Sorby Pro-Edge

[TRITON]

Anyone got one ?. I was looking at my Axminster catalog the other day(Toilet edition) at sharpening and thinking of flogging off my sharpenset whetstone with the planer knife jig and getting the axminster ultimate edge instead.
Its the 2018/19 edition. So I take a look at their current catalog and its gone up £100. In 2019 it was £379, now it is £479.
This is just a joke as its really just a copy of the pro-edge concept, which in basic form is a tad under £300.Or £365 for the deluxe with a range of jigs, which worked out a very good deal.
Were the axminster still £379 I'd consider it, but £479 Axminster, you can go **** yourselves. the basic axminster is £397 or Sorby deluxe £365.

So I reckon the Sorby deluxe would do me just as good, and given the added range of jigs, considerably better.

 

[AJB Temple]

I have one. Have the jigs but don't use them. It's a good tool and I use it a lot. In my opinion it needs modifying so that the plate position in relation to the belt can be adjusted to square and horizontal without having to use DIY shims. Get this wrong and you will not get square edged chisels and plane blades. Apart from that it's good and is much quicker than stones, diamond plates etc. I do final back hone to get the burr off on a diamond plate. Belts last ages.

 

[Jacob]

I dumped mine when I realised that a 12" sanding disc on my lathe did a much better job - flatter, cooler, faster and better on wide blades. Also useful for woodworking ops in lots of ways. Discs are velcro attached and much quicker to change.
Pro edge is just a linisher, well made but not special.
In fact I've purged the shop of all traces of modern sharpening including 3 expensive Sellers style Eze-Lap diamond plates!
Still have a black and a white Arkansas and I do use them occasionally.

 

[Bm101]

How much was the lathe?!?
One thing the axminster does is speed control. I have a pro edge. I love it. I make knives and all sorts on it but for a sharpening machine it lacks speed control. You really need to return to honing/finishing by hand to prevent blueing a thin edge without risk. That's mad. It does everything else perfectly for me. Jigs could be better no doubt.

 

[Jacob]

How much was the lathe?!?
One thing the axminster does is speed control. I have a pro edge. I love it. I make knives and all sorts on it but for a sharpening machine it lacks speed control. You really need to return to honing/finishing by hand to prevent blueing a thin edge without risk. That's mad. It does everything else perfectly for me. Jigs could be better no doubt.

Lathe was £100. Arundel J4 Senior. My best Ebay buy ever! Disc came with it. Had to buy a Sorby Patriot chuck which more than doubled the cost!
If I didn't have it I'd definitely look for a freestanding disc machine rather than the Pro Edge

 

[Lons]

I have a 10" disc/6" belt machine and 2 lathes and I still wouldn't part with my Pro-edge. Each to his own!

 

[scooby]

I got one after I started turning. Don't regret it at all.

 

[Bm101]

Lathe was £100. Arundel J4 Senior. My best Ebay buy ever! Disc came with it. Had to buy a Sorby Patriot chuck which more than doubled the cost!
If I didn't have it I'd definitely look for a freestanding disc machine rather than the Pro Edge

So that's a generic solution then Jacob? Buy a lathe.
The sorby has its faults no doubt but lets keep the thread relevant to the question asked.

 

[Jacob]

So that's a generic solution then Jacob? Buy a lathe.
The sorby has its faults no doubt but lets keep the thread relevant to the question asked.

Generic solution would be to buy a bench disc sander. Lots of choice, cheaper than a Pro Edge and also a very useful woodwork machine.

 

[scooby]

The main thing about the pro edge is those pre defined bevel angles. Its so nice being to able to switch quickly and accurately. Before I got the pro edge, I made templates for the bench grinder tool rest and was pissing about with sharpies on the bevels..a constant faff if you're sharpening different tools
I found the fingernail jig miles better than the tru grind I originally had.
There are a few cons though
1. I think its a rip off they didn't include the pro set in the deluxe version. I made my own as I'm a cheap *******.
2. It sprays metal dust everywhere if you don't find a way to contain or use magnets etc.
3. Quite a few of my 'work' woodworking chisels are getting on the short side and won't fit on the pro edge tool rest. I grind them on the bench grinder as, again, I'm too cheap to buy the little rest.
4. I find the standard gouge grind jig a bit awkward. The only gouge I have with a straight grind is a 1-1/4" roughing gouge and its just easier not to use the jig.

Still love it though..

 

[TRITON]

Right i'll take that on board about the jigs. I hardly use my lathe that much and my carving chisel set hasnt even left its box, so I suppose push comes to shove i could sharpen those by eye.

Thanks for the heads up on the metal filings, i hadnt considered that. I should be able to rig up some sort of extraction or magnet.

I'll get some pics of the sharpenset ready for gumtree and see if i can sell the darned thing.

