(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best power grinders

In my opinion the most efficient way to sharpen in terms of both cost and time is to use a bench grinder to hollow grind your edge then use diamond plates to hone it. The grinder will allow you to quickly remove any damage to the edge, reset the bevel and create a hollow grind. A hollow grind means that the bevel is slightly concave. This means that when you put the bevel flat on a stone to hone it material will only be removed from the outer edges making it faster because you don't have to remove much steel. It's also easier to sharpen without a honing guide because you don't have to use a micro bevel. This image demonstrates what I mean. Here's a good video on using a bench grinder. You only need to grind the bevel once the hollow becomes too small to efficiently hone the edge or you chip or dent the edge. A good bench grinder should cost $80-120. This Rikon is a pretty good deal because comes with the right type of wheels unlike most other grinders.

After grinding I like to use diamond stones to hone the edge. I like diamond stones because they're low maintenance and a bit cheaper when compared to waterstones. I personally have Eze-Lap Coarse/Medium and Fine/Superfine doublesided plates. Some people prefer the single sided plates in which case go for the Coarse, Fine and Superfine. I went for the double sided plates because you get an extra grit for the same price and I don't mind flipping them over. A few strokes on each grit will remove the grinding marks and bring the edge up to a near mirror polish. To give the edge a final polish I use a strop and charged with green honing compound. I made the strop out of some scrap leather and a piece of scrap hardwood for free.

To go from a chipped dull edge to razor sharp takes me less than 5 minutes. I usually only grind the bevel when the hollow starts to become to small. Most of the time I can just hone the edge on the diamond stones then polish it using the stop which takes me 30-60 seconds. I've tried out systems such as waterstones, ceramic stones and the worksharp but in my opinion this is the fastest and most efficient way to sharpen. The setup cost is about $250-$270 which I think is fairly reasonable and you don't have any ongoing cost like the scarp sharp system or the worksharp. A set of quality waterstones is $200-300 alone and the power sharpeners like the tormak are quite expensive and don't really save any time.

Some ideas:

Slow speed grinder for sharpening tools


Wolverine jig to aid in sharpening But he needs a grinder also.

If he only has the starter set of tools, he probably doesn't have a bowl gouge Those are the very best. I think 3/8 or 1/2 V-shaped is a good choice. He'll need to make a handle, but that's a good starter project.

A chuck is another great choice, but more expensive and we'd need to know the type of lathe to help pick it out.

It also looks like it has been pretty heavily used based on the guard plate scuffs and the motor housing. $65 new brand name vs $40 used HF w/o legit warranty... idk man. Splitting hairs at that point imo

edit: $55 Makita & $67 Dewalt searching amazon for like 30 seconds

I think the design is cool but I don't think i'd use it for anything but grout. If you're looking for a cordless i'd go a more standard route like this makita system


https://www.amazon.com/Makita-Brushless-Cut-Off-Grinder-Batteries/dp/B00QSGHC24/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1521826987&sr=8-8&keywords=makita+cordless+grinder

I'm sure whatever brand you prefer has something comparable

I bought this one and I love it. I'm just a hobbyist, but the ergonomics are wonderful. I was going to buy one of the other less expensive DeWalt grinders, but Lowe's ran out and said they'd hold one for me. Well, they made a mistake and didn't hold one, so the manager sold me this one instead of the price of the cheaper one.

The grinder is a pretty standard hand cranked bench grinder. There's still some companies that make them today, so it would be hard to tell exactly when it's from.

The weights are probably for calibration use. Have you tried weighing them?

The vise looks like a Parker No. 32 based on some cursory google searching. There's some patent drawings here, and the one you have looks similar to the drawing from 1906. Does it have a patent number on it?

That looks like it could be threaded into the larger component, kind of like a big bolt.

See those two little holes in the second image? You should find a tool like this that fits in those two little holes and try to turn it counter-clockwise. You may want to put some sort of penetrating fluid in there first to make it easier to remove.

