"Olebiker" wrote in message
ups.com...
Once in a while even a blind hog roots up an acorn and so did I last
week. I was in Louisville, Ky and found a really good deal on my first
lathe, a Jet mini-lathe.

I have been reading about how you need a jig to assist in grinding
bevels on the turning tools and have just about decided to buy Penn
State's version of the Wolverine jig. I picked up a Richard Raffan
video at the library and noticed that he only uses a tool rest, not a
jig. Is he able to do that simply because he has been doing it a long
time, or is a jig really not necessary?


He's using the tool as its own jig. It's similar to the technique used on
the lathe itself, where he anchors the tool to the rest, matches the bevel
to the wheel, then maintains even light pressure to grind in the existing
configuration. Think of the way you hone, then substitute a moving surface
for a stationary one. Since the angles involved in cutting on a wood lathe
are freehanded, precise angles are really unnecessary. You establish a
steep angle for entry then sweep through the piece, lowering the angle to
peel.