A nifty jig slays the sharpening dragon.

surefirelathe toolsharpening

To help avoid tool catches, torngrain, and other turning snafus,it’s essential that your tools be

properly sharpened. So how do you dothat? We asked three professional turn-ers (see page 95 for more on them), andtheir answers were unanimous: “Get aWolverine Grinding Jig.” All three feltthat next to a solid lathe and a good set of

tools, the Wolverine Grinding Jig byOneway is the best investment an ama-teur or occasional turner can make.

Next, we asked our pros how to put theWolverine Jig to best use. Here’s whatthey showed us.

First, let’s get familiarwith the jigThe complete sharpening system,shown left, includes the WolverineGrinding Jig, consisting of two lockingbases, a V-arm rest, and an adjustableplatform rest (about $80), and twoaccessories: the Vari-Grind Attachment(about $48) and Skew GrindingAttachment (about $27).

Use the V-arm rest by itself to sharp-en your roughing gouge and partingtool. It also supports the Vari-Grind

Attachment, used for putting the popularside grind on bowl gouges and fingernailgrind on spindle gouges. To sharpen your

skew chisel, clamp the Skew GrindingAttachment to the V-arm rest. The plat-form rest accommodates the sharpeningof scrapers, and also makes an excellentrest for sharpening other edge tools, suchas plane irons and chisels.

Adjustable locking bases secure therests for proper tool positioning. Thisalso allows you to grind on either wheelwith both rests. The bases mount direct-ly under the grinding wheels, as shownon Drawing 1, so make sure yourgrinder accommodates them. To elevatethe center of the grinding wheels to theheight shown, insert a spacer blockbetween the grinder and its platform.

You may find the prospect of spending$160 for a jig to sharpen your lathe toolsdaunting. That’s about the cost of fivemid-priced M2 high-speed steel tools.But if they’re not sharpened properly,even the most expensive tools aren’tmuch good. The Wolverine Jig allows

WOOD magazine November 2003DS-041

surefirelathe toolsharpeningA nifty jig slays the sharpening dragon.

V-arm rest

Lockingbase

Lockingbase

Vari-Grind Attachment

Skew Grinding Attachment

Platformrest

92

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Accurate alignment of a tool’s bevelwith the grinding wheel means lessmetal removed when sharpening.You’ll also avoid a gradual drift awayfrom that perfect bevel you’ve estab-lished. Aligning the bevel to the wheelby eye doesn’t always get perfectresults. Here’s a trick that will.

Blacken the bevel of the tool with apermanent felt-tip marker. Adjust thetool rest, and align the tool’s bevelwith the wheel by sight. Switch on thegrinder, and barely touch the tool’sbevel to the wheel. In the photo, right,the shiny spot shows that the bevel’sheel contacted the wheel first.Readjust the tool rest so the wheelremoves the marker all the way fromthe bevel’s heel to the cutting edge.

How to ensure perfect tool-to-grinding-wheel alignmentSHOPTIP

you to do what most people can’t do byhand: grind smooth, consistent bevels toprecise angles without the multitude offacets typical of freehand attempts.

What you need to knowabout grinders and wheelsMost general-purpose grinders run at3,450 rpm and come equipped withgray utility wheels. This combination ofhigh speed and hard wheels easily over-heats lathe tools, leading to short edgelife. Our experts recommend an 8"slow-speed grinder (1,725–2,000 rpm)equipped with white aluminum oxidewheels. These wheels are designed towear away during sharpening, constant-ly exposing new cutting particles. Thisresults in cooler, more efficient grind-ing. Fit your grinder with one 60-gritwheel for rough shaping your tool pro-files when needed, and one 100-gritwheel for routine sharpening.

If you already have a 3,450-rpmgrinder you don’t have to replace it; fit-ting it with white aluminum oxidewheels is more important than slowspeed. Also, a 6" grinder is acceptable,but no matter which size grinder youuse, replace the wheels when they weardown to about 5" in diameter.

You’ll need to keep the wheelsdressed to remove metal particles andmaintain flat surfaces. Oneway offersthe Wolverine Dressing Jig (about $65),and most woodworking and turning sup-ply catalogs offer inexpensive diamondwheel dressers ($16 to $40).

