Skew and SVS 50 issue

[Mark Rogers]

Hello everyone, first post on here after browsing through lots of these knowledgeable posts.

I've recently purchased a second hand slow speed grinder to use alongside my Pro Edge for my turning tools. It has a 180g CBN wheel and a selection of Tormek jigs. I've so far been super impressed with the edge it grinds and the increase in sharpness over the Sorby.

My question is regarding the SVS-50 jig when used with my 3/4" skew.
I can set the tool up in the jig and grind a nice bevel no problem. It's lovely and sharp (massively better than the Sorby) but when I come to touch up the edge I hit an issue. I can never seem to get it back into the exact same position in the jig. By eye it looks perfect but it must be twisted ever so slightly as when I touch it to the wheel the grind is off. I then have to regrind a whole new bevel which (as it's a CBN wheel) doesn't take too long but it's a pain. Long term I'm hoping to swap the machine to a T8 so I'm keen to get the issue resolved before I do that.
I have to add that I've watched YouTube videos showing how the jig is set up and I'm not putting too much pressure when screwing the tool down.

I'm now considering buying the flat table support so I can sharpen without using the jig, anyone with experience of grinding a skew that way?

Any tips on here would be appreciated greatly 👍

[RichColvin]

Mark,

I do that.  In fact, I've dedicated a USB and SVD-110 to that purpose.  Here's a picture

You cannot view this attachment.

The USB you see is one of the original ones which did not have a threaded leg.  I cut that off and welded a threaded rod in its place.  You can also see that I removed the threaded screw from the SVD-110 & used a set screw in its place.

Rich

UPDATE:  I forgot to note that all my skews are flat-sided; I've gotten rid of my oval sided skews.  That's why this approach works.

[Ken S]

Welcome to the forum, Mark.

I had a similar experience the first time I sharpened a turning skew. In my case, I followed the set up recommendations for the TTS-100, only to find that my skew had not previously been ground to TTS-100 specifications. Both the skew angle and the bevel angles were different. I made the mistake of soldiering on and regrinding my skew to conform to Tormek's suggested angles. Resharpening had become reshaping.

The story had a happy ending..........eventually, but only after a lot of grind time and unnecessary steel was removed. Here is the better way to sharpen the skew:

The secret of success is using black markers. Blacken the bevel angles. And, using a small square or one side of the TTS-100, scribe a fine square line on your grinding wheel. As long as the skew and bevel angles are in a good working range, they do not have to match the suggested angles in the Tormek booklet. In a perfect world, they would match Tormek's suggested angles; however, that can involve a lot of grinding.

You don't mention if you have a TTS-100 set up tool. If you don't already have one, it will make your set up life much easier for many turning tools. The other Tormek accessory I recommend is the TNT-300 Turner's Information Box. This is a combination booklet and DVD made by Jeff Farris (the founder of this forum and Tormek's former US agent. The DVD is divided into two parts, sharpening the various turning tools and then using them. The instruction is extensive and excellent. Two suggestions from the video stand out. 1) If, like my skew, the tool was previously ground differently than the suggested profile, make the changes gradually over several sharpenings. In the long run, this is much quicker and will eventually make set up quicker. 2) If you want to make major reshaping of a tool, consider purchasing another tool already ground to that profile. If you reshape a tool and discover that you prefer original profile, you have invested a lot of grinding time and shortened the life of your tool.

Keep us posted.

Ken

[Mark Rogers]

Thanks for the imput guys, much appreciated.

Yes, I do have the TTS-100 and find it very useful and accurate.
My issue isn't with setting up the universal support bar but the positioning of the skew when using the SVS-50. All my skews have slight radius edges so you'd imagine the two notched clamps in the jig would centre it and hold it straight. Unfortunately this is not the case and I can't figure out why.
As an example, I can mount the skew, set up the USB and grind a new bevel. I leave the USB set and go use the tool. I feel it start to dull so I remount the tool in the SVS-50 (the bar is still untouched) and when it touches the wheel the grind is off. Therefore the problem has to be in how the tool sits in the jig.

Previously to this I used a Pro Edge to sharpen my skews and I'm sure you're all familiar with the flat platform and simple jig used to this effect.
Would I be better getting the Tormek equivalent (SVD-110) and making a simple triangle jig myself to replicate this? I'd rather get on top of the problem I have then buy more kit but if it's a more accurate solution that's fine by me!

I hope I've explained my issue clearly this time and thanks again for any imput 👍

[Alston]

Late to the party but I never liked the Pro Edge Skew jig. I use the Axminster ultimate edge for my turning tools, and as it accepts most of the Tormek jigs I would have liked to use the SVS 50 but it was over budget so I made this which works great. Unlike the SVS 50 the angle is fixed like the Sorby jig.

[Speechless Calm]

... unlike the SVS 50 the angle is fixed like the Sorby jig.

I want one :-)

Brand-new Tormek user here. Greetings all.

Also unlike the SVS50, it looks like it'd accommodate my 1.5" skew.

I don't have the skills / tools to build that sweet looking jig, but I'm exploring the possibility of 3D-printing a dedicated SVS50-analogue for my larger tools.

[Ken S]

This is a guess, but not a completely unsupported guess. When Tormek designed the "TnT" (Touch and Turn) concept of jig sharpening turning tools, Jeff Farris, the US agent was on the design committee. Jeff is an experienced turner, and, at the time, also a Sorby dealer. I suspect the design parameters were set for the Sorby line. My Alan Lacer skew does not quite fit in the SVS-50.

The TTS-100 can be used as a small square to scribe a square line on the grinding wheel with a fine tip Sharpie. This, plus using the black marker on the bevel, should help tighten up resetting the tool.

Out of curiosity, do you use your  1 1/2" skew much? Before I purchased my Lacer skew, I ground my flat 1" skew to a Lacer grind. I used the SVD-110. I have been surprised by how well it works. It is much easier to sharpen than the bigger skew. Reshaping was quite a project. Both the bevel and skew angles did not match the TTS-100 profile. I have considered purchasing a 1 1/4" straight skew. (I am an infrequent turner.)

I can see the advantage of a fixed, non adjustable skew angle jig mostof the time. It is not as versatile, but more reliable.

Ken