On 22 Dec 2006 04:31:59 -0800, "Olebiker" wrote:

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?

I've never used a jig, so I'm not really comparing jig-sharpening to
freehand sharpening, but I haven't really ever felt any compelling
need to use one. It doesn't take too long to learn how to sharpen
freehand on the grinder, but you will find that it is not as
consistant as a jig would be.

Seems like the biggest trick, at least for me, is to watch the edge
for fine orange sparks. When that happens across the entire bevel as
you turn/swing the chisel, it's sharpened.