Im planning to purchase this machine soon. I was wondering about the rated time of the work you can do with it? Does it get heated fast, or you can work for a good amount of time without stopping? I need to grind metal, kitchen knives
My Dad was a cabinet maker in the old days and he gave me some very useful tips for taking care of tools. The best one is to oil all chisels, planes and blades before putting them away. He kept a small flat tin on his bench with a piece of felt soaked in light oil (just enough not too much) that he would wipe tools on, just a quick drag across the is all that is needed. Tobacco tins, boot polish tins or similar work well but they must have a lid (small plastic food containers would be fine too) and 3 in 1 oil is perfect, just wipe off the excess before use.
I love that you get so excited for - what most other people would see as - a piece of equipment. There is so much joy to be had in using something that's superbly built, pragmatically designed and beautifully efficient. Like the "hinge" on a Zippo lighter, it is just a lovely thing to use.
Hi Ben. I’ve just got one of these and my belts all run off to the right by about 5mm. I’ve tried adjusting the tracking but can’t get it any better than the 5mm. Did you ever work out how this works? I seem to have gone round in circles many times with no improvement.
I just bought one from The Turners Retreat in Yorkshire. I will be setting mine up tomorrow so I'm grateful for this video - I am as excited as you were haha!
I have just bought the Pro edge and so far it is looking excellent and Sheffield made too I did my joinery apprenticeship in the early 60's when hand tools were normal and we used oilstones and there is nothing wrong with oilstones, I guess its each to his own I do not like sharpening with any form of grinder due to the hollow grind they make. I saw a I Sorby plane recently and I wish now that I had bought it. I do not think that I Sorby is related to Robert Sorby, which is hard to believe as they are both from Sheffield
Hello, Love your vids. Informative and very entertaining. I purchased a Pro-Edge on your recommendation. Can't fault you, A+ piece of kit, built like a tank, works perfectly. What it lacks is instructions. I've had a rant at the Sorby Forum and sent them an e-mail. Apparently there is a "how to use" DVD available. Beats me why they don't post the vids on TH-cam as I'm sure the promotional value would be greater than the DVD profits. Trying to sharpen a straight edge router bit or drill bits by trial and error with abrasives and sparks is not fun. Keep up the good work Ben. You are an inspiration. CP.
I've owned one of these for about 6 months, I needed a better method than a typical 'slow speed' grinder for lathe gouges. I've used it QUITE often on the gouges to great effect. Today I had to reshape a bowl gouge that I had butchered badly on a faceplate screw, took my all of 20m to rework the entire cutting edge with extended wings. I've also done some reworking of plane irons, the $20 box store kind (and a _really_ badly abused stanley #4 that someone gifted me). The lathe jigs for sharpening are very useful (the wolverine system is similar in some respects). I also have the knife jig, which takes some playing to get right, but does amazingly well. Next up for honing are the veritas planes... FWIW, I think (I've NOT tried this yet) you can use the V block that comes with the unit to sharpen carving gouges. Have you tried it yet ?
Really want one of these so thanks for the useful "first look". It occurs to me that you have your Kickstarter finishing in 19 days after which you're going to be even more insanely busy than you are now so, pretty please, could you get your full review done before the kickstarter madness knocks this off your "to do" list :-) p.s. also very impressed that you read the instructions - blimey - I thought the idea was to read those whilst you're waiting at A&E having nearly removed a digit or two!
although I only have limited experience with this machine I find a tormek t3 or t7 would be more useful yes it is abit more expensive but believe me you wouldn't regret it I noticed you had a triton wet stone sharpener I think that would be better than that even if it just stopped the heat on your tools
Hmmm, interesting gadget. Where speed is important then this definitely has advantages. If a tool is in bad shape, the wide range of grits will get it back in shape nice and quickly. This is not an issue for me so my Tormek will do what I need. Horses for courses, etc. Cheers, John
I agree if you have a full collection of well set up tools that only need a little a little work to sharpen them this could be over kill.. I have a nasty habit of picking up old planes and chisels almost every weekend and have boxes full that need work and the proedge is going to make that a breeze :) thanks for watching!
