Veritas Power Sharpening Tool

[AgGEM]

The sharpening thread got me thinking about the Veritas motorized sharpener. I have admired it but there seems little information on the internet about it.
Any owners care to share your thoughts?
Ag

[barryvabeach]

I don't have it,  but have converted an old horizontal grinder to use the veritas disks.  It does great work on the backs of chisels and plane blades.   I have also read some positive reviews of the machine.

[TheCabinetmaker]

I've had mine for years and love it. It's fast and puts on a keen edge. It is designed for straight blades only however you can put a slight camber on them by applying moderate pressure on one side then the other, just as you would on a stone. I have also seen where some have adapted this to take Tormek jigs.

[frigator]

I have owned that sharpener for I think 14 years. It's my go to sharpening machine. I still have my Shapton stones but they get very little use. If you buythe machine it helps to have more platters and tool holders. I'd like to jig up four blades at one time and that way you can use each one Before changing the platters.

One point, I do not do the backs on the spinning platters even though they say you can. I either do it on a stationary platter or sandpaper on the granite plate. I think the combination of the granite plate and the power sander gives me better results than stones. All of the material is flat ....stones are constantly changing flatness. Grizzly has rather inexpensive granite plates that make a wonderful sharpening surface.

[gMike]

I've had mine for several years and it is my go to sharpening method.  Very quick and produces an excellent edge.  Speaking of which, I should go downstairs and touch up a couple chisels...

[Mark Allen]

Lots of positive things about this machine. It's basically scary sharp method but faster. If your clever, you can attach all kinds of media to those aluminum disks, not just PSA sandpaper. I have a leather one for stropping, though some might say it's dangerous to do so for the fear of dubbing the edge. I've seen a colleague make a MDF disk charged with green stuff, I've seen someone use cardboard. Pretty versatile system if you want to experiment with different surfaces and how they affect your edge. I've even seen someone swear by directly charging the aluminum plates with diamond paste, though I wouldn't recommend that.

I do have two complaints:

1. Replacing the spent sandpaper on the disks. Not an easy cleanup without some solvent. Still, they do last a long time as you only really use each one for a few seconds with the exception of the lowest grit if your re-establishing an edge.
2. I feel it spins a little too fast for using it to lap backs; a scary operation IMO at the speed it works at and it does heat up a blade sufficiently to become unbearable to hold. Ideally, I would have liked to have a second, slower speed on it for more control and easier operation. I'm not actually sure if Veritas recommends to use it in that mode, so perhaps my complaint is more of a caution.

[wrb]

I had one for about 10 years and sold it when I upgraded to Lap Sharp. The reason for change for me was the much slower speed of Lap Sharp. I could not reliably and accurately use Veritas to flatten backs of blades due to high speed. Lap Sharp also allows for using lubricants (I use water with couple drops of dish detergent) to carry away the swarf. Veritas has one advantage with different thickness plates that allows for automatic microlevel. Lap Sharp plates are all the same thickness.

[AgGEM]

OP here,
Thank you all!
Ag