Slow speed grinder

[BrokenOlMarine]

Took a sharpening class before I left Richmond, and had intended to look into a slow speed grinder just for sharpening chisels, plane blades, and knives.  I see these on the woodcraft site...

Rikon 80-805 $159 on sale for $109
Jet 727100 $439 on sale for $383
Tormek T4 $415

The Jet and Tormek provide a basin to keep the stone wet while sharpening, and the Rikon reviews reflect the quality can be hit or miss.  Anyone have one of these? Or.. Know about them.  Miss T is of the mind that I should buy better quality, and buy it once.  The way we have mostly done it.

Input?

(The tormek t8 is $749. A little too much quality for a hobby shop... I just want to true irons / chisels that get out of true, chipped, etc, before I move to the water stones.)

[Admiral]

I have the equivalent of what is now the T-8 and boy, it hurt a bit to lay out the cash, but it has been a stellar tool and I would do it again. Note that the T-4 stone is smaller and narrower and does not come with a truing tool, which you will need, and does not come with any jigs, which you will also need. Do the math between what is included in the T-8 (square edge jig for $60 and the truing tool for $90) and what jigs you need for your purposes. Also, look in to CBN wheels, I'm not totally up to speed on them but they seem like the cat's meow...

[BrokenOlMarine]

Thank you sir... I'll look into it.  I will get all the input, I've waited this long, might have to wait a bit longer and go big.  But I won't use it as much as many of you. 
. I have been doing it all by hand, on my water and diamond stones all this time. I was getting it done, just took a looooong time.

[jcredding]

I have both the equivalent of the Tormek T-8 and a Craftsman 1750 rpm slow speed grinder. I use the Tormek for chisels, carving tools, plane blades, knives and scissors mostly and it’s great. Built like a tank, the jigs are well designed, etc., but quite expensive new. I bought mine used with a number of jigs and it was still around $450, but that felt well worth it and I haven’t regretted it for a minute.

I use the Craftsman for turning tools and have CBN wheels on it. The wheels never have to be trued up, which is nice. If you go that route, take a look at the 1.5” wide ones - one of mine is a 1” and I much prefer the 1.5”. I bought mine from D-Way Tools, which is family run and very customer friendly - you get a phone call if they have any questions about your order, and even if they just have a suggestion based on what you’re buying.

[Timberwolf]

Took a sharpening class before I left Richmond, and had intended to look into a slow speed grinder just for sharpening chisels, plane blades, and knives.  I see these on the woodcraft site...

Rikon 80-805 $159 on sale for $109
Jet 727100 $439 on sale for $383
Tormek T4 $415

The Jet and Tormek provide a basin to keep the stone wet while sharpening, and the Rikon reviews reflect the quality can be hit or miss.  Anyone have one of these? Or.. Know about them.  Miss T is of the mind that I should buy better quality, and buy it once.  The way we have mostly done it.

Input?

(The tormek t8 is $749. A little too much quality for a hobby shop... I just want to true irons / chisels that get out of true, chipped, etc, before I move to the water stones.)

................................
Jim, I have the 10" Jet water cooled system and also the 8" Tormek..I initially had the 10" Tormek system..I sold the 10" Tormek after comparing the performance to the Jet..The Jet performed better in that the wheel speed is adjustable within certain parameters..The rpm difference is only about 30rpms, but the Jet can rotate right to the point to where it will sling water, unlike the Tormek. This means it will grind about 25% faster..
    I can't recommend the 8" Tormek either if you want to sharpen knives..May be OK for chisels and lathe tools etc...but the motor enclosure is almost as large as the wheels, limiting it's usefulness IMO.....I also have a CBN wheel on a 10" two-speed bench grinder which is excellent ON THAT GRINDER...Not sure how it would be running as slow as a wet wheel unit, but edges stay pretty cool anyway running at 1725rpm.
     I suggest you consider one of the larger Worksharps, depending or what you want to sharpen...I find that is is an inexpensive machine that is very versatile..you can buy diamond laps inexpensively from Amazon that fit the unit and grits sizes go all the way up to 3,000 and beyond.,from there you can go to a leather strop with micron diamond paste that will put a mirror polish on the edge and you can forget the water stones..I would not choose it for lathe chisels however...for that I prefer a bench grinder, possibly a Delta variable speed 8" unit....Or possible a belt grinder...the belt can put a flat bevel on whereas a wheel results in a hollow grind, and that may not be as long lasting as a flat bevel..They are also great with a leather strop belt charged with chrome oxide...
    So many excellent options...
 
......

[adamcherubini]

I don’t think of the tormek as a grinder. It’s a powered sharpener honer. If you want a low speed grinder, just find whoever makes the 8” low speed grinder that woodcraft used to sell. Might be the Rikon.1

Get the friable wheels from Joel, tho they throw grit all over your shop. I think even if you have a tormek you still need a grinder.

I spent too much time trying to true my wheels faces and sides thinking I could use the tool rests and just slide the tools along. That was a waste of time. I just freehand grind now.

Other suggestion is to consider the xxcoarse diasharp plate. When I travel to teach or do demos, I always bring if I chip an edge. I call it my grinder stone, it works that fast.

[R Clark]

I have had the Jet since 2006. I have a handful of the jigs and accessories.

I thought this unit was out of production, so when I saw your post, I went and looked and was surprised to see it offered for sale.

I use it, and it's good for shaping an edge. I still have a set of Arkansas stones for honing.

I don't use the stropping wheel of the unit. As a matter of fact, the leather came unglued and so it's useless.

I've been tempted to replace it from time to time, but I still use it, so it's an on-off love/hate relationship at times.

[Bill Holt]

I attended a Wood Working Show maybe 15 years ago and was blown away by the Tormek demonstrator.  I could not justify the $$$ at the time.  I waited 6 months; it is an amazing tool.  About three years ago I got a Dway CBN for my low speed gringer and got the Tormek attachments so my Tormek jigs work on the CBN.  I doubt the Totmek machine will see the light of day for years to come.

Like anything else, there high quality CBN wheels and there are several to stay clear of, so be careful.  But IMHO the CBN will do more than a regular grinder, more than the Tormek, and save $$$ in the long run.

My chisels and irons are still done by hand.

[Derek Cohen]

Although CBN wheels had been around for a long time when I first came across them, and familiar to many turners, at that stage no one seemed to use them for flat woodworking. This was about 6 or 7 years ago. I wrote about this here ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/WoodworkTec...SetUp.html

My CBN system (using half-speed grinder and Tormek guides) replaced a Tormek, which was subsequently sold.

In contrast to Adam, I view the Tormek as a grinder, but a poor system for the experienced user. Great for a beginner. The CBN makes it outdated.

The ideal system now would be a 180 grit CBN wheel on a 8” half-speed grinder, with a half-stitched white mop on the other side (for the Unicorn profile).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[cputnam]

I just bought a ½ s[eed grinder and equipped it with a 180 grit CBN wheel. The other side has a loose cotton buffer wheel. Do not know if the money for the Rikon pays off or not. I can tell you that the system grinds the heck out of chisels. I followed Derek's lead and have no regrets. The BGM-100 and related jigs will solve your problems.

I admit to being totally flummoxed by the process of setting angles on a circular grinder. Until I master it, the grinder will remain in the mystery column.