Sharpen Your Bowl Gouge Like a Boss!

I demonstrate how to sharpen a bowl gouge, both a bottom feeder bowl gouge freehand as well as other bowl gouges using a sharpening jig.
If you have found my videos helpful, you can buy me a virtual cup of coffee with this link. www.buymeacoffee.com/mikepeace3Y
00:00 Intro
00:40 BG profile angles
1:00 Traditional grind or bottom feeder
2:16 angle setting templates
3: 00 freehand vs jig
4:00 Vari-grind jig intro
4:50 grinding errors
5:18 shaping the top profile
6:38 using the Vari-grind jig
7:40 changing the front leg extension
14:00 removing the heel
16:30 honing?
References to items referred to in the video.
Richard Raffan demonstrating free hand sharpening • Richard Raffan shapes ...
Link to Doug Thompson Varigrind devnet1.com/tool/wp-content/u...
Link to video on Kodiak sharpening system from WoodturnersWonders.com • Sharpening Lathe Tools...
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases from my Amazon shop www.amazon.com/shop/mikepeace...
General Tools Angle Protractor amzn.to/39JSp6r
Oneway Wolverine Complete Jig amzn.to/3yUj8HW
You can download demonstration handouts, downloadable copies of articles I have published, and other useful woodturning information available on my website www.mikepeacewoodturning.com/

[@ericmoorehead1100]

So how do you determine the tool is sharp other than turning a piece of wood?

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

You can't see an edge when freshly gound. If you are using it, when you are pushing harder, Surface quality deteriorates, Vibration increases or Cutting sound changes. When in doubt - resharpen!

[@jerrystark3587]

Check to see if the gouge will catch on your fingernail, much the same as one might do with a recently sharpened knife. Works for me.

[@jerrystark3587]

@@MikePeaceWoodturning Right. If the edge is fully sharpened, there will be no "candle" (light reflection) when light shines on the sharpened edge.

[@lyndalanthony635]

My simple answer is that I sharpen often and sharpen EVERY finish cut. If you sharpen as often as I do, you KNOW how a sharp edge feels. Too many beginners try to use a tool that is almost sharp and keep pushing it and the tear out they get causes them to have to sand for hours. Why not just sharpen and get a surface that you can start sanding at 220?

[@knothead5]

I had always heard that if you think the tool needs sharpening, you are overdue to sharpen. I see turners that started with with a new tool and see who short it gets over the years. Mike, thanks two bunches.

[@kengunnell6398]

Thanks for the video. I went and checked all my tools and found one with a bird beak. Would not have known how to fix it without your video. Thanks

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Excellent!

[@dianahenderson]

I reckon I've been grinding correctly...but it is good to see it done...and know for sure...Thank you Mr. Peace another well made tutorial.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks, Diana. Safe turning.

[@elfmaster38]

Thank you...Ive been struggling with this and have the wolverine and vari grind

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Glad I could help

[@caseysliger6220]

Love the sharpie trick! I use it to demo key cutting/filing by hand, makes all the difference to be able to see how the material is being removed.

[@glencrandall7051]

Thanks for the tutorial Mike. 👍👍I think the Wolverine is the slickest thing since sliced bread. I love mine.🙂🙂

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Right on!

[@swinfield12]

If I would have looked at the comments I would have learned the grits you have on your wheels. Thanks for the info. I try to watch all your videos. I am new turner and feel I learn a lot from them.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks 👍

[@LewisKauffman]

Thank you, Mike! Love these types of videos!!

[@adgieem1]

Great info and video.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jimwhiting2267]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@ian7583]

Most helpful yet again Mike

[@davidmorgan7522]

Great info Mike! Thanks for sharing. Take care, Dave

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks for watching!

[@jerrystark3587]

Based on my experience sharpening bowl gouges with the Wolverine system, I think you are offering very sound advice. Good video. Thanks!

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks 👍

[@jackthompson5092]

Great lesson Mike.

[@jontoolman]

Good demonstration Mike. Grest advise. Thanks for sharing!

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Appreciate it.

[@bryanholden6487]

I've been having problems with this, but thats sorted it out, Thanks Mike 🙂

[@user-qz9gu5kw7z]

very helpful! thank you

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

So glad!

[@rambladesmanmoe6291]

Thanks Mike. This video is very helpful.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Glad it was helpful!

[@paz2263]

Thanks for the video it was very informative and easy to understand. I have the same sharpening system as you and I found it confusing and hard to remember the different settings as I don't turn that often, but the one setting for all gouges was a light bulb moment. The less complicated works for me thanks...

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Glad it was helpful!

