Why would I spend the extra $ to get a variable speed grinder?

What's the performance difference of 1725rpm versus 3450rpm?

Ellsworth recommends 100 grit white wheels. Agree?

What's your feelings about Sourwood trees?

Thanks
TomNie

Personally, I think it is more important to have a good jig of some sort (mine are all homemade) before I would worry about a variable speed grinder.

I think a lot of us here use the slow speed models, but I know many
that feel like speed is not an issue, especially if you have a jig.

My own personal preference is to use the 8" slow speed grinder they
have on sale at Wood Craft every few months. I have left the setup on
the wheels the way it comes, with a 60 grit on one side and a 120 on
the other. Last time they had it on sale it was $79 or $89, and I
bought another one to use for something else.

That deal is hard to beat because the Taiwanese 1" friable wheels that
come on it are arguably the best for HS steel can run about $30 or more
on their own.

I never liked the 6" grinders because the profile looked too agressive
because it was too much more hollow ground than the 8" wheel profile.

Robert

In article ,
"Tom Nie" wrote:

Why would I spend the extra $ to get a variable speed grinder?

I don't know that you should. I believe you'll learn and adapt your
techniques to whatever speed you have available. The speed argument
comes up every now and then. Some like the high speed, some the slow.
Oneway recommends the high speed, BTW. I have a single speed grinder and
don't think I'd pay extra (if it is extra $) for variable speed from my
experience and results.

What's the performance difference of 1725rpm versus 3450rpm?

The characteristics of sharpening are dependent on not only the speed
but the wheel grit. A high speed with a fine grit can excessively heat
the tool very quickly if the operator isn't keenly aware of pressure and
time the tool is in contact with the stone. A slow speed and a fine grit
will take a long time to do much major reshaping or damage removal.
Conversely, a high speed and coarse grit can remove a lot of material
quickly and might cause the operator to waste tool length.

Ellsworth recommends 100 grit white wheels. Agree?

No. Any recommendation on these types of subjective choices is like
saying I think everyone should buy a Toyota Tundra to haul wood. Just
because a white 100 works for David doesn't mean that other wheels won't
work just as well for other turners. It doesn't take into account
personal preferences or skills or tool steel. (For example, if you used
carbide tipped tools this white wheel wouldn't do squat.)

Unless you already have a preference, I think that you should use the
wheels that come with the grinder for awhile. You'll learn if your
techniques are complemented by the wheel and then be able to purchase
upgraded wheels with that experience in mind.

When I tried a 120 grit white wheel, I found it loaded up quickly and I
was more apt to overheat the edge than with coarser grits. I've ended up
using Camel brand 36 and 80 grit wheels (these happen to be blue, though
across the board, color isn't a defining factor as far as I know). A
majority of my sharpening is on the 80 grit and any reshaping is done on
the 36 grit. I have the Delta 1750rpm grinder ($180ish) that has
performed very well for years now. I have sharpened not only my turning
tools but our kitchen knives and my mower blades on my grinder with no
trouble whatsoever. As Nailshooter commented, over the years many folks
here have liked the Woodcraft branded slow-speed that runs about
$90-$100. Steve Tiedman, who was a regular here a couple years ago,
dropped the bucks for a Baldor slow-speed 7" and spoke very highly of
it. From my experiences, I see no need for a faster speed. This doesn't
take into account the more expensive price of the slow-speed models over
the single speed high-speed models.

--
Owen Lowe

Northwest Woodturners,
Cascade Woodturners,
Pacific Northwest Woodturning Guild
___
Tips fer Turnin': Pour your end-grain sealer into a clean, wide-mouth
clothes detergent bottle. The lid makes a handy dipping container for
your brush and the leftovers will drain back into the bottle when you
recap the jug.

"Tom Nie" wrote in message
...
Why would I spend the extra $ to get a variable speed grinder?

What's the performance difference of 1725rpm versus 3450rpm?

Ellsworth recommends 100 grit white wheels. Agree?

What's your feelings about Sourwood trees?

Thanks
TomNie

I have a 1725 rpm grinder and if it should die I'd replace it with a regular
3450 rpm. I use 6" wheels and don't mind them but 8" seems to be considered
the better. You have to have a good touch since you can overheat the tool no
matter what you use if you are rough. I would consider 100 grit to be the
finest I'd ever want and right now I am using a 60 and a 80 and find the 80
to be fine enough.

