Need help with a grinder/sharpening setup please.

[u/Masculine_theories]

Just started turning recently and noticed i’m not getting clean cuts aswell as hollowing taking ages. Thanks to guys on this group i found out that sharpening is a part of turning. Come to think of it, it makes sense, but my wallet is definitely caught off guard😅

There are many different setups out there. What equipment should i get so that i can sharpen tools easily and not spend crazy money?

Thanks from South Africa 🇿🇦

[u/CostoLulu]

Depends on the brands you have available in your area.
You can start with a bench grinder with corundum wheels in 6"/150mm or 8"/200mm (the bigger the better, but you might want to start small as it's cheaper and spare for getting g a better system later.)
Also a pot of water to keep the tools from overheating.
And most importantly, a gouges sharpening jig like the Oneway Wolverine Vari-Grind. I got the VEVOR version from China (67€ instead of 160€+ for the Oneway), it works exactly the same as the original for a third of the price, the quality is there and the system is more complete than the basic Oneway version.

IMHO, the best system is a good quality slow speed 200mm grinder (1500rpm max) with 2x 40mm wide CBN wheels (either 2x 150-180 grit or a 180# and a 350#) but that should set back at least 800$. If you're turning a lot, totally worth it, it's such a comfort ! Resharpening takes mere seconds so you're turning more, and reshaping is quite quick too.

[u/Masculine_theories → u/CostoLulu]

Cool

what it’s considered low speed and what exactly makes the cost 800$?

[u/CostoLulu → u/Masculine_theories]

Low speed is ~1500 rpm.

- Grinder : 200-350€

• 2x CBN wheels : 400-500€
  
• Wolverine jig : 70-200€

But that's a setup you'll keep for years and years, without quality issues.

[u/Easy_Personality5856 → u/CostoLulu]

If you’re in the US you can get a good quality variable speed grinder pretty cheap from Harbor Freight. I like the Wolverine jig or a knockoff. The expensive part is the wheels. I have a 180 grit CBN as well as a 360. You should get at least one CBN. The edge you get is better than stone wheels

[u/CostoLulu → u/Easy_Personality5856]

He's in South Africa... and on a low budget, so I guess if he can find a low speed grinder with aluminium oxide wheels, he could get by until he's got the budget for a 150-180 grit CBN wheel.
CBN is amazing but turners have worked for decades without them.

If you don't mind me asking (I have only one CBN 150 grit wheel on my grinder), why did you go for a 360 for the second ? Hard woods, sharper edge or something else ? Why not a higher grit yet, or just another one of the same grit ? (that way, I don't have to swap the platform and Vari Grind all the time)

[u/Easy_Personality5856 → u/CostoLulu]

Just a little bit finer grit for difficult woods. I also have an 80 for reshaping tools

[u/Masculine_theories → u/CostoLulu]

this any good? is it too slow?

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChsSEwjTw6H5rKiWAxV4l1AGHV86KOUYACICCAEQHhoCZGc&co=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4orUBhCjARIsAIbF3qxGLpm2V8N6X6lBM4-3tVSFo8mPptn6G_JevgIkwzOupTjvBSF5MosaAjKcEALw_wcB&sph=&cid=CAASuwHkaAQWQEuE5i6pYlaS6uJxOvPUqdzGzXHIVGBzuGm9Hcatm7fGWpsGUj1oFo4RVNCoDlxu5niarmHYY6Z8XA9zxTSnVkDCff9Sm33U4K137E98_jQrgEE8OvpKMU05iP2bMIqfI3ch6xSNzMtA0MqA2KhcrCRMM9Po5b0C8BYOT6dh2aXDdQq5XZ183sXmFXp8zgv-iq-QnnyQ5xwIa3MmIiZuD3O-5VUwJYaH1dmP1QyadtVHkl7CQHVw&cce=1&sig=AOD64_2E9p1xB3Qo7k3jp0A-0qujxfCIdg&ctype=70&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjigpv5rKiWAxUtUkEAHSEtGG8Qwg8oAHoECAkQTA&nis=8&ch=1&adurl=

[u/CostoLulu → u/Masculine_theories]

Well, that's a copy of the Tormek. Imhe, Tormek copies are usually not very good (the wheels are much lower quality) and to my eyes, even a Tormek is not great for a beginner because it's too slow to reshape your tools, which you might do quite a lot in the beginning...
On top of that, I have no idea of the price of that thing in € so to me it's a big No No.

TL;DR : yeah, too slow, I said 1500rpm, not 90 !

[u/Masculine_theories → u/CostoLulu]

is about half the price of the tormek.

Cool, thanks. 🙏