Yet another grinder question

[patl]

Hi,

after much hunting here, I'm still really none the wiser on grinder wheel sizes, other than, other things being equal, bigger is better.

I've finally decided to succumb to the (need?) for a wetstone grinder to simplify sharpening (although I actually quite like doing it by hand when I'm in the right mood, it's just my tools don't seem to be smart enough wait until I'm in the right mood. When's LV going to invent one of those, huh).

So the price point I'm looking at gives me the 8" tormek or the 10" scheppach as options. From what I've read here, the tormek seems to have the edge in quality terms, but I guess, is the difference in quality worth the difference in stone sizes, particularly the difference in stone widths (30mm vs 50mm) which presumably would make a difference in the likelihood of my getting a truly square edge.

As background, this is only going to be hobbyist use, so it'll never have to run for hours every day and I dont foresee myself ever needing to sharpen turning tools.

Thanks,

Pat.

 

[Bean]

As background, this is only going to be hobbyist use, so it'll never have to run for hours every day and I dont foresee myself ever needing to sharpen turning tools

Then why not stick with the hand method?

There are a few on here who have gone down that path, who have switched back to hand sharpening.
I cannot quote from experience as i have always hand sharpened, but I believe that sharpening with a machine is not as easy as it is made out to be.

 

[Karl]

Hi Pat

I'm with Bean on this one.

I have tried a wetstone grinder, and didn't think it worth the quite sizeable investment.

My method is to hone/sharpen on waterstones. When raising a wire edge takes a long time, I know it is time to "re-grind" the primary bevel. I take the blade to some coarse wet n dry on my surface plate for this.

Cheers

Karl

 

[johnnyb]

try the jet from axminster quite impressive with several items included. ps sharpening is still a knack even on these machines.

 

[dirtydeeds]

being a carpenter my chisels take a beating and nails are an everyday hazard in fix and repair work. i havent the time to sharpen 10 chisels by hand.



if you are considering spending £250 odd on a wet grinder buy the tormek

i saved about £15 buying the sheppach but it was a mistake. the accessories are woeful quality. i binned the chisel holder

i buy tormeck accessories if they fit

 

[Losos]

sharpening is still a knack even on these machines.

You're probably right where turning tools are concerned but I actually found that using the Tormek for flat blades (Chisels, planes, etc) was very easy. What's more i never knew what sharp was until i bought my Tormek. Previously I had tried by hand but never ever got my planes to work properly until they were Tormek sharpened.

 

[patl]

thanks all. I guess it sounds like the little tormek is probably the answer then. Although I'm happy to carry on by hand, it just takes me too long to get a primary bevel I'm happy with, which tends to put me off sharpening until I end up with a big pile that needs sharpening and I then stay out of the workshop for days while I summon up the inclination to do something about it.