Trend Fast Track sharpener kit

[Homeless Squirrel]

Anyone tried these out or use liking or not?
I know DW will spit Fire and Brimstone about diamonds and other things!
But got an offer on KitB which has most of the stones and other bits for a decent price that was Rude not to go for!

 

[TRITON]

You Tube is always your friend here. You can see exactly how it works, and how long it really takes and that the final result it.


Personally give me a powered whetstone every time.

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

That looks to be a good bit of kit although it could do with something to keep the chisel square to the stone. I have their kitchen knife honer which is not too dissimilar and it works very well.

 

[fleyh]

Hello @Homeless Squirrel,

I am going to assume you meant Trend Fast Track chisel and plane blade sharpener and did not mean Trend Fast Track Knife sharpener

TL,DR: Trend Fast Track is a great system, provided you understand what it was designed for.


I am not sure what kind of plasticine was used in the blade of chisel shown in the Ultimate Handyman video linked above, but this is not at all what I have experienced.
Trend Fast Track is not designed for any any sort of blade reshaping.

In my experience - you use Trend Fast Track to touch up a blade which is already 90% there. Trying to reshape a real blade (not made of Play-Doh) is a waste of time and best way to render Fast Track diamond stone unusable after 1st sharpening.

I really like Trend Fast Track but it requires some understanding of what it is for and how to use it.

Scenario 1: I just got a new blade on a car boot sale
Step 1. Shape the blade as required on my bench grinder (I only use coarse wheel for this)
Step 2. Flatten back of the blade on a regular diamond stone (not Fast Track)
Step 3. Establish primary bevel (25-ish degrees by eye) on the same bench grinder
- any angle works, as long as it is less than 30
Step 3. Use Trend Fast Track to establish and sharpen a tiny secondary bevel
Done

Scenario 2: I want to touch up my existing blade
Step 1: Use Trend Fast Track to sharpen the secondary bevel
Done

Things to keep in mind
1. Trend Fast Track stones do not go above 1200grit. If you are used to sharpening with a higher grit then forget about Fast Track
2. If your blade was previously sharpened using anything other than Trend Fast Track - then you are looking at scenario 1 above, regardless of how good previous sharpening was. The key is that your existing angle is not going to match Trend Fast Track and you will be re-shaping the blade
3. Newer Fast Track supports 4 angles 20, 30, 27.5, 32.5. Older model supports 2 angles: 25, 30
- I only ever use 30 degrees
4. You probably do not need all the stones.
- I use mostly 600 and 1200
5. If you are working on your blade with Trend Fast Track longer than 2 minutes - then you are doing it wrong and not using Fast Track for its intended purpose.
6. You will need another (full size, not Fast Track) sharpening stone in order to flatten back of your blades
7. Replacement Fast Track stones can be purchased from M-Power at lower than Trend price


Couple of more realistic examples:

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

@fleyh Yes one and the same kit with 5 stones comes with a roughing stone.
Already have a pile of oil stones and diamond ones also card types in 4 grades and larger bench ones.
Want it for making sure at right angle and a buff like when at woodwork group plus doing there's inc small carving type plus plane blades.
Not an all out attempt but another feather in your cap so to speak.
Mind going to sell off some oil stones i think as just acquired another double sided in nice wooden box
Got the Kit £74 delivered like this one Trend FTS/KIT/MK2B Fast Track MK2 Sharpener

 

[TRITON]

I am not sure what kind of plasticine was used in the blade of chisel shown in the Ultimate Handyman video linked above,

Looks to be a Stanley 5002. Pretty much comparable with something like an Irwin Marples, so overall not a bad chisel, certainly trade use

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

Looks to be a Stanley 5002. Pretty much comparable with something like an Irwin Marples, so overall not a bad chisel, certainly trade use

Ive a Marples that colour looks same

 

[Jameshow]

Hello @Homeless Squirrel,

I am going to assume you meant Trend Fast Track chisel and plane blade sharpener and did not mean Trend Fast Track Knife sharpener

TL,DR: Trend Fast Track is a great system, provided you understand what it was designed for.


I am not sure what kind of plasticine was used in the blade of chisel shown in the Ultimate Handyman video linked above, but this is not at all what I have experienced.
Trend Fast Track is not designed for any any sort of blade reshaping.

