grinders?

grinder prefernces

  • 6" wheels

    Votes: 7 21.9%
  • 8" wheels

    Votes: 21 65.6%
  • slow speed-1725rpm

    Votes: 24 75.0%
  • fast speed-3450rpm

    Votes: 6 18.8%

  • Total voters
    32
  • Poll closed .

larry merlau

Member
Messages
18,741
Location
Delton, Michigan
whats your prefernce and why? after being woke up:) this is for a sharpening use, plane irons, chisels, and other related wood tools. stone grits would be apprecaited as well..thanks for understanding:dunno:
 
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i only voted "slow speed" `cause you didn`t say what the use was:eek:
it really depends on what you`re grinding with what rock which is better, but given no other choices i`ll err on the side of caution.
 
I didn't vote Larry because I use my small and large hand grinders a bunch, also have a DeWalt bench grinder for sharpening lawn mower blades, and then have a slow speed grinder I use to touch up my turning tools, so my options weren't available. :huh::dunno:
 
I like my Makita wet grinder. You grind along the side of the wheel, not the edge, and a small reservoir of water drips onto the wheel as you work. It spins at something like 560 rpm. Planer blades up to 16" fit in the guide, as to chisels and plane irons. Making a gouge jig is pretty easy. It comes standard with an 8" 1000 grit stone. I've also got a 120 grit wheel for it for quick shaping.

Honestly, i use it primarily for my planer blades. I haven't set up my lathe yet, but i'll use it for those tools as well. It works great for plane irons and chisels too, but i like my waterstones for the hand tools.
I don't know if the Makita is still available - i think it is. I also saw that Woodcraft is selling a knock-off, and Grizzly seems to have a similar set up as well.
On my bench grinder (1750 rpm), i have a white wheel - friable. It cuts great without fouling and seems less likely to burn my tools than standard or carborundum wheels.
I hear great things about the Tormek and Jet clone, but couldn't seem to part with more than what my car is worth for something like that.
Hope this helps
paulh
 
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I voted for 8" and slow. First the 8 inch leaves a shallower hollow on the grinding face for a chisel. Second the speed being slow aids (only if you dont over do it) in preventing you from heating up the edge too much and loosing the temper in the steel.

I have this wheel in 80 grit
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32981&cat=1,43072,43080&ap=1

I also have this grinder with a felt wheel on one side for honing

http://www.deltaportercable.com/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=11475#

I like the fact that I have a lamp close at hand with eyes now needing glasses for the first time. Also the speed is adjustable so if you need to give something a heavy grind at high speeds then you can.

Got rid of the rests and put a LV adjustable rest in front of the wheel.
 
I picked slow speed as I use a Worksharp (540RPM IIRC). All my sharpening is flat. For some items I finish them off with the scary sharp method.
 
I have a Jet Grinder (wet) for sharpening my lathe tools-there not cheap but i really like it and it came with a couple jigs. One was for a gouge and the other flat tools (scrappers)...............Dan
 
I have a 6" craftsman bench grinder that my dad gave me for christmas a few years ago. The only thing I sharpen are lathe tools and the mower blade. Works great for me!
 
is the idea of the adjustable speeds a good deal or just a gimmick? not critzig your choice rob just lookin for some insight...sometimes a single speed ibetter than a automatic:D:huh:
 
is the idea of the adjustable speeds a good deal or just a gimmick? not critzig your choice rob just lookin for some insight...sometimes a single speed ibetter than a automatic:D:huh:

When i bought mine it was at a show and I wanted a slow speed unit. There none in this category. I would have had to spring for a real fancy unit at many times the cost.

I have used the high speed on occasion when doing metal work and wanting to grind something not related to heat issues. But then I also change the wheel. Must say this is not often so if I could have found the unit without the dual speed I would have bought it.
 
