Wet Grinder

GregJ · Oct 4, 2003

I have a Bearcat 70554 chipper/shredder and am looking a buying a wet grinder so I can sharpen my own blades. I just found a 7" wet grinder that Sears carries for $80. All others that I have looked at have been around $250. At $80 a grinder is cost justified for me. At $250 I'd have to sharpen a lot of blades. I have had poor luck with Craftsman power tools in the past, but at this price and the limited use it would get, I might try it. Just wondering if anybody has any experience with these grinders, or know of a reasonably priced good wet grinder.

Thanks,
Greg

Boondox · Oct 4, 2003

Greg -- I've been eyeing that unit too, but have had such utterly horrible luck with Craftsman power tools that the Makita, at three times the cost, is probably what I'll get. So far the only Craftsman power tool that has lasted me more than two years is my 3/8" drill. Bad track record!

Pete

GregJ · Oct 4, 2003

You got 2 years out of a craftsman drill..... You must have gotten one of the good ones..... When I was first married I bought a Craftsman drill,circular saw,sabre saw and sander. None of them lasted 2 years. That was 27 years ago and I was just hoping that maybe things have changed.

Greg

Bird · Oct 4, 2003

Greg, I came very near buying that wet grinder earlier this year, but the salesman in the local Sears store told me they'd had very poor luck with them and that he didn't think I'd like it. He said most of the buyers had returned them, but I didn't ask how many buyers that was.

micromike · Oct 4, 2003

I like Craftsman hand tools but avoid the power tools, but hey, that's not why this thread was started so...

The wet grinders are nice, (not craftsman) and really like it...but!

You might want to pick up a copy of this months finewoodworking (or maybe try their web site.) They have a couple of ideas (one is an article and one is in the suggestions section for using stationary belt sanders to sharpen wood turning gouges, carving tools etc. that looks very interesting.

Good luck

Mike

Bird · Oct 4, 2003

Yep, Mike, I used my stationary belt sander for sharpening metal tools more than I used it for anything else and it was a Craftsman. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

WCarlson · Oct 4, 2003

I bought one of the Craftsman wet grinders two years ago to sharpen the blades on my 18 HP DR Chipper. So far so good, I have sharpened them four or five times and it did a sasifactory job of sharpening while maintaining the angle. If I had a lot of sharpening to do I would probably spring for something better, however, with limited use it has been OK.
Bill

ronjhall · Oct 4, 2003

Greg
Like others have stated. I use a belt sander to sharpen Bearcat chipper blades. The belt sander sharpened ones last as long as the brand new set I put on. I do not let them get very dull. Also, do not let them get hot when sharpening.

GregJ · Oct 4, 2003

Thanks all for your posts. I do have a belt sander (an old Ryobi in need of replacement), so if I bought a new tool, maybe a belt sander would be a good purchase. A wet grinder really looks nice, because of the heat issue, but they are expensive. I just wish Craftsman could get their act together. Their hand tools are reasonably good quality. I don't know why they can't maintain the same standards for their power tools. Ron and Bird, I have a couple of questions. What type of jigs did you use to maintain the angle and what grit and type of abrasive belt do you use. I just might consider this alternative.

Thanks,
Greg

Slamfire · Oct 4, 2003

Harbor Freight had a wet/dry grinder in their latest sale paper, I'm not looking for one so I didn't notice the price. Then again, you'll never know how long the Chinese stuff will last.

ronjhall · Oct 5, 2003

Greg
I use an old 4 X 36” stationary belt sander with 40-grit aluminum oxide belt. It runs at a slow speed. I just do it by sight. Use a protractor to check and maintain the angle.
The original blades were not done with much more accuracy.

Bird · Oct 5, 2003

( What type of jigs did you use to maintain the angle )

Not very good ones; /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif but I did cut some blocks of wood with the angles I wanted and they worked pretty well. I think just free handing it worked just about as well.

( what grit and type of abrasive belt do you use )

Another little problem; Sears didn't have as fine a grit as I wanted and now I can't remember whether it was 80 or 120. For sharp edges I liked the belts best after they had a fair amount of wear on them.