If you don't own a sharpener... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scary_sharp

Sounds like that kick ass shop liekly has one if they had such an amazing lathe... might look around. Techniques can vary depending on the type and attachments. I own http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-T10010-10%2522-Wet-Grinder/dp/B00156I10Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367871403&sr=8-1&keywords=grizzly+sharpening and can tell you the slow speed and water bath are a nice bennie.

I'm not saying Dremel tools are bad, but I've managed to burn two out... Then I bought this:

http://www.amazon.com/Proxxon-38472-Precision-Rotary-Tool/dp/B0017PWTX8/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1268168810&sr=1-19

Which has yet to burn out even after continuous use for over an hour. I had a fun car audio project involving fiberglassing 4 speakers into each of my car doors. Needless to say there was a lot of trimming to be done.

But yeah, a rotary tool is the way to go here. You should probably have one anyways. It's one of those tools everyone needs.

Here's the Dremel package for $99. - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M1SJNVU/

Tack Life $37 (I wonder how much better this one is compared to the $17 one) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6RH433

Skil 4.5" angle grinder ($47.95) - https://www.amazon.com/9296-01-7-5-Amp-2-Inch-Paddle-Grinder/dp/B009RJE6TQ/


I really like this Makita and the case it comes in - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0010DHFTK/

Hitachi 4.5" $44.99 - https://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-G12SR4-6-2-Amp-Grinder-Abrasive/dp/B0199MMA84/

Bosch 4.5" $49 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004SUOU/

I have 3 grinders:

• Dewalt DEW402
  
• Portercable PC60TPAG
  
• An older HF 5 or 7 amp.. can't recall which.
  
  I listed these in specific order of my favorite, second favorite, and third. Depending on what I'm doing, I lean pretty hard on these grinders from time to time and all three are fantastic. The HF is slightly underpowered compared to the dewalt, but it was always 1/3rd the cost! If you can spare a few extra bucks, I'd probably swing for the Porter Cable personally... however, I have no doubt the Chicago Electric would probably last you a good long time.

I highly recommend stepping up to one of the small-sized 6" grinders like the new Dewalt when you're in the market for a new one. Way more power with not much more weight/size.

I have a Metabo, which is German made. I think they are probably the best made right now.

https://www.amazon.com/Metabo-WP9-115-Grinder-Non-locking-Paddle/dp/B00WJOWTKE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1525208270&sr=8-3&keywords=metabo+grinder+4+1%2F2

https://www.amazon.com/DeWALT-D28402-4-1-Angle-Grinder/dp/B000BMBO1Q

This is the best one of the four I have to choose from. I do this as a hobby so I doubt i'll be investing in any new grinders.

Perhaps, I feel, i have up-sold the power I would need. I guess I wasn't thinking that you guys would be in the mind set of industry type jobs.

So let's see if this alters your opinion any. When I say air brush, I don't mean a massive re-spray a car one I mean a model maker type small hand one.

And the pencil gringer is pretty similar to This

It's for sure on the table, jeweler type work. I just didn't want something too small that I'd have to baby all the time.

With this new information am I still looking at a $1,200 compressor with a 60/80 gallon tank? This seems excessive to me but as stated in the OP I know nothing, so I'm happy to take your word, just checking.

If money is not a factor, something like the 9" 15A Metabo grinder is about as powerful as you can get. Other brands make 7"/9" 15A grinders as well.

There is only one cordless grinder on the market that is worth owning. I'm not just being dramatic. To be useful, a grinder needs to pull a lot of power and one tool puts the rest to shame, that tool is the DeWalt 60 volt grinder. DeWalt also has a 1/2" brushless impact wrench which accepts the FlexVolt battery from the grinder. (Note that the grinder requires the 60v battery, which switches to 20v when used in a 20v tool).

For the bowl, the bit was a single-cut burr. Like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECMQUGK/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_3DFRDbPJCREKT

For the handle, a coarse bit, like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0037MFFQ2/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_zHFRDbEF4ADCX

Both used on an old in-line, Dremel-style rotary tool. It's a bit more robust than a Dremel, but same idea.

