What tools can you sharpen with a Bench Grinder?. Are there any on Amazon that are worth the money?, I have about $300 budget.
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What tools can you sharpen with a Bench Grinder?. Are there any on Amazon that are worth the money?, I have about $300 budget.
A nicely set up bench grinder can grind the primary bevel on almost any edge tool. I use mine for chisels, plane blades, lathe tools, kitchen knives, etc. You would almost always hone after the grinding step, but it's great for establishing the bevel. Plus you can have a grinding wheel on one side and a cloth buff on the other side and your 90% of the way there for the unicorn method. Do a search in the Sharpening section for the thread. As to brand, I'd look for a second hand GMF. You would get a lot of grinder for $300 on the used market.
What tools do you have? :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by EagerBeaver71
A simple grinder with a basic tool rest can sharpen almost anything but presenting the tool to the wheel to achieve the desired result takes lots of practice, practice, practice; and a bit of coin.
Or…
A grinder and a better aftermarket tool rest that comes with some simple jigs that assist the presentation in more than one plane just needs practice and more practice and more coin.
Or…
A grinder and a premium set of jigs that allow exact repeatability of profiles or the ability to “dial in” specific profiles just needs a bit of practice. And lots of coin, coin, coin.
Pretty much you need to decide which of the three paths above you want to follow; personally I went through all three in sequence! I actually have about four 6” grinders that I keep reconfiguring for different purposes with several aftermarket tool rests, but my next workshop project is to properly set up my 8” half speed grinder with the Veritas tool rest system on the left hand wheel and a Tormek bar on the right hand wheel. I already own a Tormek T8 and every jig I need for my tools; I will say though that out of my grinding set up(s) only the Tormek gear was purchased new and at full price; everything else was the result of patiently waiting for sales and/or snapping up opportune bargains. As in almost everything tool related strive to buy the best you can afford and always look to upgrade where possible. Remember you only need one kidney; and first-born children are overrated :;…
For me it is usually months between turning jobs so practice on lathe tool profiles just doesn’t happen; but by throwing enough money at the problem I have massively reduced the need to. Twenty years ago I only had one 6” grinder and wouldn’t even contemplate the thought of “buying” a sharp edge… when I bought my Tormek I wept bitter tears at the initial cost but now I flaunt my edges…
Hi Chief, The only tool I have which I think is relevant is my drill press...Quote:
Originally Posted by Chief Tiff
With respect, Sam, I do not think that you are ready for a bench grinder yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by EagerBeaver71
Get more experience at hand sharpening first, so that you intuitively know what a properly sharpened blade looks like, and you can consistently raise a wire. There is no rush.
In your many posts, there is a consistent theme that you want to do things properly, When you do go to a bench grinder I suspect that you will opt for:
- CBN wheel,
- good tool rest system,
- good quality grinder, possibly second hand.
A $300 budget would involve too may compromises.
Rule #1 - do not buy crap. [And I am an expert at breaching this rule.]
Read the history of Derek's progression on sharpening on his website - many of us have had a similar path to him, but we may not be as expressive.
Do you want to get a new one Sam ?
This sort of thing is what I have a few of. . Log into Facebook
I also have a mini lathe set up with CBN wheels. It has adjustable rests. Speed control and forward and reverse.
You can get adjustable tool rests that screw down in front of them that'll do most tool angles.
Carbatec Bench Grinder Tool Rest Kit | Carbatec
You would also want to get a dressing stick for the wheels. You need such a thing with any grinder with these sort of wheels .
You can use a used ceramic / diamond cutting disk for an angle grinder for that or buy a stick with diamond on the end.
NSB Bench Grinder Wheel Dressing Stick - Diamond Machines & Accessories 9348064033758 | eBay
I make my own by brazing the diamond teeth off a used concrete cutting saw onto a bolt head and inserting that in the end of a stick.
That grinder would do fine for a good start at grinding chisels , plane blades , flat screw drivers . Sharpening drill bits and a lot more .
