[chuckt]

Hey - that's funny - I thought of the exact same analogy - the pitching machine. Except they usually have two wheels spinning in opposite rotations (one clockwise and one counter) oriented so that when the ball is feed between them it is thrown out the other side. Similar to what you described above with the two grinders back to back to hollow grind both sides of the knife blade at once.

Anyway - thanks for all the input and safety tips. Definitely something to be VERY careful around and congnizant of. I am inclined to agree with Mark that going against convention carries a risk. It is up to each of us to know and understand those risks and dangers before "breaking the rules" so to speak. As for me - I am relatively new to carving, sharpening, and power tools - so I think I'd rather get into good habits and follow those conventions right from the start.

Thanks to everyone for all the great input.
ChuckT

[Mark N. Akers]

Just recieved my Jool Tool today and already sharpened a couple of #11,I will say it is pretty awsome,looks like it is as easy as the video makes it sound.Was able to get a couple of pretty good edges on a couple of tools in a matter of a few minutes each.

[cats pa]

Is the Jooltool the one with the sandpaper disks?

No matter, I'm not gonna buy one anyway, I like my Makita 9820-2 too much. Got it from Highland Hardware with all the grit wheels and accessories (about 400 bucks IIRC), and use it a lot. If you can get over the mess it makes, you can put an incredible edge on just about any straight or convex tool, and concave tools with a little creative misuse. But where it really shines is planer and jointer knives up to maybe 18" or so. That, my friends, can save you some serious money. IMHO, the horizontal wheel gives you a lot more usable surface than a Tormek or similar, and much easier to make jigs and holders for. Wet, so no worry about overheating your steel.

Mark, thank you so much for bringing up the safety issue. Here's how I was taught: All wheels spin toward you. Imagine the wheel with vertical and horizontal centerlines, dividing it into four quadrants. When grinding, use the top near quadrant, i.e. 90 degrees, preferably with a toolrest, and grind into the edge. When buffing, wirebrushing, or using any wheel softer than stone, use the lower near quadrant, and buff OUT OF THE EDGE.

A soft wheel (felt, leather, cloth, sandpaper) will catch the edge and rip the tool from your hands, if you're lucky imbedding it in the floor, or if unlucky in you or a bystander. This will happen too fast for you to see or even know it. My good buddy has a long scar down his leg from a 1/2" chisel, and he told me he wondered, "Where'd it go?" before he felt the pain. DON'T BUFF INTO THE EDGE, Please.

Chuck, when using a horizontal wet stone there is an advantage to addressing the tool edge into the rotation, and that is that you can see where the along the edge is the contact point because a little ripple of watery swarf pops up. I'm sure you've seen when hand sharpening, say, a chisel, on a stone - you know if your angle is high enough because it pushes a line of crud in front of it? Same idea. This is useful because especially on a convex edge, you might want to grind only a specific place on the edge, a nick maybe, and not the whole edge.

Parker

[carvinginnyc]

I did a first hand users review on the jool tool. I am the woodcarving instructor for the new york city parks dept. and have now sharpened hundreds of chisels, gouges and knives on it. My no nosense review is at sharpening************** A sharp knife is a wonderful tool and a point of pride