Hi Keith,

I agree with Fred that for a beginner, like myself, a sharpening jig is the
best way to go. While I have started with less expensive tools from Harbor
Freight and Penn State Ind., I still did not want to destroy them while
learning to turn and how to correctly sharpen them. I decide to go with the
sharpening jig from Penn State Ind.,
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/lcgrind4.html, because it was less
expensive than the two Fred mentioned and came complete with everything you
need including 2 bases. It has worked great for me in repeatability of
sharpening my tools quickly and get back to turning. Whether you buy a jig
on make one of your own, it will be a great asset to becoming a better
turning because your tools will be sharp and easier to work with.

John



"Fred Holder" wrote in message
...
Hello Keith,

My best recommendation for any beginning woodturner is to get a sharpening
jig.
If you can't afford one, then you can make one out of wood. The Jig will
give
you repeatable sharpenings and sharper tools and a smoother bevel. There
are
several good ones on the market. I have the Oneway Wolverine jig on a
Woodcraft
slow speed grinder. I also have a Woodcut Tru-Grind Shaptening System. The
Woodcut system is slightly less expensive for the basic set. The Oneway
Wolverine system provides bases for each wheel. With the Woodcut you have
to
purchase a second base slide if you want to be able to use both wheels.
You can
make a quite useable copy of either of these systems out of wood that will
do
the job nicely.

Fred Holder
http://www.fholder.com

In article .com, keith
says...

hi to all,
i am still new to the art of woodturning and i am still investing in
high quality tools as i have always been told to buy the best i can
afford. i have been having probloms sharpening my tools as i dont want
to ruin a good tool with a bench grinder as i get the gitters when i
start to sharpen them.even at the best of times i think that they could
be sharper and neater looking. so i started to sharpen them on a good
oil stone this does the job but i dont know if they are as sharp as
they could be or good for the tool. any help on the subject would
apprecated. many thanks and safe turning!!



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