[@fouroakscrafts7240]

Great tips, Mike! You are the Top Gun instructor for turning. Thanks for making this.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

👊😀

[@trurex007lee7]

Thank you Mike, very helpful

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Glad it was helpful!

[@turnedbysean2023]

Good information. Thanks Mike

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Any time!

[@hfbowerndesigns810]

Good information Mike. Thanks for sharing. This is one aspect of turning that I find challenging as there are so many different opinions on what and how that it complicates the basic concept... and shortens the tool🤣 Take care my friend Cheers Harold

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Very true!

[@anaphylaxis2548]

Thank you Mike. I just bought the 40/40 gauges so I guess I'll need to learn to freehand sharpen. I do love them though.

[@lyndalanthony635]

I learned to hand sharpen the 40/40 from Stuart Batty, but I use the wolverine because it is easier...... The angles are close enough for me because there is NO perfect angle.

[@edmorse3529]

Excellent video!!!

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@geoffbrookman3041]

Thanks for another great video Mike, like most newer turners I feel like I struggle to get my tools sharp. I feel like many skills it takes patience and time to learn. My local store where I've taken many turning courses talked briefly about sharpening but are unwilling to allow students to setup and sharpen the class use tools. I understand their point that it leads to angles getting set wrong, but I found that very frustrating.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

That woould be frustrating. They should should spend more time on essentials. Give the store your feedback.

[@JohnShumate-el4iu]

Nice

[@HarmonicGrunt]

Thank You Sir.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

You are most welcome

[@MH-qq3kj]

Perfect video, I guess I’m doing it correctly!

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Perfect!

[@mmfenske1]

Hi Mike, Nice video as usual. I've been using the Vari-grind set as you do. I bought a set of the Raptor Jigs from Craft Supply for setting the tip angle vs using the black marker/rub method. I do this for tow reasons. First, it is much quicker. Second, I have concerns that over time if you are a little "off" each time you will end up with a different angle all together albeit a slow progression. I have mostly Thompson and D-Way tools and like to remove them from the handles for sharpening as it's easier to balance and control. Thanks, and keep up the great videos. Tale Care, Myles

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks. Safe turning, Myles.

[@timofeyzhukov-khovanskiy9173]

I see some folks touch up their gouges freehand very fast, but I don't find it with a jig to be too slow either. I sharpen with a 600 grit belt, and touching up is very quick, maybe within a minute I'm back to turning. I remember Mr Raffan mention that his freehand grind can't be replicated with a jig, which I can see

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Free hand sharpening is a great skill but not something most beginners want to practice enough to get right. They would ratther be cutting wood!

[@adgieem1]

Mike. Can you tell me the brand of your grinder. ? I have exact looking same unit. I cannot find a name on it. I bought it used. One suggestion , add more lighting to your videos. Too many shadows that make it hard to see details. I don’t want to miss anything on your videos , you share great info in a very good way.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Woodcraft. They no longer sell them

[@williamdodds6104]

So I just bought a tool sharpening system. It's called the Pro-Grind, It seems like a good setup and I think it has a lot of user friendly attachments to go along with it. Hopefully it can sharpen up my sharpening skills..😂

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

I am sure it will help. Stay sharp my friend.

[@bradvietjeastronomy2872]

Very well done. At 16:00, I’m pretty sure you meant to say convex, not concave, if you were referring to the side profile. Surely the bevel is concave from the curvature if the CBN wheel, but that top edge is very slightly convex for controlled shear scraping.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Yep, sometimes the wrong word slips out when talking. It is in your head right but comes out wrong. But KZbinrs get to see and hear their mistakes.

[@israelcharo1563]

Hi Mike.. Thanks for the video! Wanted to clarify a point in the video about Stuart's 40/40 grind. When you said you went back to the Varigrind, did yo mean you are no longer using the 40/40 grind? Ron Brown has a video on using the Wolverine system to do the 40/40 grind...if you've tried it did you find that it replicated Stuart's 40/40 grind? Thanks again!

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Yes, I tried Ron's solution and found it close enough so it works for me.

[@rickwhite3112]

Mr Mike, You didn’t say in the video what the grit on the two CBN wheels were that you used. Is it a 80G on the left and 180 G on the right? Something else to ask… do you use WoodTurners Wonders “Slick Stick” to lube your wheels and PB Blaster to clean them? Thank you. Rick W in Northern California.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Yes, 80 on Left and 180 on the right. I need to get some PB blaster.

[@harrykeel8557]

I have been using a Wolverine sharping system for about a year maybe longer. I have been noticing that the end of my gouge is getting sharp point. I have tried to avoid this from happening but I guess I ain't doing to good of job. Do I grind down the pointed end flat and then re-sharpen? Thanks for your time.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Yes, grind the point off and and then a roll over and back to blend it to the sides. It is like woodturning. Frind the part away that should not be there.

