I'm a sucker for gadgets so I had to try one. It arrived yesterday and I set it up this AM before work and gave it a few runs. Comments:
- It's small, doesn't need much room to use or store.
- Set up is a piece of cake, except for getting the backing off the abrasive disks. As usual, getting a piece to turn up so it could be grabbed was fiddly.
- Keeping the abrasive (especially the 3600 mesh) from getting air bubbles as you put it on the glass is tricky, but, with care, can be done.
- Once set up I ran an old Stanley 604 blade. This blade came on a yard sale grabber and had been used as every tool in the box from appearances. Back battered, edge rouned and chipped - ugly. The basic bevel seemed to be around 30 degrees. I knocked that back to 25 on the
- Edge was nice and square on the iron, something I have difficulty getting on a waterstone. My poor technique I suspect.
- Ran 4 old C'man chisels (1/4 to 1"). All have been previously sharpened on Shapton waterstones. About 4 minutes apiece to 3600 and the edges were about what I get manually, without the mess.
Upsides -
It's a neat little machine. Quiet, clean, no water mess and seems to do a pretty good job on the flat stuff. I'm not a turner so I can't comment on gouges etc.
Looking at it, it'll be easy to fashion a jig or 2 to do knives. Planer blades and jointer blades will take more work at jigging.
Down sides -
Max 2" blade in the supplied rest, so my 4 1/2, 6 and 8 planes aren't possible except on the tool rest, which won't be real accurate. Need a jig here.
Abrasives aren't cheap (Norton on the grits and some outfit I've never heard of on the mesh). I suspect I can do better with a search or 2 when needed.
The de-burring strip doesn't do much, do it manually.
Micro bevels are only done on 5 degree increments on the provided rest. I suspect a strip of masking tape on the back of the tool up by the edge could be used to provide a 1 or 2 degree micro bevel.
Just my observations.
I'm not ready to put my LN, Hock and Knight irons or my Veritas detail chisels on it yet - more experiments and experience required.
Regards.
Tom
PS: The Laguna 16HD is on the truck! Yeh!