Ok folks what do you think of the Jet power sharpener unit. I am tired of not having sharp tools to use, I am NOT good at hand sharpening and I need something that will work for not just Chisels but also plan blades and such.
Looking at the powered options seams to limit this to a few only. Some of them do not do wide blades or cambered blades at all other then free hand and Tormak (sp?) while it is supposed to be the best is a LOT more money then the Jet. It looks to me like I can get what I need to about $500 or so List and maybe less on sale. I had a chance to get it last year for less at a local show that is coming around again in a few weeks so maybe it will be cheaper again. (lets hope).]
But before I do I would like to here what you have to say. (we will also I am sure here from those that hand sharpen, telling me that is the way to go, but as said I suck at this and just want something that will get the job done) I know the jet is not cheap, but if it keeps my tools sharp with minimal work from me I think it may be work it. The question is. how well does it work and can a no nothing get a good finish with it?
I think the sharpening issue is keeping me from enjoying my hand tools as much as I should.
Doug M
Replies
I have a tormek... but I only use it to do my plane irons and chisels. If I had it to do over again, I would have gone with the Veritas machine. Don't get me wrong, I like the Tormek... however, it is not practical to set up when you need to just touch-up the blade. The thing Lee Valley offers is always ready to go and gets fantastic reviews.
With the Tormek, I still use my water stones for my final sharpening.
Daug,
Just a couple of thoughts to share.
I meet a lot of kids going to NBSS and work part time at one of our woodworking stores around here. Sharpening is something they focus on religiously for the first two years; struggling to find the right substrate and technique. The last one I spoke to (he was advanced)was impressed with the diamond paste series. My point being it ain't as easy as some would have you believe, those kids are doing it every day under supervision. When they graduate however, they can sharpen any tool..regardless of it shape.
Second, my first job out of HS was working in a meat market. Every week the knives were picked up and sent out for sharpening and a new batch of knives were dropped off. All week long all we did was hone on a steel removing the rolled over burr. When the knives came back a whole new face had been cut on the knife. Basically each knife was treated as a startover...quick and done.
What appears to be nice about the Jet is the holder setups so you can cut a whole new face. The bad news is the stones are not that fine a grit, at least for what I want in a smoother blade or even a block plane. I use the Veritas II and Shaptons for the honing. I'm not trying to sell those, I'm just saying I don't know that you need to spend that amount on the Jet to just redue the face. I would think you could gerry rig up something at a 25 degree angle for a slow speed stone at less of a cost. but maybe that is why i'm still struggling...:)
I have been using my JET wet shapener for over a year now (almost two years?) and am still very happy with it. I sharpen mainly turning tools but some carving chisels and my small plane irons. Everything comes out very nice with little muss and fuss.
I have a full review of the JET at the link below if photos and a video might help.
http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/jetwetshrpnerrvu.html
Tom Hintz
Because there is always more to learn!
Doug I own a Jet also, and Toms site is great. The DVD that comes with is pretty detailed about how to use it. I to have had problems getting a sharp blade and making it easy and more important repeatable.....
Some comments on it, it is a coarse stone. It is great for retooling an edge quickly, either one that was dropped or changing the angle on a LA plane.
You still need to use stones, I like the Norton 4 and 8000 stones after using the jet on the vertias Mark II guide system. It does not take long at all to get scary sharp doing the three step process.
I like the polisher on the jet, but not for everything.
The jet still dumps water out when running....
The plastic bushings on the sharpening guides wear out/fall out and need to be replaced. They are 1.85 each and $19 for shipping. Kind of steep.
I would buy it again and plan on keeping it. I made a nice cart for it, with all my sharpening stuff in it, along with scrapers, and my 10" saw blades. C H R I S says it looks like a Tea Cart, OH well, but it works!
-----------_o
---------_'-,>
-------(*)/ (*) http://www.EarthArtLandscape.com
Yeah I keep hearing two things about this, one is that they work great and the other is they only do rough sharpening and you need stones to finish and from that same group that they tend to break down a lot.
Seems kind of radically opposed views on this. Maybe I will have to take an old blade and ask for a demo?
