Messages

Steve,

Will that wheel fit on a T2000 ?

Kind regards,
Rich

Robin,

Rob is right on about the rounding off of the grind.   I have seen this too.

I typically aim for a 50% cutting edge / 50% secondary bevel.   That is different from plane or chisel blades which might have only 1mm of cutting edge.

The SVD-186 manual discusses how to do this, as shown here :




Rob's idea of leaving the jig on the gouge is an interesting one.  Will have to explore it more. 

His point about not wasting time is something I want to explore using an idea I saw on an AAW blog.  I would adapt it to mimic the TTS-100 with 55, 65, & 75 mm holes for the protrusion setting.  I like the jig below on the left, and will make a single block that has all three depths.  I will secure that block to the bench so I can quickly set the jig on the gouge, sharpen it, and get back to turning.  Will save me having to swap the TTS-100 as both a protrusion setting jig, and a universal bar setting jig. 



Kind regards,
Rich

Robin,

I get that too when I'm shaping a gouge, particularly a bowl gouge, and especially with HSS.  (I use the SB stone.)

Once the shape of the tool is right, I only have to lightly regrind to resharpen.  It is much less of an issue then, though after 20-30 touch-ups, I do have to re-true the stone.

The real key is light touches on the resharpening.   Plus, that takes away less steel & your tool will last longer.

By the way, the angle setting should have no effect either way on this.

Kind regards,
Rich

[SB - Blackstone Silicon]

This is what the web site says (or at least said when I copied it down) to Evernote :

SB - Blackstone Silicon - Tormek Blackstone Silicon has been developed for shaping and sharpening HSS and other exotic alloyed steels.  It can also touch up tungsten carbide. It does not offer faster steel removal on ordinary carbon steel than the Tormek Original Grindstone.

The combination of abrasive hardness, shape and grain size is optimized to work efficiently at the Tormek system's low RPM. Its faster material removal is an advantage especially when shaping tools with a large bevel surface, where the grinding pressure is limited, for example, planer blades and woodturning skews.

The grit size 220 is the same as the Tormek Original Grindstone and can be altered to work like a 1000 grit stone with the Stone Grader SP-650. Thanks to its sharp and relatively small grains, the Blackstone removes hard steel efficiently even at low grinding pressure. The Blackstone Silicon also offers exceptional wear resistance. It can even touch up tungsten carbide, where the tool already has an established shape.

SG - Original Grindstone - The Tormek Original Grindstone has evolved over the years to offer the best combination of efficient steel removal, smooth surface finish and a long life.  This stone efficiently cuts all types of tools and steel qualities including HSS.

The unique composition of the stone, together with the Stone Grader SP-650 gives you two different cutting actions in one stone. The Stone grader polishes the sur­face of the grindstone from its normal 220 grit to a finish that works like a 1000 grit stone. This is a great advantage, since you can do the fine sharpening* with the same setting of the jig as used for the initial shaping* of the tool.

The outside of the stone has a depressed centre and a machined flat, smooth surface for flattening the back of plane irons and wood chisels.

The Original Grindstone is the ideal choice when you want both efficient steel removal and fine finish in the same stone over a wide variety of materials, from carbon steel to high speed steel.

SJ - Japanese Waterstone - The Tormek Japanese Waterstone is 4000 grit and delivers a mirror finish with hardly any visible marks.  Since it is made to create the finest surface, it has a limited steel removal capacity and cannot be used for shaping a tool.

It excels at sharpening hand tools like carving tools, knives, scissors, plane irons and wood chisels where a minimum of steel removal is needed and a superior surface finish is demanded. Its unique composition gives the stone an extremely long life. Since the surface left by the Japanese Waterstone is so fine, we do not recommend honing afterwards on the leather honing wheel.

Kind regards,
Rich

Be careful not to weld galvanized steel unless well ventilated.  The high heat make some toxic fumes. 

Andrew,

I just caught a comment that you made about lathe speed.   You need to slow down your lathe to half the speed used when turning.  Sandpaper won't work well at high speeds. 

Also, check your sanding pressure.  An easy test is to hold the sand paper with your bare fingers against the spinning wood.  If it is too hot to hold there, you're putting too much pressure (or speed) into the process. 

Final notes :

1. Do not skip grits. Each one removes the marks from the prior one. 

2. Wipe the wood down well between grits so the particles don't carry over from a rougher grit to a finer one.

3. For top quality stuff, consider using super fine sanding media like Micro-Mesh.  This stuff goes up to 12,000 grit. 

4. Sand between coats of finish.   For fine pens, I sand up to 12,000, then finish it.   
    - Sand again, starting at 2,400 grit, going to 12,000, & then apply a second coat of finish.   
    - Sand again, staring at 3,200, going to 12,000, & then apply a third coat of finish. 
    - Sometimes I will go to a fourth or fifth finishing.

5. Consider options for a smooth surface before sanding. 
    - I don't use carbide scrapers on the outside of my turnings.  I prefer the fine finish I get from a skew chisel (for turning wood with grain parallel to the bed).  Pine is very keen for tear outs of the grain.  Scraping will only accentuate that.
    - For wood mounted with the grain perpendicular to the bed ways, I use a bowl gouge.   I will resharpen it before taking that last pass. 
    - I have seen some world-class turners use a cabinet scraper to touch up the wood before sanding.

6.  Consider wet sanding.  Some will use an oil like walnut oil on the wood when sanding.  For woods like walnut and cherry, this works well.  Don't know if it would with pine.