[@garylawrence7547]

If 23 degrees is the preferred jig angle setting why is the jig adjustable?

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Preferrred by me and many. But if you ask 10 woodturners you are going to get 11 different answers.

[@knothead5]

Need help. I tried to grind a bowl gouge using the system you show. However...I'm getting a convex contour on the cutting edge with ugly burrs raised up. Thanks. Have a virtual donut with the virtual cuppa joe.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

You need to recognize where the steel has to come off. Some parts of the bevel need more grinding than others. You do not just rotate your tool back and forth. If you have found my videos helpful, you can buy me a virtual cup of coffee with this link. www.buymeacoffee.com/mikepeace3Y

[@MD-en3zm]

What grit do you consider sharp enough? Is this the same for all turning tools?

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

I use a 180 grit for most of my sharpening.

[@MD-en3zm]

@@MikePeaceWoodturning I have a 60 and 180 grit cbn wheel I use - good to know I don’t need to go finer than the 180.

[@user-mn9en7ef2s]

How do you change the Benjamins best factory grind to bottom feeder?

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2bPfKScpMxogZY

[@DelsWoodTurning]

Hi Mike which is better for sharpening a 6 inch CBN wheel or an 8 inch CBN wheel?

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

I would not spend the money for a six inch wheel as an upgrade for a six inch grinder. A six inch works but has a tighter concave grind and a hi speed 6" is 50% faster at the surface tha a slow speed 8".

[@DelsWoodTurning]

@@MikePeaceWoodturning thanks that is good to know. I am thinking about getting a slow speed grinder with 2 CBN wheels.

[@DKWalser]

I'm not Mike, so I hope he'll chime in. My take is that a 6" wheel will produce a slightly greater hollow-grind than an 8" wheel. In general, a small amount of hollow-grind is a good thing because it makes it easier to hand-hone an edge in-between trips to the grinder. However, more than enough is not better. The greater the hollow-grind, the harder it is to find and 'ride' the bevel. Does that mean you cannot get a usable edge from a 6" wheel? No! You can. And, once you're used to the hollow-grind from a 6" wheel, you can get very good results from it. However, you'll find that most turners use an 8" wheel. Which means, if you were ever to sharpen your tools with someone else's grinder, you'll most likely need to take away more steel as you convert to a slightly shallower hollow-grind (and then, more steel again, as you deepen the hollow-grind when you return to your own shop). Only you can determine if the slightly lower cost of a 6" set-up is worth the 'cost' of these twin disadvantages. Me? (Glad you asked.) I use a 10" wheel. :)

[@DelsWoodTurning]

@@DKWalser Thanks

[@villageidiot8718]

Not related to sharpening, but when do I want to use the V groove verses the U groove?

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

The U or C shape makes a good BOB gouge. I prefer a parabolic shape to a Vee. I do not know when a Vee shape would be preferable.

[@villageidiot8718]

@@MikePeaceWoodturning I bought a V when Doug recommended it. I'll buy a U and give that a try. Thanks

[@billy19461]

Mr. Peace what grit cbn wheels do you have?

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

80 and 180

[@billy19461]

@@MikePeaceWoodturning Thank you. Love your videos!

[@kensherwin4544]

About the title: My boss is a golfer. You wouldn't be able to cut balsa wood with a gouge he sharpened. 😀😀

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

😂😂

[@swinfield12]

What grit is your wheels?

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

80 and 180

[@lyndalanthony635]

I am constantly asked what grit wheel to get. My answer is: since you normally sand when you are done turning, it doesn't make ANY difference...... Pick a grit and use it. Just don't waste your time on the 1000 grit wheels. I put mine in the drawer years ago because it didn't make any difference.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

I think it can make a difference for some. My son has a masters in music and can hear things I can not. That said, too fine a grit sure makes it critical to have an angle setting jig to get right on the bevel or you could be grinding a while with a very fine grit wheel. Thanks for your input.

[@lyndalanthony635]

@@MikePeaceWoodturning The point is, most people sand the surface after turning, so the grit of the wheel is immaterial; you will sand anyhow, so the edge difference is not important. Also, if you look at the edge under a microscope, there isn't much difference in the edge. Taking a finish cut with a fresh sharpening makes more difference than using an almost sharp edge.

[@billbinnicker5400]

I always get a burr when sharpening. Don't you? Shouldn't it be honed off?

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Not necessary on a bowl gouge. It does not interfere with the cutting and disappears in seconds.

[@OregonOldTimerWOODTURNING]

15:55 I think you mean convex, not concave.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Yes of course! It is funny how in the course of a day how many times we hear people using the wrong words. But us youtubers get to record ourselves doing it!