Chisel sharpener tool arrives

[Balsabasher]

The chisel sharpening tool has arrived,what a quirky thing it is ! I had not realised that it runs from an electric drill but it certainly does,the assembly instructions were dreadful and in parts made no sense at all,after studying the instructions and looking at the pictures and drawings I finally worked it out.

This is how it works,a water tank provides the lubrication for the sharpening process for this the wheel picks up water as it spins and transports it via feeder hole which flows onto the chisel edge as it s being ground,you can use 25,30 and 45 degrees they suggest 25 degrees for chisels and say the secondary angle is not important,I am no expert but it certainly works fine with that setting,the chisel fits into an holder which is locked from one side by a beefy threaded rod with a turnscrew which locks the chisel via 'v' shaped wedge,the chisel holder sits onto a slider at the top then you feed in the blunt tool just resting it against the wheel,now this is where the device gets interesting,as you spin up the drill you press the front and hold it either side with your fingers,its good because you can sense the blade being sharpened done by feel,as the water flows it removes metal which cycles into the water bath,they provide a bench mounted leather strop which you can see in the picture for burnishing the back of the chisel once it has been sharpened,you wold not think that leather was slightly abrasive but it certainly is and cleans up the chisel ready for use,a quick test was done with a really old chisel that had seen better days and had been misused,it has been transformed into a really good tool that cuts through wood like butter.

It took me hours to find out how to change the angle settings ! they do not tell you in the awful instructions that a lid comes off to reveal three positions,I only discovered this because I was pulling at different pieces wondering how on earth it come apart,determination paid off,this thing is cheap as chips at £25,if only they made it from metal instead of plastic and then it would last for years,at first I was not too impressed with the electric drill powering it but the torque is adequate and it shows no slowing down once the load goes onto the grinding wheel,it takes up little bench space and hopefully it will keep my chisels and plane blades keen,you can also use it for knife and scissor sharpening but I will keep it dedicated for use with my chisels and plane blades,  its cheap and cheerful and certainly does the job it was intended for.

Barry.

Rating to sum up-
Cost-very reasonable
Instructions-Awful
Does it work-Certainly does
Bad points-Better to have been made from metal and would benefit from a bigger diameter grinding wheel
Spare wheels available-Yes
Maintenance-Change the water and poke out the feeder holes free of metal filings

[lastvautour]

The water will corrode the metal filling even if you leave it over night. That is why I switch to oil as soon as that became apparent. Mine has a built I motor but it does not mater as long as it works. You are correct that doing it by hand is a pain. I was paying a friend to do my blades until I purchased my sharpener. I hope you have as much success as I have had.

Lou

[Balsabasher]

So do you actually fill the resevoir with light machine oil Lou ? another batch being done today until all of my chisels are up to standard again and kept that way,these are wonderful tools once you get to know how to use them.
I wonder if you can get Kansas stone upgrades for these ? supposed to be the finest stone available.
Barry.

[lastvautour]

Don't know about Kansas stones. Mine is slightly our of round but does not deter from getting a sharp edge. I use light machine oil call 3 in 1 over here. I don't know who makes it but any light oil would do. After a few months it my be prudent to check the filler content of the oil. How wide of a chisel can you sharpen?

Lou

[Balsabasher]

The results of a days chisel sharpening,the only ones that need doing now are the half round ones and I do not have a clue how these are best done ?

Max chisel or plane size is aprox one and three quarters of an inch wide,I have yet to do a plane blade which are much wider but it says that these can be done.

Now the chisels have the correct angle it will be much easier to re-sharpen them.