Thread: Record wetstone grinder

Hold those thoughts, puting one through its paces at the moment.

Some glitches I am not happy with but still trying to see if it is ok for what you pay for.

Jigs are not as easy to use as the Tormek gear.

I bought a WG250/A Gouge Jig 6 months ago from Hare and Forbes in Dandenong ($35) - it fitted the tormek but the thread on the knobs holding it to the support bar were stripped in less than a week. It's been sitting at the bottom of the drawer since then, I couldn't be bothered going all the way back to Dandenong to return it. Should have put the money towards the Tormek original. You get what you pay for.

Well I decided to purchase the record wetstone unit and I've got to say so far I'm very happy with it I've spent nearly all day sharpening my plane irons ,wood turning chisels ,carving chisels and all my chisels I use in construction and I've got to say I'm very pleased with the results .
cheers all

I'm a fan of free hand sharpening but no matter how long I have been doing it, jig resetting the bevels always takes better care of my tools. I can't remember the last time I used a jig to do it though as I save it for my finer joinery tools ( I have not had the time to play with that for years now. When I rebuild my workshop I will set up an area just for woodworking)

When I free hand grind, I inevitably take off more steel than is needed, which is fine as it is a tiny amount and it's not often done. I always touch up the edge free hand so I take a few passes on the primary bevel as well.

I do miss hollow ground chisels though. I prefer a flat grind for a lot of reasons and they are just as sharp IMO but hollow ground chisels glide just that much easier.
Part of the reason I prefer flat a flat grind as it requires less tools and can also be done with a jig on a flat stone (or a flat plate on a belt grinder) It's also a fair bit faster to set and maintain a flat grind, however....the whetstone grinders change all that!
as long as you can get them sharp, that's all that matters!
I never understood why most people don't bother to sharpen tools properly anymore. It makes working with them a whole lot more enjoyable.
Good kitchen knives are the best example of that. Quite often opshops have high end chefs knives for a few dollars that have never seen a stone. People buy them, use them on plastic or glass cutting boards until they are as blunt as the spine and then toss them.