For best results, use light grindingpressure, and move the tool from side-to-side to avoid wearing furrows in thewheels. For safe operation when usingthe V-arm rest, keep the tool’s contactpoint well above the grinding wheel’scenterline. When using the platform

rest, position its leading edge about ¤"from the wheel. Make all jig adjust-ments with the grinder stopped.

Setting up the jigNote: Drawing 2 shows the various parts

of a bowl gouge tip. Although the geom-

etry of spindle and roughing gouges is

different, the parts have the same names.

Adjusting the Wolverine Jig to help yougrind the angles described in the nextsection is easy. First, set an angle-findingprotractor to the desired angle, and com-pare the tool’s existing bevel to it, asshown in Photo A. This helps you forma mental picture of where to grindaway metal. Then position the tool inthe appropriate rest with its bevel con-tacting the grinding wheel. Adjust therest to grind the bevel to the desiredangle, and grind just enough to startforming a bevel. Check the angle withthe protractor, and adjust the rest asnecessary. With a couple of tries,you’ll be right on the mark.

Once you’ve established the properbevels on your tools, you’ll be able tomatch them to the grinding wheel whenadjusting the jig, greatly speeding theprocess. Simply touch the bevel to thewheel, sight it from the side, as shownin Photo B, and make the necessaryadjustments. To perfectly match anexisting bevel to the grinding wheel, seethe Shop Tip, above. Occasionallycheck your bevels with the protractor tokeep the cutting edges within 2–3° ofthe angles shown on Drawings 3–9.

Jig base

Thicknessas required

FRONT VIEW

Grinderplatform

Spacer block

6‹–6fi"

Center of wheel

Cutting edge

Flute

Wings

Bevel

HeelSIDE VIEW FRONT VIEW

Bottom of flute

SIDE VIEW

65o for a bowl gouge

Angle-findingprotractor

Match the bevel to the grinding wheel.

Marker is wornaway wherebevel touchesthe wheel.

1 JIG SETUP

2 PARTS OF A BOWL GOUGE TIP

93

BA

94 WOOD magazine November 2003

Roughing gougePosition your roughing gouge with theend of its handle in the V-arm rest and itsbevel on the grinding wheel. Adjust theV-arm to grind a 45° bevel, where shownon Drawing 3. Touch the roughinggouge’s bevel to the wheel starting at thewing on one side of the flute. Roll thebevel across the grinding wheel all theway to the opposite wing in a continuousmotion, as shown in Photo C. Maintainthe 90° tip shown on the drawing.

Bowl and spindle gougesBowl and spindle gouges come from thefactory with a variety of grinds, somewith limited uses and others not usable atall until they are reground. With more cut-ting edge and less chance of catching, aside grind on these gouges is becomingvery popular. (In a side grind, the bevelextends back from the tip along the tool’sside, in contrast to the “straight around”bevel on a roughing gouge.) Because ofthe wide range of motion required, thisgrind takes a lot of practice to executefreehand. Fortunately, the Vari-GrindAttachment for the Wolverine Jig makesit possible with little practice.

To sharpen bowl and spindle gouges,clamp the tool in the Vari-GrindAttachment with 1‡" protruding, asshown in Photo D. Place the attach-ment’s leg in the V-arm rest, and touchthe tool’s tip to the wheel. Adjust the restand the angle of the leg to grind thebevels shown on Drawings 4 and 5. Withthe grinder off, touch the tool’s bevel tothe wheel, and practice moving the toolfrom side to side to get comfortable withthe motion needed to successfully sharp-en your gouges. Now switch on thegrinder, and gently touch the tool to thewheel, rolling it from side to side, asshown in Photos E and F.

Roll the bowl gouge far enough to eachside to grind the flute’s wings back aboutfi–‡" from the tool’s tip, as shown onthe drawing. Examine the bevel from theside. Look for a smooth, slightly convexprofile, shown on Drawing 6. A slightlyconcave profile leaves the flute’s wingsprotruding beyond the center of the cut-ting edge, making the gouge prone tocatching in your work. Correct a concaveprofile by removing more material fromthe wings and the heel.

