Bench grinder & attachment help???

[humdrum_hostage]

As I have an ever increasing arsenal of chisels, knives and adze's and there is the forever daunting task of sharpening them and catching my knuckles on them, I am looking at buying a cheap bench grinder and putting a polishing mop on one side and a fine grinding wheel on the other. Can anyone advise me on the subject?

I have seen there is stitched cotton calico and sisal string mop heads, which one will I benefit from when coated with a polishing bar like abramax?

I don't have the money to throw at a wet wheel grinder (I know this is obviously the recommended choice) I just want the next best thing.

thanks in advance

Chris

 

[mrcharly]

Your sharps shouldn't need a coarse sharpener very often - what are you doing to the poor beasties?

Unless I abuse tools, they just need touching up on a strop.

 

[MartiniDave]

I'm pretty convinced more cutting tools are ruined by sharpening on bench grinders than by actual abuse. Unless you are very skill full and extremely careful you are likely to overheat the edge, drawing the temper in the process.

Have you looked at the £5 sharpening kit post on here?

 

[humdrum_hostage]

Your sharps shouldn't need a coarse sharpener very often - what are you doing to the poor beasties?

Unless I abuse tools, they just need touching up on a strop.

At the moment most are new adzes I have made from scrap brushcutter blades and also cheapy Chinese sets of chisels, about 30 chisels in total. which are all ground to the wrong angle or not ground consistently. apart from that it is just honing after that.

I'm pretty convinced more cutting tools are ruined by sharpening on bench grinders than by actual abuse. Unless you are very skill full and extremely careful you are likely to overheat the edge, drawing the temper in the process.

Have you looked at the £5 sharpening kit post on here?

I did read about the problems with dry grinding and heat made by the friction, to be honest I have access to a bench grinder at work but usually avoid it as I like to do it slowly by hand to ensure I don't remove too much and overheat it.

I have tried and tested the £5 sharpening kit but its not £5 when you keep having to purchase more wet & dry as it doesn't last very long, especially the finer grades. also if you are grinding a new angle on a new tool I wanted to set up a jig.

 

[MartiniDave]

The wet and dry should last you for ages, why is yours not doing this? I'm curious, some of my sharpening boards are several years old.

Dave

 

[petrochemicals]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-78456-230-Volt-250-Watt-Grinder/dp/B000MPO8LU

or

http://www.westfalia.net/shops/tool...s/wet_sanders/449153-electric_wet_grinder.htm

 

[mrcharly]

Ah, so you are reshaping new or old tools.

I bought a cheap clark bench grinder that has a wet wheel. It's crummy. But, the wet wheel will reshape stuff, very coarsely. Then it is time for the bench stone.

 

[Angst]

hi....i can tell you everything you need to know about converting your grinder to a set-up like this as i've done it here and its what i use to polish my jewellery, firesteel handles, blades etc etc but to be perfectly honest dude i wouldnt recommend this rig for any decent sharpening of tools,

regards

sonni

 

[humdrum_hostage]

The wet and dry should last you for ages, why is yours not doing this? I'm curious, some of my sharpening boards are several years old.

Dave

What grades do you use?

 

[XRV John]

as a home engineer to accompany my motorcycle hobby I shape and sharpen lathe and milling tools on a bench grinder so it is a perfectly good choice

the main criteria are the angle the tool is presented at to the grinding wheel and for consistency you use the side of the wheel. A flat horizontal board at the centre height of the grinding wheel with the angles you want marked on will allow you to free hand grind or you could make wooden triangles fixed by pegs for the various angles you need to let you have more control. Final sharpening on an oil stone is recommended

you can use cardboard templates for the angles, freehand grind to the rough shape then use an oil stone for the final sharpening

John

 

[MartiniDave]

From memory (which isn't what it was!) I think it's 250, 450, 600 & 1100, finally of course a leather strop with blue buffing compound.

For anything I want to take much off I use an old hand-cranked bench grinder I picked up at a boot sale for £2. Even that imparts quite a bit of heat if I'm heavy handed.

As a time served instrument maker, I've spent way more of my live than I care to remember grinding lathe tools, drills and other stuff on regular bench grinders, even on those items it's very easy to burn the tool, effectively ruining it. Just grinding it back a bit to get rid of the heat colour doesn't fix the problem, it just hides it.

Dave