Author Topic: how far do you grind your tools down???  (Read 5422 times)

Offline seventhdevil

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how far do you grind your tools down???
« on: July 03, 2019, 08:56:26 PM »
my most used are getting very low at the moment and i do have replacements but it got me thinking just how far do you let yours go down to?

for reference the bowl gouge is a 5/8" bar.

Offline Bryan Milham

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Re: how far do you grind your tools down???
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2019, 10:15:26 PM »
If I can grind an edge and use it safely, it's still a viable tool.
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Offline bodrighywood

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Re: how far do you grind your tools down???
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2019, 10:23:44 PM »
Same as Bryan. Comes a point where I can't access the wheel to grind an edge. Then time to strip and reuse the handle.

Pete
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Offline Derek

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Re: how far do you grind your tools down???
« Reply #3 on: July 04, 2019, 02:13:40 PM »
As above even short tools have there uses where longer tools will not do.

Offline Wood spinner

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Re: how far do you grind your tools down???
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2019, 03:46:41 PM »
I would have binned them by now , Hardly any reach over the tool test

Offline burywoodturners

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Re: how far do you grind your tools down???
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2019, 07:51:28 PM »
Quote
I would have binned them by now , Hardly any reach over the tool test
That will encourage you to keep the toolrest close to the work piece, and how many wodturners have only one of every thing?
Ron

Offline bodrighywood

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Re: how far do you grind your tools down???
« Reply #6 on: July 04, 2019, 10:59:57 PM »
I would have binned them by now , Hardly any reach over the tool test

How much 'reach over the tool rest' do you want? Apart from hollowing and the inside of bowls the idea is to have the rest as close to the wood as is practical.

pete
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Offline Wood spinner

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Re: how far do you grind your tools down???
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2019, 08:01:46 PM »
Yes I get that but how do you hollow a vase or a deep bowl with the only one of each tool as shown  ???

Offline bodrighywood

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Re: how far do you grind your tools down???
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2019, 08:54:26 PM »
Yes I get that but how do you hollow a vase or a deep bowl with the only one of each tool as shown  ???

I assume that's not a serious question? The question asked isn't suggesting that these are his only ones but simply how far do we go before binning them. How short do they get before they cease to be of use.

Pete
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Offline seventhdevil

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Re: how far do you grind your tools down???
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2019, 09:22:15 PM »
Pete, that "is" my only 5/8" bowl gouge.

woodspinner, i get near 6" from the collar to the tip and have either a curved toolrest or just tip the end into the bottom of a bowl if it is a deep one.

i do not turn hollow forms and you do not use a bowl gouge for a vase. rarely will i make a small vase but for that i use a ring tool which is designed for such a task.

Offline Twisted Trees

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Re: how far do you grind your tools down???
« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2019, 01:12:15 AM »
Some tools just feel so good you have to grind them down to the nub. Others are just tools that get replaced as soon as you have to work around them.

I don't know what the difference is, but I have to confess there are a few chisels in my collection that should probably have been binned by now, instead they get worked around and sometimes have strange grinds for occasional use just to make them stay on my shelf for as long as possible.

When I started turning 10 years ago I bought some cheap second hand tools to practice grinding determined to be able to learn to freehand sharpen and learn angles that work for me (still learning) I still have a couple of those on the shelf that are now 90% handle.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2019, 01:17:44 AM by Twisted Trees »
TT, AKA Pete, but that name is taken :-)

Offline Sandy

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Re: how far do you grind your tools down???
« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2019, 07:19:58 PM »
Hi seventhdevil,

To me, all your tools in the image look as if there's a good few months life in them yet, dependent on how much you use them each day, but they'd still be used by me by year end as a hobbyist turner.

Turners will use different tools more often or less depending on what they turn, how often they turn, how they use each specific tool and so on.  So I think you've set a question that can't be accurately answered by a few turners on these posts.

To get such an answer you'd have to run a poll of all forum users at least.  :) :) :)

Offline The Bowler Hatted Turner

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Re: how far do you grind your tools down???
« Reply #12 on: July 06, 2019, 09:47:04 PM »
I think the answer here would be use them until they become dangerous to grind or dangerous to turn with, then some could be re-purposed just to eek out the last of the life available. Of course the handles are still fine (if it wasn't for the 5 new blades I have put in my spindle gouge handle it would be the same tool I started with) :P :P

Offline seventhdevil

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Re: how far do you grind your tools down???
« Reply #13 on: July 07, 2019, 12:03:17 AM »
Hi seventhdevil,

To me, all your tools in the image look as if there's a good few months life in them yet, dependent on how much you use them each day, but they'd still be used by me by year end as a hobbyist turner.

Turners will use different tools more often or less depending on what they turn, how often they turn, how they use each specific tool and so on.  So I think you've set a question that can't be accurately answered by a few turners on these posts.

To get such an answer you'd have to run a poll of all forum users at least.  :) :) :)

you are right they are all good for perhaps another 12 months or more i was just trying to see what others did.

my skew is a little small for what i use it for but it will not be binned as it's still perfectly good for small items.

Offline Paul Hannaby

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Re: how far do you grind your tools down???
« Reply #14 on: July 07, 2019, 12:50:57 AM »
I think some tools are more comfortable to use after they have lost a couple of inches off the end. I have recently ground flats past the end of the flute on a couple of half in spindle gouges so I can still locate them in the grinding jig now that has reached past the flute. I reckon I will get another inch out of them.