Doug
I've had one for a while and like it. I also keep an Arkansas stone on the bench beside the grinder to put the final touches on the blade. It doesn't take much. The wheel is a pretty fair compromise between grinding and honing, if you want a finer stone, they're available. It also does a good job on the wife's kitchen knives and scissors ;-)
I have been using the Worksharp (I think that is what it is called). It works pretty good on chisels and plane blades to 2" (the number 4 and 5 I think). It will only do my 4 1/2 on a rest which I cannot do. With a guide I can still do better with my waterstones (and a guide) but this is much quicker and I tend to do it more often. Not a solution for larger planes but for everything else it seems good, easy and quick. I don't use my jointer plane terribly often but the pain is with a smoothing plane that I do use a lot. I completely gave up sharpening my own jointer blades so that was not even a consideration for me. It was also only $199. Can't comment on the Jet but I looked at it and decided this was even more idiot proof and when it comes to sharpening that seems to be my territory :).
Idiot proof is good. Only issue I have with it is that it does not do the wider blades and you can not get a camber. I have looked at doing hand sharpening, and getting the LV veritus jig with the camber and the flat wheel. That seams to be option 2 for me. It is not so much the time for me as the skill level. I suck at it, and this does not make the rest of my shop time fun. So I am looking for something to help with the whole thing. Cost while always and issue is not the leading issue. Getting my tools sharp in a manor that is consistent for a hack like me is. It is not a good savings when you have hundreds of dollars in tools that have not so sharp blades. It is better to spend a few hundred more and get something that will allow you to have truly sharp tools. (at least that is my idea).
I have about a half dozen planes and a bunch of chisels that I am just NOT getting the most out of that I could. This is the main lead item pushing me to get SOMETHING to help with sharpening. If it allows me to sharpen other things then all the better. But the main goal here (like a lot of folks I am sure) is to get something to allow a person of no skill (in sharpening) to do a good of a job as I can. So right now I am flipping between the Jet or the Jig and some better (bigger) stones. I could I guess go with the other system (being as it is about 200) and spend the other money on stones and the jig. Perhaps I will start another thread on this idea.
Doug
Doug,Boy can I empathize. I don't have any answers for you, just wanted to offer a perspective. I don't find the Worksharp to be great but it is simple and extremely quick. Mine went out of adjustment yesterday and I am irritated with it as getting it to sharpen square to the blade seems Sisyphean to my mechanically challenged brain. I am getting tired of the rock rolling back down the hill every time I get it most of the way up.I always thought that camber was useful only for hand sharpening in that it is easier to keep the blade flat to the stone. Why is it good when a mechanical device is doing the flattening? I have never used a camber as I have honing guides.Shawn
Camber on some plane blades stops the plan from leaving marks at the corner/edge of the cutting blade. This is usefull (in minor form) for some hand plans. Not for those that flat is important like edgers.
Doug
Have you ever seen Tage Frid's video "Handmade Dovetails"? He sharpens his chisels on a belt sander held upside down in a vise. Who can argue with the master? Of course, he's been doing it for so long he can probably get a better edge than I can with a Jet. And a lot faster too.
Which is the point, if you are good and know what you are doing you can sharpen anything. If you are not so good and not so skilled well.......
Doug M
Yes, that's it. 25 years ago, I was spending more time sharpening than working. If you have a buffer, get a muslin wheel and some jeweler's rouge and buff the edges of your chisels and plane blades (carefully). I used a 1X30 belt sander with a fine-grit belt to get the edge and buffer to polish it for a long time. I still use it for speed when sharpening my mother-in-law's kitchen knives.
Doug... Let me toss out another suggestion... 'WORKSHARP 3000' I've had a chance to use it and I liked it. It has a low learning curve and you can be using it within minutes of taking it out of the box. Several friends who have it like it very much. You use PSA discs or you can use spray glue and your favorite wet/dry sandpaper. Its only limitation, if I remember, is it is limited to blades 2 inches in width using the built in guide, but you can do wider 'stuff' freehand. There are really no accessories or tool holders to buy. The slotted wheel is interesting in that you can actually see what you're doing. Find someone who has it and give it a try. One friend picked up two extra glass wheels to use, while another found that TEMPERED masonite works just as well and are a lot less expensive.
Just my 2 cents worth.... SawdustSteve
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled