Magnifier

[AndrewLee]

I know what you mean by focus. Even within the specialised area of tormek owners, there's a plethora of skills to learn and master, knives, drill bits, scissors, gouges etc etc. There's just so many things to look into!

My main issue with learning from a master is the cost aspect at the moment. Woodworking is at the moment a hobby, am unpaid one too. The smart move is to find a way to make a return financially, at the very least break even with all the tools I've purchased.

I've been thinking about woodturning and trying to sell turned objects but I'm my own worst enemy in that regard - I do not believe that any I've turned is something worth selling at this point in time.

I'd love to learn to sharpen knives and drill bits and make money from it, but I don't have any idea where to start. I can picture myself shoving pamphlets door to door and hoping a nice old lady few doors down would want her knives sharpened for a few dollars..

Coincidentally, I actually emailed a UK (yes, that's where I'm from) sharpening website today about lessons in tool sharpening. I think they're affiliated with Robin Bailey that you mentioned. Depending on the price of the tuition,  I may go check it out. It all hinges on how much it costs and also whether I can make money from it.

[RichColvin]

Andrew,

That close-up of the drill bit looks like you've mastered the DBS-22.  Congratulations !!  That is really great work, and as you already see, the newly sharpened bit cuts probably better than when it was new from the box.

If you are thinking of going into Woodturning as a living, there was a series of articles in "Woodturning" magazine (which is published from the U.K. -- Britain, I think).  Good read, and a really good magazine.

My delay in responding is that I am at the American Association of Woodturning's convention.  There are a number of international visitors here, and great instruction tips.  If nothing, you should seek a local club and go to conventions like these.

There is a great wood turner who makes his living at it.  I believe his funds come from teaching, books / DVDs, and art collectors.  To get to where he is, he has said he had to have something that he could make easily and fast to sell at craft fairs.  He chose salt & pepper shakers with his own designed shape.  If you go this route, find something that differentiates you from the crowd.

When I was in my early 20s, I had a very wise boss who told me to find hobbies so I'd not be like others who retired in their early 60s and died 2-3 years later (they had nothing to fill the void left by their jobs).  It took me a number of years and classes before I settled on wood turning, woodcarving, and metal work. 

I won't sell anything I make as then it would be a job.  I'm 52, and still VERY MUCH employed.  I already have one job and don't wish for another.  My approach to this is to continue to collect the tools of my hobby, enjoy them now and then, but really stock up for retirement (when my time will be greater, but my money less so).

I don't mean to be critical of those who make $ from their hobby (oftentimes to feed the hobby).   Indeed, if that makes them happy, they should pursue it.  It just doesn't work for me.

But, hobby, craft fairest, or professional :  Tormek will make your sharpening faster and easier.  Then you can get back to the reason you needed that sharp tool.

Best of luck, & kind regards,
Rich

[Jan]

Ken & others bring up a point that is just starting to gel in my mind (after 10 years of Tormek use).  As I read the last post, it reminded me of a trip I took to Athens, Greece a few years back.  I remember seeing the carved columns.



When I saw the fluting in the columns, I marveled at the mastery of the carvers.  How hard it must have been to

• get a round column,
• that was tapered evenly all the way to the top,
• that had flutes evenly spaced all around the column,
• that had flutes that were cut evenly to the same depth, and
• that matched all the other columns in the temple !

And to make that even more remarkable, they were using carving tools that were most probably soft steel or bronze !

How often must these tools had to have been sharpened ?
How many stones were lost to that sharpening ?

Today, 3000 years later, those last two questions do not really matter.  The carvers' work is their legacy. 

Tim Vande Sluis has a site for wood carving, and sends out a periodic eMail.  His latest one said that there are two stages to becoming an accomplished artist.

• The artist must first learn to control the tool.
• Then the artist can express the vision in his (or her) mind.

We'll be remembered for the art we produce, not how sharp our tools were.  The sharpness of our tools makes mastering the tool control easier, and the art easier to produce.  If a few stones need to be sacrificed to achieve great art, it is a small price to pay.

Good points, Rich.

If by making the tools sharp we can contribute to the artist developing control of them, we will have served a useful function.

The museums of the world have many exquisite musical instruments. In reality, these beautiful works of art were often not the most musical instruments. These were usually played out and discarded.

It seems no surprise that the same ancient Greek culture which gave us these marvelous columns also gave us mathematicians like Mr. Euclid of Alexandria and Pythagorus.

Ken

Ken and Rich I fully agree with you! 

I am firmly convinced that symmetry, which we often perceive as beauty, is one of the guiding principles of the Universe.

The symmetry properties of a system are intimately related to the conservation laws characterizing that system. E.g. conservation of energy simply results from time homogeneity! 

Jan

[Ken S]

Jan,

My avid interest in photography began when I was a boy. I spent many hours photographing and developing in my father's hobby darkroom. My Health teacher once asked me to take a straight on photo of him. I printed it both normally and with the negatived reversed. By cutting the reversed print in two, I was able to construct his entire face using only the left or right sides. I was surprised how asymmetrical most of us are facially. I have since read articles noting the facial symmetry of persons famed for their beauty.

Even with utilitarian objects like kitchen knives, which might actually function more efficiently as left or right handed (to allow the cut portion to fall away better), we still prefer symmetry.

With automobiles, is the addition of the passenger side mirror really for safety, or is it for symmetry?

Ken

[Jan]

Interesting thoughts, Ken. 

The connection between symmetry and conservation laws was explained by Emmy Noether, who was a German Jewish mathematician (1882-1935). She was described by Albert Einstein as the most important woman in the history of mathematics.

Noether's theorem published in 1918 has become a fundamental tool of modern physics, both because of the insight it gives into conservation laws, and also, as a practical calculation tool. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmy_Noether

Jan

[Ken S]

Interesting thoughts, Jan.

You have enriched your life from both the wisdom of the past and the cutting edge technology of today. Even better, you are sharing those insights with our future generations.

Ken

[Jan]

Ken, thanks for your response.  I hope my posts are not annoying you too much.    Let me know if they are and I will stop it.

I share my views in a hope it can help someone to get deeper insight into the mosaic of invisible ties which are controlling our visible world.

This obsessive effort to understand "why is it so" helped me to understand how the setter TTS-100 works and how it can be modified for other purposes. It was challenging but rewarding.

Jan

[Ken S]

Jan, I welcome and enjoy your posts. Like you, I think the TTS-100 is a very clever tool and capable of much more than sharpening woodturning chisels, which it does very well. I also believe the thought process involved is as useful as the tool itself. Keep posting!

Ken

[Janne]

The magnifier is designed to use when the drill bit is mounted in the tool holder.
It has two longera parts that will guide its position on the tool holder.
There is only a small range of fokus distance on that type of magnifier.
I think it works well for setting up the drill bit and for control of the resultat.