variable speed bench grinder in Europe
smintheu
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
hi all!
I’m a bit tired of trying to regrind a bevel on my plane blades (PM-V11) and chisels, so I’m looking for a bench grinder. My initial research tells me that I’d go for an 8″ model, ideally with variable speed so that I can also use the grinder for other purposes than just regrinding bevels. Perhaps a machine that at some point I can put a CBN wheel on.
That said, either I don’t know how to search for it, or something like I describe above is impossible to find in Europe. Does anybody have a recommendation for bench grinders as describe above that are easily available in continental Europe?
Thanks a bunch!
Replies
Have you thought of a Tormek? I have one and love it. Very expensive, however.
From what I've gathered, a Tormek is not the ideal tool to re-grind a bevel, as it would take a long time.
If you are talking a different angle, it would take a long time. But if you are just refreshing the sharpness of an existing angle, it's not very time consuming at all. I did all my chisels, plane irons, and turning tools in the first couple of days after it arrived. I've been thrilled with the performance and ease of use. Also--and this is big for me--extremely clean. No dangerous dust and no mess to clean up.
To quickly regrind bevels I recently purchased a Tormek 10" Coarse 360 Grit Diamond Wheel. Although this wheel is rather expensive it has made regrinding bevels quick and reliable. It also avoids the risk of overheating a blade. I then finish with honing and polishing on waterstones. For my sharpening needs with plane irons and chisels this combination of methods seems to be the most efficient.
I live in Switzerland and often buy my stuff from Dictum tools in Germany. I bought a grinder there a number of years back. http://www.dictum.com I have really liked dealing with them. They ship outside of Germany as well.
Here is a grinder currently on their website. You can select English as when you log in it may default to German.
DICTUM Low-speed Grinder DS 150 L with DICTUM CBN Grinding Wheel (399 Euro)
yeah, I know Dictum, and I've seen low speed grinders there and in other places. It's low speed, so I thought that that would result in a bit less flexibility than a variable speed grinder, but maybe I should consider it.
I gave up on Tormek a few years ago, trying to establish a new bevel on my thick wide bevel up pmv 11 blade for the shooting plane took forever.
Went with a Sorby Pro Edge belt sander (popular among woodturners) instead and built some jigs for it. If I was buying today it would be a similar machine but better suited for my needs, the Axminster ultimate edge. It has have variable and reversable speed and have tormek style jigs. https://www.axminstertools.com/axminster-professional-ultimate-edge-v-speed-sharpening-system-230v-107658
Sorry for not answering the direct question. The only machine I know of is very expensive and it's the Tradesman DC grinder. Don't know if they have a version for Europe but the power isn't that high I believe so running it with a converter won't cost that much extra. https://tradesmangrinder.com/product/tradesman-8-dc-variable-speed-grinder-woodturners/
that axminster ultimate edge seems really interesting. It's a bit of an investment but I like the fact that it's very versatile and that you can put mops and felt wheels on it as well. I need to look into shipping and import costs to the rest of Europe though - thanks Brexit! In any case, a great suggestion, and another rabbit hole for me to explore. The Tradesman DC grinder looks great but is definitely outside my price range and a bit overkill for my hobby needs.
Could be it's a bit cheaper from swedish supplier. Still quite expensive though, prices have gone up considerably last years. My Pro Edge was below 300£ three years ago, not it's up at 500£. Link to swedish supplier selling the Axminster variant. https://swedendro-tools.se/se/produkter/slipabryna/verktygsslipning/axminster-professional-slipsystem-ultimate-edge/axminster-ap50ue-ultimate-edge-bandslipmaskin-variabel-hastighet-kampanj
looks like it's almost 90€ more expensive from that supplier..
Yes I know, ot was more if Brexit made it expensive to get it from UK.
How about an after market A/C motor speed control?
I have a grinder that's variable speed. I don't think I've changed speeds on it, ever.
I have 2 grinders, both run at slow speed.
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I’ve used Tormek for 15 years. The method for changing the grinding grit works well and for big angle changes or to fix a damaged edge. I understand the concerns some people have for speed but I’ve never considered shop time as a race. Angle changes or edge repairs need grinding only once. After that, and once one has practiced enough to resharpen quickly, maintaining the edges is easy, quick and the results are amazing. My advice to students is to try the different sharpening approaches and pick one that works for them. If you search for opinions, you'll get the rabid sand paper on glass bunch, the diamond stone militia, the cbn crowd, the ceramic boys and girls and the best and my favorite-water stones. Seriously, if you understand the theory and practice, they all work. Pick one and commit it to muscle memory. Good luck.
Thanks - I'm ok with my water stones for the day to day sharpening and honing, but I'm looking for a faster way to re-grind bevels. I've tried re-grinding my pm-v11 plane blade on my 140 atoma, but it took forever. A tormek just doesn't seem the right solution for this either.
It definitely is a slow grind. I was taught how to use a high speed grinder with a lower heat white wheel to do faster grinds. It took some time and practice to get the hang of it without burning the edge. As I said before, speed is not an issue for me. I may invest in cbn for my Tormek as I’ve been doing more turning lately and these seem to be the wheel of choice for quick rough gouge work.