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Follow-up note :  well, I received the SVD-186, & it works wonderfully.  Just as expected.  (Apologies to Tormek employees, you've set the bar so high that it is hard to say you exceeded my expectations!)

And, for those who say it's a waste to have two jigs :  I say, "nay, nay".  The SVD-185 has been designated in my sharpening toolkit as the perfect, dedicated jig for sharpening carbide cutters. 

OK, I've put some examples out on DropBox with this link to them :

               https://www.dropbox.com/sh/p8ajrgfa6xl4c25/AABPW6_UnxqGc66AAlHOZFjsa?dl=0

There is are three regarding machinery :

• band saw
• lawn trimmer
• Tormek T2000

There are also three regarding sharpening :

• Chisels
• Knives
• Lathe Bowl Gouges

If you feel I've missed something in these, or that I have something wrong.  Please do tell me :  I welcome (and replicate) great ideas !

Kind regards,
Rich

One of the best practices I have been doing for years is to use Evernote for this.  Evernote is a tool that is free unless you wish to pay for larger data usage (in which case it is still a reasonable cost).  You can get it at www.Evernote.com.   Since the Evernote data is stored on the Internet, and replicated to all my "devices" (PCs, iPads, etc.), it is very accessible wherever I need it.  Plus, I can print it out when needed.

For each major tool, I have a note in Evernote which contains :

• Description of the tool, including :  Part number & Serial number (stuff which is particularly useful for insurance purposes or police reports)
• Purchase information (cost, date, vendor, etc. -- also good for insurance purposes)
• Preventive maintenance information :  what tasks need to be done, and on what frequencies.  (For these, I have found it useful to reference the page in the manual where this is better explained.)
• Spare parts information (part numbers, where to get them, etc.)
• Information and documents that are helpful for maintaining and tuning the machine (e.g., copies of key articles from "Fine Woodworking" that are used for tuning my band saw)
• Similarly, links to useful YouTube videos
• A PDF copy of the manual(s) ... Captured at the time I bought the machine

Later today, I will post a copy of what I have for my Tormek, and for a few other sample machines.

Once I have a page in Evernote, I use the Reminders app to remind me to perform the actual maintenance activities.  I generally schedule the PM work every 6 months, though some machines differ (the mower PM is scheduled for each fall, the snow blower every summer).

I'm an old plant guy, so this type of work is 2nd nature to me.  But, I have found it to be very useful to have such a structured approach.

Kind regards,
Rich

P.S., I also use Evernote for documenting information on sharpening.  I've found it very useful to have a page per tool type (e.g., skews, gouges, knives, etc.).  I'll put a copy of these out here on the blog later today also.

I have found the SB stone to do a fine job.  I've never even taken it to the fine grind (1000 grit), & my bits work superbly.

Just returned on Sunday from the American Association of Woodturner's (AAW's) 2016 convention that was held in Atlanta, GA.  This is the 2d AAW convention that I have attended, and I must say, if you are a woodturner, I highly recommend attending this meeting.

The parts I found particularly valuable are :

• I attended a number of sessions with some truly world-class artists (both wood turners and carvers), and walked away with some really valuable tips
• I saw some really cool stuff that I've not been doing :  one of the leading experts in Rose Engines (used for Ornamental Turning) was there presenting about how to make one very cost effectively (well, there's a new hobby that I'm now picking up ...)
• I was able to see quite a few pieces of equipment that I am in the market to buy, and see how one vendor's product compares to another
• I was able to talk to a number of product managers and :
  
  
  
  • ask questions about why the designs were the way that they are, and
  • put in some requests for changes to their equipment

But, the highlight was meeting Stig at the Tormek booth (oh yeah, and getting my hands on the T8 also).

My only complaint is that there was too much to do in the 3 days of the convention.  But, then there's next year !

Kind regards,
Rich

Andrew,

If you are going to be a wood turner, I strongly recommend joining the AAW (AAW.org).  Members get access to a number of on-line tools, including all their magazine publications.  For example,

• In "Woodturning FUNdamentals" :


• January 2016 (vol 5, issue 1) has an article from Jack Morse titled "Art of Sanding".
• March 2016 (vol 5, issue 2) has an article from Mark Palma titled "Sanding and Scraping".


