looking to buy a wet stone grinder for flat chisels

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Andybos0

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Hi Folks

I am currently looking at buying wet stone grinder and was wondering which one to buy as there are a few on the market,

so the models I have looked at are below but what would you recommend?

Record
Tormek
Scheppach
Triton
Sealey

Regards

Andy
 
Think we need a bit more info, budget etc.... If you are just starting out I'd say no rush.

Bought mine 2nd hand buy it now, collection only £10, its works fine for me and originally it was sold by Wickes.

Use it now and again, def could survive with out it though.

Lots of people on here bang on about how good the tormek are but I've not tried one so can't comment.
 
Personally I would go for a sorby pro-edge over the tormek, those wet wheel grinders are too slow for anything other than honing. Infact I would choose a dry grinder and stone over a wet wheel grinder.
 
Yes with all the options a tormek will give you a very sharp edge, but if you have a dink in the chisel its painfully slow. With the pro edge you have the option to switch to a coarse belt to fix any damage, then hone the tool, it heats the metal much slower than a grinder.

A brilliant British product worth supporting :)
 
What are you trying to achieve. The thread title mentions 'flat' chisels, presumably you're referring to the backs and none of the products mentioned will do that for you. Bevels and re-sharpening yes, flattening backs, nope.

How much do you think you will use it and what for? If it is hobby use and chisels only there are probably other options that maybe should be considered first. If it is professional use and you've a whole shop full of stuff to sharpen then Tormek is hard to beat but expensive (although good value as it is top quality).

So, more info needed really.

Simon
 
I use a slow speed white stone grinder, its cheaper and much much faster than the powered whetstones (that I have used).
http://www.axminster.co.uk/creusen-hp75 ... eed-510061
Personally I think it blows things like tormeks out of the water, particular in regards to getting the job done in a reasonable amount of time, though I won't pretend to have tried every alternative. It also leaves and excellent finish, I had no issue using it on my Norris 17 1/2" as there is next to no heat is produced despite the lack of coolant.

There are very cheap options (and cheaper places to get them) to the one linked above, which is what I have and have been extremely happy with... really leaves very little wanting for simple things like plane irons and chisels.

Never heard of the "Pro-edge", I am very much for supporting local products. Might look into it :D
 
Thanks for the replies gents

I am relatively new to woodworking (well done lots of wood butchering but nothing precise) and just setting up my workshop, as I have a fair few tools already but have the edges chipped and require grinding back and sharpening in some form or another I was looking at a relatively quick and easy way to sharpen them, never heard of the pro edge so will look this up, and to give you an idea I have round about £300ish earmarked for this one item as I still have other bits to purchase as well but if I find the right tool then I may spend more if I can sneak it past the house dragon.

Oh it is only hobby use as I work in London all week and travel home for the weekends so once I have everything sharp it will be getting occasional use only.

Regards

Andy
 
I purchased a Tormek T7 last year (from Dictum) and could not be happier. I asked a similar question on here before buying and most people told me to avoid it.

I knew a few people that used it daily and they convinced me to give it a try or sell it on. As it happens I got a fantastic deal from Dictum which was cheaper at the time and with the low euro as well I save about £150 off UK prices. I figured I could try it for a month or two and sell on at the same cost to me if it didn't work out.

First off, yes it is slow when removing large amounts of metal however that's kind of the point of the tool to some degree - it removes metal but retains the temper. However we are talking minutes here, not hours and it's really not an issue in the grand scheme of things. After the initial grind, maintaining and honing your edge is simple and quick. It's messy but I make provision for this in where I store and use it. This is definitely a keeper.

Be aware that whilst there are plenty of similar machines as mentioned in your list, not all of there respective stones last as long and this could increase the cost of ownership comparative to a Tormek depending on use.

For reference btw, another similar machine is the Jet (http://www.axminster.co.uk/jet-jssg-10- ... ner-200336).

As others have said, it's not really the tool to flatten backs although you can get horizontal machines that will fulfill this aspect. I use a set of Ohishi stones for flattening but then this is usually a one time process per tool for me.

