Fred, et.al.; I read up on the wapin web site about the SurgiSharp and I'm getting very interested in it.  I will see one up in South Dakota on Thursday.  Who knows, maybe I'll come home with one ;>) PW <table width=100%> <tr valign=top> <td width=40%>Fred Sturm <fssturm@unm.edu> Sent by: caut-bounces@ptg.org 08/05/2008 10:58 AM <table border> <tr valign=top> <td bgcolor=white> <div align=center>Please respond to College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org></div></table> <td width=59%> <table width=100%> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>To</div> <td>College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>cc</div> <td> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>Subject</div> <td>Re: [CAUT] Work Sharp</table> <table> <tr valign=top> <td> <td></table> </table> Hi Paul, The difference between removing material with a wheel and with a belt is enormous. The belt dissipates heat, where the wheel builds it up. With the belt, going through the grits, you can get the very final honing done, the part we usually do on a bench stone by hand. Fast! No heat to speak of. No way you could get to that point with a wheel, at least not any wheel I have tried. The final hone is always by hand using a wheel. And then you add the leather belt strop and you can go even farther than you could do on a fine stone by hand. Again, fast! Doing some fine chisel or plane work, leave the leather belt on the machine and strop for a few seconds every few minutes of work. As opposed to spending almost as much time and effort sharpening as cutting with the tool. I guess with coarser grits, removing a bunch of material (say, correcting a bad bevel), you might dip into a glass of water from time to time, but for most use heat really isn't an issue. So the RPMs really are irrelevant. Or not in the way you would expect. Try it, you'll like it. Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico <a href=mailto:fssturm@unm.edu>fssturm@unm.edu</a> On Aug 5, 2008, at 8:29 AM, Paul T Williams wrote: I have a really good bench sander with wheel and belt.  I just want to retire this 40+ year-old bench grinder that spins waaaay too fast. pw <table width=100%> <tr valign=top> <td width=47%>Fred Sturm <<a href=mailto:fssturm@unm.edu>fssturm@unm.edu</a>> Sent by: <a href="mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org">caut-bounces@ptg.org</a> 08/05/2008 08:58 AM <table border=4> <tr valign=top> <td bgcolor=white> <div align=center>Please respond to College and University Technicians <<a href=mailto:caut@ptg.org>caut@ptg.org</a>></div></table> <td width=52%> <table width=100%> <tr valign=top> <td width=13%> <div align=right>To</div> <td width=86%>College and University Technicians <<a href=mailto:caut@ptg.org>caut@ptg.org</a>> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>cc</div> <td> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>Subject</div> <td>Re: [CAUT] Work Sharp</table> <table> <tr valign=top> <td> <td></table> </table> A less expensive alternative is <a href=http://www.wapin.com/SurgiSharp_1.htm>http://www.wapin.com/SurgiSharp_1.htm</a> available from our good buddies at Wapin. It is a kit which uses a bench sander as its base, and provides for fine honing (600 grit belt) and stropping (leather belt with rouge). I got this recently and was amazed at how fast and how sharp I could get chisels, pocket knife, and blades for voicing harpsichord quills (I can peel the thinnest imaginable shaving of delrin with ease, that is if I have my magnifiers on so I can see well enough <G>). It's the stropping belt that really does it, puts that razor edge on fast and slick, though the sanding belt action on a chisel is far faster than a wheel and doesn't build up heat. (I still like to hollow grind a chisel as a starting point, but I stay farther from the point). And the bench sander is multi purpose. That WorkSharp looks pretty cool, too. Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico <a href=mailto:fssturm@unm.edu>fssturm@unm.edu</a> On Aug 5, 2008, at 7:33 AM, Paul T Williams wrote: Hi List, I just found out about a great tool sharpening tool at <a href=http://www.worksharptools.com/>www.worksharptools.com</a>  Check it out!  It would save hours sharpening chisels, etc.  and not too spendy. Paul