Packing Peanuts: have a small container of Acetone close by, and put the peanuts into the container with the acetone. The acetone changes the bonds of the peanuts so they appear to 'melt'. If anything, it is fun to watch.
Did you have your tripod on top of your bench or were you using the grip tripod for the overhead stuff? :D just noticed myself more worrying about the camera falling at times that what was being unpacked. -T
Can the angle be set only at fixed positions? I want to set angle freely to sharpen or grind something else then chisels. Is this possible. Would be a large error to not include such a feature?
I think rather than calling these 'unboxing', they should be 'first look', I greatly enjoy seeing how new stuff works more than taking it out of the box. =)
thank you again Ben. you just hit on one of my main concerns how to sharpen quickly what to use ! there are so many systems what to use / buy to start with ? so many questions what is the best for the buck ( pound ) systems that use water seem in my mind seem best, due to heat reduction ??? so easy to over heat steel
Most machine methods will also require a sharpening stone to flatten the back of the chisel or plane blade.. They do about half the job but do it very efficiently and this save time and effort over all.. I do love my water stones though! :)
Hi Ben. Only 3 years after you posted the unboxing but it was a great, non sales oriented, review. I had been toying with getting a water cooled grinder but in the last couple of days had seen this Robert Sorby tool. I know what I will be buying now so many thanks for all your help.
They really area excellent. I now have one on my studio at Crimson and we use one to do all the sharpening at my vintage tool shop www.thevintagetool.com (plug, sorry!) B
Just trying to decide between this and a Tormek. Love the apparent speed and ease of use with the Sorby but am slightly concerned about overheating tools (Memories of ruining several good chisels on a grey stone grinder many years ago still hurt!). I noticed that even on one of the Sorby promotional videos a gouge seemed to be browning at the edges. Can you safely avoid overheating with these? Is it just a question of a light touch and checking temperatures as you grind? Do you need quench the tool? Would be interested to hear from anyone with experience of using the Sorby. Thanks.
+Dave Perris it is something to be very aware of, I almost always work on several tools at once and sit the blades in a shallow bath of water to keep them cool. I've only ever messed up on one tool and that was when I was using a 40 grit belt to complely change a bevel angle.. I couldn't recommend this tool highly enough, I don't have a Tormek but do have two similar machines and they just don't get used any more.
Crimson Custom Guitars Thanks for the tips Ben. That clinches it then, will try the Sorby. I have some very knackered chisels and I think they will take too long on a Tormek. Can't afford two machines so am hoping this will be good for both regrinding bevels and some sharpening. Good videos by the way!
I sold my Tormek and I'm getting one of these because for me as a home builder, it took too long to repair really damaged chisels on the Tormek. It was great for hand planes but for a chisels that has cut nails... Way too slow!
I have a Forge on order and, at some point, would love to try my hand at making knives.. This will be sooo useful when that day comes! Thanks for watching, I'm glad we could help :)
Water stones are great for making the final edge, but not so much for rough work. Low grit water stones are so soft that you spend most of the time leveling the stone, if you want to remake a bevel. That seems like a good tool for that. I just wonder, how long do the belts last? Also, how can it make a sharp edge without burning it, if there's no cooling?
As long as you are careful over heating needn't be a problem, tub of water to dip tools in or rotate through 4 or 5 at a time to give them time to cool down. I suspect I will use this for bulk work and my water stones for final finishing and touch ups. I'll let you know how long the belts last for but I am optimistic.. I still owe you a tutorial on sharpening scrapers!?!
I have been getting tutorials from all the other luthiers at Crimson and experimenting with their methods in preparation, I'm going to try and offer a full range of methods and options and it will be in the next few weeks if at all possible. I really appreciate your support!
No, though that is an idea for the future. Frankly with such an easy belt change is not too much of a worry for me, they have such a huge range of belts though :)
Brilliant machine. I bought one in April for sharpening wood turning gouges. The results are superb. Belts are cheap and easy to change. There are a number of addons such as a honing wheel and a buffing wheel which are very good. I have the knife sharpening jig, but only used it once so far. Did a very good job. I got the special Trizac belts for knives which are very good. I suggest getting the ceramic belts as they have a fantastic life. The 120 grit is great for keeping my turning tools sharp.