Wood selection is a big factor.   I was working with American cedar quit a bit before I came to realize that this wood is hard for anyone to turn.   It wasn't just me. 

And, trying to make an open vessel in end grain was not fun.  But that is the look I wanted so I adapted.

Good luck and Kind regards,
Rich

I prefer the SG stone for softer steels like most carving tools have.   The SB works well for HSS, but not as well (in my opinion) as for carbon steel.  But the SB will do a fine job in a pinch.

I recommend using the SVD-110 tool rest.  You could affix a block of wood to the tool rest using clamps, and the blade can be move side to side, holding it firmly against the wood block to keep the blade's edge straight.

Some examples are below.  The first one is for a blade which is less than 3½" wide


and the second one is for a blade which is greater than 3½" wide.

Also, on the T8, the water tray seems to be bigger to catch more falling drops, and the lift for the water tray is really cool !

Kind regards,
Rich

I get them from Amazon.  With Prime, there is free shipping.

Ken,

I have found the Tormek profile labels to be a great way to quickly resharpen a tool.  When I use a jig other than the SVD-185/186, I simply write the jig's designation (e.g., SVS-50) on the label also.

The ones I use are from Tormek and look like the picture below.  I tried using a label maker and taping them onto the tool, but they always came off.  The Tormek ones stick on very well to the grommet.



Kind regards,
Rich

Ken,

Thank you.  I haven't tried sharpening carbide bits just yet, but recently re-watched Alan Holtham's video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSUa1iFUzkM), and am going to venture down that path soon.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Kind regards,
Rich

Paul,

I've read thru all the commentary and am adding a few thoughts.

As it regards the DBS-22, it is a truly wonderful jig.  I've used it to sharpen my bits, and find that process to be one that is repeatable and the time required is certainly acceptable.  I often work with small pieces of exotic woods like burls.  When drilling into these, tear out is very bad.  Working with a sharp bit is crucial and the DBS-22 never fails to perform.

And, I must say that the 4-point facet you showed in your photographs looks quite good.  Great work !!


I suspect that the issue you are facing is not with the sharpening technique, but one of the following :

• pre-drilling the hole with a smaller bit first, and lubricating the bit whilst using it, or
• using the wrong drill bit steel type.

I use carbide steel bits when drilling steel.  High Speed Steel (HSS) is good, especially for wood turning, but carbide is what is meant for cutting steel.  In fact, metal lathes use carbide bits rather than HSS.

But, if you don't have a set of carbide bits, then pre-drill, and lubricate the bit as others have mentioned.  And, you'll probably have to re-sharpen them when done.

Kind regards,
Rich

Oh, and by the way, this past week I went to use a fractional drill bit and found it woefully dull.  So, I took 4 evenings last week and sharpened them all using the DBS-22 Drill Bit Sharpening Jig. 

I started at the ½" one, and went down from there.  The first few went slowly, taking 20 minutes or so.  And somewhere around the 5th one I had to go back to re-grind the primary bevel as I had over-ground the secondary bevel.  But, I persevered and got better with each one.  By the time I got around to the ¼" ones, I was sharpening each one in 5 minutes or less.

During the process, I came across a couple that I had already sharpened with the DBS-22.  Re-sharpening those was about one or two minutes each.  Definitely repeatable.

My confidence in using the DBS-22 is greatly improved, and now I think I can attack my metric bits and complete them in a much faster manner.  Alas, there are also numbered and lettered bits after that.

[When you are learning something new, first master it using the method taught.]

Two questions come to mind:

1) Which method is correct?

2) Which should a beginner learn?

I think a beginner should learn the orthodox Tormek method. Once proficient with it, the beginner is in a much better place to decide if he wishes to explore other paths.

Ken, in one of the Fine Woodworking podcasts, they were discussing sharpening (of chisels).  There was a discussion about picking and choosing methods.  A strong opinion was expressed (and supported by everyone on the show) that :

When you are learning something new, first master it using the method taught.  You can then move on to a new method if you wish.  But if you do, but then master the new method before moving on to an even different one.  It is only after you have mastered a few methods that you can make your own.

An example of this would be something like sharpening of plane blades.  The folks at FWW do advocate sharpening the plane's primary bevel on a Tormek as it is fast.  However, they also advocate sharpening the secondary (or micro) bevel on Japanese waterstones (up to 8,000 or higher grit).  Hence, the mixing of methods.

I'm not a user of wood planes, so I can't speak to the validity of this approach.  But, I do believe their argument to master a method is the right one.

The Tormek method is one that :

• is time tested,
• has world-wide acceptance, and
• is a repeatable approach.

Repeatability is a big deal.  This cannot be stressed enough, so I will say it again.  Repeatability is a really big deal.  If you get a tool that is sharpened a certain way you will learn to use it in a manner that matches the edge.  As you progress, you will start developing muscle memory in this way of work.  Then you have mastered the tool and you can start thinking about the art.  Resharpening the tool should not require the relearning of how to use the tool.

For the shooting sports, a wise coach in trap shooting has said :

        Those who think do not know; those who know do not think.

When you know what sharp is and how to get it, you don't think about how to get that done.  You adjust according to parameters such as steel type, use for the tool, etc.  But you are not having to re-learn how to sharpen every time. 

Master the Tormek method and you'll go a long way in your woodworking.  Then, you can determine if further honing is required ...

Kind regards,
Rich