I need some advice before buying a whetstone grinder

[gettingold]

I'm looking to buy a whetstone grinder to sharpen chisels / plane blades and maybe my lawnmower blade so I thought about buying a Clarke whetstone grinder but I didn't know what model was the best so I contacted machine mart and they didn't have a clue so I contacted clarke tooling and they said the only difference is the size of the wheel but isn't the motor less wattage on the more expensive machine.

Clarke CWS250.
Motor: 60W, 230V
3-position switch (Forwards, backwards, off)
Adjustable Wheel speed: 30-150rpm
Grinding Wheel: Ø250x50x12mm
Leather Honing Wheel: Ø200x50x12mm.



Clarke CWS200B.
Powerful 180W, 230V induction motor
200mm diameter grinding and leather honing wheels
Wheel dimensions (dia x Width x bore):
Grinding – 200dia x40 x12mmm
Leather honing – 200diax30x12.5mm

 

[bourbon]

Did you phone Machine Mart customer services or tech? Big difference. The larger wheel has more momentum when up to speed and will need less power to keep it turning. Obviously. You let the tool do the work and not lean on it, or you will stall it.

 

[gettingold]

Did you phone Machine Mart customer services or tech? Big difference. The larger wheel has more momentum when up to speed and will need less power to keep it turning. Obviously. You let the tool do the work and not lean on it, or you will stall it.

I went on live chat. If I was to buy the machine would you recommend the 10" over the 8". I want a machine for occasional use so would you recommend this brand of machine or do you think I should get a different brand because there doesn't seem to be any reviews for the one with the bigger wheel.

 

[heimlaga]

As a rule of thumb freehand grinding becomes too difficult when the wheel diameter is around 16-17 cm. A bigger wheel is much easier to freehand grind on.

 

[johnnyb]

I would heed my advice and buy a used tormek. I brought a new jet many years ago and tbf its a much better machine than those clarke ones but I still wish I'd brought a tormek even after so many years. If you buy a tormek you can always sell it on buy a Clarke and you can't give it away tormek are so much better.

 

[redhunter350]

Hi Gettingold -- me too !!! It depends on what you do in your workshop but consider the Robert Sorby Pro-Edge rather than a whetstone grinder.
A wet grinder does have its merits but I think they suit a situation where they are in very regular use, they are more messy and are limited in versatility.
I was going to buy one but ended up with the Pro Edge and find excellent as well as versatile, I also do metalwork and its useful for this as well as sharpening woodworking tools, chisels plane irons and turning chisels/gouges
Just my three penn'orth !

 

[Mike Needs Help]

Hi Gettingold -- me too !!! It depends on what you do in your workshop but consider the Robert Sorby Pro-Edge rather than a whetstone grinder.
A wet grinder does have its merits but I think they suit a situation where they are in very regular use, they are more messy and are limited in versatility.
I was going to buy one but ended up with the Pro Edge and find excellent as well as versatile, I also do metalwork and its useful for this as well as sharpening woodworking tools, chisels plane irons and turning chisels/gouges
Just my three penn'orth !

There seem to be a lot of Tormek copies around now. I bought the Einhell TC-WG 200 a couple of months ago and paid £79 for it. It has plenty of power and does the job. Not the quality of a Tormek but nowhere near the price. I'm happy with the result I get from it.

 

[Mike Fletcher]

I bought a Record Power 10" wet stone. All of the Tormek sharpening jigs work. However, I found I had to flatten the stone all the time. I finally got fed up doing it and cleaning the mess that results. I raided the savings account and bought a CBN wheel. After a short time I congratulated myself on a worth while investment. Not only no more flattening, but no water either. My life is complete!

 

[Hugh M.]

I have a Clarke whetstone. I’ll look up what it is if you like? I got it cheaper from their clearance section.
I use mine mainly for sharpening wood turning tools. It wasn’t perfect out of the box like a Tormek would have been but it does a good job.
I spent easily double on what I paid for it on the various Tormek jigs and jig setting tools.
These remove any uncertainty and too much variation on how I present the tool to the wheel.

 

[AJBaker]

If it's just for general sharpening and you also have whetstones (or diamond plates etc.), I would also consider a normal dry bench grinder. They're cheaper and very fast.

I use them to restore old tools and create the bevel roughly where it needs to be (about 25°), but without grinding all the way to the edge. I do the final work with a selection of diamond plates (+ a honing guide) with a strop and get great results that way.