Edit: Ah this is pretty much the tool:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C3WPX6I/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_ELFRDbCV6QAX4

Metabo makes a very good, solid range of grinders. I have a couple of their angle grinders, and they've always been reliable and powerful tools. You could try one of their die grinders (this, or this).

It looks like this is just people rocking the thing back and forth until the concrete breaks. Might be using a hammer and chisel to break the concrete more.

Blowtorch? Too inefficient. I would use a battery powered angle grinder, which TBH somebody who is doing these thefts on a regular basis would certainly have (maybe stolen as well?).

In a pinch, a power drill might work as well, it would take longer though.

this grinder works well
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H2B78YG/ref=psdc_552814_t3_B015U2STNM

You're right.

Your average successful thief is carrying something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Bare-Tool-Porter-Cable-PC18AG-Cordless-Expansion/dp/B003IXRB1W/ref=sr_1_6?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1341285438&sr=1-6

That cutoff wheel will slice through any u-lock, chain, or cable in seconds. And if they really like the bike, it'll slice the frame tubing even faster.

All the crappy farm tables and diy projects on r/woodworking a your post gets removed, wtf.

I have a rikon half speed 1850 rpm 8" grinder with a 80 grit CBN cubic boron nitride wheel and a veritas tool rest. Shapton ceramic 320, 1000, 5000, 12000 stones. A 36"x6" 3 cm thick piece of granite and use adhesive backed sandpaper rolls. I wax the granite to allow the paper to come off the granite easily.

grinder

cbn wheel


tool rest

stones

320 g

1000 g

5000 g

12000

sand paper

Well, of course the main thing (and really the only thing you need until you start getting fancy) is a (dry) bench grinder. Here's one that gets mentioned a lot, and here's the one I have.

8" is better than 6", and low speed (1750 RPM) is better than high (3500 RPM). but you could make do with a 6" high speed grinder if you had to. And since high speed 6" grinders are generally lots cheaper than 8" low speed grinders, you could get by with something more like this if you had to, but be prepared for more frustration and a steeper learning curve than you'll have with the bigger low speed grinders.

Why is that? You may hear some people say that a high speed grinder will get tools too hot and they'll lose their temper, and that is indeed a concern with the high carbon steels that bench chisels for flatwork are made out of. (Lathe chisels and gouges used to be made out of high carbon steel also). However, modern gouges for turning are almost all made of HSS - high speed steel, the same stuff you'll find on router bits and the like. It's designed to get hot and you would have to be consciously trying really hard to ruin its temper because the point at which HSS begins to lose its temper is around 1000 - 1100 degrees (F), well beyond the "blueing" of the steel that occurs around 600 degrees.

So, what's the problem with a high speed grinder then? Put simply, they just eat away steel that much faster and the compound shapes needed to properly put what we call a "fingernail profile" on a gouge are harder to learn when you have to move through what is at first an unnatural series of movements that much faster. Not impossible by any means, just a little more challenging!

The Tormek and Worksharp that /u/KiltedCajun mentions are totally unnecessary for sharpening woodturning tools imo. Would I use them if I had them? You bet! It's always fun to play with a new toy. However, I'd be willing to bet he had them for other things first and didn't buy them specifically with turning in mind.

One thing that most turners do wind up getting is the Wolverine sharpening jig- it's essentially a two-sided grinding jig that goes under both sides of you grinder and makes getting a repeatable grind shape so much easier. It's gotten to the point where it's damn near ubiquitous in the turning world. Take a turning class anywhere from Rockler to community college to the top art schools and you'll see a Wolverine jig. More about those- base unit and vari-grind gouge attachment. As you can see, these will add to as much, if not more than, the cost of your grinder, but they aren't essential if you've got the patience to learn how to freehand. That being said, I can freehand sharpen if I have to but I'm not giving up my Wolverine anytime soon.