8"

I voted 8" slow, but a two speed/variable speed is nice. I like 8" wheels cuz I sharpen a lot of turning tools, and I prefer the shallower hollow grind. With any of the 'cool running' wheels high speed v. low speed becomes less of an issue when it comes to ruining the temper. But I prefer slow speed for sharpening woodworking tools cuz it isn't as easy to blue the steel on plane blades, chisels, etc...

And as a side note, I use a 120 grit wheel for most things, since I generally don't have a lot of heavy grinding to do.

Hutch
 
well chuck i like the italians or the mancino's club with bacon but on days that i had a large meal for supper the night before i go for grilled ckicken better for the diet:)
 
Golly Larry, evidently by the lack of voting, most don't have grinder preferences! :huh: Must like hand files, should have made that one of the options!!! :dunno:
I voted, even though I have three hand held grinders, four if you count my dremel, three bench mounted, 14", 8', 6" and two are high speed, one is slow speed, then my Worksharp (don't know where that fits in) and my three hand turned bench mounted 4" grinders oh and my sitting on one with a 3' stone. :huh::huh::dunno::dunno::eek::eek: Man oh man, why do I have any dull tools???:rolleyes::rolleyes::D:D:rofl::rofl:
 
Larry,

I only have 2 high speed 6" grinders (in operating condition anyway) that I use to do almost all of my sharpening on. I do use my 1" belt sander too sometimes, and I finish anything needing to be scary sharp on my wet stones or sandpaper on glass. Ihave a 120 grit Woodcraft wheel on one of my grinders for my turning tools.

I have always been aware of heat problems in griding tools (from metal working experience) and oneday I want to have a good wet grinder.

Good poll. Brought out some interesting sandwiches,,,OOPS, sorry.

Aloha, Tony
 
well i too have used sand paper but am i need of gettin some plane irons roughed in closer before going to sand paper.. and the only grinder i now have is for gitur dun grinding nothng with finess at all.. so it looks like 8" slow speed is the best choice.. and stones or sandpaper to get the rest of the way along with a tod honing wheel:) thanks for the response thus far:thumb:
 
Larry,

I think Chuck has it there. (Thanks Vaughn for the corrected link)

The Tormek is a nice grinder, but other than the water wheel, I can't see it for my use.

I think the Makita grinder would be better than the Tormek/Jet type grinders, because it gives a sort of mini surface grind.

For flatening, plane irons and chisels, it would be best. For tool grinding it would be better for straight edges, but only a round surface grind wheel will give the concave bevel that a scary sharp edge can be honed on.

Wish I could afford one of those. Maybe I have to save my pennies.

That looks like your answer Larry.

Aloha, Tony
 
Larry,

Check out Glen Huey's recent blog over at Popular Woodworking.
http://blogs.popularwoodworking.com/editorsblog/Tool+Review+WorkSharp+To+Sharpen+Wide+Tools.aspx
In it he reviews their new wide body jig for it.

You know I just use water stones, but I have heard great things about the WorkSharp. It supposedly does a great job with chisels and is very easy to use. Mike Dunbar, I understand even recommends them.

I also understand that there may be some criticism of the units according to this old Family thread which you participated in:
http://familywoodworking.org/forums/archive/index.php?t-3380.html
 
I also understand that there may be some criticism of the units according to this old Family thread which you participated in:
http://familywoodworking.org/forums/archive/index.php?t-3380.html

I have been checking out Woodnet and there are a lot of good reviews. Also this link over there reviews the new attachment to the WorkSharp.
www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB2&Number=3911927&Forum=&Words=Worksharp&Searchpage=0&Limit=100&Main=3909669&Search=true&where=bodysub&Name=&daterange=1&newerval=&newertype=w&olderval=&oldertype=m&bodyprev=#Post3911927

That reminds me, I need to get the waterstones out, I was using my jointer plane today, flattening some door panels and it did not have that crisp sound. Had to use the card scraper to clean up the finish. Just wish it was a little warmer. Might have to sharpen it in the kitchen. I can hear the noise from the boss already.:eek:
 
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