electric sharpener

[devonwoody]

I have an electric sharpener (cheapo ex BQ)
Does the forum think it would be OK to construct a water reservoir for the sharpener stone to revolve through? Or has anyone been here before?

 

[sawdustalley]

How fast does it spin, what type of stone is it....

I'm guessing no, its not the type that needs water, probably spins too fast. You won't turn it into a tormek if thats what your thinking... :wink:

 

[devonwoody]

Yeah it does spin fast, I could lower the voltage perhaps or connect up a dimmer switch?
After all the grinder cost £16, Tormak????
Or is the sharpening stone far superior as well?

 

[chiba]

Probably dangerous, for a number of reasons. If the machine's not designed for the job, then the likely higher than Tormek speed combined with water, which can possibly infiltrate the stone in an uneven manner, as well as being a solvent, could result in the wheel disintegrating (think shrapnel). Also, adding water to a machine not designed to operate near water? Well, that one probably doesn't need explaining... :shock:

Seems like with a Tormek though, you're mostly paying for those dedicated stones, so improvising a machine using their wheels isn't really worth it either.

 

[Anonymous]

Devon

DON'T DO IT.

Water and a machine not designed to be run near it????

Also, lowering the voltage of an induction motor will not slow it down as it is the frequency that controls the speed.

Dimmer switches will not carry the current needed by a motor, especially surge at start.

Dimmer swithces cut off part of the sinewave (delayed triggering of triac) to reduce the power developed across the bulb, the frequency is not altered and so the motor speed will not be controlled.

Machinemart have a cheap £40ish grinder that runs with a slow stone in water.


Tony

 

[devonwoody]

OK All advice taken on board

Many thanks.

 

[johnjin]

Hi Devonwoody

Have a look at this one.
http://www.axminster.co.uk/default.asp?part=CCWSG

It runs nice and slow at 120 rpm with an 8 inch by 40 m/m wheel. Designed for water and at less than 30 quid what more could anyone want. It lends itself to all sorts of possibilities for making your own grinding jigs. I bought one a few weeks ago but have not got round to doing anything with it yet. Just another one on the back burner waiting for a tuit. I have only turned it on and all I can say is that it is very quiet and smooth so for thirty quid anything else will be a bonus anyway.

All the best

John

 

[Chris Knight]

John, I had a look at one of these in a friend's shop - he used only the high speed grindstone. At the time, I had not seen this Axminster version and so had not read these words that form part of the catalogue description.

"with a little ingenuity some form of home-made rest could be constructed allowing more controlled grinding to be carried out."

For the life of me, I could not figure the positioning of the water bath which seemed completely wrong. Evidently, it is completely wrong - unless all you want is a knife grinder and Axminster have not figured out a solution yet it would seem!

When you complete your tuit, I should be interested to see what sort of tool rest you have come up with so I can advise my friend.

 

[johnjin]

Hi Chris
When I get around to it I will surely write a bit about it. The reason for buying it, is for grinding chisels and plane irons. Such a slow running grinder is a bargain in my opinion. The water trough as it is, will quite lightly end up in the bin, or at the very least be cut down on the top. The idea is to build something originating from the base of the grinder coming up each side of the wheel for rigidity that a bar can be fixed to, to enable a sliding jig to operate across the top of the wheel. I am not thinking of a quick fix here more an ongoing project that if all goes well will give me complete control of the grinding process. So you see the grinder as it is is just the heart of the system providing the power and at this stage the wheel. As for the fast wheel I have already bought a hard felt wheel for it to do the polishing. Unfortunately due to being away from home for the next few weeks this project will only develop on the drawing board (Autocad), but as previously mentioned I will certainly let you know the good and the bad of my efforts.

All the best Chris and look forward to the next instalment on the chair to which I am totally hooked.

John

 

[sawdustalley]

Yep I have one, dont use it much - I find its better for garden implements and stuff.

I would never consider putting my decent chisels near it, it would probably do more damage than good.

You can read my review here

 

[devonwoody]

I had a look at the comments re the axminster grinder and agree the price is right but will wait until a jig type setup has been created.

The pricing of some grinders reminds me of out two daughters who each have a Rolex watch, I make do with a cheapie I purchased over 12 years ago from a ring road type market outlet for around £3, and my watch tells the time just the same!!!
For about £2500 less.