Bench Grinder

[chirpychippy]

I love Sundays, just a thought!!!

Bench Grinder, looking for a Bench Grinder to re grind and sharpen my Chisels and planing knives etc, but there are so many different types I really don't know which to buy, who's got what and would you mind pointing me in the right direction please..

Thanks in advance...although I will thank you again....

 

[Burnerman]

Get a grinder with the widest wheel possible....a green grit wheel will allow you to sharpen masonry bits too, if you're brave enough!
I have a Draper whetstone grinder with a horizontal honing wheel and a thick conventional grinding wheel - although its not a large diameter it does the job well. That part is white for some reason.
Take time to set the fence to the correct angle for the initial grind and then its lots of lovely practice!
I like my grinder to have a wire mop wheel on one end - very useful indeed for cleaning things up.
John

 

[mattylad]

Budget?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Budget?

I think I'd echo that. TBH you could easily spend from £25 to £250 on a "basic" bench grinder, depending on size, quality, etc (industrial machines are in another league). At the "heavier" end of that scale there are some quite good makes such as Creusen, Metabo, Luna, etc. My own experience is that an 8in machine is probably preferable to a 6in one for wood chisels (flatter bevels) and that as suggested above a 40mm wheel is preferable to a 19mm or 25mm one, especially for dealing with plane irons. Maybe worth noting that it can very easy for a new user to burn carbon steel chisels, etc on the wrong wheels (i.e. the ones normally supplied with the tool) so it may be worth taking a look at the ruby wheels sold to turners by firms like The Tool Post. They cut faster but stay cooler than the grey, white or pink alox wheels commonly available. Predictably the best wheels around will cost you a mint - for tool steel and HSS those are probably CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride) but a 200mm (8in) CBN wheel will run you £150 to £300 in 200mm diameter x 40mm width.

There are alternatives to double-ended grinders around such as wetstone grinders (Tormek, Record, Jet, etc) and belt sanders by firms like Robert Sorby - their ProEdge will cost you £250 and upwards, though. Belt grinders cut quite slowly (very controllably) but there is far less risk of burning tools on them and they will grind to 3000 grit, or mirror finish, with the right abrasives. I ended up with a ProEdge having owned a number of cheaper double-ended grinders as well as both a Tormek T7 wetstone grinder and a Makita Japanese wetstone grinder before that. The ProEdge does most of my sharpening now although I still have an ancient 200mm industrial double-ended bench grinder for removal of the bigger nicks you can get with site work (because belt grinders really can't handle that sort of thing quickly enough for me)

 

[chirpychippy]

Well, I was looking at the £100 mark and to also to purchase the Veritas honing guide £40 odd so about £150 all said, but it would appear I may be being a but unrealistic...???

 

[Deleted member 174758]

You might be lucky enough to pick-up a second hand 1-phase industrial model for a ton. I did a couple of years back (a 110 volt 8in one for under £50, no less, on a car booter). Main things would be to check that it switches on and runs OK and that there's no undue vibration when it is running and especially when it is switched off and runs down. Tool guides are useful, but not essential if you are a chippy (and can make your own in wood to start with), but guards/shields and intact wheel guarding is an absolute must. Veritas honing guide is a brilliant piece of kit