wet stone grinder

[Alf]

Barry,

Umm, not tried that one (I assume you mean this?) Presumably the broad roller means you have to use the other one to make a camber? Dunno why I ask really, it's not like I use a honing guide for anything but straight edges any more anyway. How good/bad is it for lining up the blade to get a straight edge then? :wink: That's really what I like about the Eclipse-a-not and what's always put me off the Veritas. That and my cheapskate tendencies...

Cheers, Alf

 

[Anonymous]

I don't really see how one can use the Tormek to flatten loads of chisels as the wear would not be parallel to the stone's side, thus you would need to dress it and reduce it's width. The axle will get in the way too.

Seems to me that it's horses for courses and the Rexon excels at flattening iron and chisel backs whilst the Tormek excels at emptying your wallet :lol: with high initial cost and loads of expensive jigs :shock:

Only joking, Tormek clearly excels at bevel grinding.

I like the look of Alf's post from previous page and Gidon's, both seem like sound advice to me.

 

[mudman]

Barry,

Umm, not tried that one (I assume you mean this?) Presumably the broad roller means you have to use the other one to make a camber? Dunno why I ask really, it's not like I use a honing guide for anything but straight edges any more anyway. How good/bad is it for lining up the blade to get a straight edge then? :wink: That's really what I like about the Eclipse-a-not and what's always put me off the Veritas. That and my cheapskate tendencies...

Cheers, Alf

Yep, that's the one. I bought it as I was pulling my hair out with the Veritas one. I found that it was far too easy for the blade to swivel as I tightened up the clamp. Shame as I like the overall quality of the tool. Maybe I was doing something wrong? I did instal the little rubber mat but still had the swivel factor.
Lining up on the Axminster one is easy with the lines on the top and the broad clamp means that it won't move as it is tightened up.

 

[Alf]

I bought it as I was pulling my hair out with the Veritas one. I found that it was far too easy for the blade to swivel as I tightened up the clamp. Shame as I like the overall quality of the tool. Maybe I was doing something wrong? I did install the little rubber mat but still had the swivel factor.

Rob seems to be pretty positive about their Mark 2 guide and I think it's supposed to address all those issues. Not much help when you've already got the Mark 1 of course. Thanks for the info on the APTC one.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Anonymous]

I find ScarySharp messy too, and expensive in the long term.

Hmmmmm....don't understand that one; scary, to me, doesn't seem anywhere near as messy as using a waterstone (or oilstone for that matter) - no lubricant to get all over the place. 3M #77 spray on the glass, abrasive paper on the top - one spray should be enough to keep sticking the whole range of scary from 80g to 1500/2000. White spirits wipes the glue off the float glass nicely. Expensive? Could be, I guess, depending on how often you change the paper - I generally use whole sheets (rather than SS recommended offcuts), and they last 10-20 sharpenings at least...can't be too bad?

Just my tuppence

 

[mudman]

Been itching to try the Akansas Black I picked up for a quid.

You forgot to go "Meep meep"... :roll:

Meep Meep

Snigger Snigger :twisted:

 

[dedee]

I too found scary sharp messy until I stopped using water. I hone on dry paper which seems to last for ages - but then my output is rather meagre and I only own 8 chisels and 7 planes.

AndyP

 

[Alf]

I only own 8 chisels and 7 planes.

"Only" You've got to love that mindset... :lol: :lol: Hereby nominated as Quote of the Month, if we had one. :roll:

Anyway, messy. Well I think so. You end up with metal swarf and such everywhere and having sheets of glass in concrete-floored workshops can get messy awfully quickly... Plus it's too easy to start dubbing over the edges, at least for me. But as I often remark, it's be a boring world if we were all the same.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Pete W]

Definitely one of *those* issues . Ask 20 woodworkers about sharpening and you get at least 25 answers!

As one who hasn't done a great deal of sharpening, I'm still on scary sharp, which I liked because it was a low-cost start-up (I can see where it might get expensive if you're buying a lot of wet'n'dry in the long run). I then added a diamond benchstone, which is easy to keep in the bench toolwell and is handy for touch-ups.

However, I've a couple of old planes and about a dozen old chisels which require a good seeing to and I can't say I'm enamoured of the idea of scary-sharpening that lot, so I've been following the grinder discussions with interest.

I've also noticed (purely observation from many forum posts around the world) that very few people are happy with their sharpening setup for any length of time. *Everybody* seems to change at regular intervals. I've seen as many people move from benchstones to Tormeks as vice-versa.

