Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => OT Knowledge => Topic started by: ElyDave on 16 June, 2017, 10:39:32 am
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Any tips on good/bad/indifferent, what to look for etc?
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What are you grinding?
Sharpening tools I would recommend a wet grinder as they won't overheat the tools - Tormek have a very good reputation, but pricey.
I have an old Creusen dry grinder which has good. White stones are more aggressive which again heats the tools less.
There is a large range of accessories to help get the correct angle of grind.
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mainly garden tools, mower blades, shears, axe, that kind of thing.
I have whetstones as well for the fine sharpening
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I have a couple of bench grinders but these days if I want to sharpen tools etc I normally use my angle grinder. It is much faster, produces less heating, and I can get into the crook of my shears etc. I use a thin disc (meant for cutting) just to give a nice edge on a tool with minimal removal of material, and various coarser discs if there is much stock to remove prior to creating the edge. I also sharpen drills, give them split points etc all using the angle grinder. In every case the work is faster, with less heating and a better result vs the bench grinder.
If you are going to have a bench grinder come what may, it is worth noting that they mostly are fitted with induction motors. These are reliable and smooth-running (normally the shaft runs on a couple of cartridge bearings), but ultimately the torque is often lacking for heavy-duty work. BTW Cheap wheels go out of balance easily and if one starts to break up it can be incredibly dangerous.
cheers
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Most of the really cheap ones have tool rests which are utter shite. Try to pay a bit more for one which has decent adjustable toolrests, not a bit of bent steel held on with one bolt like many of them are. I have got one of the cheapo ones, and when I eventually succeed in moving house, will make new tool rests for it. I also have diamond and ceramic stones for fine accurate sharpening. As for lathe tools, I only used replaceable tip ones!
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good point about the toolrests; they are indeed properly shite on a lot of cheap machines....
cheers
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I've managed to get the axe decently sharp with a file and then an emery stone, that was the main reason for the poss bench grinder, so I'll probably leave off for now, but thanks for the tips
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Everyone I know these uses a belt sander mounted upside down in a wood vice. Spray bottle for lube.