sharpening a detail chisel

My spindle gouge sharpening video *LINK*

john Lucas

Go to about 4:45 to see how I sharpen my detail gouge using a Wolverine jig. Your homemade jig should work just fine for this.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOEL7Q3CpZc

Oneway Mini Platform Assembly *LINK*

John Kaner

John, have you seen this? It's half the size of the regular platform... Mine works great for those smaller/shorter tools. Part # 3945. Great price at $29.95.


http://oneway.ca/products-category/sharpening-grinding-jigs/Grinding%20Jig

Re: My spindle gouge sharpening video

Brad Vietje

The grind you have should work well, Jack. I also made a jig like yours, but ended up cutting away the front corners so I could swing it a little further to each side, since it was hitting the tool platform (which I have since flipped down out of the way). I think if you went a bit further to the left & right, your bevel would wrap around the sides a little more, too. I don't have a Wolverine, but a wooden V-block on a wooden arm that slides between a few blocks of wood.

My detail gouge looks a little more like John's in the video -- probably a little too acute for your use at ~30 degrees. Sometimes I grind away the heel either freehand, or by sliding the V-block in a ways.

Safe spinning,

Brad Vietje

Newbury, VT

Damn I have to spend more money 

Re: Oneway Mini Platform Assembly

John K Jordan

I got the mini platform a few months ago. I like it better than the big one, especially for small scrapers. Mine cost more but it came with another base.

It might be easy to reshape a standard platform if one was available. Have plasma torch, will travel.

JKJ

Re: My spindle gouge sharpening video

Jack Guzman from Maine

That was a help. I still can't get volume on your videos. I figured out though that it is in my computer. I hear them fine on my cellphone and even on my TV. I get youtube on it. thanks---Jack

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

don stephan

"Small cove" - comment I saw recently said the radius of the cove should be no smaller than the radius of the gouge. Don't know if this might be an issue for your spindle results.

Re: My spindle gouge sharpening video

Jack Guzman from Maine

The gouge works now.Learning to use it and learning to sharpen it at the same time is tricky. I needed to know if I was on the right track.thanks---Jack

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

Jack Guzman from Maine

I have three of these gouges. 1/4" 3/8" and 1/2",so no, the gouge size isn't an issue. The cove is about 1/2"wide.---Jack

Re: Oneway Mini Platform Assembly

Dennis in Southern Oregon

I agree that the small platform is a great find. I have had mine for a couple of years or so and never touch the original large one. Before getting the small one, I considered trimming the old one, but the geometry seemed wrong wrong and I would have had to re-weld as well as trim to get the desired result.

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

Jerry Maske

Jack,

WHERE in Maine? I'm up along the coast opposite Bar Harbor. Are we close enough to get together?

Jerry

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

Jack Guzman from Maine

Jerry,

I'm in Newfield. It is a small town in northern york county on the New Hampshire border. I don't drive so I don't get far from home. I'd love to take lessons from someone but it isn't doable so I gotta figure this stuff out myself with help from you folks on the forums. I just finished four chair legs and they only need a little sanding to clean up rough spots so I am improving.thanks---Jack

Jerry

Jorge Castañeda

I am in Stonington, so we are closer.

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

Jorge Castañeda

Jack,

What level are you on?, what kind of stuff do you want to make?

Like you I had to figure out myself most everything, but to me the best way to learn is to watch somebody doing it. I managed to go to a couple gathering of turners far away and it was a great investment of time and money. And from home, I did also buy a few cds.

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

Jerry Maske

Hi Folks,

And I totally agree. I took a course with David Ellsworth and thought for sure I'd slipped into a time warp. He doesn't do much of anything like anyone else. And his response to all that is that when he was learning, well, there wasn't anyone around to teach him. So he figured stuff out himself and didn't know it wasn't supposed to work that way. David is a master but clearly marches to his own drummer and doesn't care if it doesn't please someone else.

That's good advice too. If you don't know better, and you can make it work, why do it any other way? My advice to anyone starting out would be to take a class if you can. If you can't, there's lots online to help you and plenty of books that will guide you. But when the sun passes under the yard arm, you're on your own, and a lot of us are.

I live in a pretty rural area up the coast and don't recall EVER seeing another wood turner near her. I do get up to Bangor to the club meetings when I can. But mostly, I figure things out on my own and do it that way until someone teaches me a better way.

And I guess that's the final word. If you ask a dozen turners how to do something, you'll likely end up with thirteen answers that might not resemble each other. My advice, if you don't know how to do something, give it a try and don't ever be afraid to fail. When that happens, it's the best teacher you can have. NEVER FEAR A FAILURE. However, LEARN from it. You'll be a better wood turner if you do.

Stonington? Do you know it's original name? Used to be called "Clam City." My father in law was born there when it had that name. Has some interesting tales to tell too.

Jerry

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

Jorge Castañeda

Jerry,

agree about the failures, they are our teachers, I keep them around to remind me.

Clam City still is a part of Stone in town, east of the main harbor. The original name was Green Head and a part of town is still called that.

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

Jack Guzman from Maine

Jorge,my only interest in the lathe is in turning legs and arm posts for the windsor chairs I build. Up until a few years ago I didn't know how to cut with an edge. I used the lathe mainly to make handles and such things and I used my chisels in a scraping action. Since I started building the chairs full time I had to learn to use the tools correctly. It has been a destructive period. I waste alot of turning blanks but I'm getting there. You people on this forum have been very helpful.---Jack

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

john Lucas

Jack I took a class in making Windsor chairs a long time ago with Curtiss Buchannan. At that time I could not use the skew. We used a pole lathe to cut the tapered tenons on the top of our hand cut legs. The wood was turning so slow you could watch the tool cut and it was very easy to learn to stay on the bevel. So you might just for fun try turning the lathe speed down as far as it will go and make some beads and coves. Any kick backs will be more humorous than dangerous and you'll get a better feel for the tools.

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

Jim Evans

John, using a Steb type center also helps if you get a catch, and helps with tool control to keep the wood from slipping.

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

Jack Guzman from Maine

Actually,I just started doing just that. I rough out the round and do everything I can with the roughing gouge at full speed then when I get to the coves and beads I slow down to my lathes lowest speed. I broke three legs in a row on a catch inside a 3/4" diameter cove in green maple before I started doing this. It helps with vibration problems also.---Jack

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

Malcolm Ray

P.Harbor?

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

Jorge Castañeda

Jack,

try roughing at 200 rpm, once you have the blank round, raise your speed to maybe 500 rpm. tops.

I am a skew guy, and love the finish I get straight from the skew. The detail gouge works very similar in spite of looking very different, mine looks long and pointed and works great on beads, for coves try a bowl gouge or a scraper.

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

Jerry Maske

Malcom

Were you referring to Pearl Harbor?

Jerry

Re: sharpening a detail chisel

Malcolm Ray

I was wondering if you live in Prospect Harbor as I visited a turner there last fall and can't remember the name...we were staying a few doors down from the Library...