What chisel and general tool sharpener to buy

[Zaffy]

Recommendations for an electric wheel grinder with an angle guide to sharpen chisels please? Thank you

 

[D_W]

eek. before you get into any of that, just get a straight run of PSA sandpaper roll (80 grit) and a cheap eclipse style honing guide. It'll be faster than something like a tormek and you can set any angle you want.

In the longer term ,you're looking for a dry grinder and no angle guides. Buying some jigged up kit to start with (power) for several hundred dollars or more before you get to that point isn't going to be any good.

I've been down that road (a generic tormek, then a real one, various little angle jigs), that's from experience. I'd have spent less total time and a lot less money if I'd have just ground bevels on 80 grit PSA roll until I was ready for the dry grinder.

 

[Zaffy]

80 grit PSA roll. Will it tackle abused chisels as sharp as spoons? Thanks.

 

[Blackswanwood]

I have a Tormek which I find effective. As with most things relating to sharpening there will be others who prefer other methods!

 

[D_W]

80 grit PSA roll. Will it tackle abused chisels as sharp as spoons? Thanks.

Yes, the psa roll that's just regular white, red or gold aluminum oxide is strong enough to burn your fingers on a chisel if you apply pressure. I"d imagine that I can actually hand grind on psa roll (I do it freehand, but I use a secondary angle so the grinding doesn't have to be perfect) as fast as i can power grind.

A long run of psa roll makes it productive (I have a 42" glass sheet that's a go-to for all kinds of things that have nothing to do with sharpening - but it can be rolled out and stuck on anything that's remotely flat. A piece of stable hardwood is probably even fine as long as it's relatively flat laterally).

 

[heimlaga]

I am a fan of slow running waterstone grinders but there are many more options than Tormek.
Myself I have one entirely home built machine and one that contains parts from a factory made Alimak and one entirely factory made Kirunaslipen. The larger models of Kirunaslipen are for sue better than a Tormek but they lack the jigs. On the other hand you can adapt any waterstone grinder to use aftermarket Tormek jigs or just learn to grind freehand as I do. I use waterstone grinders for knives and chisels and gouges and turning tools and axes for accurate work.

Belt sanders are also useful. Especially those that are made for sharpening and run at a lower than normal speed. I have one of those too. Use it for plane irons and for logging axes.

Bench grinders are useful too. Some use them for chisels and turning tools but I find that to be way above my skill level. I have three of them. Two are used for sharpening metalworking drills and profile knives for my spindle moulders and for general metalwork. One is set up with special profiled wheels for profiled knives which I grind freehand.

Some just use waterstones or diamond plates or sandpaper and rub the tool back and forth by hand. I find that method to be too time consuming for rough grinding but I usually hone with either a fine waterstone or a diamond hone.

As you see there are many ways of sharpening. Every woodworker preferes his method and think everybody else is doing wrong. As I work quite a bit in spruce where the knots are very hard on the tools I have focused on tooling up for as time efficient grinding as possible without ruining the temper or cutting geometry of the tool..