should i just bite the bullet and get a sorby pro edge?

[gavinr]

i've been looking at options for sharpening my chisels, basically starting from scratch with the necessary equipment, and i keep being referred to, and reading on the www, that the sorby pro edge is the way to go.

assuming that the plus is worth the extra spend over the standard model, i'm reckon one will cost me £150 more than a basic 6" bench grinder and jigs. for a novice is this money well spent?

also if i look for a used one are there any pitfalls to look out for?

 

[Jacob]

Pro-edge is good. An ordinary belt sander will do almost as well and you can also use it as a sander.
You don't need jigs anyway.
I'd avoid 6" bench grinder it's the worst option - they are for metal work only (re shaping tools etc) but are too fierce and small diameter for routine sharpening.

 

[gregmcateer]

I don't know the pro edge to use, but I've got an 8" grinder with a tilting table - A lesson with the good Mr Findley and I am (just about) able to produce repeatable angles.

If I had the money I probably would've gone ProEdge or Tormek, but I'm kinda glad I didn't as I've learned a lot by being a 'free-rider' and as only hobby, don't need v speedy sharpening to meet targets.

 

[marcros]

if you have the money for the proedge, I would say go for it. The jigs are not essential, but for a beginner I would say go for the duluxe model that includes them. For a more experienced sharpener, then the choice is yours with jigs- many people still use them. To give you some idea, I went from novice sharpening to getting a perfectly sharp set of turning tools instantly- no learning curve at all.

The belts are cheaper by not going to Sorby- if you put up a post there will likely be a couple of people wanting some and it pays to go to somebody like BnD abrasives as a small group buy. If you do so, I would be willing to order a few with you which will help on the quantity.

I personally wouldnt go for a 6" grinder, although there are plenty of people on here who do use one and get good results. With the proedge you can quickly change belts and have a cheap and wide range of grits to hand, with a changeover of a minute at most. With a grinder you are limited to 2 fixed wheels. That may do you, but I prefer to be able to use a 60 and 120 for shaping, and have the option of going through the grits to honing grits (for bench chisels at least). There is no mess and there is no need to dress the wheel.

If you dont have the money, and the proedge is not cheap, then there are alternative ways to sharpen tools.

 

[dp341]

I really like my proedge. Practically no learning curve. The adjustable platform is what sets it apart from a belt sander. Very solid and easily repeatable angles.

The standard gouge jig and skew jig work with it but are not really necessary. I do use the long grind fingernail jig, again, very repeatable angles, saves me doing any drastic sharpening. I can always just freshen up the previous edge.

 

[marcros]

however the side of the gouge jig works as a 90 degree jig, so it is useful for bench tools. I like the gouge jig, but havent tried without it yet. must do so...

 

[Dalboy]

Pro-edge is good. An ordinary belt sander will do almost as well and you can also use it as a sander.
You don't need jigs anyway.
I'd avoid 6" bench grinder it's the worst option - they are for metal work only (re shaping tools etc) but are too fierce and small diameter for routine sharpening.

I,m sorry but disagree with you comment about the 6" grinder I use one with no trouble at all I get good edges on the tools which I have used on some fine as in delicate turnings also get a good finish straight off the tool, A lot of the trouble is the user in many cases being heavy handed. and also having the wrong wheel on it.

 

[Jacob]

Yes they can be used but I think they are problematic esp. for beginners. You can end up with tools horribly hollow-ground looking and looking like nibbled by rats, and blued with over heating. They tend to waste a lot of metal.
Bin there dunnit!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Depends whether you're talking of turning tools or hand tools. A hollow grind can be desirable in turning tools - one extremely good turner I know won't use a Pro Edge because of its not leaving one : having said that there are a couple more who use one virtually exclusively. 6"/8" grinders do tend to burn if you're not careful - I've a 6" Creusen with a fine white wheel which will burn in a few seconds (it was 2nd hand and came with it) but is brilliant and very economic on the steel for touching up. Interestingly at our club (where there are many brilliant turners and which is relatively well off) there is no Pro Edge or 8" grinder, just four 6" ones. I fancy a Pro Edge for bench tools, but I can no way justify it - ultimately it doesn't do anything I can't do another way.

 

[Dalboy]

Yes they can be used but I think they are problematic esp. for beginners. You can end up with tools horribly hollow-ground looking and looking like nibbled by rats, and blued with over heating. They tend to waste a lot of metal.
Bin there dunnit!

We where all beginners to start with and yes I have turned a tool blue on the occasions I am still using the same tools I started with. Like most things practice is the key. None of us started out being able to turn the perfect bowl and like many I am still trying :roll: .

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Don't forget also that modern turner's tools are HHS, so the bluing doesn't matter anyway.

 

[bobh7]

I struggled with a bench grinder for 2 years and then bit the bullet and bought a pro edge and was getting a perfect grind within 5 minutes. Excellent bit of kit, highly recommended.

 

[blackrodd]

This is starting to sound just like a sharpening thread! Rodders :shock: :shock:

 

[Grahamshed]

I love my pro edge and would not even consider replacing it with anything else, so easy to use. However...... It has to be said that when sharpening a curve ( say a dome ended scraper or a Lancer shape skew ) the motor gets in the way of the tool handle a bit.

 

[Dave Brookes]

Gavin,
Have you looked at the Wolverine system from OneWay?
It's a lot cheaper than the Pro-edge; give Peter a call at The Toolpost and he will no doubt advise as to the pros and cons of the different systems.

Dave

 

[woodpig]

Get the Pro edge, I've not heard of anyone that regretted buying one.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

The pro-edge certainly does what it says on the tin. What I particularly like about it is the flexibility of fast removal of high speed steel with it's low grit belts. For some reason it doesn't heat the steel up anything like as much as dry grinders do and just forget the Tormek if you want fast steel removal...its rubbish. So you get shaping AND sharpening with the same efficacy all in the one tool.

So pro's for the Sorby is flexibility and speed of setup time which due to the baked in positions of the platform and the very simple jigs, works very well indeed...exceptional in fact. Cons...that motor housing design is a bit of a pig every now and then. For example, you cant get a 30 degree bevel on a detail gouge due to fouling on the motor housing....35 yes but not as acute as 30 and that's a limitation to some folks in my turning club (master turners too not just some noob who knows squat)

 

[woodpig]

Could you not remove the handle to alleviate the problem Bob? I've not tried it but I expect this is not a problem for me as I use a belt sander in lieu of the Edge Pro. :wink: :lol:

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Handle Woody? Do you mean the tool handle?? There is no handle on the PE??

 

[Rhossydd]

I think he means the tool handle if it's fouling the PE.
Not a sensible proposition though, having to refit a tool handle after every sharpening would soon get tedious with normal woodturning tools.