• It's time to cast your vote in the October 2025 Turning Challenge. (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Andy Chen for "Mesquite Vase with Polymer Clay Millefiori" being selected as Turning of the Week for November 3, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Grinder angle jig.

Possibly. Looking through the patent that particular device is designed around 0.100” thick tool, but thats easily worked around. It would probably be too expensive by the time it got to production.
 
I'm still watching this. My computer is dead and it's hard to do long responses one finger at a time on my phone.
 
Kevin Jenness said:
I have a simple plastic block that came with my Veritas tool rest tool rest. They don't seem to sell it separately (and the angle settings aren't really appropriate for turning tools anyway), but it wouldn't be hard to make one. The catch is that the effective sharpening angle depends on the tool thickness, thus the multiple lines on the gauge at each angled face. On the other hand, consistency is probably more important in most cases than absolute precision.

I don't use it much since I got a RoboRest. With any luck that will come back into production.
Click to expand...
I have a friend who made a bunch of blocks based on the Veritas gauge for all the wood turning angles, complete with multiple lines to account for different tool thicknesses. Very eash to make and they work great.
 
Well, I went to the local big box hardware store and bought one of those angle jigs. Zeroed it at the 90 degree setting. Set my robo rest to 45 degrees, which is close to the 40/40 grind angle, and got 43 degrees, and they measure it backwards from us, so I am guessing maybe 47 degrees. 40 degree setting read 50, so that may have been correct. No clue....

I took another look at that patented grinder platform. Looks like a variation on all the jigs that are already made by many turners. Since the axle/pivot point is not in line with the front of the wheel, you would still have to move the platform in and out to change some angles.

robo hippy
 
robo hippy said:
Well John, you don't have one of my robo rest. Pull the pin and set the angle, no gauges. It will be back on the market, hopefully in the spring. Can't tell you who will be making them till they are out... There are bunches of ways to make angle setting jigs, some already listed.

robo hippy
Click to expand...
Reed, has this happened yet? Now on the market? Thanks!
 
robo hippy said:
Well John, you don't have one of my robo rest. Pull the pin and set the angle, no gauges. It will be back on the market, hopefully in the spring. Can't tell you who will be making them till they are out... There are bunches of ways to make angle setting jigs, some already listed.

robo hippy
Click to expand...
Hello Reed. I've heard a lot of rave reviews of your "J" tool rests and wished to purchase a set. I have read that you are no longer selling them and was wondering if your fabricator is or would be willing to make them. I'd appreciate any information that would get me in touch with him or someone who is selling your tool rests. I have your sharpening platform and love it. Thank you.
 
john lucas said:
I'm looking for something that's let's me set at least every 5 degrees. The jigs I make let me duplicate a known angle on my tools but if I want to start from scratch and pick 40 or 45 or some other angle. The Tormek jig is similar to what I want but only works with their tool rest.
Click to expand...
Sorry for joining the party so late. BTW the patent has expired! Let's review our math, geometry, trig, and algebra in order to incorporate all the variables you will need to find or make such a device for woodturning! LOL
I remember enough math etc. to accurately calculate a given gouge nose angle by presenting the nose tangental to the wheel, in theory. In practice, it's not so simple to do. A universal solution has to consider various wheel sizes, grinder setup, platform or slide height, and even gouge diameter, and I probably left out a few variables. If I were at your shop, I would be able to troubleshoot your 50, 40, and 32-degree readings. It could be simple or complicated. In either case, it is not easy enough to explain to your students. The simplest solution is to do what you are doing with your tools as models. Don Gieger of GiegersSolution taught me that by providing a standard sixty-degree rod in his Varigrind supplement kit, you match the nose angle on the grinder to the standard first, then add the X-inch(2") spacer, set the angle, and move the slide to accommodate the setup. I didn't buy his kit, but a friend did and I helped him set up the jig. It was ingenious how he simplified the setup, realized that a height adjustment may be needed, and copied the machinist concept of using standards to set angles. After returning from my friends, I immediately started cutting up wooden 1/2" dowels of various angles for setups. Later I switched to aluminum dowels and I cut PVC to specific lengths for repeatability. I added flat standards of various angles out of 2x4s for the platform. To consolidate the two sets, I am thinking of offset turning some dowels from squares so that the top and bottom have flats. For the gouges, I forgot to mention, that first I mark the angle halfway and initialize by grinding an imprint of an arc from the grinder. This makes it easier for subsequent setups.

To summarize, I started with the Elsworth Jig which said the slide should be something like 4" from the wheel then 7 inches out. I asked David at his course, "what angle is the gouge supposed to be?" He replied, " I don't know maybe 55 degrees". That was ok then, but now I set the motion by putting a 60-degree standard in and setting up everything else around that. The dog and the tail thing.
 
Look at page 14, tips, December 2013 of American Woodturner. I wrote a small tip to measure the angle a rest is set to the wheel. This is a trial and error method but it works on all wheel diameters and pivot heights. It only uses a device to measure the angle and a contour gage. The gage should be pushed in as far as necessary to simulate the tool thickness.

Stu
 
Fal Wing said:
Hello Reed. I've heard a lot of rave reviews of your "J" tool rests and wished to purchase a set. I have read that you are no longer selling them and was wondering if your fabricator is or would be willing to make them. I'd appreciate any information that would get me in touch with him or someone who is selling your tool rests. I have your sharpening platform and love it. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Reed,
You really need to work with this guy. Make him send you some brats for your trouble. Best brats in the known universe come from Sturgeon Bay.
 
Well, never saw that patent. Stuart applied for one for his rest. I never bothered for mine because every thing I based it off of was as old as the protractor. Same with that one above I would guess, but the pics weren't too clear.

robo hippy
 
Hi Folks! I’m new here and just beyond a novice turner. I’ve often visited the forum to research in the past two years. I began turning making Native American flutes a few years back and use mostly HSS tools on my extended-bed Jet 1221vs. I find consistent sharpening a challenge and my chisels and gouges are high end. I‘be been trying to locate a Robo Rest for my Oneway-rigged grinder and am excited it may be again manufactured. Just ordered all SB’s angle tools, but I think the Robo Rest will really help with time and consistency.
I wish you all the best! Tommie
 
john lucas said:
I'm looking for something that's let's me set at least every 5 degrees. The jigs I make let me duplicate a known angle on my tools but if I want to start from scratch and pick 40 or 45 or some other angle. The Tormek jig is similar to what I want but only works with their tool rest.
Click to expand...
I have the tormek and it works fine on my 8" wheel.
Pat
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top