The Triton is about half the price and manufactured abroad, I use mine often and will do a side by side comparison video next week but you will struggle to beat the quality of a UK made and designed tool.. Sorby have been at this game for very very many years. Saying that both tools do what they say they do and do it perfectly well, the Triton has been my mainstay for over a year and for a quick touch up I will still use it a lot, the proedge is fast too and will mostly be used, I think, for changing bevels or refurbishing the old and rusty tools I seem to buy everywhere :)
![เปิดบ้าน พี่ตูน Bodyslam หลังใหม่คนแรก ที่ภูเก็ต l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/flFwcmyDQSk/mqdefault.jpg)
Be honest, who was thinking 'no, Ben, that's not how it goes back together' at 13.00?
Love your videos matey!
Im planning to purchase this machine soon. I was wondering about the rated time of the work you can do with it?
Does it get heated fast, or you can work for a good amount of time without stopping?
I need to grind metal, kitchen knives
13:00 mins in quietly chuckling to myself at 6 am
I am so embarrassed 😔
+Logan Miller ben clearly put the belt on wrong so he could wipe the grease off the back plate... intentionally...
My Dad was a cabinet maker in the old days and he gave me some very useful tips for taking care of tools. The best one is to oil all chisels, planes and blades before putting them away. He kept a small flat tin on his bench with a piece of felt soaked in light oil (just enough not too much) that he would wipe tools on, just a quick drag across the is all that is needed. Tobacco tins, boot polish tins or similar work well but they must have a lid (small plastic food containers would be fine too) and 3 in 1 oil is perfect, just wipe off the excess before use.
Ian Clarke thats really good advice for high carbon steal to prevent rust im going to start doing this now, thanks man
I spray on a little camelia oil when I remember but this method sounds much better, and less wasteful. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for the useful opening and looking video I am about to do the same tomorrow oooooooooooh
I love that you get so excited for - what most other people would see as - a piece of equipment.
There is so much joy to be had in using something that's superbly built, pragmatically designed and beautifully efficient.
Like the "hinge" on a Zippo lighter, it is just a lovely thing to use.
Nooooo! I think, nay I know I am going to have to buy one. Love the vide.
Hi Ben. I’ve just got one of these and my belts all run off to the right by about 5mm. I’ve tried adjusting the tracking but can’t get it any better than the 5mm. Did you ever work out how this works? I seem to have gone round in circles many times with no improvement.
This settles it, you should be Sorby's pitchman and I'll be getting one of these!
I just bought one from The Turners Retreat in Yorkshire. I will be setting mine up tomorrow so I'm grateful for this video - I am as excited as you were haha!
linky is broken - try www.robert-sorby.co.uk/proedge.htm
Can you see you really know what you’re doing? You put the belt on and you put it underneath the Platten you’re a real rocket scientist
I have just bought the Pro edge and so far it is looking excellent and Sheffield made too
I did my joinery apprenticeship in the early 60's when hand tools were normal and we used oilstones and there is nothing wrong with oilstones, I guess its each to his own I do not like sharpening with any form of grinder due to the hollow grind they make.
I saw a I Sorby plane recently and I wish now that I had bought it. I do not think that I Sorby is related to Robert Sorby, which is hard to believe as they are both from Sheffield
So it’s a belt sander that holds itself upside down ?
Hello,
is the grinder also good for twist drills?
Thanks
I have just bought one it is amazing
Hello,
Love your vids. Informative and very entertaining.
I purchased a Pro-Edge on your recommendation. Can't fault you, A+ piece of kit, built like a tank, works perfectly.
What it lacks is instructions. I've had a rant at the Sorby Forum and sent them an e-mail.
Apparently there is a "how to use" DVD available. Beats me why they don't post the vids on TH-cam as I'm sure the promotional value would be greater than the DVD profits.
Trying to sharpen a straight edge router bit or drill bits by trial and error with abrasives and sparks is not fun.
Keep up the good work Ben. You are an inspiration.