In my experience - you use Trend Fast Track to touch up a blade which is already 90% there. Trying to reshape a real blade (not made of Play-Doh) is a waste of time and best way to render Fast Track diamond stone unusable after 1st sharpening.

I really like Trend Fast Track but it requires some understanding of what it is for and how to use it.

Scenario 1: I just got a new blade on a car boot sale
Step 1. Shape the blade as required on my bench grinder (I only use coarse wheel for this)
Step 2. Flatten back of the blade on a regular diamond stone (not Fast Track)
Step 3. Establish primary bevel (25-ish degrees by eye) on the same bench grinder
- any angle works, as long as it is less than 30
Step 3. Use Trend Fast Track to establish and sharpen a tiny secondary bevel
Done

Scenario 2: I want to touch up my existing blade
Step 1: Use Trend Fast Track to sharpen the secondary bevel
Done

Things to keep in mind
1. Trend Fast Track stones do not go above 1200grit. If you are used to sharpening with a higher grit then forget about Fast Track
2. If your blade was previously sharpened using anything other than Trend Fast Track - then you are looking at scenario 1 above, regardless of how good previous sharpening was. The key is that your existing angle is not going to match Trend Fast Track and you will be re-shaping the blade
3. Newer Fast Track supports 4 angles 20, 30, 27.5, 32.5. Older model supports 2 angles: 25, 30
- I only ever use 30 degrees
4. You probably do not need all the stones.
- I use mostly 600 and 1200
5. If you are working on your blade with Trend Fast Track longer than 2 minutes - then you are doing it wrong and not using Fast Track for its intended purpose.
6. You will need another (full size, not Fast Track) sharpening stone in order to flatten back of your blades
7. Replacement Fast Track stones can be purchased from M-Power at lower than Trend price


Couple of more realistic examples:

I don't think she liked it!

 

[TRITON]

Ive a Marples that colour looks same

I think the handle on the marples is a brighter shade of blue. The Stanley ones were a bit of a dull matt, with the 5001 having black handles with that same flat matt shade.

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

Gadget turned up today had a play for while seems ok and sure shows you didn't grind Square!!!
But will return once spent longer playing with it.

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

So had a few sessions with gadget and went through all the stones and one was sorting a firmer chisel i got on here and took a while to get back in shape as angle and pitch wasn't square on and 25deg! but once got angle and bevel square rest was done quickly impressive as ended up razor blade sharp!.

Has limitations to a degree as only go side to side on short travel but if clean stone regularly plus clean and oil slide!(important)it sharpens pretty well/quickly and perfect if say away from shed and need to give chisels/plane blades etc a going over easily as providing have carriage round right way and stone also as gives you 4 angles you can close eyes/listen to radio(Ole lady nagging!) and away you go and all done and ready to use.
It's big strong point is your blades/edges are square on and at right angles you need or didn't get right before!!!!

 

[Reffc]

I simply use whetstones or two diamond coated plates and a hone guide. As long as chisels and plane blades are already a good way there., it takes just minutes to get them razor sharp. I have noticed in recent years a growth of solutions being sold for problems we just never had. Everything from expensive space grabbing motorised knife sharpeners with tensioned belt sanding strips to gismos with moving arms and honing clamps which claim to be 1) needed and 2) the best or at least better than persevering with traditional skill of blade sharpening. I would argue that ALL woodworkers should be able to use a whetstone, oilstone or diamond coated sharpening plate. There is simply no need for any other gismos other than the hone guide which I am only too happy to use for consistency. My blade sharpness was transformed learning one simple trick. I was always taught to sharpen at 35 degrees and put a micro bevel of 45 degrees on chisels. I discovered that sharpening at 25 to 30 degrees for pairing chisels and plane blades much much better, and adding a 35 degree microbevel for durability doesn't seem to affect time between sharpening as much as I had anticipated. There's nothing wrong with investing in this Trend gismo or any other but really it's not a need to have nor do I find these things make a huge difference to sharpening time as long as I stay on top of blade maintenance. Similarly I use Japanese water stones for my knife blades.

 

[fleyh]

It's big strong point is your blades/edges are square on and at right angles you need or didn't get right before!!!!

