Question about sharpening jigs...

Roger Tulk

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St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Those of you that have sharpening systems like Wolverine, the leg of the tool holder always seems to be set at 45º. It is adjustable, however, so I wonder if you ever set it at, say, 30º or 60º, and what that will accomplish on your tool. I have a homemade sharpening system that works well, but the leg on mine isn't adjustable. I could make tool holders with different angles, if I knew why I should. Can anyone tell me?

Thanks, as usual.
 
Roger, The leg angle and the tool holder distance from the wheel combine to shape the angle of the face of the tool to be sharpened. This shows the effect of various tool holder angles. I don't use the set angles because I learned a different method of setting the jig...by eyeball. If I can find a video of that method, I'll post it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j__h45sQErg
 
Hi Roger! I use the same jig, though I don't remember if it is Wolverine or One Way. Or, they might be the same. I bought is many years ago. What Ted was saying fits in with me as well. I don't use the settings because that does not work for me. I use my eyeballs, and set it and go for it. Plus, if the gouge just needs a tad bit of touch up, I use a hand hone to do that. Just spray the hone or gouge with some water and get it done. I think it is more personal preference. I am sure there are those who use those established settings successfully. They might work for you. Only you can know that by trying them.
 
Roger,

I wrote something long and rambling but the short version is I don't know that you will ever need to make radical changes in arm angle. It is more few degree tweaks as long as your nose angles stay similar. The arm angle sets nose angle if I remember correctly and fixture arm length from the table sets wing angle. However, change either majorly and the other needs tweeking. Same is true of protrusion, make a big change and everything is off.

I grind most everything to sixty degrees now and all of my flutes are similar. I don't think I need to move the arm as long as this is true. I probably need to fine tune things now to match the wheel size change and the consideration that settings and angles may have changed over time. As my wheel wears I tend to wander from sixty degrees a few degrees and then reset back to it. With the fixed wheel size now I should be able to set to sixty degrees and forget about nose angle.

I think the adjustable arm is needed to set things to your sharpening rig originally and fine tune things. I don't think it needs changing often unless you sharpen radically different flutes or change nose angles a lot. I tried moving the arm a bunch and one setting gave me vertical bevels on my wings. Very fragile and difficult to use.

Unless for a special purpose I don't think you need to build more fixed arm tools. I would be more interested in a movable arm for fine tweaking, less than ten degrees.

Hu
 
There is a printout you can download from Doug Thompson's tool site with a full size drawing of the wolverine and he suggests laying your tool on that to copy the set angle. There was an article in the AWA journal a while back where the author suggested something like a 27 degree angle as he found this to be the best with his specific grinder set up, which included height of wolverine pocket to grinding wheel center and other very specific measurements. His reasoning was it gave him the closest setting possible to get the same angle on the sides of the gouge as on the front. I've been fortunate enough to be in several one day workshops put on by our local club with various famous turners. The conclusion I've come to is to play around with all this until you find something you like, and then stick to it. There are more recommended sharpening methods than there are woodturners. And they all work really well for the excellent turners who recommend them, even though they are all different.
 
Reading Hu's comment which came up after I wrote mine, I am recalling a Lyle Jamison video where he talks about the relationship between the nose and sides as you change the jig angle. He has lots of videos on youtube and it shouldn't be too hard to find.
 
I'm a very part time turner, but I learned early on (many years ago) that sharpening was critical. So, I bought the Wolverine system and got Doug Thompson's instruction sheet. I have a 1.75" thick piece of oak with a hole in it screwed to the bench by my grinder to set the tools to the right extension on the Vari-grind attachment. The system works for me.
 
I don't have the Wolverine, but have the PSI copy of it. I use mine much the same as Bill uses his. I've not changed the angle of my jig since I got it and set it to match Doug Thompson's illustration. I've got a block of wood with a hole for setting the position of the jig on the gouge. I don't recall if the hole's 1 1/2" or 2" deep...what matters most to me is that I use the same depth each and every time. Then I adjust the length of the horizontal arm so that the bevel of the gouge is flat on the grinding wheel. I have no idea what the angles actually are, but they are very similar to what Doug uses when initially sharpening his gouges.
 
There is a printout you can download from Doug Thompson's tool site with a full size drawing of the wolverine and he suggests laying your tool on that to copy the set angle.
He has also done a very good video on using the jig and sharpening theory. I downloaded the video for future reference and do not have the URL but a You Tube search should work.
Phil
 
Thanks for your replies. I am more confident that the jig I have made from a couple of online diagrams, and watching Cap'n Eddie, is a good idea. It gives me a nice Irish grind, and my tools are sharp, as evidenced by my results. Besides, I am getting lots of shavings and little or no dust. I made mine for a ½" gouge, but it holds a 3/8" gouge firmly, too. I really can't afford to buy the fancy stuff, but home made works for me.
 
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