Jet sharpening station?

[Jay Yoder]

Anyone out there own this? How does it compare with tormek? Local woodcraft has the jet with a base and wheel dresser for 299. i dont want to buy one and wish i had bout the other...your input is greatly appreciated.

[Doug Rogers]

I picked one up when Amazon had their big sale before Christmas. I use the Tormek jigs instead of the Jet jigs. The Tormek jigs are ten times better. It does a really nice job on chisels and turning tools. I bought the Tormek Handbook and the Tormek Instruction Kit for woodturning. The instruction kit has a DVD and a spiral bound book on sharpening turning tools. This cut the learning curve in half. If you follow the instructions you should get great results with less steel being removed from the tools.

Sharpening existing angels is rather fast. Regrinding the angles is a slower process. You can speed it up using the speed dial. When using the faster speeds don't put as much water in the tray. Also you should use a magnet on the bottom of the tray to catch the metal particles. It keeps the the wheel cleaner. I would buy it again.

Doug Rogers

[Grant Vanbokklen]

I picked one up when Amazon had their big sale before Christmas. I use the Tormek jigs instead of the Jet jigs. The Tormek jigs are ten times better.

I picked one up too when they were $167, but got all Jet jigs and think they work great.

Do you have actual proof that the Tormek jigs will get your tools ten times sharper?

[Greg Funk]

I picked one up when Amazon had their big sale before Christmas. I use the Tormek jigs instead of the Jet jigs.
You picked one of what up? A Jet jig or a Tormek jig. If you bought the Tormek how can you comment on the Jet jigs?

[Bill Wyko]

I was just using my JET a few minutes ago to get my tools ready for turning tomorrow. As far as one or the other, there both great tools. You can use either jigs on either machine. A few more features on the Jet but you'll get the same results on one or the other. I can shave with my skew after a few passes on my jet. It's sharp as a razor.:D

[Alan Trout]

I also got the Jet on the Amazon deal. I have to say that it was one of the best deals I have ever gotten. One day I had mine running 6 hours. I sharpened every knife in the neighborhood. Also every chisel I have is pretty dang sharp. Mine was pretty much perfect out of the box.

Far as jig quality goes I find the Jet jigs more than serviceable. Actually they are pretty good. I just put a drop of CA on the plastic bushings and they have never came out again. I have used some of the Tormek jigs before and found them no more serviceable than the Jets, however maybe a little better finished is all.

Good Luck

Alan

[Gary Ratajczak]

I picked up the HF wet sharpener about a month ago, totaling $75.00 with the coupons I had. It has an 8" wheel, but I believe it to be the same supplier as Sheppach (only the stone) as it's marked made in Germany on the stone itself.

I know there is a great debate on wether the Jxx or the Txxxxx is the better model. I am an occasional turner on a Jet Mini, and use a few chissels on the bench - so I thought I would "touch my toe" before jumping in.

I did also purchase the extended warranty, which will allow me to carry in my machine in two years for a replacement (new stone).

So - I have not used any of the name brand machine directly, but have watched a number of demos at the shows. I will say that after only a few minutes on the HF unit, my 1/2" chissel was sharper than it had ever been in years.

Shortcomings of the HF unit that I found:
- The accessory bar was not at a 90 degree angle - a little bending and check against a square took care of that
- No stone grader included
- Wheel needed to be "trued", but most all units require that be done anyway

So.... I did purchase a number of the Tormek jigs to go along with my unit. I found the quality to be excellant, and they work fine on the HF. The angle setter can work with a stone from 6" diameter up, so it works great on the HF.

For the amount of work I am currently doing, the HF seems like a true bargain. I would recommend purchasing the name brand jigs and fixtures - they are not stamped steel like the HF.

After I purchased a stone "trueing" tool, the stone is perfectly flat, and produces a terrific flat and sharp edge.

I dug down to the bottom of an "old tool" drawer, and found an abused pocket knife. After about 10 minutes, it was whitteling end grain that was as smooth as glass!!

So - for me, I am now convinced that "wet sharpening" is terrific. I am not convinced that you need to spend high $$ for the average user to get started. I'll keep adding to my fixture collection, and may pick up a used or demo name brand unit in the future.

Just my 2 cents - hope it proves helpful!!

P.S. Watch out - I did cut my finger on that old dull pocket knife that is now razor sharp!