Indeed.
Another useful feature of Fasttrack is ability to sharpen very short blades (e.g. spokeshave) easily.

 

[fleyh]

I would argue that ALL woodworkers should be able to use a whetstone, oilstone or diamond coated sharpening plate. There is simply no need for any other gismos

if those woodworkers have particular interest in preserving the craft then maybe, otherwise why should they?

Not many professional carpenters or furniture makers have the time or desire to sharpen their handsaw, bandsaw, table saw or mitre saw blades themselves. Good blades are usually sent to sharpen to a 3rd party, cheap blades are simply discarded.

Where do we draw the line between a blade which woodworker "should be able to sharpen" and those which are OK to be sent to a professional sharpener or sharpened with some gadget?
Take, for instance, woodturners - how many of them would want (or need) to sharpen their chisels without some sort of powered device - probably 1 in 1000 (if not less).

The world would probably be a little better if more people invested the time to preserve traditional skills, but saying that "ALL <insert traditional skill here> should" is a bit of a stretch.

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

I simply use whetstones or two diamond coated plates and a hone guide. As long as chisels and plane blades are already a good way there., it takes just minutes to get them razor sharp. I have noticed in recent years a growth of solutions being sold for problems we just never had. Everything from expensive space grabbing motorised knife sharpeners with tensioned belt sanding strips to gismos with moving arms and honing clamps which claim to be 1) needed and 2) the best or at least better than persevering with traditional skill of blade sharpening. I would argue that ALL woodworkers should be able to use a whetstone, oilstone or diamond coated sharpening plate. There is simply no need for any other gismos other than the hone guide which I am only too happy to use for consistency. My blade sharpness was transformed learning one simple trick. I was always taught to sharpen at 35 degrees and put a micro bevel of 45 degrees on chisels. I discovered that sharpening at 25 to 30 degrees for pairing chisels and plane blades much much better, and adding a 35 degree microbevel for durability doesn't seem to affect time between sharpening as much as I had anticipated. There's nothing wrong with investing in this Trend gismo or any other but really it's not a need to have nor do I find these things make a huge difference to sharpening time as long as I stay on top of blade maintenance. Similarly I use Japanese water stones for my knife blades.

Yeah i know exactly what you mean! As years back we had horses pulling a plough then they created tractors.Thrashers.disc/chain harrows.seed planters.Balers.Then heavens combine harvesters and now all on GPS.
So what happened to the Traditional Farmer who took a week odd to plough a field?.

Well now hes in field on monday morning by afternoon it's all done and seeded harrowed then he has rest of day to play with his chisels!
We all like the "old ways" but if we kept to old ways we wouldn't have so many of the 'Trinkets'you like to use or are you just using handsaws,Hand drills,screw drivers and so on?
I'm making things where could just get a router and get out Random orbital sander/Fein multi tool/or other power tools but prefer mostly to use my planes etc for one saves on Leccy.

But i didn't suggest it as means to an end all but an additive as ive think? 5 oil stones now! plus small ones,Diamond stones in various sizes. which i still use.
but if i go to likes of wood work group and want to have a hone up of either mine or there stuff 'which i sharpen for them' i don't need stones/oil/strop etc this is all in one small bag unless there gear is proper tatty then i take my stones etc but then i don't get to take my things to do or do my things.

Yes some/many things are just TAT and like in another post just created/there/pushed to empty your pockets!

 

[Reffc]

You're all taking it too far and out of context. We're not talking about combine harvesters nor ploughs nor table saws, we're discussing sharpening chisels and planes for heaven's sakes. If people find powered sharpening tools more convenient, fine, go with that.

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

You're all taking it too far and out of context. We're not talking about combine harvesters nor ploughs nor table saws, we're discussing sharpening chisels and planes for heaven's sakes. If people find powered sharpening tools more convenient, fine, go with that.

I was using them as an example

 

[Reffc]

tbh, most cabinet makers I know locally (and that's admittedly about 4 of them) all either freehand sharpen chisels or use a honing guide. I use a honing guide myself and don't find it any hassle at all providing that blades are regularly honed. It's not unless you really let them get out of shape where mechanical sharpeners are handy for grinding a new edge.