 

[Corset]

i have one, i like the small footprint and in a small garage thats useful. Not sure fittinga lathe in is a sensible suggestion, and then how would you sharpen your turning chisels etc if you had a piece in the lathe? I use it a lot as a linisher and as a belt sander for pieces of metal and wood. I like the simplicity and generally non plastic construction. i guess variable speed might be useful but i think the axminster has a bigger footprint and i dont like the metal bar as a sharpening method i like the flat plate of the sorby. Its good for small bits of metal like metal lathe cutters. if i had to buy one again i would still choose the sorby its just well made.

 

[Jacob]

i have one, i like the small footprint and in a small garage thats useful. Not sure fittinga lathe in is a sensible suggestion, and then how would you sharpen your turning chisels etc if you had a piece in the lathe? I use it a lot as a linisher and as a belt sander for pieces of metal and wood. I like the simplicity and generally non plastic construction. i guess variable speed might be useful but i think the axminster has a bigger footprint and i dont like the metal bar as a sharpening method i like the flat plate of the sorby. Its good for small bits of metal like metal lathe cutters. if i had to buy one again i would still choose the sorby its just well made.

Not suggesting fitting a lathe in - but a freestanding sanding disc machine, with or without a belt, is worth a look. Basically cheaper and more versatile.

 

[AJB Temple]

I think a sanding disk is a really bad idea for sharpening metal personally. A linisher provides a constant speed all across the edge being ground. A disk is in effect running much faster on the edge being ground by the largest diameter part of the disk in contact. You only want to take a tiny bit of metal off in most cases. On a linisher you can do this with delicacy and accuracy using extremely fine grits. The Linisher is a good tool for easy, quick and accurate sharpening.

Be careful if you use dust extraction - hot metal mixed with wood dust = fire. Couple of magnets nearby does the job for me. Rarely, when sharpening do you take much metal off. Once a blade is properly ground, all you do is touch the very edge up. Takes a few seconds.

 

[Jacob]

I think a sanding disk is a really bad idea for sharpening metal personally. A linisher provides a constant speed all across the edge being ground. A disk is in effect running much faster on the edge being ground by the largest diameter part of the disk in contact.

But you move the workpiece around a bit or vary pressure. A big disc is better - so you can get even a 2 1/2" edge on it, away from the centre. I also find it steadier and easier to do just a fine trim

....
...... Rarely, when sharpening do you take much metal off. Once a blade is properly ground, all you do is touch the very edge up. Takes a few seconds.

Once it's properly ground I'd only use an oil stone, a little and often!

 

[AJB Temple]

Jacob, wiggling a sharp blade around and varying the pressure against a big spinning disk, versus holding it firmly on a guide plate against a safe belt that will do an even cut all on its own. No contest.

The thread is about the Sorby, not random alternative methods promulgated by the sharpening fraternity.

 

[Lons]

Right i'll take that on board about the jigs. I hardly use my lathe that much and my carving chisel set hasnt even left its box, so I suppose push comes to shove i could sharpen those by eye.

Thanks for the heads up on the metal filings, i hadnt considered that. I should be able to rig up some sort of extraction or magnet.

I'll get some pics of the sharpenset ready for gumtree and see if i can sell the darned thing.

I wouldn't put any of my carving chisels near the pro-edge, sanding disk or grinder, the only safe way of sharpening thin carving tools is by hand or on a wet slow grinder such as a Tormek. Re shaping bench chisels, plane irons etc and straight off the por-edge for turning tools is a different matter.

Just as an aside, the belts last a long time, you can buy cheaper belts which are just as good and I keep old ones which I shove on to grind metal, it's surprising how much it gets used. I leave off the side cover so the belts take only a few seconds to change.

 

[scooby]

Couple of magnets nearby does the job for me. Rarely, when sharpening do you take much metal off. Once a blade is properly ground, all you do is touch the very edge up. Takes a few seconds.

Agreed, I should have been clearer in my post about spraying metal dust. I've reprofiled a few of my turning tools, made scrapers into negative rake, etc. Using a 60 grit and a 'long' period of grinding does chuck dust everywhere. As AJB said, normal sharpening produces little dust.

As for extraction, I personally wouldn't risk it. I know on the ultimate edge there is an extraction port but it really should be used with the appropriate vac (I think it can contain a fire or something like that). Either use magnets (that can be put in small plastic bag to make cleaning easy) or a portable small table top divider from ply.

 

[Jacob]

Jacob, wiggling a sharp blade around and varying the pressure against a big spinning disk, versus holding it firmly on a guide plate against a safe belt that will do an even cut all on its own. No contest.

The thread is about the Sorby, not random alternative methods promulgated by the sharpening fraternity.

Try it. A bit of freehand skill needed but in the end it's very easy and controlled.

 

[TRITON]

But you move the workpiece around a bit or vary pressure. A big disc is better - so you can get even a 2 1/2" edge on it, away from the centre. I also find it steadier and easier to do just a fine trimOnce it's properly ground I'd only use an oil stone, a little and often!

An oil stone Jacob ??? join the 21st century its Japanese ceramic or diamond these days