# Sharpening Jig or carbide insert tool



## Jake Respondek (Apr 23, 2010)

I have a small collection of basic turning tools, a Jet 1014, and an 8" VS delta grinder.  I don't have a sharpening jig yet.  My question is...Would I be better off buying a carbide insert tool or sharpening jig next??? 

I have way too many hobbies/activities that eat up my play money, so I'm looking for the answer that will best allow me to get up and running the fastest.


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## Lenny (Apr 23, 2010)

Jake Respondek said:


> I have a small collection of basic turning tools, a Jet 1014, and an 8" VS delta grinder. I don't have a sharpening jig yet. My question is...Would I be better off buying a carbide insert tool or sharpening jig next???
> 
> I have way too many hobbies/activities that eat up my play money, so I'm looking for the answer that will best allow me to get up and running the fastest.


 
Well first of all, you don't NEED to buy anything, however I do undestand where you are coming from .... so I Say .....
Buy a Woodchuck Pen pro .... you will be glad you did! 

http://www.woodchuck-tools.com/


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## Jake Respondek (Apr 23, 2010)

Lenny said:


> Well first of all, you don't NEED to buy anything,




SHHHH!!!  What if my wife saw this over my shoulder!!!  Geez!!!:wink:

I am leaning towards the woodchuck pen pro, and learning to better sharpen without a jig.


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## dl351 (Apr 23, 2010)

I'm somewhat new to turning (6 months of turning pens), but I am/was in a similar predicament.  My options were to buy a low speed grinder and sharpening jig, which would cost $150-$200, or I could get a Woodchuck Pen Pro.  Up until maybe a month ago, I got by using a diamond coated sharpening stone and sharpening my gouge by hand.  Then, the Yellow Dino Bone Tru-Stone came.  I'd already turned Wild Horse Jasper and Turquoise Tru-stone blanks without any problems.  However, that Yellow Dino blank ate up my gouge and I barely knocked the corners off of the blank!  I then made the decision to buy the Woodchuck, and I'm glad I did!  That thing cut that Yellow Dino Bone like butter, and it's still sharp!  I'll still need to sharpen the gouge (which will probably take a while), but even if I bought the grinder and jig, I'd be back and forth between the lathe and grinder a lot when turning some of the harder Tru-stones without the Woodchuck.

My advice is this; if you turn mostly wood, the sharpening jig might be best.  If you turn a fair amound of harder synthetic blanks, the Woodchuck is the way to go.  Sure, I'll probably get a grinder and jig down the road, but being in my final stretch of college, I don't have much money to spend, so I went with the Woodchuck.


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## Jake Respondek (Apr 24, 2010)

^^^Thanks for your input!!!

Honestly I don't see myself turning anything but wood.  That said, I won't get a ton of time to turn, so I am leaning towards a carbide tool.


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## Lenny (Apr 24, 2010)

Jake Respondek said:


> SHHHH!!! What if my wife saw this over my shoulder!!! Geez!!!:wink:
> 
> I am leaning towards the woodchuck pen pro, and learning to better sharpen without a jig.


 

Ok time to be honest... we all know you will eventually have BOTH! It comes down to which do you NEED first!  

I have the Woodchuck and Love it! I have homemede jigs that get me by for now. :wink:


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## PaulDoug (Apr 24, 2010)

I'd go the Woodchuck pro.  Since I bought mine, I rarely use any other tool, except a parting tool.  You can build jigs for sharpening easy enought.  I have a oneway wolverine that gets very little use anymore.  I think when I get my round Woodchuck Pro, I will only use my  three woodchucks and a parting tool.  I turn lots of things other than pens.


