If you had the choice which tool would you chose from the following list with idea that it would save you the most time..
1.Tormek sharpening system (think I’ll stick with glass and sandpaper but the carving tool sharpening on the leather wheel is enticing)
2. Leigh dovetail jig (variable spacing is a must – but I feel somewhat of a need to hand cut the dovtails. The jig would save me much time)
3. Powermatic mortiser (basically a big time saver, not a big fan of cutting deep mortises nor many mortises)
Your comments would be appreciated.
If you need a tool and don’t buy it, you will soon find you have paid for the tool but don’t have it – Henry Ford
Replies
Sebastian,
Thickness sander - hands down. Oh... ... so sorry, that wasn't one of the items on your list! If you aren't already a devotee of the hand scraper, that would also get my vote.
In all seriousness, your list is a little like apples and oranges - hard to make a valid comparison without knowing what kind of work you do, and what your building routine and existing tool preferences are.
Paul
Sebastian
If I had to chose from the list you presented and I did a lot of mortices, the Power-Matic morticer. But if you don't already have one, a good shoulder plane to go with it. It's the quickest, easiest and most precise way of down-sizing the tenons cut slightly over-size for precision fit. Some things just can't be done as well by machine.
As jazz stated; scrapers, (and I will add) shoulder plane, spoke-shave and a low-angle plane for end-grain are something that you should have and learn to use if you haven't already. They have their place and will continue to be the best choice for a lot of fine tuning.
Regards...
sarge..jt
Proud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Edited 12/17/2003 1:06:01 AM ET by SARGE
Sebstian,
The Powermatic mortiser...hands down. There are too many less expensive alternatives for the other pieces of equipment.
no brainer.....
I got sharpening covered with my water stones; dovetails.... I've avoided up to now but I'm gearing up to doing them by hand......
HAS to be the mortiser......
Mike Wallace
Stay safe....Have fun
Door #3 Monty..Whee.
This is the order I purchased the tools.
1.Mortiser
2. Leigh Dovetail jig
3.Tormek
The mortiser, of course. Why did you specify Powermatic?
If I HAD to buy one of the three, I'd go for the mortiser, too. I can sharpen tools a lot faster by hand than on a Tormek, and for almost no money. If I'm going to take the time for dovetails, I'll make them look good and cut them by hand. Even with variable spacing router-cut dovetails don't look all that great, IMO.
None of the tools are essential to a good shop - to me they are more conveniences, unless you are doing a LOT of a particular kind of work. Have you given any consideration to buying a bunch of relly good wood?
Michael R
iffan ya just sharpening flat stuff , scary sharp is a pretty decent system I used it before I got my Tormex,
however, tell me how to sharpen curved or round tools with anything like the accuracy and ease that a Tormex does and eat my hat..
I own a morticer and since I do a bunch of mortices I could never go back. I love mine.. (Works fine on evan those little 4x5 inch mortices that are only 4 inches deep)....
Dovetail gig? dust collector..
>> however, tell me how to sharpen curved or round tools with anything like the accuracy and ease that a Tormex does and eat my hat..
I can't answer for Sebastian, but I emulate a lot of professional turners and sharpen my lathe tools on a grinder and hone them on a hard buffing wheel. Touchup on a ceramic stone. Takes a couple of minutes. Problem is, they only get dull when you're using them, and I want to be able to sharpen them quick.
Carving tools I sharpen mostly with a ceramic stone and slip stone. Hone on a hard buffing wheel, although leather and paper wheels look interesting. Tormek's just too time consuming for me.
>>I own a morticer and since I do a bunch of mortices I could never go back. I love mine.. (Works fine on evan those little 4x5 inch mortices that are only 4 inches deep)....
You're the kind of guy who needs a mortiser! Or an apprentice.
No need to eat your hat.
There's lots of ways to skin a cat.
Michael R
If sharpening is eating too much time you need better chisels and plane irons. With practice handcut dovetails can be well done and quickly. Ever see Frank Claus do 'em with a bow saw for crying out loud? Since one half of the the joint is scibed off the other the angles and width isn't of any great consequence and the variation is what makes them look handcut in the first place. M&T joints require repeatability and precision. The PM#719A Mortiser is sitting at the top of my wish list. I've already broken Multico and Delta benchtop HCM's. It is hands down the time saver of the bunch. You can't really scribe a mortise off a tenon or vica versa all that well and the variations in fit adversely effect the joint. I found an old PM #400 foot pedal plunged HCM on Ebay a while back but it was on the right coast and it was no longer a deal once I figured shipping to the left coast. If your doing a lot of 4"x5"x4" excavations a Wacco or Waco mortiser may be the ticket if you can find one.John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking
Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne
How do you properly sharpen a gouge? doesn't the angle vary when you try to roll it around in your hands?
I would think that the varied angle that results from trying to do it by hand could cause a lot of catches and such.
Maybe you are so skilled that it isn't a problem but for newbies like me I need things to be correct as possible going in to eliminate the variables so that when something happens i can learn from it and master the art of turning..
>>How do you properly sharpen a gouge?
Mike Darlow has an excellent description of several methods of sharpening gouges in his book, The Practice of Woodturning. It helps a lot to have a grinder with a good tool rest. For spindle gouges, there is a fanning motion where you swing the gouge from side to side while turning it, or you can turn the gouge as you push it straight up the wheel.
It's most important to know what the gouge is supposed to look like. If you have a good idea what you're after, you can just practice variations on a technique until it gives you what you want. When I was first learning, I would do my best to create the proper shape, and whenever a gouge didn't perform, I'd go back and figure out where I had gone wrong by comparing what I had done with the way it was supposed to be.
There are some good jigs for sharpening gouges on a grinder, and most of them set up in a few seconds, and do a good job. I don't have anything but a good tool rest, but I can see how a good jig would help.
If you don't have a couple of good books on turning, they are worth the investment. They will show you in a few hours things that would take years to figure out, if ever. I thought I knew how to turn a little bit until I got a Darlow's book. It improved and speeded my work up a lot, and I'm still learning from it.
It also helps tons to watch someone more experienced, if you can.
Michael r.
I have watched and I bought the jigs, I'm still very uncomfortable with doing it without the guides that the Tormex provides..
Part of it is fear of making a mistake in sharpening and part is fearthat I'll get the angles wrong and have a tendancy to catch..
I've probably got about 100 hours or so standing behind the lathe maybe that fear will go away as I get the thousands of hours some have,, maybe not..
>>
I have watched and I bought the jigs, I'm still very uncomfortable with doing it without the guides that the Tormex provides..
That's fine with me: whatever works for you. You get a variety of opinions and make your own decisions. It's good that you know there are options.
Michael R.
my vote is for the moriser.
Hello Sebstian,
In answer to your question and point {2} that you feel the need to cut dovetails by hand, check out hand cut dovetail joints on http://www.anglemag.com I invented the anglemag. Jeff
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