Sharpening Freehand On A Slow 10" Wet Grinder

The one thing that can really mess you up is forward and back movements on the wheel while the blade crosses the width of the stone. As you move from side to side sharpening on the wheel make sure to keep a straight level line because if you move you will distort the bevel width.
 
The one thing that can really mess you up is forward and back movements on the wheel while the blade crosses the width of the stone. As you move from side to side sharpening on the wheel make sure to keep a straight level line because if you move you will distort the bevel width.

Totally. A jig they really need to make would be a vertical-standing nylon roller bar on either side of the wheel to act as a stop for the edge. Then work with the wheel rotating away from you so it "pulls" the blade into the rollers. This would greatly assist in maintaining a consistent point of contact.
 
Might be time to work on Laser Guided Tormek! :D

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It's actually not a bad idea, to be honest! It would allow you to have a visual reference for your intended point of contact.
 
I use my wet grinder for scythe blades, primarily. Tormek doesn't make a jig for that. Also, my grinder is a Grizzly G1036 "Viking" grinder. It has better clearance long blades like that. We'll put it this way--14" is puny for a scythe blade. A normal grass blade is 30" and I mow the lawn with a 48" blade. I wish Tormek made a unit with the more open design of the Grizzly; it seems to be based on a lot of Nordic wet grinders that get used on farms for scythes and other work. Interestingly, while a dead flat stone is advocated today, a radiused face was commonly advised historically, as well as the advice being made to work the edges of the stone rather than the center. An old trick for restoring a good radius to the face of the wheel was to sharpen a shovel on it, accomplishing a necessary job and restoring the stone at the same time.
 
Mr. Womack - for sure it is time to go with a Laser Guided Tormek!

Two questions:

Where did you get the rotational arrows for your Tormek?

What is on the top right of the "water trough" and purpose.

Thanks

Rupert
 
Mr. Womack - for sure it is time to go with a Laser Guided Tormek!
Two questions:
Where did you get the rotational arrows for your Tormek?
What is on the top right of the "water trough" and purpose.
Thanks

Rupert

A friend gave me the arrows (office supply store maybe?). The white thing sticking out? That's a toothbrush I use to charge and refresh the leather wheel with compound.

It's kinda funny, I've tried a few times to come up with something to use the laser level on the Tormek, but couldn't find anything I liked. Then yesterday I cobbled this together just to snap the photo...

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... but after I shot the photo, went hmmmmmm. So tried it out last night and this a.m. Works well! I tend to "make" things with what I have laying around.... something more specific might work even better. Pretty funny. The table I have attached in front is level... it can be used as a 0 reference point for the knife (similar to the idea found on the new WorkSharp BGA attachment), and also as a "wrist rest" to hold things steady during sharpening.
 
Or you could just use the Tormek knife jig and get really good
results every time.:D

What is the def. of results? Paper cutting sharp? Sure. WE or KME, or EP dialed in exacting edges?

That is my struggle, making a museum display edge, on a wet grinder seems out of the question. IMHO
 
Just takes practice. I consider my wet grinder to be more of a "bevel setter" than a "sharpener" per se, due to the grit of the stone being pretty coarse. Tormek does have very fine Japanese water stone wheels available, though.
 
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