CP.
wheres the next video on this machine old chap
I've owned one of these for about 6 months, I needed a better method than a typical 'slow speed' grinder for lathe gouges. I've used it QUITE often on the gouges to great effect. Today I had to reshape a bowl gouge that I had butchered badly on a faceplate screw, took my all of 20m to rework the entire cutting edge with extended wings. I've also done some reworking of plane irons, the $20 box store kind (and a _really_ badly abused stanley #4 that someone gifted me). The lathe jigs for sharpening are very useful (the wolverine system is similar in some respects). I also have the knife jig, which takes some playing to get right, but does amazingly well. Next up for honing are the veritas planes...
FWIW, I think (I've NOT tried this yet) you can use the V block that comes with the unit to sharpen carving gouges. Have you tried it yet ?
Really want one of these so thanks for the useful "first look". It occurs to me that you have your Kickstarter finishing in 19 days after which you're going to be even more insanely busy than you are now so, pretty please, could you get your full review done before the kickstarter madness knocks this off your "to do" list :-)
p.s. also very impressed that you read the instructions - blimey - I thought the idea was to read those whilst you're waiting at A&E having nearly removed a digit or two!
although I only have limited experience with this machine I find a tormek t3 or t7 would be more useful yes it is abit more expensive but believe me you wouldn't regret it I noticed you had a triton wet stone sharpener I think that would be better than that even if it just stopped the heat on your tools
Hmmm, interesting gadget. Where speed is important then this definitely has advantages. If a tool is in bad shape, the wide range of grits will get it back in shape nice and quickly. This is not an issue for me so my Tormek will do what I need. Horses for courses, etc.
Cheers, John
I agree if you have a full collection of well set up tools that only need a little a little work to sharpen them this could be over kill.. I have a nasty habit of picking up old planes and chisels almost every weekend and have boxes full that need work and the proedge is going to make that a breeze :) thanks for watching!
Packing Peanuts: have a small container of Acetone close by, and put the peanuts into the container with the acetone. The acetone changes the bonds of the peanuts so they appear to 'melt'. If anything, it is fun to watch.
Did you have your tripod on top of your bench or were you using the grip tripod for the overhead stuff? :D just noticed myself more worrying about the camera falling at times that what was being unpacked.
-T
Tripod, and yes, very scary :)
Ben
Do you get these unboxing items free or cheaper? I'm just wondering how impartially i should view these videos
I'm not even two minutes in and I'm already wondering when those big copper staples are going to feature in a build as inlays.
Can the angle be set only at fixed positions? I want to set angle freely to sharpen or grind something else then chisels. Is this possible. Would be a large error to not include such a feature?
I was a little bit silly....I think you were a lot a bit silly Lol!!! I own one of these and it has made life easier in the workshop.
if Bill Bailey demo'd a Pro Edge 25 years ago it would look like this
I see the bearings are plain metal guard ones, why? Why not use proper dust shielded rubber guard bearings?
I told Yandles you sent me, no discount... but they were (mostly) fast ;)
I have one very simular to that that is hand held an it works lovely... also what's you guys email address?
Which way does this thing rotate? Does it rotate away from the tool/ operator?
I think rather than calling these 'unboxing', they should be 'first look', I greatly enjoy seeing how new stuff works more than taking it out of the box. =)
I think I agree with you.. More toys less boxes :)
thank you again Ben. you just hit on one of my main concerns how to sharpen quickly what to use ! there are so many systems what to use / buy to start with ? so many questions what is the best for the buck ( pound ) systems that use water seem in my mind seem best, due to heat reduction ??? so easy to over heat steel
I'll do a side by side with a water based system in the next few weeks so you can see both.. Thanks for watching :)
My heart drops at the sight of packing peanuts
Looks nice, does changing grits take long?
i like to sharp my chisels with power tools, but how are you going to flatten the chilsels with this rig?
Most machine methods will also require a sharpening stone to flatten the back of the chisel or plane blade.. They do about half the job but do it very efficiently and this save time and effort over all.. I do love my water stones though! :)
Hi Ben. Only 3 years after you posted the unboxing but it was a great, non sales oriented, review. I had been toying with getting a water cooled grinder but in the last couple of days had seen this Robert Sorby tool. I know what I will be buying now so many thanks for all your help.
