Two improvements to my tool grinder....
roger lance
To set the stage, I'll admit that I'm just a novice turner with limited experience at the grinder. But, I've made two recent alterations to my grinding that has improved my sharpening and made my time at the grinder more enjoyable.
First, I've installed CBN wheels a few months ago and been using them for various tool sharpening/maintenance tasks.....I really like these wheels. Tool overheating was an issue for me.....this has all but completely become a non-issue. These wheels require such a lite touch and take little time to deliver the edge I seek. I'm very glad that I made this purchase.
Second, I've altered the installation of my Wolverine base plates from the way Wolverine describes in its instructions. Like most products we buy, there is a degree of slop in the Wolverine jig....not the tightest of tolerances.....when I would set my adjustable tool rest platform to the pitch I wanted.....there was enough play in the jig that when I locked the platform down it would be moved out of alinement with the grinding wheel.....and I was always trying to compensate for this misalignment with how I presented the tool to the grinding wheel or trying to come up with some kind of wedge that took the play out of the jig or something. Finally, of the three screws that mount the base plate, I just unscrewed the base plates middle and back screw leaving the front screw to hold the base plate in the middle of the grinding wheel. Then, with the tool rest platform installed in the base plate, I tightened the base plates red handled locking lever and then move the base plate around until the tool rest was parallel with the face of the grinding wheel and then re-installed the middle and back screws into new locations. Its very nice to have this jig square to my grinding wheels....nice improvement.
The base plate on the left was fairly aligned.....but the base plate on the right was the one giving me the greatest problem. Its far more important to me to have the tool rest platform parallel to the face of the grinding wheel when tightened down.....so if the base plate has to be mounted at a little angle to get this alignment, so be it.
