge apple, or hedge trees, and another...

Bob,
Interesting points. Leaks are a huge problem and probably account for more flow loss than the corrugated type tubing/pipes. When I set up my centralized system, they recommended taping all...

Well, maybe it is time to post this clip again.

robo hippy BOWL SANDING HOOD - YouTube

My next model will be a 300 gallon or so tank that stays up all the time, and baffles to put in depending...

After seeing 's clips on chuck maintenance, I was going to ask him about this. I do remember some thing about putting small shims in between the jaws for cleaning up the dove tail angles. I have...

One possible problem with using the jaws in expansion mode inside a box. It won't take much pressure to split the box. Been there, done that. A pine or other soft wood jam chuck (recess), with the...

I think you need a hands on lesson. Generally for bowls, I use 2 gouges. One with about a 45 degree bevel which is fine for the outside of the bowl, and down the wall on the inside of a bowl. The...

I know Tantung is a cast metal, and a bit on the brittle side. Not sure beyond that. I do have grinding skills, but not much metal knowledge beyond that. I shall have to ask after the Stellite to...

CBN wheels are like variable speed lathes. Once you have one, you will never go back. Just way too many advantages. Perhaps the only down side is the price, which is more than standard wheels, but...

Have a look at the blade under a good light. If your thrust bearings have gotten loose and backed off, or if you don't lower the blade guide down close to the wood, you can have stress fractures...

No problem with that. I did find out that it doesn't play well on all computer video programs. Some not at all, and others you have to go to media player, and it comes up, but no chapter list by...

I guess I should have added here that this is a DIY (do it yourself) tool, and from what it would cost to produce them for sale, probably not worth it to manufacture as most would probably prefer to...