They really area excellent. I now have one on my studio at Crimson and we use one to do all the sharpening at my vintage tool shop www.thevintagetool.com (plug, sorry!) B
Hi Ben. Good plug. Have just been on ebay and bid for some engineers calipers.
You've sold it to me Ben, going to order one now 🙂
Just trying to decide between this and a Tormek. Love the apparent speed and ease of use with the Sorby but am slightly concerned about overheating tools (Memories of ruining several good chisels on a grey stone grinder many years ago still hurt!). I noticed that even on one of the Sorby promotional videos a gouge seemed to be browning at the edges. Can you safely avoid overheating with these? Is it just a question of a light touch and checking temperatures as you grind? Do you need quench the tool? Would be interested to hear from anyone with experience of using the Sorby. Thanks.
+Dave Perris it is something to be very aware of, I almost always work on several tools at once and sit the blades in a shallow bath of water to keep them cool. I've only ever messed up on one tool and that was when I was using a 40 grit belt to complely change a bevel angle.. I couldn't recommend this tool highly enough, I don't have a Tormek but do have two similar machines and they just don't get used any more.
Crimson Custom Guitars Thanks for the tips Ben. That clinches it then, will try the Sorby. I have some very knackered chisels and I think they will take too long on a Tormek. Can't afford two machines so am hoping this will be good for both regrinding bevels and some sharpening.
Good videos by the way!
I sold my Tormek and I'm getting one of these because for me as a home builder, it took too long to repair really damaged chisels on the Tormek. It was great for hand planes but for a chisels that has cut nails... Way too slow!
i've just sent fot one of these for my knives. it looks a robust piece if kit.
I have a Forge on order and, at some point, would love to try my hand at making knives.. This will be sooo useful when that day comes! Thanks for watching, I'm glad we could help :)
Water stones are great for making the final edge, but not so much for rough work. Low grit water stones are so soft that you spend most of the time leveling the stone, if you want to remake a bevel. That seems like a good tool for that. I just wonder, how long do the belts last? Also, how can it make a sharp edge without burning it, if there's no cooling?
As long as you are careful over heating needn't be a problem, tub of water to dip tools in or rotate through 4 or 5 at a time to give them time to cool down. I suspect I will use this for bulk work and my water stones for final finishing and touch ups. I'll let you know how long the belts last for but I am optimistic..
I still owe you a tutorial on sharpening scrapers!?!
Crimson Custom Guitars You don't owe me anything, dude :-) But if you find time to do a scraper sharpening tutorial, I certainly do appreciate it.
I have been getting tutorials from all the other luthiers at Crimson and experimenting with their methods in preparation, I'm going to try and offer a full range of methods and options and it will be in the next few weeks if at all possible. I really appreciate your support!
Its always fun to see you fighting with packing peanuts :D
The Bane of my existence.. 'You merely adopted the packing peanuts, I was born in them, moulded by them!'
do they offer models with multiple belts? so you could go from say course to medium to mild without having to change the belt twice or buy 3 machines?
No, though that is an idea for the future. Frankly with such an easy belt change is not too much of a worry for me, they have such a huge range of belts though :)
don't you have to remove the side guard part though? or can the belt fit around that?
shoominati23 You do have to remove the side panel, it takes literally all of 30s to change a belt however.
is this the new bench you build that the tool is sitting on ?
Not so new now but yes :)
Brilliant machine. I bought one in April for sharpening wood turning gouges. The results are superb. Belts are cheap and easy to change. There are a number of addons such as a honing wheel and a buffing wheel which are very good. I have the knife sharpening jig, but only used it once so far. Did a very good job. I got the special Trizac belts for knives which are very good. I suggest getting the ceramic belts as they have a fantastic life. The 120 grit is great for keeping my turning tools sharp.
What is the differnce in quality between this and the triton water wheel sharpener
The Triton is about half the price and manufactured abroad, I use mine often and will do a side by side comparison video next week but you will struggle to beat the quality of a UK made and designed tool.. Sorby have been at this game for very very many years.
Saying that both tools do what they say they do and do it perfectly well, the Triton has been my mainstay for over a year and for a quick touch up I will still use it a lot, the proedge is fast too and will mostly be used, I think, for changing bevels or refurbishing the old and rusty tools I seem to buy everywhere :)