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I took delivery of the beast today and started on my startrite sd300 planar/thicknesser knives at 6:30 pm. Im now sat typing this at nearly 1am and im pretty gutted at the results

I've had no problems lining it all up and getting both angle and parallelism right. They were just fiddly but do-able with patience.  It's the sheer lack of metal coming off the wheel that's driving me insane

I've regraded three times now, I'm doing about 6 passes before I need to reactivate the wheel with the 220 grader.  Im talking aggresive grading such that the wheel stops turning!  The blades can't possibly be carbide, they're HSS I'm certain of it.  Basically the wheel just isn't man enough for the job. All three blades have a nick that's about 1/2mm deep. I'm now 6 hours in and still the 3rd knife to do AND the flippin nick hasn't gone!  What's being ground is my wheel, not the planar knives!

Does this mean I have to shell out even more cash for the black wheel?  Will the black wheel take steel off significantly faster?

I'm not upset with the principle behind the jig, it works, just the time taken so far.  Is there anything else to be done?  Does the black wheel really shift HSS fast?

Could use come good news after tonight's marathon

Hi folks

I'm agonising about buying the jig. My 12" planar knives are blunt as hell in my planar/thicknesser (jointer for the US contingent) and I've only ever used a service before.  The maths is easy, jig costs round £125 here and it costs around £20 to get my three knives ground as a service. So it will have paid for itself after circa five cycles

The only reason for the decision agony is based on research and feedback I've gleaned from the usual online sources

Bottom line, it seems to have a reputation of being fiddly and time consuming to setup and use. I'd appreciate feedback from this community of actual current users to set the record straight if possible.  Changing planar knives is fiddly enough as it is so I don't want to end up having the sharpening being a three hour chore on top. One hour I don't mind

Input would be appreciated.

Rob

I understand its purpose ie to assist in the removal of the wire edge created by sharpening. But what exactly is it?  Is it just cream with a fine abrasive in it?

Also if your tool isn't that blunt, can't you just strop it on the honing wheel to re energise the edge?

Hi folks

Thought I'd share a big time saver at the lathe.

It's for roughing of either between centre spindles or bowls.  We all know that those first few cuts are the most brutal on the tools, whether its the square edges ( or bark) of a spindle or the bandsaw'd or chainsaw'd bowl blank.  The stock is all over the place, lathe at slowest speed for safety, it's just ugly!  Those edges sure take a pounding.

My method is a short cut extraordinaire.  You set the tormek up for your favourite starting point bowl gouge (or roughing spindle gouge depending on what you're turning ). I have the tormek on a table literally one foot to the right of my tailstock.  I insert the gouge in the jig which for roughing bowls for me is the 65mm projection hole A JS 2 grind ie regular.  Nothing fancy for roughing out. 

I start turning. Bang bang. Slap of some hard corner and the edge goes off the boil.  Now turn back to the tormek, jig up and sharpen again, this time I leave the jig clamped to the gouge.  There's enough room in front of the jig to accommodate my gouge on the tool rest, in fact the additional "handles" gives me more control of the gouge.  I turn some more, back on the tormek etc. I roll the edge about four times on 1000 grit, don't bother to hone as for roughing that edge is easily sharp enough.  I've timed it and its literally ten seconds.  I don't even turn the lathe off!

Purists will say, hone etc....remember this is roughing out, aim is shape and fast stock removal safely.  I now spend virtually no time sharpening and all turning.  I take it out of the jig when the articulated collar starts to restrict movement by hitting the tool rest.  That tends to happen as you come right round the base of a bowl before reversing it ie anywhere the gouge is a long way over the tool rest

This method will have you turning not sharpening.  It's akin to the speed of hand grinders on dry wheels but with all the advantages of the tormek ie perfect bevels every time with no risk of drawing the temper of the steel.

I'm going to stick my neck out and invite a good kicking!  Here goes. Despite wisdom to the contrary, recently I've been leaving the burr on my turning tools, specifically, roughing gouge, spindle gouge and a couple different skew chisels. I normally hone religiously, spot of compound, great care not to roll the edge, mirror finish, polish out the scratch pattern etc, the whole enchilada.

I can honestly say, it made no difference.. In fact I would venture to suggest they actually seemed sharper to me!

I know I know, am I a heretic or what?  I'm actually expecting a bolt of lightning with Jeff Faris' face on it strike me where I sit. But I kid you not, this is what's going down in my workshop.  Have I gone bonkers or is there an explanation without the word "witchcraft" in it that sheds light on my experience?