I’ve been using a ONEWAY Wolverine Grinding Jig mounted under my 8" grinder for nearly 20 years to sharpen my bowl and spindle gouges and scrapers. Ernie Conover writes about this system on page 22, and it’s arguably the fastest, easiest way to keep lathe tools ready for action. I love mine! Trouble is, my grinder is located across the shop from the lathe, so touching up my bowl gouge a half dozen times or so on a Saturday morning might help me get my steps in for the day, but it’s a bit inconvenient. The closer the sharpener is to the lathe, the more the sharpening process becomes a natural part of the turning process, which makes for cleaner, easier cutting.
That’s why I think this Lathe Tool Sharpening Station is really going to streamline things. Designed with Rockler’s new Rock-Steady Shop Stand Kit as its framework (32" W x 20" D x 32" H; item 64351), I can roll it over to my lathe easily, so sharpening will only be a few steps away from the action. Its worktop has an aluminum facing to protect against sparks, plus six holes and a long slot for storing the lathe tools I’m either sharpening at the moment or using while I turn. Two
