One-way Wolverine Varigrind Jig

[Stevekir]

I have seen this jig, priced at $52.95, (attachment) which is much less expensive than others such as the Tru-Grind version sold by Axminster at £136, and seems to do the same.

What do people think? Does the job?

Stevekir

https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/93/3891/Oneway-Vari-Grind-Jig

[David Buskell]

Looks like the standard Oneway jig. Try The Toolpost who may do it for a better price than £136,

[Redtails3]

Hi
The tool post stock the basic one-way grinding jig plus the attachment for grinding Irish grind ,finger nail grind plus.
What you see in your photograph are both of these items set for grinding a gouge in one of the above styles. The standard jig will grind all gouges roughing gouges and gouges for spindle work. I have just purchased one from the tool post I can tell you will
Cost you about the same as the Axminster one .hope this makes sense.

[Derwent Woodturning club]

Hi Steve, the link you've posted to the jig, is just that, it is ONLY the jig for creating a fingernail profile. You would also need their 4 piece set, which comprises two bases (they lock the V-arms in position) a table (can be set at an angle, suitable for basic 'straight grinds') and one V-arm. Their method for creating a 'standard' grind on a gouge is to place the end of the handle in the V and the arm is adjusted to appropriate length for the cutting edge to rest on the grinding wheel at your chosen angle. The fingernail jig (as per your link) is used in combination with the V-arm, to set the angle at the tip of the tool but also the angle of the side wings. One problem with the original Wolverine system and with Robert Sorby's Tormek fingernail jigs are they are limited in the diameter of the gouge they can hold. There is a newer version of the Wolverine so that may have been addressed. If it helps the Trugrind can cope with gouges up to 1" in diameter. And it can cope with all the basic tools, even skew chisels, with ease. Unfortunately you are a bit far from us for a visit, but you would be most welcome if you did fancy a trip to one of our 'hands on' evenings.

One last thing I will say is don't be fooled by these things being called jigs; they aren't, they are guides. If you keep the same part of the cutting edge against the grinding wheel it will keep on grinding, leaving a lovely flat on your cutting edge. All they do is maintain the angle. It is up to the user to move the tool correctly to achieve the grind you want.

As has already been said, your best bet is to spend some time with other turners who can show you the techniques of shaping and sharpening your tools.

Hope that helps,

[burywoodturners]

I made mine out of wood and laminate flooring and used a Robert Sorby finger nail tool holder, it should be possible to recreate the whole thing. The club bought the Craft Supplies version which works well, but Turners retreat bought them out and it does not appear in their catalogue.
Ron

[Stevekir]

Thanks all. I now realise that the Varigrind in not much cheaper than the TruGrind from Axminster, because it needs other parts which I missed. Still pondering. I hope to visit a turning club within 25 minutes of here, so hope to get some hands-on help.

[malcy]

You could looking on eBay, for what you want.

[Derwent Woodturning club]

You could looking on eBay, for what you want.

Although I agree it's worth looking on ebay for turning items, be very wary of some of the products, including grinding jigs as some of them are very poor standard.
One of my students bought a copy of the Wolverine/Axminster Storme jigs and the welds were abysmal, one came apart with only a modicum of force. And of course, there are no guarantees when you buy on ebay.

Personally, I would recommend the Trugrind but it would take up too much space on this forum to give the reasons for that. And, at the end of the day, it's everyone to their own, but hope you get sorted soon. It can be very frustrating not being able to turn because your tools are blunt.

[john taylor]

Have a look at the following link, it takes you to youtube and the oneway manafacturers channel and there are 6 videos on what the jigs do and how to use them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLMFwDCSFmP46m-ZV6TP9wsI3uac6qrVuH&v=ubfoe0h9NZA

john

[fuzzyturns]

I have the Axminster jig. It works well enough, and is certainly a lot better than my previous self-made jig, but it has its shortcomings.
1) the finger that holds the tool in the jig, i.e. that presses down into the v-shaped bottom, has a groove in the center, which turns out to be a real pain in the backside. For most of my medium sized gouges it is quite tricky to ensure that the flute is actually straight up, because the groove tends to sit on one of the sides. Much better to have a jig where the underside of that finger is either flat or convex.
2) the tool holder angle can be adjusted, but it has no markings whatsoever. You have to find the angles you need and then mark them yourself. This then raises the issue of repeatability (which is what jigs are all about).

The jig shown in the picture seems to overcome those two issues and therefore is definitely worth looking at, even if it is a little more expensive.

[Duncan A]

Another option is to buy the Robert Sorby 447 jig, based upon the Tormek jigs as used on the ProEdge. Quite a few people are moving to the ProEdge so the 447 comes up fairly frequently on the various auction and second-hand sites at a good price.
Duncan