Oneway Balance System

 Here's the business end of turning, sharpening.  I use the bench grinders for this.  A www.Deltatools.com variable speed that I got at www.lowes.com that works pretty well, and actually came with one good wheel, usually they come with a grey wheel that is too hard.  The tool tends to heat up as the wheel becomes clogged.  The white ( or blue)  grinding wheels have a softer bond that allows the wheel particles to fracture which exposes fresh cutting particles.  I have two grinders, one used for grinding my big gouges and sharpening drill bits, and the other for sharpening the cut-off tool and the smaller gouges.  The is also, in the background, the strip sander from www.leevalley.com that I mentioned in the sharpening a scorp post.  And under the towel is a wwww.worksharptools.com 3000 sandpaper sharpener.  It works pretty well, and is my go to tool for sharpening chisels and such, it is fast.

 This shot shows a balancing system from www.oneway.ca and boy does it work.  The whole idea is that grinding wheel have to be balanced, and this little rig does just that.  I think it makes a huge difference.  Like when I sharpen my 3/8 detail gouge.  Before, it would bounce on the wheel.  Now, with the wheel balanced, it just lays right on the wheel, no vibration at all.  I had a wheel from www.nortenindustrial.com that shook so bad I thought the spindle was bent.  I balanced the wheel, and viola! no vibration, at all.  This system is spendy, and a pain to set up, though not hard, but it does work.  I try not to push tools, but this one does work. 

 One note, make sure that when you order the wheels for this system, you need a 1" bore hole in the wheel.  Ask me how I know that.

 Here is really the most important tool in sharpening.  Tom Lie-Nielsen at www.lie-nielsen.com said the same thing in a podcast, and I think he's right.  You have to be able to see what you're doing, and by marking the blade, whether a chisel or lathe gouge, you can see exactly where you are contacting the stone.  It really is important, doubly so if your just starting out.

 This is the jig I made to sharpen my big gouges, here they are piggybacking to show a point.  They base is just a piece of oak with a slot cut in it, then on the end is a small pocket created with wood scraps to hold the end of the tool.  The rear one is elevated, but I can't remember why.  The lower one has a 1/4" bolt that goes in the slot, and allows the smaller roughing gouge to be sharpened without any adjustment. 

This grinder rounds out the sharpening station.  One the left is a www.leevalley.com tool rest that I sharpen my parting tool with, and on the right is a jig that puts a fingernail grind detail gouges.  Mine is from www.robertsorby.co.uk and it works pretty well.  I think I got the Sorby jig from www.woodcraft.com.  All this stuff, grinders and grinding wheels, is pretty standard stuff.  I'll do a more detailed post on the roughing gouge jig in the future.   One last thing, when you turn, even green wood, you have to sharpen a lot!  More than you think.  Get used to it, and do it often.