Woodworker's Journal winter-2009, страница 10

It is easier to gauge how the sharpening process is going if you can see it happening. That's the concept behind the slotted-wheel feature on the Worksharp™ WS3000 Sharpening System. Beginning sharpeners often find this system especially useful when it comes to sharpening curved-edge tools like spindle and bowl gouges.

The Cutting Edge

Now that you have your wood spinning, you'll need something to change its shape. The Crown Five-piece Turning Set (item 27754) from Rockier is a good choice if you are starting out. It contains full-sized roughing, spindle and bowl gouges, as well as a skew and a scraper — really all the cutting tools you need to get into woodturning in a big way. The steel is of very good quality and the handles are sufficient; they could be longer, but at around $190 for the set, this is a very good deal. An added bonus is that the tools come properly ground and well honed. Not only can you start turning with them right out of the box, but you also get a good idea of what a sharp turning edge looks and feels like.

As you progress in woodturning, this is one collection of tools that will likely grow. While the variety of different turning tools is not endless, it is vast, and turners seem to develop strong preferences regarding grind, gouge shape, handle length ... you name it. But you've got to start somewhere, and this set is just right to get you up and running.

Honing in on a Sharp Tool

Even if your turning tools are sharp right out of the box, sooner or later they will get dull — all cutting tools do. Then you have to shapen them. The challenge with sharpening turning tools is that many of them are not a simple flat edge (like a bench chisel or a plane iron). Bowl, spindle and roughing gouges are curved. Sharpening those curved edges has long been one of the roadblocks for folks looking to become woodturners. And while it is not impossible to learn to sharpen those edges on traditional grind-ing-wheel style systems, they can be tricky for beginners. The main reason is that on a grinding wheel system, the edge you are sharpening is turned down, where it's harder to see. For that reason we recommend the Worksharp™ WS3000 Sharpening System for start-up turners. It is an abrasive-paper based system as opposed to a grind

10 Getting Started in Woodturning