# In desperate need of a sharpening jig!



## waterboy12 (Jan 24, 2013)

My free hand sharpening sucks and as much as I hate to admit it....I'm just not good enough. I know woodcraft sales the wolverine jig but I really don't want to pay $100 for $20 worth of steel. I know capt. eddie sales one...but it looks pretty darn cheep. Does anybody know any good sources for a sharpening jig?


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## waterboy12 (Jan 24, 2013)

burlguy72 said:


> Than,, I would by $20 worth of steel and make one:lolol::lolol: Really tho,, Wolverine is mty choice and is what I use,, I would never turn back after using the Wolverine Jigs.... +1 in my book..


There that good huh? Lol


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## TimR (Jan 24, 2013)

Josh, for about the first year I turned...my sharpening jig was a homemade wooden version of the wolverine for doing the bowl gouges. Fixed angles on the holder...but I rarely change my current wolverine setup either. 
I still have the parts for it, and you're welcome to it. Just be sure when you buy your wolverine to pass the homemade version on to someone who can use it. 

Here's a pic Josh.
[attachment=17051]


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## waterboy12 (Jan 24, 2013)

TimR said:


> Josh, for about the first year I turned...my sharpening jig was a homemade wooden version of the wolverine for doing the bowl gouges. Fixed angles on the holder...but I rarely change my current wolverine setup either.
> I still have the parts for it, and you're welcome to it. Just be sure when you buy your wolverine to pass the homemade version on to someone who can use it.



I might take you up on that tim. Your to generous. I was planning on giving you a call either today or tomorrow to see if you wanted to get together and go over those finishes and talk turning.


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## Final Strut (Jan 24, 2013)

Check around on line and make your own. There are some youtube videos about it as well as several other sites that show you how to build one. I made mine in about an hour.


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## Kevin (Jan 24, 2013)

See if *this* will help you get there . . .


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## cabomhn (Jan 24, 2013)

Here's a link for ya...

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/16972


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## duncsuss (Jan 24, 2013)

Until I could afford a Wolverine, I made my own slidey-in-and-out-thing from a length of t-track, a couple of t-bolts and a piece of scrap wood.

I also made a vari-grind jig thing from plans I found on the web (my first ever sheet metal project), but have since bought a couple of jigs made by a former-member of the woodturning club I attend. If you follow THIS LINK and click "Classifieds" on the index, you'll see pix down the bottom of the page. You can get one for $12 plus $5 postage if you don't want to build your own.

Pix of my slidey-jig ...


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## waterboy12 (Jan 24, 2013)

So I did some research and came up with a plan. Now my math was a little different b/c of my small 6" grinder but I made due. The part that holds the gouge is made out of a block of box elder and a 7" aluminum gutter nail. The tool is held in the jig by a countersunk nut and a bolt. It's nothing fancy but it works. Basically made out of what I had laying around. And the other half of the jig I simple and pretty self explanatory. I will say I have never had a sharper gouge. 
http://i572.Rule #2/albums/ss169/nasty01cummims/17EE6C56-AFD8-4D5D-8055-78044DCA6BC6-5327-000009B39811C6A9.jpg

http://i572.Rule #2/albums/ss169/nasty01cummims/E36A254F-29E7-4894-9CCD-31465E4FA7CD-5327-000009B3A2CB06E7.jpg

http://i572.Rule #2/albums/ss169/nasty01cummims/279BACBB-64F4-4394-8700-9E6F2E48451E-5327-000009B3A8EDC284.jpg

The grind I was able to obtain after a few passes with the jig:
http://i572.Rule #2/albums/ss169/nasty01cummims/352721F2-3A35-4A53-8757-B690D3004A5D-5327-000009B39DFF3B34.jpg


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## duncsuss (Jan 24, 2013)

Perfect!

Now, the beauty of this is that it only takes a single swipe across the grinder to restore that sharp edge -- (a) very little metal removed, and (b) no valid reason ever to try cutting with a blunt tool.

It took me a while to get into the habit of touching up the edge before I think it's needed -- but even when I didn't think it was blunt, I notice the difference when I come back to the lathe having resharpened it.


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## waterboy12 (Jan 24, 2013)

duncsuss said:


> Perfect!
> 
> Now, the beauty of this is that it only takes a single swipe across the grinder to restore that sharp edge -- (a) very little metal removed, and (b) no valid reason ever to try cutting with a blunt tool.
> 
> It took me a while to get into the habit of touching up the edge before I think it's needed -- but even when I didn't think it was blunt, I notice the difference when I come back to the lathe having resharpened it.



Yes sir. I think it turned out alright.


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## Mike Mills (Jan 25, 2013)

Here is the one I made (modified) and used last weekend. It hasn’t been cleaned up yet and still needs a few tweaks.
I purchased the steel from http://www.speedymetals.com/
I believe for the outer tube I used 1”OD with .760 ID and .12 wall thickness $2.61 per foot
For the inner tube I used .75 OD and the same .12 wall thickness; $2.15 per foot. You may need to grind down with an angle grinder a little for the inner tube to slide in freely; there is only .01” clearance per the specs.
If you wanted to build a platform the 2”X 5” is 1.39 per inch, or they have lots of sizes.
Almost anything they sell you can buy by the inch.
For gouges you can use as Tim shows or as Captain Eddie shows how to make.
[attachment=17113][attachment=17112][attachment=17114]


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## TimR (Jan 25, 2013)

Josh, with all the suggestions and offers...there's still one very compelling reason to consider the Wolverine system. It's undoubtedly the #1 system used by most turners and clubs. 
This means that if you go to a club function with your own tools, you've got a better chance of resharpening as you would at home if all are using the same system, without having to take away excessive meat from your tool to adapt to different setup.


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## waterboy12 (Jan 25, 2013)

TimR said:


> Josh, with all the suggestions and offers...there's still one very compelling reason to consider the Wolverine system. It's undoubtedly the #1 system used by most turners and clubs.
> This means that if you go to a club function with your own tools, you've got a better chance of resharpening as you would at home if all are using the same system, without having to take away excessive meat from your tool to adapt to different setup.



Yea I can see that.


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## duncsuss (Jan 25, 2013)

waterboy12 said:


> TimR said:
> 
> 
> > Josh, with all the suggestions and offers...there's still one very compelling reason to consider the Wolverine system. It's undoubtedly the #1 system used by most turners and clubs.
> ...



I don't think that's true -- Josh already pointed out that his grinder has 6" wheels.

Unless the club he attends has the same diameter wheels (with the same amount of wear, and the same axle-to-base height) the settings on the Wolverine will be different.


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## waterboy12 (Jan 25, 2013)

I'm not a club member but both of you make valid points. I'm looking for a 8" grinder now. If I can find one at a reasonable price I'll probably pony up for the wolverine.


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## Vern Tator (Jan 27, 2013)

I really tried to avoid this discussion, but I am now sucked in. I use the wolverine system at least once a week. That is to re-true my tools that I hand sharpen several times a week and sometimes several times a day. I usually turn about 35 hours a week, and hate dull tools. I have re-invented the wheel several times and now try to go with the easiest way of doing things. I like the wolverine, it is fast and accurate. I can reproduce my grinds quickly and effortlessly. I have been using the wolverine for about 10 years, and hand sharpening for about 3. I hand sharpen because it is quicker, but it is a skill that I am still learning, I need to true my tools regularly or the grinds get a bit weird.
Depending on what you consider your time to be worth, by the time you manufacturer your own system you probably could have bought a wolverine.
No i have no connection to that manufacturer.


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