Sharpening with the Wolverine

Question. I have a new 8" grinder from my Dad's shop. It is a 3450 rpm grinder. Well, after reading and reading on this forum I was convinced I needed a 1750 rpm grinder. So I order the 8" slow speed grinder and the Wolverine and Vari grind. When reading the OneWay instructions they say use a 3450 rpm grinder!!!!!! Isn't OneWay the crown jewel of turning equipment? Isn't it a company by turners for turners??? Who dosen't know what they are talking about??? Why do you all say to get a slow speed grinder when the manufacturer says use a high speed?? I could have bought me a Ellsworth bowl gouge rather than another grinder!!!!! Thanks

RP

Reply to
RP Edington
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I get the impression that professional turners like the higher speed grinders so they can shape/sharpen faster. In fact, if you listen to people who make a living turning, doing good work at a high speed is essential to make a living. For amateurs, taking it at a more cautious pace is recommended. I started with an 1750 rpm grinder but now that I have some mileage under my belt I would buy a 3450rpm grinder if it broke.

Look on the bright side, you have what is considered to be an ideal piece of equipment by many and it will do an excellent job for you. It is easier for you to sharpen your HSS tools without overheating - oh yeah, that is another thing often tossed around woodworking newsgroups and forums- HSS tools can't have the hardness removed by overheating. They can, it is just not as easy to do and it is likely to affect a smaller area.

Billh

Reply to
billh

If you use friable grinding wheels - the ones that break off as you use them, exposing fresh stone all the time - it is perfectly acceptable to use a 3450 rpm grinder. In fact, I feel that it is a lot BETTER than the slow speed, because it takes a lot less time to do initial shaping on the higher speed grinder than the slow speed.

If you used the grinding wheels that aren't friable, then you definitely will run the risk of detempering your carbide tools.

So, you should definitely send the slow speed grinder back and get some friable wheels and that bowl gouge you want.

Mike

p.s.

these opinions are likely not going to be fully supported by the group at large hehe and as always, YMMV

Reply to
Mike in Mystic

Send the grinder AND the Varigrind jig back, keep the Wolverine and use your dad's hi speed grinder. Buy the bowl gouge and the Ellesworth sharpening jig

Ask another question as to why the Vari grind jig has to go back and you will get the same answer from many on this forum (I am sure)

Ray

Reply to
Ray Sandusky

If you area woodworker as well as a turner, you'll like the slower speed, even though the 8" wheels bring you close to what you would have with 6" on a 3450 grinder. You won't always be dealing with HSS, and slower speed is friendlier to good carbon steel.

If you also get the soft bond wheels, you can do your sharpening almost as if you were on a honing stone, by laying the bevel flat on the stone and keeping it so all the way around.

If you're going to (re)grind a profile, use a coarse hard bonded stone on whatever. Then take it off, hang it on the wall, and put your sharpening stone back on the grinder. With the hard bond the profile will get on the tool, not the stone.

Reply to
George

Hello RP, When we recommend a 3450 rpm grinder compared to a 1725 rpm grinder we have reasons. Grinders typically suffer from a couple of problems. The first is out of balance wheels. All grinding wheel are out of balance to some degree, running a grinder at half speed will cut the vibration in half. We feel a better option is to balance the wheels, which is why we make a wheel balancer.

The second problem grinding wheel have is being out of round. Dressing with a diamond will help make the wheels almost round but never really round. If you remember the Del Stubbs video which is one of the first videos pushing half speed grinders, he dresses with a star dresser, this is a terrible way to try to make a wheel round. Running a grinder at half speed cuts bouncing of your tool in half, we feel it is a better solution to make the wheels round with a properly guided diamond dresser.

Grinding wheels can also grind very aggresively if not dressed properly. Again the solution is not to reduce the wheel speed to slow them down but to dress them properly so they behave as they should.

Overheating is not such a problem for high speed steel tools. If you are grinding by hand it is very easy to lift the bevel off the wheel and flash a lot of heat into the cutting edge. Using a jig stops this, any heat generated is dissipated by the whole length of the bevel and by spreading the pressure over the whole bevel. You also remove a lot less metal, removing less metal generates less heat. When I regrind a gouge (not shaping just sharpening) I can hold the tip of the tool in my hand after grinding without any burning.

The best comparison I can give is that if your car was shaking on the highway and you took it to the garage and the mechanic told you to just drive at 30 mph you'd think he was nuts. I have only used a slow speed grinder once and I just found it annoyingly slow.

regards Kevin Clay Oneway

Reply to
Kevin

Dont see what is wrong with the grinder Woodcut have a good sharpening jig available from Craft supplies USA that will sharpen all your tools and will cost less then the other jig. Check out this on my site below. If you ask Craft supplies I have just shipped them new give away videos on CD rom including grinding, bowlsaving and hollowing with our products.

I am an experianced woodturner and use all my products myself

-- Cheers Ken Port Tool Designer

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Reply to
Ken Port

You tell that Canardian bigamist Ken. We don't need his kind around here.Pot Ssmoking Godless communists they are. Like Granny Kyder used to say,"The Canardians and the French are both as useless as teats on a boar hog." I'll continue to spend my money with my kiwi friends. Hey can I get a discount on some of those Pro-Forme tools?

God Bless, Al Kyder

Reply to
Al Kyder

I dont have a problem with Canadians and dont need that kind of support One way do a fine job and competition is a fact of life

-- Cheers Ken Port Tool Designer

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Reply to
Ken Port

Ignore the so-called Al Kyder he is a known troll. Billh

Reply to
billh

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