I was also never able to find as fine a grit wheel as I wanted for my bench grinder, although I did find a fine grit stone to go in a drill, so for knives, I'd start with a very light touch on the belt sander, then go to the stone I put in my drill press, running on the slowest speed, and put the final touch on with the old manual stone.

GregJ · Oct 5, 2003

Thanks Ron & Bird. I have a little time before I need my next sharpening job. I'm still liking the thought of a wet grinder, but not the price. I could use a good stationary belt sander too..... Unfortunately the lotto ticket I bought yesterday was no good, otherwise I would have bought both.

Thanks,
Greg

Boondox · Oct 7, 2003

Bird, Check out LeeValley Tools. They have a great variety of stones available. Different grits and even different materials. Good folks, too.

I bought one of those 2" diameter dust collection networks from them where the internal friction overcame the suction from the shopvac, rendering the whole thing worthless. Three years later while making another order I casually mentioned that that was the only item I had ever been disappointed with. They told me to gather up the dusty pieces and send them back for a full refund, including shipping! Gotta love that kind of customer service!

Pete

varmint · Oct 7, 2003

For what it's worth: I have used a Makita wet horizontal sharpener for years, for chisels and planer knives, etc., and even with the optional green coarse wheel, I think it'd be the wrong tool for mowing blades. I also have a 2" by 72" belt sander that my dad made a long time ago to use in making knives, and with the right aluminum oxide belts (via Industrial Abrasives Co.) it is perfect for sharpening- you can move the item easily to avoid heat build-up, you can see just what you're doing, and with a fine belt comes a fine edge in no time! Grizzly and others offer belt sanders for metal working. Might be what you need?

micromike · Oct 8, 2003

Don't mean to belabor the point, but the article in Fine Woodworking discusses making a simple bolt on adjustable mechanism for maintaining the proper angle/bevel on our tool. In my opinion, eyeballing is OK for mower blades and such but not for percision cutters like planer blades.

The acticle also gives information on different grades of belts in addition to sources for very fine grit sanding belts which can be hard to find or even impossible at your box stores.

I tried looking up Fine Woodworking on the net and did find the site, but the article isn't posted on the online magazine version. Your library may have it or over the counter it's about $8 bucks. Well worth it IMHO.

Hope this helps.

Mike

5030 · Oct 8, 2003

Pete:

I have a wet grinder. I could do all sorts of blades on this one. Actually it's a toolroom grinder. Will hold a 0.0001 tolerance. It was a Christmas present to myself last year.

It was a little more than $80.00. It cost around $6,000.00. I just happened to slip in a picture of my vertical mill too. There are a couple of lathes of varied swings on the other side of the shop.

Tools like these make it easy to fabricate parts, as long as you have the knowledge to use them.

And for Bird, when we finally move to your neck of the woods, I will have to have a rigging company move my machinery, it's heavy.

5030 · Oct 8, 2003

I bet you guys want me to make jigs to hold the angles you wish to sharpen at, We can do that too.

5030 · Oct 8, 2003

I just can't resist another picture of another machine.

I spent 2 years restoring this one from a pile of junk. This is a South Bend 9" Workshop lathe. The original build date is 1942. That's 8 years before I was born. For you techinical folks, TIR (total indicated runout) at the spindle is less than 0.001. That's 1-1thousand of an inch of deviation from true. That's a bit better than the factory claimed in 1942. They actually claimed 0.0035 tir.
I still have to tool the machine. I told my wife I was going to move it in the house and she laughed. It's still in the shop. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I could probably get quite a bit of money from a gunsmith for it, but from a nostilga standpoint, it's not for sale.

GregJ · Oct 8, 2003

After shopping and thinking.... shopping and thinking, I finally bought a Delta 23-710 wet grinder. It appears to be a pretty good value at $149. I bought it from a local shop that I was very impressed with. They also have a great web page with good prices. It is Rockler woodworking. The web page is Rockler Woodworking . Actually it was a very dangerous place to find. Lot's of great stuff. I played with it a little this evening and like the guy told me at the shop, it will take a while to learn how to use it well. However I was able to put a great edge on a couple of my chipper blades and I am looking forward to having some sharp tools in the shop.

Greg