FWIW, I used to freehand grind my tools and wasn't too bad at it. I bought a
Oneway Varigrind jig and use it all the time now. Consistent results and I
am sure I remove a lot less metal.

Don't get too uptight about lathe tool sharpeing there are lots of ways to
skin the cat and if something works for you then just do it.

Bill

I went a bit excentric when I up graded my grinding system. I bought a
set of CBN (cubic boric nitride) grinding wheels. They are made to
order, so I had an 80 grit made for scrapers and minor reshaping, and a
320 grit wheel made for the gouges and skews. The wheels are VERY hard
and are made to grind steel, but not carbide. They run about $300 per 8
by 1 inch wheel. I have had them for about 2 years. The 320 grit wheel
is about half gone (the wheel is aluminum with 3/16 inch of cbn bonded
to the wheel).The 80 grit wheel shows very little wear. I do like the
finer edge on my gouges, and they do last a lot longer. It is a lot of
money to put down, but over the life time (I am a full time
woodworker), it seems like it will save me money, not to mention the
cleaner cuts. For a grinder, I got a slow speed Baldor through a local
bearing company for about $550. I had the slow speed model from
Woodcraft. Differences: I can leave it on all day without bolting it
down, and it won't move from where it sits. If I apply some pressurs
when grinding, it doesn't slow down even the slightest bit.
robo hippy

hmm... looking over Owen's post, I think that is probably the best
advice. Learn to use what you have, then go from there. When I was
learning to sharpen tools, whether it was chisels, knives, or gouges
and skews, I am now remembering all the practice it took.

I don't think too many of us (myself included) knew exactly what would
suit our long term needs the best when we started sharpening turning
tools. I have "field sharpened" my tools with different grades of
sandpaper for over thirty years now, but that took practice to learn.
With a good jig (*hint*hint*) you will learn rapidly how to sharpen,
but you will not necessarily know what type of profile you are looking
for. For instance, I am not crazy about the Ellsworth grind... many of
the other guys are. Why? I end grain turn most of the time, so I like
those really nasty fingernail grinds to shear off the ends of the wood.

The Woodcraft grinder has suited me well, but like Owen, I don't care
for the 120 grit wheel because it loads easily. But if it is set up to
merely touch up the edge of the grind, the 120 works great. If you are
doing more regrinds to get the shape you want, Woodcraft also has a 36
grit 8"X1" wheel on sale for something like
$12. Now that is a steal even for the Taiwanese wheels. I found them
online at the WC site and bought two. they are great... better than
the ones on their grinder.

BTW, it might interest some here to know that in correspondence with a
Glaser rep a few months ago, I found out Jerry Glaser uses a 36 grit
wheel to shape and put the first grind on his gouges. So don't get too
hung on the grits.

I keep a small slip style waterstone in a peanut butter jar next to the
grinder, and when it comes off the machine I usually give it a couple
of swipes to clean up the edge and I am off. With that in mind I
usually buy whatever friable type wheel I can find at a good price and
grind away.

Robert

PS: What is sourwood? What part of the country are they in?
Hardwood? Softwood?

BTW

Overall good advice from all, but I will take one not-so-slight
exception to Owen's "you should use the
wheels that come with the grinder for awhile" if you are planning on
buying a Delta grinder. My 8" VS Delta came with a 60 and a 100 wheel,
both of which were so out of balance, it was a good thing I had the
grinder bolted down on first startup, or it would have walked clean out
of my shop! No amount of wheel dressing would address the problem, but
Norton wheels run true and smooth on it. Come to find out a wheel can
be out of balance even if it's perfectly round and flat, as one part
can be heavier than another.
Just thought you might want to figure in new wheels or a balancing
system as part of the price if you buy a grinder without being able to
turn it on first.

