Tool sharpening

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KenMcCulloch

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I am planning to acquire a 'wetstone' grinder for sharpening woodworking tools and would be interested in people's experiences. There's Tormek of course, very good but expensive, ditto Jet. Even S/H on ebay these seem to command high prices. Another brand I've come across but not used is Sheppach which are quite a lot cheaper but some reviews suggest OK for light use. Cheapest by quite a bit is this from Axminster (I'm assured they will be back in stock by the end of this week). I find I am using up an awful lot of energy grinding out nicks in chisels and plane irons by hand these days when I could be using the time and energy more creatively so a machine to help is in the budget. Comments and advice welcome.
 
since starting work as a Carpenter & Joiner Apprentice in 1962 i have only ever used a normal Grind stone wheel but it must be well looked after & re-dressed often to keep a clean cut. wet the item being ground often & watch to see the water drying on the item then dip in the water again.
dont use a fine stone as when the tool is sharpened the grinder marks obviously get taken out by the oil stone

any way thats my 2d worth
 
There are options from Rexon and Draper.

The Rexon one looks ok but often comes up o nebay having hardly any use which makes me wonder if its any good...

I wonder if the Axminster one will take a plane blade attachment and if so, how much is it? It says it wil ldo a 60mm chisel, I cant guess how wide a plane blade is?

I need to buy a sharpening machine and have been mithering over it for a long while.
 
I dont like the tormek as it puts a hollow grind on your tools . I use This one as it leaves a nice flat grind . You can buy differant wheels to go through the grades of stone .

Seems its on special at the moment , was £139 inc vat now £99 inc vat .
 
[ QUOTE ]
I dont like the tormek as it puts a hollow grind on your tools . I use This one as it leaves a nice flat grind . You can buy differant wheels to go through the grades of stone .

Seems its on special at the moment , was £139 inc vat now £99 inc vat .

[/ QUOTE ]

Oooh, I didn't know that.

Do you collect, or should I just drop them round? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I bought a Rexon Whetstone grinder from Screwfix. web page. Looks very similar to the one Cuchilo has, probably made in the same factory! It includes a jig for holding planer blades.

I chose this one because it got a good review in one of the woodworking magazines years ago. It does the job but one of these days I intend to fix up a permanent water supply and drain for it instead of the plastic tanks, which always seems to need refilling and emptying when I'm in a hurry.
 
I have one of the Axminster machines, or rather I have one of the basic machines without the rests and chisel guide. I think it was in the region of £30 to buy, certainly available elsewhere at about that sort of price.
It has not been hard used but seems well made, and works ok. I have improvised the grinding of chisels and 3" plane blades. With a little imagination it is no problem to fashion a guide to help you hold tools at the required angle; although it must be said that the lip of the water tank, notched to help with tool support, is not particularly rigid. The slow wheel runs out of true but this is not an dreadful problem and acceptable in a product priced at this level... At school it was a monthly task to grind blades, one urchin cranking the 3 foot sandstone his accomplice ,red faced, scraping away at the blades in terror, with the huge stone running about 3 inches oval.
I have not filled the bath with water but have dipped the tools for cooling (as described above). I feel that to leave the wheel 1/3rd soaking in water is asking for trouble.
I thought it was a good buy for the money.
PS
I have just looked at Cuchilo's horizontal stone, a better proposition if you intend to do a lot of work and can justify the extra expense.
 
Any of the cheapo wet stone machines will do as all they do is rotate the stone in a trough of water, the important bit is the stone it's self that has to be quality.
Carborundum (Trade Name) make the best ones.
All the gizmo's and attachments will not really help you get the perfect edge they are strictly for DIYers train your self to do the job by free hand.
A tip working on any grind stone is always be prepared to let the job slip free from your grasp.
From the start for drills it is about 150. Don't turn the drill just hold it steady and angle down the chuck end. the two cutting edges should be parallel.

For Chisels about 50, for plan irons may be 25 or so. Hold steady and traverse across and back. The same for chisels.
But the satisfaction when you can get it right with your eyes shut is bliss. An engineers square is a help to get the blades square.
Then three or four strokes on an oil stone flowed by a stropping on a leather will do the job.
For the very best, finish on a white washerter stone to have the keenest edge you will ever get.
Just an add to the help above after use just drain off the water most grinders have a drain at the bottom of the wheel well.
 
[Then three or four strokes on an oil stone flowed by a stropping on a leather will do the job.
For the very best, finish on a white washerter stone to have the keenest edge you will ever get. ]

That will depend if the chisel is made from good carbon steel or a chunk of stanley water bar /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

One cant get an "Edge" on a water bar
 
The old ones are the best ! I got this lot off ebay for about £20 /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

18032008156.jpg
 
That pic was taken before i honed them , now they wont cut butter /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Ive just picked up the three firmers with the shaped handles to compleate the set for £3 /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
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