How do you sharpen up?

[thebowlerhattedturner]

You are right John (Taylor) that learning the correct use is exactly the way to go, and this applies to any tool you use.
 Many years ago( swing the lamp)when I first started turning I couldn't afford a grinder so I used to sharpen my kit with what I had,and that was an India sharpening stone with a rough and smooth side. It was OK once your angles were set and you soon got used to rolling the tool as you sharpened up. I had to take them into work to grind them up shape during lunch breaks. We have now gone full circle as( see Paul's post) we use hand held honing stones/diamond stones  or whatever more often.
       I wonder sometimes if the old ways might be the best ways, I find myself increasingly using jam chucks these days, albeit they are held in a modern chuck but they can be quicker and easier to use, but that is a thread for another day.
Woodcrafts, unfortunately I don't seem to get many requests from your part of the country for demos, bear in mind the fuel bill would be phenomenal, sorry.
Regards
John BHT

[Eric Harvey]

I have a £9 grinder bought from Aldi five or six yrs ago and a slow grinder I made myself with 8" grinding wheels bought from Aldi,about the same price as the 6" grinder as I recall,I have a jig made for me in the metalwork section of the school in which my first club was based,but hardly ever use it,I`ve been sharpening all my tools by hand and eye since I was 15 yrs old when my Dad taught me and through my working life,regards,

Eric.

[thebowlerhattedturner]

Ah Eric, you may have hit the nail on the head there. What your Dad taught you. These days some parents do not seem to have the time to teach their own kids anything. I always worked with my Dad if there was anything that needed doing at weekends and I used to go to work with him on a Saturday morning to sweep up and make the tea for the men along with other sons that did the same thing. That is how I got into working with wood in the first place, and I carried it on with my own son although he now has a proper job and earns much more than I ever will. My wife also taught both my son and daughter to cook when they were both kids.
  As I said before, sometimes the old ways are the best.
regards
John BHT

[malcy]

You guys were lucky enough to have a dad who could teach you these things and hand on their experience and knowledge. My dad wasn't at all practical in that sense. So when I discovered woodworking in general and eventually woodturning, I had to teach myself from books and videos.  I had no woodworking lessons in school either, so where my love of wood came from I don't know. Anyway, the point I am making is that many of us are self taught and learnt from watching or reading and then trying out and learning more from what didn't work than what did. So when it comes to something like sharpening tools, we go to what is easiest for us to master quickly and use whatever our pockets can afford. I use the Proedge system with some honing by hand with diamond pads, as I have found it good for repeating a grind and giving a good edge quickly. There is also the argument that it gives a flat side to the grind whereas a wheel will give a slight concave edge, and whether that makes any difference I'm not expert enough to comment, but I guess that could be Sorby sales talking there anyway. Malcolm.

[thebowlerhattedturner]

There's a lot to be said about teaching yourself, you know learning by your mistakes etc. Trouble is with me I forget the mistakes very quickly and make them time and again before eventually learning.
      I suppose I have been quite lucky in as much as I can and have turned my hand to most things but the one thing that eludes me is the thought processes behind some of the contemporary designs you see being made.
        Regarding the hollow grinding, sometimes it can be less advantageous to have a hollow grind because the heel can prevent the chisel from forming a nice curve. And yes there is an awful lot of sales talk spoken regarding all grinding systems.
Regards
John BHT