• In "American Woodturner" :


• Spring 2007 (vol 22, issue 1) has an article from Steve Sinner titled "Sanding Shortcuts from the Pros".

There is also a forum on the AAW site (much like this one) that probably has more.

Kind regards,
Rich

Was at the AAW conference last week, and was able to see the T8.  There are some really cool advantages :

• the holes into which the universal support bar are inserted (the sleeves) are tighter :  apparently, the zinc allows for tighter tolerances than the aluminum.
• the dial for raising the water trough is really cool :  it allows the water to be put into the proper position very quickly and easily, and with minimal spillage
• the new water trough is very nicely designed, especially with the scraper that can be used to clean it out.
• that scraper has a strong magnet for attracting the metal filings.

It is nicely designed and looks really good.

Kind regards,
Rich

For skew training, I recommend looking at the experts.  The two who come to mind immediately are Allan Batty & Richard Raffan.  Here are some links to those lads and also to some articles in an awesome magazine for woodturners :

• YouTube video


• The Skew Chisel with Allan Batty :  http://youtu.be/KfeLAHQSbqk
• "Fine Woodturning" magazine (may require a subscription :  don't know as I already have one)


• Richard Raffan demonstrates the "why" behind nasty lathe catches :  http://www.finewoodworking.com/woodturning/video/understanding-woodturning-catches.aspx
• Richard Raffan shows hot to turn beads with a Skew Chisel :  http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/video/turning-beads-with-a-skew-chisel.aspx
• "Woodturning" magazine


• #222 :  "The Skew Chisel", by Bob Chapman (pg. 22)
• #279 :  "Skew Chisel Problems", by Richard Findley (pg. 33)

Gentlemen,

I think people look too often at costs in the wrong way.  You can certainly compare the up-front cost of the Tormek vs. stones or even grinding wheels.

But what I would also encourage you to compare are the costs for :

• replacing tools far more often as they get shorter sooner
• the time to get a repeated cutting surface
• having to re-do your work by not using tools that were not sharpened as well as they would have been by the Tormek (i.e., by shortcutting the time req'd to do it using other systems)

Kind regards,
Rich

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

Andrew,

Indeed, you do rotate it anti-clockwise (or counter clockwise).  Should do the job.

Kind regards,
Rich

P.S., thank you Ken for the kind words.

Andrew,

One of the great things that I like about this jig's manual is that it shows how doing it wrongly looks.  On page 14 (of the English version, at least), it shows how the drill being not aligned correctly can produce different primary facets.  (Here's a link to the online version of it ==> http://tormek.com/international/en/grinding-jigs/dbs-22-drill-bit-sharpening-attachment/.)

Yours, it seems, was rotated clockwise.

Don't get discouraged :  I have also done the same thing more times that I wish to remember.  Particularly when I had a drill which I or someone else had misused, and it required quite a bit of grinding to get it back into shape. 

The good news is that it isn't hard to fix.  If you are using it for wood, I would try for more evenly shaped primary facets, as the periphery of the bit is where more cutting happens than at the centre.

Kind regards,
Rich

[they were using carving tools that were most probably soft steel or bronze !]

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.

Andrew,

When I first started using mine, I knew something was wrong :  Only ½ or less of my grinds were like the pictures in the manual.  But I stuck with it, & learned that very small increments are the key (for me).  I was being to aggressive & it wasn't working.  When I slowed down, my success went up greatly.

I will also add this :  I believe this jig is the most complex one that Tormek makes.  Takes a little longer to master.   But stick with it.  The points on your drill bits will get better. 

I do a fair bit of pen turning with wood that has highly figured grain.  Sharp bits enable me to have good, tight fits.  The work is worth it for me, & significantly cheaper than buying new bits all the time (probably better for the environment also).

Kind regards,
Rich

Ken,

I've found that when I are removing a good bit of metal on the skew (HSS), I have to touch up the wheel with the stone grader quite often.  I also noticed a real difference in the sound after grading.

Rich