Next Step: Loads of Research

Today I met with Mr. Cowell and he told me I needed to start some research behind my tools. He told me that I need to learn how to sharpen the lathe tools because it will be important to have sharp tools in order to carve smoothly. For our meeting today, he put me on a computer and told me to start researching. I found some interesting information. There are many different tools and they all require a different angle of sharpening in order to serve there purpose. The easiest way to ensure this accuracy is with a jig. Instead of just free handing the tools against a grinder to sharpen the tool, a jig is a sort of stabilizing tool that will hold the tool at the desired angle. Jigs come in all different shapes an sizes and you can buy one or you can find instructions to make your own. Given the creative nature of my WISE project, Cowell and I have decided it is better to make my own jig. In a little under an hour of research today, I learned a lot about sharpening and found a few templates for jigs and have a solid base to conduct more research on my jig and then sharpening my tools.