How to sharpen 6 basic turning tools

45o

90o

Bottom of flute

SIDE VIEW

Protruding wings areprone to catching.

Concaveedge

(avoid)

Bottom of flute

SIDE VIEWS

SIDE VIEW

Bottom of flute65

o

fi–‡"

30o

Bottom of flute

SIDE VIEW

3 ‡" ROUGHING GOUGE

4 fi" BOWL GOUGE

5 ›" SPINDLE GOUGE

Roughinggouge

1‡"

Bowl gouge

Vari-GrindAttachment

Leg

V-arm rest

Leg in full upright positionfor 65o bevel

Vari-GrindAttachment

Bowl gouge

Leg adjustedtoward middlefor 30o bevel

Vari-GrindAttachment

Spindle gouge

Convex edge(best shape)

Bottom of flute

6 BEVEL SHAPE

C

D

E

F

95www.woodmagazine.com

Buying Guide Meet our experts

Written by Jan Svec with Phil Brennion,Rex Burningham, and Brad Packard

Skew chiselThe cutting edge of a skew chisel is typ-ically angled at 70°, and sharpened to a20° bevel, as shown on Drawing 7. If theangle of your skew needs correcting,adjust the platform rest so the skewpoints directly at the grinding wheel’scenter, and grind the 70° angle. With theend profile formed, attach the SkewGrinding Attachment to the V-arm rest.Place the skew in one of the attachment’sV-rests with its toe pointing toward theopposite side, as shown in Photo G. Withthe bevel touching the wheel, adjust thearm to grind a 20° bevel. Move the cut-ting edge side-to-side across the wheel.Flip the tool over, and shift it to the otherV-rest frequently to keep the edge cen-tered in the tool’s thickness.

Roundnose scraperScrapers are usually ground to a 75°bevel, as shown on Drawing 8, so adjustthe platform rest to grind this angle.When sharpening a roundnose scraper,start at one side, and grind the bevel allthe way to the other side in one continu-ous pass, as shown in Photo H. Makerepeat passes until you form a uniformbevel. Avoid a back-and-forth motion.

Diamond parting toolAlthough some variations exist, a 60° pointon a parting tool, shown on Drawing 9, iscommon. To sharpen the tool, place itshandle in the V-arm rest with one of thepoint’s edges touching the wheel. Adjustthe V-arm to grind a 30° bevel. Now light-ly press straight down on the tool andmove it side-to-side across the width of thegrinding wheel, as shown in Photo I.

70o

TOP VIEW

Toe

Heel

75o

EDGE VIEW

Flip the tool over frequently, lightlygrinding both the point’s edges until theground faces intersect at the wide centerof the tool. Due to the curve of the grind-ing wheel, you’ll get a point with a slighthollow grind, as shown in the drawing. ¿

For information and prices, call for catalogs, or

visit the Web sites listed:

Craft Supplies USA. Call 800/551-8876, or go

to www.woodturnerscatalog.com.

Packard Woodworks. Call 800/683-8876, or

go to www.packardwoodworks.com.

Woodcraft. Call 800/225-1153, or go to

www.woodcraft.com.Protractor. Look for the General

no. 18 angle-finding protractor at your local

hardware store or home center. About $12.

Wolverine sharpening system,white aluminum oxide grindingwheels, diamond wheel dressers. Phil BrennionCurrently president of the AmericanAssociation of Woodturners, Phil teachesturning at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona,and sells his work in various galleries.Rex BurninghamA turning teacher at Craft Supplies USA inProvo, Utah, Rex exhibits his work in galleriesand craft shows. He has assisted RichardRaffan, Rude Osolnik, Dale Nish, and Ray Key.Brad PackardEngaged in professional woodwork, millwork,and woodturning for 20 years, Brad is a turning instructor and the owner of PackardWoodworks, a woodturning supply company.

8 ROUNDNOSE SCRAPER

9 DIAMOND PARTING TOOL

7 SKEW CHISEL

Skew chisel

Skew GrindingAttachment

Diamond parting tool

V-arm rest

Roundnosescraper

Platform rest

H

I

G

20o

20o

EDGE VIEW

6"-diametergrinding wheel

30o

Hollow grind

SIDE VIEW

©Copyright Meredith Corporation 2003