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Sharpening your woodturning gouges

ataylor

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Nov 6, 2011
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UK
First Name
Andy
At the moment i use a 1350 rpm 2 wheeled grinder for my spindle gouges, and a diamond sharpener for the skews and spindle master. For the skew i have to use the grinder every now and then to put it back to shape but because i hardly use the skew except on pratice wood etc all i do is run it over the diamond sharpener. I am not consistant with my sharpening and certainly not the best, but i can get a shape on the spindle gouges that allows me to do some turning.

How do you get on sharpening your gouges? :thinks:
 

yorkshireman

Wood Rat
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Jan 5, 2013
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5,199
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wrexham
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Keith
I've bought a Robert Sorby pro edge. Brilliant, takes seconds to sharpen any gouge and consistent every time.
 

Jim

Grand Master
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Oct 19, 2011
Posts
15,617
I've bought a Robert Sorby pro edge. Brilliant, takes seconds to sharpen any gouge and consistent every time.


I use the same Keith, takes all the worry out of sharpening. :thumbs: My only issue with this tool, and its only a small issue is that sharpening the skew is difficult to repeat every time. :bwink:
 

The Wood Bucket

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Mar 28, 2012
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New York USA
I only use a grinder for all. I do plan to get a diamond stone to to fine tune my skews. I also do all sharpening free hand. I was using the jigs, until I was taught to do it freehand correctly.
 

ataylor

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Andy
Not seen any amateurs sharpen free hand mate, top marks to you. :bwink: If you get a repeat performance with what ever you choose to use i guess we are all on a winner. :ciggrin:
 

The Wood Bucket

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I agree Tony. I would still be using the jigs if I didn't have someone willing to explain it and show me how to do it. Believe me I trashed a lot of tools learning.
 

ataylor

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Andy
Do you ever revert back to the jigs mate, especially when you are having a bad day or the like? :thinks: I have some very cheap gouges that i bought when i 1st started turning, i may try sharpening these free hand for practice. :ciggrin:
 

The Wood Bucket

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Posts
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Do you ever revert back to the jigs mate, especially when you are having a bad day or the like? :thinks: I have some very cheap gouges that i bought when i 1st started turning, i may try sharpening these free hand for practice. :ciggrin:

I have not used a jig since learning freehand. Do I still look at them at the big shows? Yes. Will I buy another one? Probably not. I am not saying the jigs are bad, I'm just saying freehand works well for me. If I was having that bad of a day I would walk away from lathe for a while.
 

Jim

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Oct 19, 2011
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It is rare to see an amateur go free hand with his sharpening, the lad who i went for some lessons with had all his tools sharpened on jigs... :bwink:
 

Penpal

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May 26, 2013
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Location
Canberra AUSTRALIA
First Name
Peter
A tip my mate gave me years ago for sharpening bowl gouges was hold them nearly at right angles looking over the top of the gouge to get the angle and turning the gouge with the right hand, two practices put away my three grinding jigs.

Kind regards Peter.
 
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