Thread: Grinders - does size matter?

get the 8'' i bet you dont get one post to say it doesn,t make any difference, you will wish you had one years ago and wont be sorry......bob

I have an 8", 10" Tormek and 6". Had the 6" for 25 years before getting the others.

There is not a lot of difference except for 1 thing. The surface speed of the 8" is quite a lot higher than the 6" and therefore it is easier to blue the steel.

If you have a 6", save the money and buy a new tool.

There is not much difference in the concavity of the hollow grind.

At demos I have sometimes had to use what is there. The worst was a 4" hand grinder. It did not impress me much.

Originally Posted by robyn2839

get the 8'' i bet you dont get one post to say it doesn,t make any difference, you will wish you had one years ago and wont be sorry......bob

Mines 1.

(That's 2. )

I'll recommend an 8" to a first-time buyer or to someone replacing a "broken" 6"er.

But going from a working 6" to an 8"? Nar, the benefits gained aren't worth the dollars. (Not unless the 6"er only took 1/2" wide wheels in the first place. )

There is not much difference in the concavity of the hollow grind.

I agree with . I have a 6" A&A and so far it seems to sharpen as per expectations.

I may be a relative newcomer to turning, but in my limited experience, the most important facet of the profile is the cutting edge. I'm sure a vast range of wheel diameters will produce an edge that will cut wood.

In the words of Dave Mustaine" It's not how big your pencil is; it's how you write your name."

Gazza

You guys are great!, I am leaning very heavily toward staying with what I have, should have said before that it takes 1" wide wheels, anyhow thanks a million for your advice.

Great work & thanks

Simon

p.s.
found an interesting system with plans on this guys website www.davidreedsmith.com . He made it out of a modified drill press, looks pretty cool.

Simon,

I can't agree with the experts on this one. At least not entirely. For turning chisels, the depth of the hollow grind comparing the 6 inch to the 8 inch wheels may not be critical. But if you want to sharpen non-turning chisels - particularly paring chisels where the bevel angles are much less that most turning tools, the depth of the hollow grind is important. IMHO you want as straight a bevel then as you can get without too much hollowing. Same for plane blades that are much thinner than most if not all turning chisels.

That's my TBW.

Grasshopper

There are plenty of must have " tools that i wouldnt buy a second grinder before i bought a lot of other things you need.

Keep the one you got and go to the next WWW show to spend the dollars on another "must have"

Cheers

I forgot to say - and I'm sure that will cover this at the Sharpening weekend - that a decent sharpening jig (next to the right grade of stone) is probably more important than which size wheel.

OK, some can grind free-hand pretty well but for novices like me and many others, learning to turn can be difficult with blunt tools.

(Dare I say that even has "moved" his position somewhat on this score? Maybe he's spending too much time with the likes of me.) Woodturning is one set of skills, sharpening is another. But you must have both.

So I'd be voting for a decent jig, not for a bigger grinder. Unless you do more than turning, in which case you probably need:

- an 8 or 6 inch grinder with decent grade wheels
- a Tormek or equivalent with all the jigs for all kinds of chisels etc, not just turning ones if you want razor sharp
- a pro sharpener handy (they have a trade qualification that I can't remember) for saw and planer blades etc.

I'm not a fan of waterstones as they wear unevenly, but some of the sandpaper systems seem to work very well if the $ are in issue. I forget which magazine I read it it, but paper does work. Same problem though with the various grinding systems - you need jigs that work well.

Jeff

I prefer 8" grinders, but have a 6" wheel mounted on a shaft that fits the lathe when demonstrating out of the shed. Not to sure I would upgrade from a 6" wheel just for the sake of it. I love water stones... no oil to leave stains.
Jim

Originally Posted by powderpost

I prefer 8" grinders, but have a 6" wheel mounted on a shaft that fits the lathe when demonstrating out of the shed. Not to sure I would upgrade from a 6" wheel just for the sake of it. I love water stones... no oil to leave stains.
Jim

Jim, I've not quite the knack of it with the water stones (or free-hand grinding for that matter).

I'd really like to know how to sharpen my plane blades on a stone with a slight concave so I can smooth plane without the dips from a flat but sharp blade off the Tormek. Keep me posted!

Jeff

8" grinders typically run at about half the speed of 6", so in terms of surface speed alone, it's more of a toss-up than it would seem.

None of the jigs and such fell from the sky in their final form. If you can learn free-hand grinding, your jig selections will be more enlightened.

Cheers,
Joe

Jeff, I have two water stones, I rub them together periodically to keep them flat. When honing, I use a figure 8 motion as well as straight up and down, and use the full length of the stone. Oil stones will develop a hollow as well if not used carefully. I used to flatten my old oil stone in the concrete floor with plenty of water.
Jim

Just to clarify something. In Australia, most grinders run at approx 2800 ( 6" or 8") which means they vibrate (even with trued wheels) and remove way too much material, in most cases. You are there to sharpen, not grind away your money.

So, Bagman if you were looking at improving your sharpening, seroiusly consider buying a slow speed 8' grinder ( Carba tec sell them). They work great. Not too slow, so you can still reshape your tools, but not too fast so you grind away too much and almost none of the annoying vibration ( you know what they are like when they slow down!).
I wish I had bought mine years ago. If only someone told me.

Also, if you happen to 'blue' your HSS tools, don't worry, while its not great, they are not 'damaged'. Also, get rid of any water basins near the grinder. they are not needed with HSS tools.

Hope this helps.