Recommendations for a low speed grinder sharpening setup
russ_rva
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
I am looking for recommendations on a low speed grinder, wheel(s), and tool mount for sharpening chisels and planes. I can’t afford a Tormek right now (or ever) and am hoping that folks here might be happy with some alternatives.
Thanks in advance.
Replies
I have a generic off brand tormak style sharpener (WEN) and it's been great. This was an upgrade for me over all hand sharpening.
Nobody will care what brand of tools you use if the results are excellent. In fact nobody outside the woodworking community cares.
I use a Jet variable speed (900-3600 rpm) grinder with CBN wheels. Works great. No over heating and bluing with the CBN. Not a cheap option, though.
Tormek makes a holder that mounts on the bench that allows you to use some of their jigs with any grinder. I thought it would be better to have the mount attached to the grinder (in case I move the grinder) so I constructed a bracket that replaces the Jet tool rest and holds the Tormac tools.
I have a Rikon wet sharpener which works very well. It is noisy and not as well built as the Tormak or Jet but it works well for me. It is a good deal, you could probably buy 3 of them for the price of a Tormak. The tool holder that comes with it is not worth having but all of the Tormak accessories fit the Rikon. I bought the Tormak tool holder and it works well. After slow grinding the bevel I use water stones to hone. It works...
https://www.finewoodworking.com/2016/11/28/rikon-82-100-wet-sharpener
I dislike all of the Tormek style wet grinders. They are excruciatingly slow. I sold mine after it gathered dust for years.
You don't say what you'll be grinding. Turners are a category unto themselves, so if that's what you want, ignore the following.
If this is for chisels and plane blades, and you're on a budget, any grinder will do. You aren't making finished ages. Find a used grinder if you can. They have better tool rests than pretty much anything new. Then chuck the stock wheels, and replace them with Norton 3x wheels. They are far superior.
If you let your tools get extremely dull with damaged edges yes slow but sure. Otherwise wet sharpeners are pretty full proof for chisels and plane blades. They restore a square bevel very quickly and without the danger of over-heating the tool. The question asked was for a recommendation for a slow speed wet sharpener.
The question was for a low speed grinder and wheel(s), not a low speed wet grinder. And I'm not aware of a wet grinder that takes more than one wheel.
I have a Rikon slow speed grinder with a 180 CBN wheel on one side and a felt wheel loaded with sharpening compound on the other and that has been a solid setup for me. I do some turning and have the wolverine setup which was a game changer over trying to freehand. Good luck with your sharpening!
The Rikon slow speed (1765 RPM) grinder (I have a 1/2 HP) is good. I also have equipped it with CBN wheels. However, for chisels and plane blades, I now hand sharpen with a series of stones and a honing guide. I use the Lie Nielsen honing guide, DMT Duo Sharp diamond stones (220 mesh to 12oo mesh), and Shapton Glass Stones for finish (2000, 3000, 4000, 8000 grits). The problem with a grinder like the Rikon for chisels, etc., is that it's hard to get the chisels and plane blades sharp and polished to the extent they need to be to be really sharp since you only have 2 wheels on a grinder.
I have found that grinders are a great way to do the basic sharpening - putting the correct angle on the blade, but then the blade needs to be honed, possibly a secondary bevel put on it, and something in the range of 8000 grit for the final sharpening polishing.
So, I'd say for rough sharpening, a grinder is a great tool, but not to get a tool really sharp. This isn't the answer that is sometimes desired, but I have found after about 45 years of woodworking that there are no shortcuts to sharpening.
Check the latest issue o FWW for the tool review by Chris Gochnour. Taylor Toolworks just released a simple solution that works. There are Utube videos and I just got mine and love it. Enjoy
Tormek is what we have, it looks like it would take forever and a day to sharpen chisels due to it's SLOW speed, but it fools you, it sharpens FAST