WEN Tormek clone...

[dbhost]

Yesterday was my birthday. My in laws got together to get me a gift since it was my first since Debi passed. They picked up the Wen Tormek sharpener clone from my Amazon wish list....

Any clue how to use this thing?

[leehljp]

Look at the Tormek and then look for lesser priced accessories, which is what I did for my Grizzly Tormek clone.

The idea behind it is excellent. It is an excellent SHARPENER, but NOT a fast SHAPER. There is a compound that can go on the leather wheel for honing also. You need to use the Wen with water. Now this brings up an unusual situation. The water is there to keep the chisels cool on the edges as it grinds. Heat destroys edges. BUT, since it uses water, the wheel cannot turn any faster than it needs to keep the water flowing around it. Too slow and the water does not flow around the wheel; move too fast and it slings water everywhere. The ideal speed which is pre-set (110 rpm) - and for me, that is too slow for SHAPING a new chisel. It is just right for sharpening, but too slow for shaping.

If you have one or two chisels it may take 10 minutes to 2 hours to bring a chisel to the proper angle and shape - because it turns so slow. I had a set of 10 Japanese chisels that needed shaping when I bought my Grizzly. I put water in the trough and turned on the Grizzly. After 30 minutes, I discovered it was not good for me as I don't have the patience to spend 1 to 2 hours per chisel shaping it on the Tormek. I needed to do just that, or shape it on a different grinder and sharpen on the Tormek clone. I did take one of my lathe chisels and re-faced it in about 10 minutes or so, but it was not the same as re-shaping a new chisel. EDIT: Many chisels come reasonably sharp and do not need to be "shaped" except to grind the concave into it. That takes about 10 minutes or maybe a tad longer. However, some chisels do not come sharp and it is expected that the new owner will shape and sharpen them.

Again, it does an excellent job in sharpening without overheating, but it does not shape quickly. If you know and understand that, and have patience, it will work well.

[dbhost]

It's all excellent information to have for what it's worth the Wen Is a single speed unit preset to a 115 rpm.

I didn't figure at that speed it was going to be fast but that's OK it was a gift and it's something I've been eyeing for several years I think they just wanted to make sure I didn't have a completely empty birthday...

If you have any suggestures for jigs for this for turning tools particularly gouges that would be great I don't even know where to start looking.

[leehljp]

I personally (and it is a purely a personal thing) like the Tormek jig holder better than any other system.

https://www.amazon.com/Tormek-BGM100...%2C118&sr=8-10

With two, you can mount high or low. and buy jigs to fit it.

Jigs are purely subjective, IMO.

[dbhost]

I wasn't planning on getting rid of the 8" bench grinder / Wolverine jig setup, but I have been eyeing these for years as they are FAR Less aggressive. OneWay in their documentation recommended a full speed grinder, they are honestly nuts. I am seriously considering changing out to a low speed bench grinder, which is still massively faster than this Wen sharpener...

Looks like Grizzly has a gouge jig for their sharpening system that should work fine with the Wen...

[leehljp]

If you are using HSS tools that need grinding, I hate to recommend this next item which is expensive and in a different direction. I hate to recommend as it looks like I am saying "spend your money this way". I am not.

CBN wheels are fast and aggressive in cutting if you want that, or slow if you want that. You make it slow in aggressiveness by going to a 600 - 800 or 1000 grit wheel. They are hotter than a water wheel but they throw very very few sparks, and then only if one is putting too much pressure on the chisel against the wheel.

I have a 350 grit (I think) and an 800. They are as fast (aggressive) as I want and as slow as I want. Light years difference in grinding. All the benefits of aggressiveness with none of the drawbacks except price. And the Wolverine setup works great with it. I put my two CBN wheels on a VS Delta Grinder. There is one item that should be purchased with them - Balance wheel. Balance sure helps!

[dbhost]

I have the Norton white oxide wheels on my 8" bench grinder. For the life of me I do not recall the grits on either side... Not allergic to the idea of CBN wheels per se, but I am still using a full speed grinder. CBN at a finer grit would likely solve a good amount of the concern of over aggresive grinding media.

[dbhost]

So for those that have not used one of these. They did NOT lie in the users guide. The new / dry stone drinks water like the town drunk. Roughly 1.25L. You could literally WATCH the water get pulled up, water in the tank going down, and the stone visibly pulling water all the way to the top.