Occasional Gouge sharpening

[tgbto]

Hello,

I have none of the jigs dedicated to woodworking. A close friend of mine saw my sharpening workshop and asked me if I could resharpen her gouges, for which she doesn't seem to be able to find a suitable sharpener in the area.

It's only going to be like 5 gouges  a year, maybe twice a year (she works on some very long and complex projects for which gouges are used for only a tiny fraction ofd the work, but she needs them sharp still). So here's my question: is there any chance I can do something decent just by using the USB and going freehand, or do I need the whole SVD/TTS/LA shebang ?

Thanks for your insight,

Nick.

[WimSpi]

If it is for occasional grinding, then it can also be done out of hand. In doing so, I would use the USB as a support, though, the moment you find the right sharpening angle.

I would sharpen the inside of the gouge on a special whetstone, as mentioned for example in the link below.
https://www.fine-tools.com/bildhauereisen-schaerfsteine.html
In fact, you then sharpen the gouges in a way, as it was done until 60 years ago.

It is important to keep the whetstones flat on the inside of the steel and grind the entire inner surface equally evenly. You absolutely must prevent the apex from not staying straight. Then the gouge may be sharp, but it becomes practically unusable.

Furthermore, you should also take a close look at the anatomy of the fold. It can be different for different types of gouges. But that also applies when using the Tormek tools.