In article .com,
wrote:

Overall good advice from all, but I will take one not-so-slight
exception to Owen's "you should use the
wheels that come with the grinder for awhile" if you are planning on
buying a Delta grinder. My 8" VS Delta came with a 60 and a 100 wheel,
both of which were so out of balance, it was a good thing I had the
grinder bolted down on first startup, or it would have walked clean out
of my shop! No amount of wheel dressing would address the problem, but
Norton wheels run true and smooth on it. Come to find out a wheel can
be out of balance even if it's perfectly round and flat, as one part
can be heavier than another.
Just thought you might want to figure in new wheels or a balancing
system as part of the price if you buy a grinder without being able to
turn it on first.

Thank you for clarifying my comment GP. By all means, if the grinder is
moving around from vibration - or even if the tool wants to skitter when
placed on the flat rest - then something is wrong and needs to be
addressed. It could very well be an unbalanced wheel.

This opens up another related topic: Wheel dressing.

I tried and tried for years to get a good, smooth and ROUND dressing on
my wheels. But no matter what dressing tool I used (star dresser,
diamond T, Norton stick) afterwards I would still get slight tool bounce
off the wheel. The grinder ran smoothly with little to no vibration but
I just couldn't get the wheels true. About 6 months ago I bought the
Oneway wheel dressing jig that fits the Wolverine system. After using
it, "Wow, would you look (and feel) that? Tool bounce? No longer."

I had in mind that if the dresser didn't work then I'd have to go with
the wheel balancing package. Thankfully the dresser worked great to
solve my problem and has kept the wheels clean and true.

--
Owen Lowe

Northwest Woodturners,
Cascade Woodturners,
Pacific Northwest Woodturning Guild
___
Tips fer Turnin': Pour your end-grain sealer into a clean, wide-mouth
clothes detergent bottle. The lid makes a handy dipping container for
your brush and the leftovers will drain back into the bottle when you
recap the jug.

In article . com,
wrote:

PS: What is sourwood? What part of the country are they in?
Hardwood? Softwood?

According to the Eastern Region Audubon Society Field Guide to North
American Trees, the Sourwood is a member of the Heath Family and also
goes by the names of Sorrel-tree and Lily-of-the-valley-tree. Grows to
about 50' and 1' in diameter. Native range is from Mason-Dixon line
southward to NW Florida, Mississippi and Alabama. Attractive ornamental
with its name referring to the "acid taste of the foliage, although
Sourwood honey is esteemed. Abundant in Great Smoky Mountains National
Park."

Here's an eBay listing (pretty wood, in my opinion):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...706&category=7
1235

--
Owen Lowe

Northwest Woodturners,
Cascade Woodturners,
Pacific Northwest Woodturning Guild
___
Tips fer Turnin': Pour your end-grain sealer into a clean, wide-mouth
clothes detergent bottle. The lid makes a handy dipping container for
your brush and the leftovers will drain back into the bottle when you
recap the jug.

BINGO!!

Owen chimes in with what I've been hunting for. That ebay ad tells me that I
need to grab a couple pieces out of that logger's pile.

Here in the Charlotte, NC area Sourwoods are common and simply beautiful in
the fall. Crazy crooked tree with brillant red leaves and dangling flowers -
loved by some kind of caterpillar big-time.

Thanks, Owen.
TomNie

"Owen Lowe" wrote in message
news
In article . com,
wrote:

PS: What is sourwood? What part of the country are they in?
Hardwood? Softwood?

According to the Eastern Region Audubon Society Field Guide to North
American Trees, the Sourwood is a member of the Heath Family and also
goes by the names of Sorrel-tree and Lily-of-the-valley-tree. Grows to
about 50' and 1' in diameter. Native range is from Mason-Dixon line
southward to NW Florida, Mississippi and Alabama. Attractive ornamental
with its name referring to the "acid taste of the foliage, although
Sourwood honey is esteemed. Abundant in Great Smoky Mountains National
Park."

Here's an eBay listing (pretty wood, in my opinion):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...706&category=7
1235

--
Owen Lowe

Northwest Woodturners,
Cascade Woodturners,
Pacific Northwest Woodturning Guild
___
Tips fer Turnin': Pour your end-grain sealer into a clean, wide-mouth
clothes detergent bottle. The lid makes a handy dipping container for
your brush and the leftovers will drain back into the bottle when you
recap the jug.

Owen - Thanks for the wheel dressing tip, I'll have to try that Oneway
jig.
Thanks also for the tip in your sig, I used that just today, works
great.