Final thought (well, for now ): perhaps it's the professionals who most like the Tormek since they might need it more regularly *and* have the shop space to have a Tormek permanently set up as part of a dedicated sharpening bench.

 

[Alf]

I've also noticed (purely observation from many forum posts around the world) that very few people are happy with their sharpening setup for any length of time. *Everybody* seems to change at regular intervals. I've seen as many people move from benchstones to Tormeks as vice-versa.

Final thought (well, for now ): perhaps it's the professionals who most like the Tormek since they might need it more regularly *and* have the shop space to have a Tormek permanently set up as part of a dedicated sharpening bench.

Two good points, well pointed. Possibly why we all get worked up about sharpening discussions (well, okay. Why I get worked up about them then...) is that we have all done the expensive swapping from one system to another and are trying to stop the next poor sucker doing the same thing. Maybe it can't be done? Perhaps, in the same way we all have a certain number of bad dovetails to cut in our lives (alledgedly), we also have set number of times we'll change our sharpening regime?

Oh hell, I'm depressed now. Please let it be that I've already done all mine. Please... The Tormek's about the only thing left I haven't tried and I can't afford it.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Chris Knight]

I've also noticed (purely observation from many forum posts around the world) that very few people are happy with their sharpening setup for any length of time. *Everybody* seems to change at regular intervals. I've seen as many people move from benchstones to Tormeks as vice-versa.

Pete,
That is a very true observation. I think I am one of the folk that exemplify it. I confess to having spent more on sharpening aids than I would admit to LOML or most other folk apart from the members of this forum who understand about such things!

With everything a sharpener could need to hand, I have ended up using almost everything at times because it has been slightly easier or quicker than the next best thing. There is no doubt at all that I could do with 10 percent or less of the stuff I have however.

One observation I think has general applicability is that once ground to shape and sharpened properly for the first time, woodworking tools need only a little maintenance to keep them sharp - unless you drop them on a concrete floor or something like that. Certainly no expensive gear is needed.

I have formed a very hard opinion against the use of scary sharp and waterstones (except the very finest 8000 grit waterstone for polishing) on the grounds that they are very expensive, wasteful , messy and inefficient ways of sharpening. I am very much in favour of diamond stones because they stay flat and do a good maintenance job - but they are not good for primary shaping/sharpening in my view.

I have learnt to like good Arkansas stones - courtesy of my new carving interests but they vary enormously from stone to stone at any given price. Some are great, some are horrible.

I have relearnt that a cheap dry grinder with a good stone is all that most of us need for initial shaping and thereafter only maintenance is needed.

For flattening plane soles, scraping beats any other method I have tried.

For chisel backs the side of a Tormek is OK but an Viceroy Sharpedge is better

 

[Bean]

Very good point Chris

Thinking about it after the initial hard work on my chisels and plane irons the only sharpening needed has been edge maintenance.

As for the best method, there is only the best method for ourselves. It really is one of those personal things. I use a wetstone but I cannot resist getting my old oilstone down from time to time, and I believe that a powered waterstone will be beneficial, well until the next best thing comes along :wink:

Bean

 

[dedee]

As my woodwork output is quite low and as I only need to do honing maintenance on a small array of planes and chisels the scary sharp method offered a cheap initial outlay compared to either diamond stones (although I do have and use an eze-lap) or the Arkansas type stones.

It also seems to me that it is easier to buy a poor quality sharpening stones than poor quality wet 'n dry.

I do not doubt that when I have more time for woodwork, more money to spend, more tools to sharpen and more space to store them that I will use the methods described earlier in this thread.

Andy

 

[Anonymous]

Evidently my impression that flattening the backs on the Tormek was difficult was a mistaken one; must be that just the people who can't do it ever mention it or something. Sorry about that.

I think you are correct up to a certain point. Even though it is fairly easy to flatten the backs on the Tormek, I would have to say that it would probably be easier doing it horizontally, as on the Rexon.

 

[Bean]

Personally the engineer in me says that a Horizontal stone is best to flatten, I don't like the idea of using a vertical stone. I think you would lose control over the blade/iron. Still as people on this site can do it easily enough so it cannot be too bad. As said before I do not think there is a right way to sharpen anything, there is only the best way for yourself.


Bean

Sorry if i seem to be repeating myself :wink:

 

[ike]

Nail...hammer...whack!! 8)

 

[ike]

Bean,

that was ref. your last post

 

[Bean]

Ta Ike

Bean