12 Best Lathe Tool Sharpening System (2023 Updated)

I have had my Tormek whetstone grinder for about 12 years but until now have never really got to grips with using it to sharpen my turning tools. Its been great for chisels, plane irons and planer blades but with turning tools I have always found it a pain to try and recreate the grind particularly on bowl gouges.

Rather than just a quick retouch it became another regrind as the angle was slightly out. In the end I used the bench grinder instead, not particularly accurate but okay. I know others manage well but there was no way I could produce the kind of edge I am used to with my cabinet tools that can take the finest shavings.

I saw the TTS-100 jig hanging on a display at Sittingbourne and on a whim bought it, despite the fact that its quite expensive for a simple plastic moulding. Now having used it to sharpen all of my bowl and spindle gouges I have to say its worth every penny.

Simple, accurate and easily repeatable. Brilliant, the shavings fly off the lathe and leave an almost polished surface with less sanding to boot. If you have a major regrind its well worth checking the tool projection every few minutes as it is surprising how a few millimetres out can put the desired angle out.

The most important element of this tool setter is to set the exact distance from the tool rest to the grinding wheel. The guide for setting tool protrusion, although useful, is a bit narrow I think and you could easily make your own from blocks of wood, which I probably will.

Definitely worth getting for setting the rest to wheel distance though.

I have used a piece of plywood to do a similar job, but as I use it on a wet stone, plywood does not survive. Being sturdy plastic, this gauge is much more robust and having a protrusion setting, plus a recommendation chart included, it is a very useful tool.

I am using this jig with the Keith Geiger system for sharpening bowl gouges. It is a perfect combination. The jig, like all Wolverine products, is high quality and performs well. I highly recommend the Wolverine system to anyone using lathe chisels.

This tool will give you consistent edges on your turning tools. It will help you maintain the correct angle of grind every time. It works best with an eight inch slow speed(1750rpm) grinder. It works great for bowl and spindle gouges.

The tool is nice it grinds the tool consistently. But there are no markings to where you can adjust the angle you need. For sharpend the tool. If the tool isn’t at the angle you need it’s then a guessin game.

Originally I had settled on buying a Vicmark system which is also a quality sharpening system, but then they redesigned it and removed the quick change cam lock feature and replaced it with a bolt. also the sharpening jig that holds gouges relies on a friction fit for the adjustment of the pivot arm.

That is something that seems to work but I am just not comfortable with it. The Oneway wolverine system is fast and simple to change the supports from one side to the other, turn a lever slid one fixture out and slide the other fixture in place and lightly lock it in place.

It only takes seconds. and you have moved from a 180g CBN wheel to the 80g CBNN wheel. also the jig uses a simple wing nut to lock the grinding jig in place. I understand that this is the most popular sharpening system in north America and Canada and with good reason.

With the exchange rate and the cost of shipping this was more expensive than the Vicmark system but I believe it was money well spent.

First I think it’s of good manufacturer basically. The design could be more user friendly. Secondly i find the unit very limited in range will only clamp my smaller tools. My biggest problem is cost this package is being sold as a must need tool for sharpening your tools, not so! If you wish to sharpen your mid.

to larger tools you have free hand or build a jig. I opted to build jig for my roughing gouges lesson learned build it yourself or feel foolish for believing the hipe.

I delayed buying this for a few weeks after I got my WS3000, which was a little dumb: I could’ve saved myself a trip by just getting this initially, which is defnitely what you should do! The combination leather wheel and honing compound not only refines the edges of your tools to an unbelievable degree, but puts a mirror finish on them.

Bottom line: if you’re someone who takes pride in both the performance and appearance of his chisels, turning tools, etc, you need this for your WorkSharp.

I’m happy with the leather hone. I do believe you don’t have to have it because the other grits do work very well. However the leather hone does improve the sharpening process even more. I’d recommend it to anyone but if money is tight you can live without it.

Bought this as a present. Recipient very happy. Arrived in good time

For years I sharpened by eye or using a homemade jig as saw this as being expensive and something I didn’t need, oh how wrong was I. Ordered on Monday and arrived a couple of days later, super easy instructions and within minutes I was set up and ready to sharpen.

Well all I can say now is that if you wood turn and don’t have one of these then you should get one. I hadn’t realised how badly sharpened my gouges were. The jig is super easy to set up and use, you only need a couple of passes on the stone and your tools are sharpened accurately every time.

What a difference this has made to how I turn, no more blunt tools.

It’s a little pricy, but there are several reasonably-priced Tormek knockoffs that have the same size tool-bar, so even if you cannot afford the Tormek wheel unit, you can afford the $100. 00 for the SVD-tool holding jig.

No one else makes it, and the newer model is very easy to use. Just slide it onto the work-bar and line-up the angle with your eye or your little angle jig. It works flawlessly. My tools have never been sharper.

A must-have investment for anyone who has one of these wheels.

No more stone dressing and dirty water baths. This is the perfect way. Straight from wheel to turning in a flash. One pass and your done.

this is a waste of money, after using my tormek for turning tools, I am convinced there is an easier way like a belt sander with a proper homemade jig setup. I did it for less than 80. 00$. my tools are razor sharp within 5 seconds.

with the tormek it is a waste of time and very expensive system. I also do not like using hollow ground gouges, I like a full bevel on my tools! save you money you are halfway to a belt sander and some scrap lumber for the jig!.

Another must have tool to set up the SVD-186 Gouge Jig. Very easy to use. I like the magnets that allows attachment to the metal cover so you have it ready for use when needed.

As anyone knows who has shopped these paper wheel sharpening systems. Charlies Wheels are less expensive and generally a better value. Consistent with my modest expectations, Charlies Wheels function as advertised, but my particular oxide-impregnated wheel, although uniformly coated, is not uniformly round.

