10" wet grinder

[Tin Falcon]

It is the old catch 22 isn't it. I can not expect the same quality and usability from this grinder as a Tormek . I hope the German Engineering and QC means something. Time will tell.
First of all I will say this machine is a thousand times better than not having one. IIRC I mentioned my major reason for buying this machine was household cutting tools. I am very happy with the job it does on kitchen knives . and pocket knives are a breeze . I need to try scissors on it.
The wife is happy to have the knifes in the kitchen sharp.
As far as the bearings I expect they will need upgrading at some point and maybe even have to replace the shaft. But you know what I have a personal machine shop and I can do that.

I am not rich I have a limited tool budget. If I had to pay the money for a new tormek I would still be using dull knives or struggling with a hand /bench stone .
Yes they work but this is much easier and faster.

Tin

 

[lennardhme]

Hare & Forbes [Vic.] have a special on the Scheppach till 3rd August.

 

[Tin Falcon]

It has been 3 months since I purchased the machine. All in All i am happy with it.
Most of the use has been on kitchen knives and pocket knives.

One thing I have noticed is it does get wet around the grinder when doing knives especialy log kitchen knives do I take it outside.
the other thing I noticed is the the steel shaft seemed to leave a little dent in the rubber wheel while sitting couple months .

I turned it on only to here a thump thump thump.....as the wheel turned.
so i am thinking a motor prop block for when it is not in use.

I find myself using the jigs less and doing more free hand work.

Yesterday I dug through the bottom of the kitchen drawer and pulled out whatever I could find to sharpen.
I ignored anything serrated (I hate those things) and sharpened up the much neglected paring knives and Touched up the chefs knives I did when I first got the grinder. I also sharpened the pocket knives from anyone's pocket that was handy ie my son and his fiance' .
My son also pulled out his winchester brand Bowie stile knife. The edge on that was in very good condition so I just ran that across the leather strop wheel.

All in all this tool is functioning as expected. and seems like a good bang for the buck .

I am thinking about adding a drill jig like the Tormek DB 22 . I am not fond of spending another $272 for sharpening tools . But so far have not seen any cheaper versions or plans for them. open for suggestions.

See Wet grinder for sharpening drills ?




well enough for now.
Tin

 

[Tin Falcon]

This is the summation statement from the review in woodworker magazine.

This attachment would be a long-term investment for most people,
as you would need to sharpen a lot of bits before it paid for itself.
However, it grinds such a sharp edge that the drill bit’s performance
is transformed, and the resulting holes produced are much cleaner
and easier to drill. What’s more, the four-facet point created by this
jig allows the drill to cut more accurately sized holes, as the drill has
no tendency to start oversize or oval holes. Last of all, you’re no
longer tempted to use blunt bits, as it’s so easy to re-hone the edge
once a bit has been properly sharpened on the jig.

SO the question is the superiority of a four facet drill and the ability to custom grind geometry worth it ?
Tin

 

[Wizard69]

This is the summation statement from the review in woodworker magazine.

SO the question is the superiority of a four facet drill and the ability to custom grind geometry worth it ?
Tin

Four facet and more actually, have been touted for a long time in the model engineering press. Is the effort worth it? I can't say as right now I either hand grind or rely upon a Drill Doctor. I can seem to remember times when my hand grinding left facets😁. In some cases the drills did appear to remove metal more efficiently.

 

[gus]

Hi Tin Falcon,

Way back in the 1990s,bought a very expensive German Drill Bit Grinder for US$2,000 for the plant.Big money in those days for such grinder. My boss did queried me.
It had too many clamps,fixtures etc and too time consuming to set up and grind. But used it to grind big drills 3/4" and above for use on the Leblonde Lathes to get good pre-ream pilot holes for motor pulley bores. The Tail Stock is hydraulic powered. A badly
ground drill would be disastrous.

Hand grinding of drill bits takes time and patience to master. A perfect drill point with both cutting edges producing balance size swarf is 50/50 hit and miss. Was taught by
a master fitter way back in the 60s.Too bad I gave away the P&N Box of drills he ground for me. Was the best drill bits I ever had and used. It had web thinning and four facets.

The next trip to Australia,will drop by H&B to audit/review/appraise the Tormech for drill bit grinding.The next would be how to hand carry one back to Singapore.
Machine grinding of drill bits must have improved since 1990s.

P.S. Successfully ground a 9mm drill bit to drill brass w/o drill grabbing.Drilled a few more holes in brass and no grabbing,no matter of feed rate.
This after numerous attempt of very slow feed to no avail with drill bit grabbed in and stalled.

My sincere thanks to all my HMEM mentors.

 

[Tin Falcon]

I decided to throw in an update .

I have still yet to make a grinding table for tool bit. And still contemplating a jig for drill bit grinding.

A few weeks back I ground a bunch of knives the grinder works well I did have an interesting experience. seems like the steel rod settled into the rubber wheel . bump bump bump. i now store the machine with the motor supported.


Tin

 

[barnesrickw]

I will be watching for that. I was thinking about a drill bit/tool sharpening jig this past weekend. Currently have some pillow blocks and a 1/4 hp continuous duty motor to start with.

 

[Tin Falcon]

I am thinking about adding a drill jig like the Tormek DB 22 . I am not fond of spending another $272 for sharpening tools .

Well folks It has been almost two years since i posted to this thread.
It has taken me that long to decide to spend the dough and buy one of the DBS 22 jigs. Yesterday morning my dear wife placed the order from a dealer in Newcastle DE. It traveled about a hundred miles via ups truck and It sits in my shop. And I have sharpened a couple of bits . I took a while to do the first one . A little practice should make it easy. A lot of minor points to learn .
Tin

 

[Tin Falcon]

This unit works as advertized. very nice tips on the bits . This is something that will take time to pay for itself but I do have quite a collection of drill bits. So why not keep what i have sharp. I would say speed of setup and grind similar to the drill doctor. There is a learning curve but nothing I could bot figure out from the manual.

TM uses a wet stone to grind
DD uses dry diamond (not usually recommended for HSS)

TM uses a double v clamp to hold the bits 1 size for full range.
DD uses a plastic collet with steel fingers to hold the bits two needed for full range 1/8 to 3/4.

TM web visually aligned magnifier for small bits included.
DD web aligned with steel fingers.

TM aluminum castings prevail
DD plastic injected molded parts.

TM large bench unit not exactly portable
DD small and portable easily fits in a large tool box


TM System versatile will sharpen knives planer blades chisels etc.And with this jig will sharpen drill bits.
DD sharpens drills.
Tin