The Sorby Pro Edge certainly has it's fan base and I've yet to know anyone who bought one who regretted the purchase so definitely worth looking at as well. That said, I don't see myself what advantage it has over a good narrow edge sander other than a decent tool guide and these can be bought third party anyhow.

In reality it all depends on what you want to achieve and with what tools.
 
Sorry folks as some of you have asked for more info but please bear with me as I am new to this and trying ( very trying according to the house dragon)

all I will be using the grinder for initially will be to re sharpen my flat chisels and planer blades, and now some of you have pointed me in the direction of the pro edge it looks impressive
 
shed9":3rrayvie said:
I don't see myself what advantage it has over a good narrow edge sander other than a decent tool guide and these can be bought third party anyhow.
The variable angle tool platform on the SPE is exceptionally well designed and engineered. I've not tried or seen anything else similar.
 
Rhossydd":2m9ul25f said:
shed9":2m9ul25f said:
I don't see myself what advantage it has over a good narrow edge sander other than a decent tool guide and these can be bought third party anyhow.
The variable angle tool platform on the SPE is exceptionally well designed and engineered. I've not tried or seen anything else similar.

I can see the aspect of good design and engineering and I do concede it is likely a superb piece of kit, as mentioned I've yet to hear anyone regret buying or using one.
 
Andybos0":27s63v5q said:
Sorry folks as some of you have asked for more info but please bear with me as I am new to this and trying ( very trying according to the house dragon)

all I will be using the grinder for initially will be to re sharpen my flat chisels and planer blades, and now some of you have pointed me in the direction of the pro edge it looks impressive
"Flattening backs" has been mentioned, but it should be born in mind that this is just a fashion of the new sharpeners, based on a misunderstanding, and doesn't need to be done (except for a tiny bit near the edge). And you certainly don't need any special kit to do it with, beyond the normal oil stone
https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/blog/243
 
The pro-edge is a great piece of kit and replaced my tormek a few years ago, and it will certainly do what you need very quickly and easily.

Having said that, a much cheaper and still very effective approach, especially given the low amount of usage you envisage, could be a simple cheap bench grinder with a norton 3x or similar coarse wheel for refreshing the primary bevels and then honing the final bevel on wet and dry paper, 3M film, diamond plates, oil stone or similar, very quick and easy.

Cheers, Paul
 
I have a Scangrind 150 water wheel grinder. It has a slow rotation in either direction.
It grinds properly and leaves a very good finish with no fear of overheating the blade being sharpened.

SCA-601551500__1__05169.1418454745.1280.1280.JPG


Well mine is actually blue and was marketed (badge engineered) by Record a few years ago but it's the very same thing.

There is also 200 model which is has a larger wheel but is otherwise the same. Highly recommended.
 
well I have pressed the button and opted for the pro edge, tells me it will be here next week so fingers crossed I get to try it out before I go back to work.

thanks for all your help with this

Merry Christmas to you all
 
Andybos0":154go7wd said:
well I have pressed the button and opted for the pro edge, tells me it will be here next week so fingers crossed I get to try it out before I go back to work.

thanks for all your help with this

Merry Christmas to you all

Interesting, if you get time some sort of initial review would be a good read I'm sure from the point of view of one newish to this type of device.

(Also there was a thread a short while ago with folks on here getting together to bulk buy (and therefore save some cash) on pro edge belts - may be worth a quick read)

Simon
 
SVB":2xhokom9 said:
Andybos0":2xhokom9 said:
well I have pressed the button and opted for the pro edge, tells me it will be here next week so fingers crossed I get to try it out before I go back to work.

thanks for all your help with this

Merry Christmas to you all

Interesting, if you get time some sort of initial review would be a good read I'm sure from the point of view of one newish to this type of device.

(Also there was a thread a short while ago with folks on here getting together to bulk buy (and therefore save some cash) on pro edge belts - may be worth a quick read)

Simon

Cheers Simon I will have a look for the post regarding the belts, and I will certainly post a review of the machine from a newbie prospective, hopefully it will be here before I go back to work on the 4th otherwise it will be the end of January when I get chance to try it out.

Regards

Andy
 

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