That results in a high frequency, low amplitude bouncing of the blade during the grinding process and also heavily works the high portion of the wheel while leaving the lower portion nearly untouched.

I am hoping that the grinding wheel can be trued up by spinning it against a stationary flat file during the reconditioning process. The slotted buffing wheel, on the other hand, is acceptably symmetric and polishes consistently around the whole circumference.

As others have experienced and commented, it takes considerable experimentation, practice and patience to get a truly razor-sharp edge with these wheel systems. Although a flatter angle (15 degrees or less) will produce a sharper edge quicker, that edge will also be less durable.

I’m still trying to get a super sharp yet durable edge on my quality hunting knives – but that’s my problem, not necessarily a limitation of Charlies Wheels.

i bought a new buffer motor , installed the paper wheels on it. they fit nice and tight on the shaft. then i see that the wheels are at least 1/4 inch out of round. the center holes are not in the center.

even turning the wheels by hand it looks like they are egg shaped. so i calmly took the wheels off and threw them in the trash. i look at it that it is one more item on the market that the buyer gets screwed.

so i guess i will use the buffer as a buffer and go back to sharpening my knifes the old fashion way. this product is garbage.

I have purchased many sharpeners to get that factory edge. Some by CRKT and Spyderco among others. None of them gave me the results I was looking for. Put these on a $40. 00 bench grinder and it will be the best sharpener you ever purchased.

I was a little intimidated in the beginning so I tried it on a few fillet knives. After a short learning curve I have all of my knives razor, shave the hair off your arm, sharp. It’s not portable but it is the best home sharpening system I have ever had bar none.

Had this kit for around 6 years now and have sharpened every knife in the house. Takes a while to get the knife to the angle you want, but only a few strokes thereafter. Transforms your bluntest knife into a razor sharp instrument, from small pocket knives to large chef’s knives.

Very little force is needed as indicated in one of the reviews. Aim to get one for my brother.

Bought this 2mo ago and have sharpened 15different knives. From folders to very large hunters. Some had never been sharpened but each ended with a razor edge. Only fault is with the angle wings. They should be metal.

I’m not sure why it got some bad reviews unless you were sharpening a sword with it. I use it on my 4″ fixed blade, puko style knife and it works great! Common sense should tell you how to handle this kit.

You are not using the vice to forge a new blade, so consider how much you tighten it down. Use the sharpening stones in a smooth rhythm to bring back or liven up the edge, not bearing down on them to create an edge on a raw piece of steel.

I have used the kit several times and have been able to bring the edge back to the factory finish every time. Don’t let the bad reviews scare you off from this kit.

Love it, took some time to learn how to use it. But it looks like it going to be a good investment. I have sharpen all my turning tools, kitchen knifes and scissors.

bought this kit at a reduced price because of an opened box. it was a complete kit so no problems. saved a lot of money.

Awesome sharpening equipment

This does exactly what it’s supposed to. It is a solid piece of metal, well designed and constructed with clear, simple markings. What makes a good piece of kit worth only 3 stars? It is a piece of equipment necessary for the Pro-Edge sharpener that should come as standard with the machine and (for a simple pressing) it is ridiculously expensive.

I am totally pleased with my Robert Sorby ProEdge Woodturning Tools Sharpening System. Simple to use and perfect results.

It is exactly what it is if you know what and why your buying it.

I had some buyers regret after hitting the pay button simply because the value isn’t great and I’m sure I could find a lower cost cabinet that does about the same. The main reason for buying this is simply to have the drawers sized just right for the styrofoam tool organizers used with the tool packages.

If you’re piecing together tool sets, then getting basic styrofoam organizers is a plus. If you’re buying complete sets then they don’t matter. For the price, the organizers included with the cabinet should have been made out of a more durable material since handling then can damage the thin walls.

The cabinet itself is quite durable.

I got this a few weeks ago for my T8. The robust construction, quality of construction and convenience of having all things Tormek (and other accessories) immediately to hand are aspects which I appreciate on a daily basis.

Don’t hesitate to get this station (if you can afford it!). Recommended without reservation! Got to mention the packaging. simply outstanding!.

Loads of space, Kazan foam for parts, beautiful finish with attention to detail. Worth every penny. Sorry I waited so long. I have the original green torment machine.

In the 2 weeks that I have had the sharpener, I have sharpened my 9 kitchen knives; 3 pairs of scissors, 12 lawn mower blades, 1 axe and 1 splitting axe. I have to say that the Work Sharp did a great job on all the tasks that I asked it to do.

The belt change out is simple and straight forward. In the coming weeks I will be getting after my EDC’s and fillet knives too. I can’t express how happy I am with it. I have tried box sharpeners, wet stones and even the Work Sharp Benchstone at a friends place, the MK.

2 gave me the best results and the easiest process of all the sharpeners I have ever used.

I debated for about a year whether this was something that I needed. Now that I have bitten the bullet the answer is a very resounding YES! It is something that I needed and I should have gotten it long ago.

It works and it works very well… on my kitchen knives. On my outdoor knives. On my garden equipment. Anything that needs sharpening.

Had this product two weeks and wish I had more knives to sharpen. From an old pocket knife to Henkles kitchen knives. Medium and fine grit are all you need. Just short of razor blade sharp and I only did 4-6 strokes per side with med grit and then 4 per side with fine grit.

Super easy to change belts. Under 10 seconds. I had a beat up old Buck knife my dad gave me when I turned 12 (40 years ago) that was beat up, chipped and dull. Took about 5 minutes to get it to shave paper.

Love this product.