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## bitshird (Apr 24, 2010)

Uh pardon my intrusion , and while it may be said that I am slightly Bias, it's very hard to beat a woodchuck, any of them [size=+3]BUT[/size]I still believe it a part of the craft being able to sharpen a chisel, Other than my Pen Pro with it's Camphor handle, my favorite tool is my Thompson Bowl Gouge, Every body starts out being a purist and believing they will only cut wood, so did I, But Tru Stone, M3, Acrylics and a Myriad of other things including copper, brass and aluminum inlays, I lied, I like cutting them all.
There are other Carbide insert tools beside mine, and they all share one common feature, you spend a great deal more time cutting than sharpening.But as I said it's a good idea and an honored part of the craft to know how to sharpen your other tools.


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## DennisM (Apr 24, 2010)

buy the tool, and make the jig yourself for the grinder.

You really do not need to buy a expensive jig to get the job done. I use a homemade jig made out of scrap wood (mdf) I had laying around. Works just as good as a wolverine for the most part.

If you need more info on these, there are lots of sites out there and I would be happy to send you pics of mine..

Dennis


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## dl351 (Apr 24, 2010)

I was like bitshird when I first started.  I thought "only wood!  None of that fake plastic stuff!"  Then I turned a Tru-Stone and now I want to turn all sorts of things.  That's where I feel the Woodchuck really shines.


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## RAdams (Apr 27, 2010)

I don't own a woodchuck (YET,,, but hopefully VERY SOON).

I also dont own any type of sharpening jig.

I am a "Purist" i guess. I learned to sharpen a #2 Hookbill carpet knife with a wetstone when i was about 14 years old. Even after the use of this knife died in floor covering, I had a sharp one in my knife pouch, and a wetstone in the top of the tool box for years. 

I taught myself how to sharpen by hand with no jig. My angles arent as exact as someone who uses a jig, and my bevels arent always perfect, but it works for me, and i do WAY more alt. materials than i do wood. 


That being said... When i get "spare" money to buy a tool, IT WILL BE a WoodChuck! If i were you, that is what i would get! Only i think i want the bowl one.


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## PaulDoug (Apr 27, 2010)

You have great suggestions here and I agree, both is the best answer. A sharpening jig is easy and fun to make. I used my homemade one for years. It was all made of wood. I got ideas form the Internet and made my own based on the ideas. I now have a wolverine setup and it is great, but doesn't do anymore than my homemade one. There times when you need something other than a carbide insert tool, especially if you turn other thing besides pen. I'd buy an insert tool and make the sharpening jig...

Some examples:


http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=61312


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## PenMan1 (Apr 27, 2010)

Depends on what you want to do. If you want to spend MOST of your time turning, buy a carbide tool. If you want to spend as MUCH time sharpening as turning, then the cheaper HSS tools and a sharpening device.

Tool sharpening just doesn't get my creative jucies flowing like turning does, so I vote carbide tools. More turn time, less down time.


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## el_d (Apr 27, 2010)

+1 for the Wood chuck.

 I swore to turn only wood but I got an order for a blue lapis truestone. That true stone ate my sharpe edge very quickly. I got the Woodchuck and it is by far the tool I use the most. I am saving my pennies to get the round one when I can for large bowls that are wood but I really dont like sharpening. I can do it but I would rather spend time turning...


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## JimB (Apr 27, 2010)

Sharpening your tools does not take a lot of time... LEARNING to sharpen them is what will take some time just like LEARNING to make a high quality pen will take time. 

You can shorten the learning curve and time sharpening by using jigs. My jig is home made but I can also free hand sharpen all my tools.


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## McBryde (Apr 30, 2010)

I'm kind of in the same boat, just more on the carbide tool side.  Which shape carbide tool is better for what?  I have seen diamond shape, square, round, what is for what?

Sorry, didn't know where to ask it at.

E


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## grub32 (Apr 30, 2010)

Buy a sharpening jig!! More versatile...Makes even cheap tools act exspensive...I usually use a roughing gouge(super sharp) to do pens and everything else down to size. Including acrylics and PR that I cast. Works just fine. If you use other tools, suck as a skew, you will be sad when you can get it scary sharp in a 1 min pass on the wolverine.

+10 for a sharpening jig.

Grub


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