sharpening turning gouges

Carol Reed

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Coolidge, AZ
I just got the Woodcraft slow speed grinder. It came with a 60 grit wheel on one side. The other side was a 120 grit that I replaced with a diamond wheel. Christmas present to self. I have it set up with the Wolverine jig.

I ordered a couple of spindle gouges from Doug Thompson. I love his tools! They just came in the mail. WooHoo! One has no grind on it at all. Certainly the 60 grit wheel will remedy that.

Question. Can I go from the 60 grit wheel to the diamond wheel efficiently, or do I need to put the 120 grit wheel back on? The diamond wheel is rated at 120 grit, but it sure feels smoother than that to my fingers. Since Doug's tools are not the ordinary HSS, does anyone have some experience here?
 
Well I have seen with my own eyes a well known turner here sharpen bowl gouges with just one wheel. Turns the end all blue and every thing.:thumb:
He also didn't wast time with a slow speed
I should add that the look on my class mates faces was priceless when he turned around with the gouge all sharp and blue.
 

Yup that's what they looked like. :rofl:
They where scampering to get him some water and he just keep taking there gouges and stabbing them into the grinder. must have been a half dozen or so. Some one asked about turning them blue and he said "don't care it's not my gouge":rofl:
 
Grit to use will get ten opinions from six people.
Some use a 46. I was originally told by a professional turner to use only 80.
Recently, I got the same grinder you have and started using the 120 and have no intention of using anything else.
With your set up, I would put the 120 back on and replace the 60 with the diamond.
You need only one to sharpen. If the diamond is very fine, maybe you can hone with it. Do what works best for you.
 
I'm pretty sure going from the 60 grit stone wheel to the 120 grit diamond wheel will work just fine. I'd say try it and see if you like the results. As Frank said, there are almost more sharpening opinions than there are turners, and any of them are correct if they work for you. For me, I do my scrapers and hollowing tool bits on an 80 grit wheel and gouges and skews on the Tormek. Prior to the Tormek I liked using the 120 grit stone wheel for my gouges

Doug's tools will still sharpen about the same as any other HSS tools. They'll just wear stone wheels down a bit more than softer metals.
 
I personally like using only a 120-grit wheel, which acts like a finer wheel on a high-speed grinder than on a low-speed grinder. I wouldn't use any lower grit wheel, at any speed, for any purpose other than rough shaping.

One word of caution... never ever use that diamond wheel at anything like high speed. Curious thing about diamond - it withstands temperatures & thermal shock beautifully, but if it comes into contact with iron (any kind of steel) at high temperatures (including dry-grinding temperatures), the diamond erodes very quickly as it dissolves (true story!) in the iron. The resulting steel has an increased carbon (in the form of ferric carbide) content.

Diamond wheels work very, very well for grinding carbide, and manual diamond hones work terrific on steel, but diamond grinding wheels aren't the best thing you can use for grinding steel; good aluminum-oxide wheels work best for that.
 
I use the 80 to regrind a profile and for the long Wolverine extension for the roughing gouge and skew. I use the 120 with the Vari-Grind 2 for the spindle and bowl gouges, and the platform on the 120 for the scraper and parting tools. I try to leave the jigs in place so I don’t have to readjust the angle. I’m lazy.
 
Carol,
First of all thank you, the 60 grit is fine to shape the 1/4 inch spindle gouge followed by the 120 grit... when roughing the spindle gouge place it in the jig then roll it back and forth in a large arc.

Reed Gray uses a diamond wheel all the time with good luck but I never used one to grind lathe tools. The secret to grinding is to let the wheel do the work very little pressure is needed to remove steel. Very fine wheels need to be dressed a bit more often than the course grits.
 
A tool ground with a 60 grit wheel will leave scratches in the wood that are larger and deeper than a tool ground with a 120 grit wheel.

I seldom use my coarse wheel except when reshaping a tool. If I am resharpening a tool I use the finer wheel.

I have no experience with the diamond wheel.
 
OK. I think what I will do is grind the initial shape with the 60 grit wheel. Change it out for the 120 grit wheel for re-sharpening, and use the diamond wheel for honing. I have a jeweler's loupe. I'll use that to see how much difference all this makes on the edge.

I will then use the 120 grit wheel for re-sharpening and the diamond wheel for re-touching to maintain the super edge.

It stands to reason that the finer the wheel, the smoother the edge. The smooth the edge, the cleaner and easier the cut, and in the end, trade the 80 grit gouge for the 180 or 220 grit gouge. :)



(grit gouges being a euphemism for sand paper.)
 
Carol, I run an #80 for regular old grinder work and for reshaping a new tool, and a #120 for sharpening. The only tool I hone is the skew, well the Bedan as well.

If your new diamond wheel is rated at #120, I don't see how going to the regular #120 before the diamond one will make a difference :dunno:

The advantage of the diamond wheel, as I take it, is that you don't have to worry about keeping it flat, the diameter constantly changing or dressing the wheel, otherwise a #120 diamond wheel should be the same as a regular #120 grit wheel..... :huh: :dunno:

Keep us posted :wave:
 
Carol, I run an #80 for regular old grinder work and for reshaping a new tool, and a #120 for sharpening. The only tool I hone is the skew, well the Bedan as well.

If your new diamond wheel is rated at #120, I don't see how going to the regular #120 before the diamond one will make a difference :dunno:

The advantage of the diamond wheel, as I take it, is that you don't have to worry about keeping it flat, the diameter constantly changing or dressing the wheel, otherwise a #120 diamond wheel should be the same as a regular #120 grit wheel..... :huh: :dunno:

Keep us posted :wave:

I think Stu is 100% correct in his statement about the diamond wheel.
 
I just got the Woodcraft slow speed grinder. It came with a 60 grit wheel on one side. The other side was a 120 grit that I replaced with a diamond wheel. Christmas present to self. I have it set up with the Wolverine jig.

I ordered a couple of spindle gouges from Doug Thompson. I love his tools! They just came in the mail. WooHoo! One has no grind on it at all. Certainly the 60 grit wheel will remedy that.

Question. Can I go from the 60 grit wheel to the diamond wheel efficiently, or do I need to put the 120 grit wheel back on? The diamond wheel is rated at 120 grit, but it sure feels smoother than that to my fingers. Since Doug's tools are not the ordinary HSS, does anyone have some experience here?

You mentioned that you put a diamond wheel on your new grinder. Would you please tell me where you found the diamond wheel? I am looking for one to go on a Foley Belsaw Sharpener. Thanks, Old Woodie
 
Carol,

If you haven’t yet, get the Wolverine system including the spindle sharpening jig. It really helps and, after you figure it out, is fool proof, meaning, even this fool can do it!
 
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