Sharpening wheel

[1930]

Good morning, does anyone here have any experience with these stones?
I know nothing about them but have been looking for something that will put an edge on my axes etc.
I’m assuming there are different varieties of stone?
Seller has told me that it’s not perfectly round as in it’s probably not intended for high speed.
It is pedal operated.
Ideally I’d like to be able to sharpen mower blades, chisels whatever with it but maybe these just were not intended for this purpose?
It’s about 2 hrs from me and he says 80 dollars
Worth it? What problems do I need to watch out for?
Thanks

 

[CH4Ohio]

Why not just use a bench grinder? Can buy new or very nice used ones for similar money.

 

[CH4Ohio]

Grandpa used to have one. Used to sharpen hoes, mower blades, axes, etc. Once he got an electric bench grinder it was never used again.

We used to pedal it for him now-and-then when we were kids but the "fun" wore off pretty quick. It was easy to keep it spinning and he'd sometimes sprinkle water or light oil on it while sharpening.

I'd just look carefully for cracks. It's not like it's going to fly apart due to extremely high RPMs.

 

[1930]

Why not just use a bench grinder? Can buy new or very nice used ones for similar money.

I have bench grinders, always looking to become less dependent on the system

 

[IXLR8]

I have one, it was my grandfathers, used it for years and still do on a rare occasion. As others have said, check for cracks and find a way to drip some water on the stone while you are using it. The water keeps from plugging the stone with metal and keeps whatever you are grinding cool. The purpose of the metal shield between the stone and the seat is to keep the water off of you. I think they are worth whatever you are willing to pay. This is the first one I have heard of for sale so I have no reference as to price/value.

 

[Jstpssng]

Bench grinders can take the temper out of the steel. Pedal may sound like fun but would get old fast. You can easily add a pulley and electric motor. Repurpose a belt guard for water, putting it on the bottm of the wheel.

 

[bigtiller]

That one looks like it is fairly new, as in less that 50 years old. The antiques that I used as a kid were good enough to sharpen a shovel or a garden hoe. Things of that nature.

They also had a homemade trough under the stone for holding water for the stone to run in to soften and clean it as it spun. But I would use other means to put an edge on a chisel. Sharpening freehand is difficult to get a cutting edge on a stone like this.

But they are fun to use. For $80, I would buy it.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

Bench grinders can take the temper out of the steel.

They can but it's not hard to avoid. Buy a low speed grinder (1750 vs 3450 RPM) and buy a soft wheel. A lot of grinders ship with wheels that are too hard and become dull and glazed easily. They rub instead of cut. The bonds in softer wheels break down faster to release dull media and uncover sharper media. People also tend not dress the wheels often enough.

I agree that the treadle wheel would get old fast. It's cool, but I don't think the cool factor would last long.

 

[WranglerX]

Every one I have seen has been out of round...... Do all my sharpening with hand grinder and flap disk now.....Be sure to balance mower blade after sharpening....

 

[4570Man]

An angle grinder with a flap wheel would do just as good or probably better and doesn’t take up the room to store.

 

[etpm]

55 years ago when I was but 14 years old I messed around with several very old grinding stones that were pedal driven. Where I lived you could find the stones just laying in a field or behind an old building. I think the stones were all sandstone. Anyway, myself and a few friends got some going that still had intact wood supports. We sharpened axes, hatchets, shovels, mattocks, etc. on the old stones. With teenage enthusiasm working for us we got things sharp. But not like knife sharp, the stones were too coarse. Still, sharp enough to easily remove a finger if the hatchet was swung wrong. The old stones turned slowly but were large enough in diameter that they cut pretty fast for a foot driven wheel.
Eric

 

[chim]

Just a safety note about grinders. My Grandad gave me an electric motor many years ago. It has a threaded shaft and came with a wire wheel and a grindstone. When I was still new at understanding stuff, it was my bench grinder on . Of course one needed to wear eye protection when using the wire wheel (a coat was even a good idea).

The big wakeup call came when I was using a 6 or 8 inch stone to remove dings in a hammer head. The contact between the stone and the hammer head became intermittent, like they were bumping. Then WHAM and there was no more wheel on the motor shaft. First reaction was to take a quick inventory of my body. Thankfully, no damage. I wasn't able to find near enough pieces to make a wheel shape.

 

[FullMetalBucket]

After buying a 2x42 belt sander when I got interested in knife making, I haven’t used my wheel grinder since. Way better and much more useful imo.

Edit: after reading chim’s post above me, add another reason why I like a belt sander better. A belt snapping isn’t near as bad as a wheel coming apart on you.

 

[Eagle1]

Then you get a 72" belt grinder and you don't look at much else for grinding.
Just throw the right grit belt on and off you go. Ours is a 5 HP and has either a wire wheel or buffer pad on the other shaft depending on the day. I still have the bench grinder and 42" setup in the shop but stuff is piling up around them

 

[FullMetalBucket]

Hehe yeah that’s next when I get a workshop built.