Getting Sharp Chisels

[RickG]

Or maybe the title should be "Getting Chisels Sharp".

I'm new to turning and have some Faithful gouges and such. I picked them up "used" but near enough unused. I've found when turning I don't get a really smooth cut although I do ride the bevel. So, I tried sharpening them with an Axminster Hobby grinder using the white wheel. They're OK, but not a great improvement.

On Wednesday I was at my turning club. I got some hands on time with another guy's gouged and the cuts were smooth and the shavings were flying. At home I only get "chips" not shavings.

So, my question is this. Where do I go from here? Do I buy new tools, with better steel, that will give a better edge?
Is it my sharpening technique?

My mate at the club advocates buying tools with no handles and turning my own; which I quite like the idea of.

What would you do?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Ceteris paribus, your wood might be different and/or much drier than his. Next time you go to the club take you tools with you and compare - take a cut with his, then a cut with yours. Compare like to like, then you can compare the grind.
It's easy to turn handles, but you need a means of drilling them accurately, either a drill bit with a MT or a Jacobs chuck in the tailstock, which takes a bit more room - is your bed long enough? You will struggle to get an accurate hole with a hand held drill. I've about 30 tools (most unnecessary, and either home made or acquired from being in the right place at the right time ) and only a few have identical handles. I find as with bench chisels it's an advantage not to have them identical.
Ashley Iles do a good range of unhandled tools.

 

[RickG]

Many thanks, Phil. The lathe I have is long enough. Its an Axminster M950. So, it's about 6ft.

I think I'll contact the guy with the other chisels and go round to him for a lesson and take mine and some wood too.

In the meantime, I'll take a look at Ashley Isles.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

https://www.ukdrills.com/morse-taper-sh ... metric-bit

are not stupid money.

 

[RickG]

You're right @phil.p they're not.
I do already have a more taper drill chuck. But for a drill that size, that could be more accurately positioned.
Thank you

 

[RickG]

Actually, not wanting to sound ungrateful, the sizes are limiting. My lathe uses MT2. So I can only get 14.25mm - 23mm.

Or am I missing something?

HSS ground drill bit with a morse taper shank. To be used on steel and similar materials. Morse Taper Numbers: No.1 Morse Taper - 2.0 - 14.0mm | No.2 Morse Taper - 14.25 - 23.0mm | No.3 Morse Taper - 23.25 - 31.75mm | No.4 Morse Taper - 32.0 - 50.5mm | No.5 Morse Taper - 51.0 - 76.0mm | No.6 Morse Taper - 77.0 - 100.0mm"

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Get a couple of 2MT to 1MT sleeves, you're not then limited to 2MT if you see something cheap.
https://www.chronos.ltd.uk/cgi-bin/sh00 ... tml#aSV12E
Once in a while you'll come across something that won't fit the tanged ones, but they are quicker to knock out than the short ones, which need a spanner.