On Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:20:30 GMT, John wrote:

A thought came to mind today whilst sharpening some gouges, what is the
optimum grind.

Let me explain

If I grind a tool on a 3 inch wheel I get a bevel with a radius of 1.5
inches,
but
If I grind a tool on a 12inch wheel I get a bevel with radius of 6
inches.

I would guess that the ideal radius of the grind would be larger than
the radius of the piece of work? My understanding is that if the radius
of the bevel were less then you would ride the back of the bevel until
the front touches, nothing in between, with an increased chance of dig
in on contact. If it is larger radius you can pivot on any point of the
bevel till the front touches, better control and less chance of dig in
on contact..

So assuming I have this correct, what is the best bevel radius to use
when you start getting to a really large diameter turning say 24inch
dia? Would no bevel be the best option ?
You got some great answers, John, and I learned form your post, so thanks for
bringing it up..
Hell, I've been trying to ride the whole damn bevel for years, since George
advised me too.. Now that I know what the term really means, I realize that I'm
actually doing it right when I don't "ride the bevel"..lol
Like a lot of things, I needed more knowledge/experience before I could
understand George's advise...

A tip I picked up a few years ago that helped me quite a bit was to quit trying
to sharpen the edge of a tool.. it never worked..
You sharpen the bevel and the edge will take care of itself...

A very simple fact that I just learned (maybe that's why my sharpening sucks) is
that if you can see an edge, it isn't sharp...


mac

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