bowl gouge grinding

[thelastgizmo]

I've just come back to turning after a nearly 20 year gap! Bowl gouges back then were ground traditionally. Looking at the videos nowadays the grind seems to be quite severe with swept back wings and these seem to have a lot of advantages. Is grinding to this profile difficult. Sharpening videos all seem to use jigs of various design, many quite sophisticated (read expensive!). Just wondering what profiles established turners on here use and whether one has advantages over the other especially for the beginner (I've forgotten a lot of the techniques!).

 

[LancsRick]

Not difficult at all, it just takes time to remove the wings initially. To take the wings off all you're doing is rolling the chisel to a near inverted position as you grind, rather than stopping sooner.

 

[Dalboy]

Even though they are good for certain jobs so is the standard grind. For the moment I would leave it ground as is just to get your hand back in. I have a standard grind as well as a long grind and use them equally. So if you can it would be nice to buy one already ground and have the two.
There are jigs out there which are home made for grinding what you want one is Brian Cliffords

 

[CHJ]

I would advise the same as Dalboy, that you refrain from trying to move to excessively swept back wings on your gouges until you have gained some more turning time.
When you have gained confidence with the 'standard' grinds then you can slowly increase the sweep back of the wings with each sharpening by slight adjustment of any jig you use, having said that regardless of jig type 90% of the profile shape is down to the operator controlling the dwell time on the grinder for any given facet of the bevel.

Too long on the nose will give you a snub nose akin to a standard grind.
Too long on the sides will give you an over pointed gouge nose that will be of little use other than as a detail gouge on finials etc.

If you want a guide to getting the wings even to start with try inverting the bowl gouge on a standard rest with the flute downwards, this will then give you a reference each side when forming the bevel and you just need to remove metal until you have a sharp edge all the way round the edge of the flute.

 

[thelastgizmo]

Dalboy, what an excellent link. Many thanks. I'll see how I get on with the standard grind.

 

[woodpig]

When you're ready this is about the best grinding jig on the market.

http://www.robert-sorby.co.uk/w447-delu ... ing-system

 

[Dalboy]

When you're ready this is about the best grinding jig on the market.

http://www.robert-sorby.co.uk/w447-delu ... ing-system

This is the one I use now and yes I find it a great piece of equipment. I did start with the one I linked to which is really a very similar system and it done me well untill I got the Robert Sorby one

 

[woodpig]

Given the Sorby jig can often be had for under £100 on special offer its not worth faffing around with bits of wood.

 

[Dalboy]

Given the Sorby jig can often be had for under £100 on special offer its not worth faffing around with bits of wood.

Why is it that every one seems to assumes that people have the money to go out and buy all the latest equipment to do woodturning or any form of hobby. I buy as I can afford what I want. to start with I did not have the money to buy jigs so making them was the next best option.

 

[Keithie]

I think its a 'horses for courses' kinda think Dalboy ...even if someone does have enough money to buy the latest and best whatever thing...it doesnt mean they should as there could be other benefits (like learning etc) in doing things other ways. I wont kick off again about sharpening ...but now I've been through aprocess of learning to sharpen andhone using stones and how to grind with a machine ...i just use a grinder anddont bother honing cutting tools ...but the learning processwas fun ...and the outcome was exactly what experienced turners here were telling me. It's also true in my experiencethat jigs are just easier than freehand grinding, and easy to make ...but not necessary. Each to their own really I guess!

 

[CHJ]

Why is it that every one seems to assumes that people have the money to go out and buy all the latest equipment to do woodturning or any form of hobby. I buy as I can afford what I want. to start with I did not have the money to buy jigs so making them was the next best option.

+1 I'm still in this mode, perhaps because I was fortunate enough to grow up in an environment where all the local craftsmen fended for themselves where possible or traded expertise between themselves on a barter basis. Getting the most out of life given a limited income has always meant self made or built where possible in our family, guess it's the reason I was able to go for self imposed early retirement some 24 yrs ago, the only thing that has never come out of self help is extra hours in the day or days in the week.

 

[Paul Hannaby]

When I started turning I made a tilt table using some plans I found on the web. It did the job and when I replaced it with a metal one, it found it's way on to the club grinder. I also made my own carbide scraper using a bought tip but I haven't found much use for that

 

[graduate_owner]

I have to agree that making you own jigs etc is a good way to go, if you have the skills and the tools. It suits me anyway. I buy things that I can't make, and save some cash by making what I can. I have made a turning tool grinding jig to fit my Clarke ( Yes I know, but I did not know what Clarkes was like when I bought it years ago ) whetstone grinder, tool rests for the lathe, and in the pipeline are scrapers from HSS, G clamps, and a free standing lathe tool rest for outboard turning. The free standing rest will cost me nothing apart from welding rods / wire, argoshield and electricity since I have the steel 'lying around' but will save me a few hundred pounds in not having to buy one. To me that is worth saving, and allows me to buy more of what I need but can't make. If funds were unlimited then there would be no issue but unfortunately ....

K