After the last couple of weeks I'm ready for our one week of Spring before Summer is in full force.
One of the reasons I ran across this photo tonight was when I awoke the internet was down and in addition my phone "hotspot" wasn't working either. It is amazing and frightening how much we have come to rely on the internet over the last ten years or so. I felt at a total loss and at lose ends.
The good news, the coffee maker isn't as yet controlled by the internet and I could get Pandora on my phone and in the shop so all was not lost.
I will beaver away on the legs today, do a little shop maintenance, and sharpen some iron. I've an old draw knife a friend gave to me that needs some love. The biggest problem with doing any work in the shop is my puny little shop heater, this old desert rat doesn't take to cold very well.
I might as well continue bouncing from subject to subject: I do not use grinders very often, a cutter needs to be in pretty bad shape or need a major bevel angle change for me to take it to a grinder. I have both a low speed grinder with a CBN wheel and a Tormek with the new Tormek diamond wheel. I'm going back to a standard wheel on at least the Tormek and maybe both. While a stone wheel is slower, and can be painfully so on the Tormek, the surface finish with the diamond wheel is so rough the time saved is lost once you go to the stones and you end up eating more metal than you should. On the low speed grinder the problem is the inability to profile the wheel. TFWW has "crowned" CBN wheels available but you still have the problem of deep scratches to deal with once on the stones.
ken
Thanx for stopping me from buying a Tormek diamond wheel.
ReplyDeleteRalph,
DeleteThe diamond wheel is faster, I've also used a CBN wheel on the Tormek which is also faster than the stone wheel If I could find it in the mess of the tool room I would think about re-installing it but I still think no more than I use the Tormek the stone wheel is best.
ken
Some here, Thanks Ken
ReplyDeleteI dislike the hollow edge left by circular grinders but, like you have to use it to repair edges. Seriously thinking about getting a WS3000 to help breeze thru my upcoming sharpening marathon. I know Ralph does not like it, but im still thinking it could gave a use in my shop.
PS its on sale about $100 off rigth now :-)
Bob, with a mounting pole of tools to restore
Bob,
DeleteAs I've said before, I've round heels when it comes to sharpening. I've tried most ways of doing it and seem to always come back to a Norton India for grinding and a natural stone for honing and polishing, either a Washita/Hard Black or a JNat. Long way around to been there done that and gave it away not too long ago. Shame you didn't speak up earlier. I gave away the full system including a bunch of diamond disks. The pros are it is reasonably fast and can give a good edge but the cons are it is easy to get everything catywompus and even with the finest grit I didn't like the scratch pattern. I could never get the wide blade attachment to work or would it work with all my chisels such as the Japanese chisels. But with all those negatives if I had a bunch of chisels to get close to usable or to establish bevels on it isn't a bad system and lots of folks swear by it.
It just wasn't the system for me, kinda like using any of the jigs, if it will not work with all my cutters why do I bother. But that is just me.
ken
Yes, well aware of its pitfalls. Ive used the original dry grinder made by Veritas, works pretty good. Mind you this is no where the quality (worksharp) but i reckon it can get me close and ready to finish on stones. That alone will save me a great deal of time.
ReplyDeleteI currently finish on a king 4000 with a natural Nagura stone, then strop often as i work.
Since i picked those translucent oil honing stones, they are quickly becoming my fav.
Bob
I have a much smaller collection of prickly pears that survive the winter here in CT. Not the big needles but the little bunches that make them unpopular in the summer.
ReplyDeleteSteve,
ReplyDeleteThere is one thing about the desert, everything in it either sticks, bites, or stings. One of worst is our cholla, I call 'em jumping cholla because all you need to do is get close and you have an arm or leg full of the pods.
ken