Aha here I can be of some help, I may have only just started turning and be very much a novice.
I have spent many many days and nights sharpening tools knifes bayonets etc.
Throw away all those fancy gadgets go and buy an old fashilned oil stone.
Boot sale or the like will find a cheap one.
I have read about the ideal cutting angle and seen these expensive jigs which may be all well and good for those who have money to waste.
I have seen many experts showing off their latest must have gadget.
And what a load of old tosh it all is.
I have read some very sensible guides as well.
I will give my guide here and now it is very simple really.
Think about what you are trying to achieve first, do you want scalpel sharp? Then buy a scalpel or spend hours honing.
Do you just want sharp enough to shave some wood at how many revs per minute, say 30 cuts per second. then use a stone and spend 20 seconds sharpening.
I suggest that if you had sharpened to scalpel level within two minutes it would be dull enough for you to do it again. if you did the latter it would still last two minutes.
Get what I am saying here firmly in your mind first, application dictates the method,
A surgeon will make 2 cuts and throw away his blade and use a new one.
A cabinet maker will sharpen his chisel or plane and make 5 precise cuts before resharpening.
A chef, butcher or fishmonger will stand with a steel in his hand while chatting at the counter make 5 or 6 cuts and pick up his steel up again
A wood turner will make 30,000 cuts in a couple of minutes and then complain he didn't sharpen his tool correctly?????
Get real gents now try shaving wood with a scalpel or a wood chisel or a plane on your lathe and see if they last any longer or do the job any better.
Ok so now we have that message through the next thing to think about is the angle, this is another cause for debate is it 45 degrees or 42 degrees?
What is the ideal angle? None is the ideal angle once again application and the same arguement as above. for our purposes a single edge on a gouge and a double edge on a skew is sufficient.
There is only one part of the whole tool that does any cutting, the cutting edge, a small part of the tool but how you can make it smaller so quickly just by trying to make it look good.
Concentrate your effort on that small cutting edge only when sharpening it. A few quick rubs on a stone is enough to keep it shaving wood for the next few minutes.
No need for diamond stones or sorby jigs or tormek systems they are all gimmicks, Carborundum oil stone old as the hills and proven through generations, sit with it in front of tthe telly and practice.
Hold the blade at the same angle with every sweep, apply pressure when pushing away and slide back through the oil not lifting but barely touching.
You will soon have all your tools in tip top nick as mine are at no or very little cost, and its actually quite relaxing and theraputic.
Enjoy.