If you get a CBN wheel (which I highly recommend if you continue to turn) a 180 grit is a great all around grit to choose.
!80 grit is coarse enough to "grind" and fine enough to sharpen.

On another forum long time well regarded turner said he felt results the same whether gouge sharpened with 80 grit or much finer grit.

Are you turning bowls?  U, V, or parabolic flute?  Bar diameter?  Shape of the nose?  Green or dry wood?

Curious David, would you make a comparison on a test finial with cutting edge sharpened with the two grits of your grinding wheels, compare the results for sanding needed, and report?  I'll try to remember to do the same.

Spent about an hour this morn comparing cbn 180 & 600.  3"dia air-dry poplar. 1800+rpm. Glazer Stocksdale gouge. Tried various cove, bead, V shapes. 'Detuned' gouge on 180 first then sharpened again at 600. Did that twice.
   Conclusion? Very little difference. Nothing a swipe w/240 paper can't fix. I bow to those who recommend 180 as all around grit.
   I like to use the 600 to touch up the edge during turning. But that is really splitting hairs (fibers).

   

Been working on my sharpening skills this week.  Yes, I am using the Wolverine jig.  I did not understand the adjustments and really messed up some angles.  Going to cost me about 3/8" on one gouge.  I finally found Dave Thompsons site and instructions for setting up the jig.  Going to do it "his way" for a while now before I get experimental again.  I have also concluded that I did not really need a long fingernail grind with the side flutes.  I do my outside scraping with a Easy Wood carbide now.  Getting ready to order a 8" CBN  wheel in 180 grit mostly just because I can now.  Suggestions on supplier or brand or width?  I am an Amazon shopper mostly because of the free shipping but also like to buy from speciality suppliers every once in a while.

Turning and buying tools has been sorta hit or miss over a few years for me.  Upon examination I found out for bowl gouges I have three 1/2 inch bowl gouges and no other sizes.  One is a Thompson tool set up with their "bottom feeder" grind and it works fine for me.  Two are Sorby.  I do not understand their sizing designations at all.  Both are 1/2 inch diameter.  Both say "10 mm".  Neither the diameter nor the inside width of the flutes is close to 10 mm on either one.  I thought I bought one of them as a "3/8'.  Not sure I need any more gouges at this point.  Not sure what I would buy if I did.   A unhandled Thompson and a handled Sorby are about the same price to my door.  I like them both.  I like turning handles a lot.

Thanks Ed.  I seem to be a slow learner.  But...I think I understand it now.  Thanks for the simple explanation.  And...for now I am pretty much going to go with the same protrusion and wing angle until I see a need to change it. 


I now feel confident enough with the jig and sharpening process that I went ahead and ordered a 180 grit CBN wheel.  Not here yet but soon.  Maybe today.

I used to hold a ruler on the gouge to measure the depth.  Easiest thing is to build a jig to get the same depth as your protrusion.  When I built my grinder stand I put in a recess that's the depth I need.  Easy to put the gouge in the Wolverine, put the gouge tip in the hole, slide the Wolvie up to the edge, tighten and go sharpen.