Wolverine can o' worms

[Zach LaPerriere]

I talked with Dave last week while ordering finish gouges. He said something that amused me and summed up my experience:
"I can turn a bowl with a single gouge, just not a very good bowl."

Not to complicate things, but... while we're on the subject of the Wolverine and sharpening the wings of bowl gouges, it's worth mentioning Hannes Michaelson's Vector Grind Fixture. The Vector sharpens the wings to the right and left of center for the right and left wings, respectively.

What this accomplishes is a much steeper (sharper) angle on the wings, which is great for: shear cuts, interior flute-up cuts, bevel riding cuts further aft on the wings, and it's way less catchy when grinding the heel off the wings. This mimics the way a better sharpener than me would sharpen freehand.

I use the Vector jig for much more than just the Michaelson grind. It works great on bottom feeders, straight-up grinds, all sort of fingernail grinds, and others.

 

[Bill Boehme]

The part that fastens to the bowl gouge is exactly the same dimensions as the Ellsworth jig. So, you can use the center hole in the part that goes into the Wolverine, insert the bowl gouge into the jig with a 2" protrusion and now you have an Ellsworth jig.

 

[hockenbery]

I talked with Dave last week while ordering finish gouges. He said something that amused me and summed up my experience:
"I can turn a bowl with a single gouge, just not a very good bowl."

That is a great quote.
I don't know any bowl turners who use only one bowl gouge to turn a bowl.

Most of my Cut rim bowls are roughly hemispherical in shape.
I use a 3/8 spindle gouge on every bowl for the detail work around the tenon, foot, and any beads.
I sometimes use a 1/4" bowl gouge with the Michelson grind to finish the first inch of the inside wall.
Once in a while I use a domed scraped on the inside bottom
The Ellsworth gouge does all the rest.

The NE bowls the spindle gouge, Ellsworth and the domed scraper on about half the crotch bowls over 14" in diameter.

Shape and size dictates which tools too. Smaller shallow bowls require less tooling and limited skill set. Larger bowls and semi-closed shapes require more skills perhaps additional tools.

The calabash style bowls or spherical semi closed bowls require a 30-40 degree bevel to work under the rim, a 50-60 degree bevel to work the side, and an 80 degree bevel to work the bottom.

Platters & square edge I use the spindle gouge and the Ellsworth and a Stirt scraper.

 

[Tom Albrecht]

Clifton I drilled my Wolverine but didn't pin it. At home I just insert a 1/8" drill bit in the two hole and lock it down. Then it never moves in my shop. When I teach quite often we have to move it to match students tools but since it's drilled it's very easy to get back to the original position. What I do at home is to use V blocks of various sizes to drop into the V arm for different tools. This way the V arm is locked in one position and never changes. I got a really cool locking device from Don Geiger that fits on the V arm and guarantees it will lock in the position I want.

Do you have a photo of this rig/jig?

 

[Clifton C]

Tom, the set up I have is a bit Rube Goldburgish, it makes sense for me because I travel, but simple is good, as Don O. Jr. stated. Nothing moves once set up. (or words to that affect. Leg, V arm and stickout remain the same. To change from a bowl to a spindle gouge, I add spacers to the V pocket. The whole thing takes a minute to set up on a different grinder and my gouges are then matched to that wheel. The only thing I cannot overcome is the different wheel diameters, but it's so close that a few wipes and I'm dressing the edge, not grinding the bevel. And now that I have Johns suggestion of a clamp for the V arm it will be that much more user friendly. I took some pics, but I' afraid you guys might have sport at my expense...

 

[john lucas]

I have a video showing sharpening tips that shows how I sharpen my spindle gouges and has the V block although in that video I was using a V block that has a notch cut in the top to move the Wolverine jig forward and up. I now just use a V block that has been cut the right length so I can put the Wolverine arm in front of the V block. It's at about 5 minutes into this video if you don't want to watch the whole thing.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOEL7Q3CpZc

 

[odie]

Hannes Michaelson's Vector Grind Fixture

For those who want to see this jig in more depth, here is a link:

View: https://youtu.be/eleN0SfdeYU

One thing JM says that I found very pertinent, is a shorter bevel is easier to control.......I think that's very true.

ko

 

[Tom Albrecht]

So which one of you has this Hannes Tool grinding "Fixture"?

 

[Bill Boehme]

So which one of you has this Hannes Tool grinding "Fixture"?

I have it. I bought mine from Johannes about three years ago when he was at SWAT. It is very well made. The workmanship and finish are excellent. I also have a couple of his bowl gouges and a handle. At first I didn't like the feel of the grip on the handle because it felt too grabby, but after using it for a while and getting it broken-in with dust, dirt, and scuffing the tactile feel is much better. Because of the extreme amount of swing needed when sharpening a bowl gouge with his grind, being able to take the tool out of the handle is very important.

 

[Bill Boehme]

You can also use the Vector fixture for the Ellsworth grind. Just set the projection to two inches and the nose angle to sixty degrees.

 

[Fred Belknap]

I have the Michelson jig and am pleased with the results. It is easier to use if you can remove the handle but it can be used with permanently attached handles, just a little awkward.

 

[Zach LaPerriere]

Bear in mind that Hannes introduced his jig to mimic what he'd been doing freehand for over 20 years.

Now to add one thing I really like about the Vector jig and the concept of a thin primary bevel.

I grind the bevel heels on a second Vector plate (the part that goes into the wolverine) on an 80 grit CBN wheel. So when I'm doing finish cuts, I sharpen on the 400 or 800 grit CBN wheel and take the tiniest amount off of the primary bevel. After 3-5 sharpens on the 400 or 800, I just go back and grind the bevel heels down with the 80 again.

As I mentioned before, I do sharpen with the Vector jig for more than just the Michaelsen grind. The Michaelsen grind was never intended for steep bowl interiors or bowl bottoms. I think most grinds benefit from relieving most of the bevel heel. The bottom feeder and straight-up (more acute) grinds are especially great with a relieved bevel, in my experience.

To my mind, Hannes introduced a new jig sharpening concept that will just continue to evolve in all of our shops. I have a few ideas I'm just starting to play around with.