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Sharpening Woodturners' Tools

Woodturners' Need A Hard Sharp Shaped Edge

Download Wood Turner's Tool Price List Here

Wood Turning Tool Types
we sharpen them all
Standard, long and extra long grinds

We Sharpen Roughing Gouges

Turns a piece into a round shape
Does not leave the best finish, but quickly removes material
A hefty tool, optimised for turning a square or off-center piece into a round one.
The wide, "U" shape flute quickly removes stock, the trade off is it won't leave the best finish.

We Sharpen Spindle Gouges

Shapes spindle work and creates details. Has shallow flute
Used to shape details in a piece, creating coves, beads and other elements.
Spindle gouges are identifiable by their shallow flute and are available in a wide range of sizes.
Most spindle gouges have a 'fingernail' grind, meaning the edges are ground back for versatility and clearance.

We Sharpen Skew Chisels

A difficult to master tool, but perseverance will bring you a most versatile chisel
Great for planing, gets you as smooth surface as you might wish prior to abrasive finishing
Though renowned for their steep learning curve, skews are ultimately versatile. They're optimal for shaving wood and leave a glassy smooth, flat surface. A rounded top and bottom edge, rather than flat, adds maneuverability. Tip: the cutting edge of your skew should meet the wood at about a 45º angle, above the centerline, and should work from one end of the piece to the other.

We Sharpen Parting Tools

Separates the wanted work from scrap or unwanted material
When turning between centers, a parting tool separates, or parts, your work from scrap or unwanted material. Generally, the parting tool is introduced to the wood in a plunge cut.

We Sharpen Bowl Gouges

Difficult to master, but versatile
Great for planing, for a smooth surface
Though infamous for their learning curve, skews are incredibly versatile. They're optimal for planing wood and leave a glassy smooth, flat surface. A rounded top and bottom edge, rather than flat, adds maneuverability. Tip: the cutting edge of your skew should meet the wood at about a 45º angle, above the centerline, and should work from one end of the piece to the other.

We Sharpen Scapers

Optimal for leaving a smooth surface finish
They scrape, using a burr, rather than cutting
Scrapers are commonly used to remove cutter marks left by your bowl gouge.
For this reason, new bowl turners often find scrapers very useful. Rather than cutting, a woodturning scraper "scrapes" using a burr. This burr must be kept sharp to be effective. The tool meets the wood just below the centerline of the blank. When using a scraper, it is held at a downward angle - tool lower than the handle. Generally, holding the tool at about a 30º angle from the tool rest is effective.
A round nose scraper (also referred to as a bowl scraper) removes marks on the inside of a bowl, while a square nose scraper is used on the outside of a bowl, as well as boxes and other flat surfaces.

Precision Matters

Using the Tormek T8, or our Sorby Pro Sharp with the jigs, we can put almost any angle of grind on the edge of almost any of these tools.
But without instructions otherwise, we will adopt the standard as suggested by Robert Sorby.