Rob
Thanks Rob, I don't mind as long as its in full working order. I saw this one aswell from Carbatec which is a similar spec to the one you listed: Carbatec 750W (1HP) 200mm Low Speed Bench Grinder | CarbatecQuote:
Originally Posted by auscab
Yep, on the shopping list.Quote:
Originally Posted by auscab
What to buy depends a lot on what you intend to use it for. The main thing I use a bench grinder for is sharpening wood turning tools. So I have an 8 inch low speed bench grinder for this purpose. One end of it has a CBN wheel fitted, and the other end a pink aluminium oxide 80 grit wheel.
I have three other bench grinders set up around the shed which get occasional use and are all set up differently. They are all 8 inch grinders. One has a grinding wheel on one side and a "multitool" attached to the other end - this is used for general steel shaping and forming cutting edges on mower blades etc. Another has a wire wheel on one side and usually just a common grinding wheel on the other side - used for cleaning off rust etc. The last one has a polishing cloth set up on one end, and the other end has a 90 degree gearbox / reduction drive and has a "wet" slow grinding wheel attached. I use this one rarely as it is a cheap & nasty & I wouldn't sharpen quality tools on it, but it is OK for kitchen knives etc.
I didn't buy any of these new - mostly picked up in garage sales etc. The one with the "multitool" was being thrown out by the maintenance department at a mine I was working at because it wouldn't start rotating without manually giving it a spin. I took it to a re-wind place in town and they replaced the starting capacitor (cost me $12) and has worked fine since.
I just realised I posted something entirely different to the question you asked (idiot), the tools I need to sharpen are chisels, plane irons, knives etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chief Tiff
I'll must remember not to multi-task when I'm half awake!.
This might be a stupid question but, for lapping chisels, do you guys all do it by hand?, I've never seen it done any other method?.
EB71, I wrote this several years ago. It remains current for today and looks like it will not be changed for a long time as it is working so well.
http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Woodwor...ningSetUp.html
This was, as I believe, the first write up about CBN wheel use for flat woodworkers. They had been the secret of turners for years before, but few, if any, used them for plane and bench chisel grinding.
Regards from Perth
Derek
If you had asked me about sharpening 5+ years ago, I would have said that I will shortly follow Derek's model. I still think a CBN wheel with a good tool rest system is the best grinder option, but my sense of urgency is not there.
When CBN wheels first came out they were a game changer, but very expensive - over $1,000 per wheel, but it has dropped to c.$200+ now. Even at that price they became ubiquitous in commercial shops - easy to save $1,000 in time and mistakes - and then among turners. They cannot be used on soft metals so you will also need a white or blue wheel. Note the order of take up - pros, then turners - these are the guys who really value sharp blades.
Scary Sharp is the cheapest way to get started and will give excellent results quickly. You will learn a lot. It is not the cheapest in the longer term.
My current sharpening kit consists of:
- DMT 10" Duosharp diamond plate - course and fine.
- Shapton water stones - 1,000 + 5,000 + 10,000 grits.
- Stick of Veritas honing compound rubbed onto MDF honing board.
My current shapening routine is:
- Flatten water stones on course diamond plate, if necessary,
- Insert blade in honing guide at (say) 25° and establish primary bevel on course diamond plate,
- Then polish primary bevel with two strokes only sequentially on fine diamond, then 1,000 - 5,000 and 10,000 water stones.
- Reset honing guide to (say) 30° and two strokes only on 5,000 and 10,000 grits to create and polish the secondary or micro bevel,
- Two or three strokes hand honing on a piece of MDF impregnated with Veritas honing compound.
My system is close to idiot proof and very fast.
Meanwhile, my old grinder with white and blue stones largely gathers dust.
That's how I started grinding my tools - on a lathe 40 or so years ago. Being able to reduce the rpms way down was revolutionary and you had so much room to swing the tools around on a well made rest...Quote:
Originally Posted by auscab