Thread: Advice on low/mid budget wet grinders

I have gotten by for the last 30 years with a 150mm bench grinder. A lot cheaper, and does a good enough job for me. Just be mindful not to overheat the chisels, I keep a container of water on the bench to dunk them in when they get warm.
When I started out, I thought I needed a wetstone grinder, but soon forgot about that after talking to other turners.

Thanks Brad, after posting this last night I kept reading till the wee hours and came across this thread and in particular derekcohen linked to his CBN setup so now I think I was heading the wrong way entirely. So much to learn.

Good on him, is it possible for him to join a Men's Shed that has experienced wood turners who can guide and teach and develop his interest? One of our members here Neil S is in Adelaide and a member of a Men's Shed and might be able to help. Sometimes enthusiasm gets blunted by frustration when we can't do something. By using their equipment he can quickly decide the best way to do things and Men's Sheds acquire stuff that usually can be bought cheaply by the members which is another plus.

I've got the tiger 2500 with Tormek jigs and was primarily purchased for sharpening lathe tools.

The tiger works fine for lathe tools, as you're constantly moving the tool as you shape the bevel to your requirements. I wouldn't bother with other with Shappach jigs, they are pretty average. Better than freehand but there's an aweful lot of play in the jigs.

in terms of the grinder itself, out of the box it does require setup to get it working optimally, ie truing stone, finding ideal mounting position etc. Once setup it works fine, albeit slow. I've also got a CBN wheel on a full speed grinder when i want to re-shape the tool. The tiger can do the reshaping, but you'll be there for a while and will pre-maturely wear the stone (its not really designed for reshaping).

For a home user the technical differences between the 200 vs 250mm grinders are negligible. The duty cycle might come into play when you sharpen your chisels initially, but with your regular sharpenings it won't come into play. Yes the grinders are better quality, but you probably won't notice the difference. The biggest is the larger stone will last longer.

The only thing to be aware of is be parepared to open your purse strings or be patient. As the jigs can add up quite quickly, but if you peruse the classifieds you'll see them popping up from time to time.

in terms of respected brands, imo the only respected brand is Tormek, but even then due to the slow speed many turners will prefer cbn wheels on a grinder. After care for all other brands is limited to the level of service you get from your vendor.

I bought a decent grinder, with the plan being that I’ll replace the wheels with CBN when they’re worn out. It’s taking me longer than I thought to wear them out and I’m too stingy to dump them.

I also bought sharpening jigs, and while I have a lot of sympathy for the idea of learning to sharpen free hand, I think I grind less metal away by using the jigs, meaning that my chisels should last longer.

Sharpening is a bit of a rabbit-warren and you’ll find many ways to achieve the same effect, so don’t worry too much if you get conflicting advice. Learn as much as you can and make a decision based on your pocket, needs and the availability of kit. It’s bound to evolve over time, so don’t sweat the tiny details too much - for example, I bought a low speed grinder to use with CBN wheels, based on what I read at the time, but current practice seems to indicate that a full speed grinder with a CBN wheel is perfectly fine.

Originally Posted by Bedlore

Thanks Brad, after posting this last night I kept reading till the wee hours and came across this thread and in particular derekcohen linked to his CBN setup so now I think I was heading the wrong way entirely. So much to learn.

Unless he is also going to be also doing a lot of sharpening of carbon steel I wouldn't recommend wet grinders.

I have always used 200mm bench grinders with the old wheels or CBN. Some prefer a half speed bench grinder, but I have always used full speed.

If cost is a factor, start with a good bench grinder and standard aluminium oxide wheels and save up to add a CBN wheel later.

I would spend money on jigs (a good adjustable platform and one for gouges) before buying CBN if I could only afford grinder + jigs, but I love the CBN wheels for many reasons and expect he will eventually add that to his bench grinder setup if he stays with woodturning.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

Good on him, is it possible for him to join a Men's Shed that has experienced wood turners who can guide and teach and develop his interest? One of our members here Neil S is in Adelaide and a member of a Men's Shed and might be able to help. Sometimes enthusiasm gets blunted by frustration when we can't do something. By using their equipment he can quickly decide the best way to do things and Men's Sheds acquire stuff that usually can be bought cheaply by the members which is another plus.

Happy to talk with you or your son.