Great info. You could pick up the filings with a regular magnet, .. just manually sweep it around the bottom of the water container until all the filings are gathered up.
4:49 From the very first time you use your WEN, and then thereafter, both flanges, the shaft, and the nut should all get a good coating of Tef-Gel on a regular as-needed basis. Tef-Gel will help keep the corrosion down. And if your going to let the WEN tool sit for a prolonged period, pull the wheel and clean the shaft, flanges and nut and keep the wheel off during storage.
I have had this machine for about 2 years. The stropping wheel started off terrible. The leather was not attached to the plastic wheel properly and it had a huge bump in it. I removed the leather and glued on a new piece. That fixed the problem and now it works well... not perfect... but it now doesn't have the horrible bump, just a little wiggle. I get razor sharp with it. I'd say that it is well worth the price and then some, especially if compared to the Tormek. The reversing motor is very handy. The stone it came with is perfectly fine and it has not worn down much at all. It is also quiet and aside from a lot of water mess, it doesn't produce metal dust like a regular grinder. You don't need ear plugs or even eye protection when using it (although I use eye protection anyway). Some day I might get a Tormek stropping wheel or redo the Wen wheel with new leather, but for now it works just fine.
The Wen is my first sharpening system. I've had it for a few years now and it has been a great addition. I use it mostly for sharpening my lathe tools and some kitchen knives. The motor noise always concerned me, but now after watching a few videos of other Tormek knockoffs it seems to be common to all. Maybe the same manufacturer making units for several companies. Regardless, it is a very alternative to the WAY over priced Tormek.
When you reach the of the stroke or point on knives, make sure you lift up, not back towards you to maintain a consistent edge angle. Tormek has a pretty good educational series on YT that covers technique which is worth watching.
I could not afford the Tormak machine so I bought this one. I think it has potential but I couldn't get repeatable results. the castings and machined parts are not precise. after I trued the cutting wheel and set the reference bar to the height for a cut I noticed the bar was no longer level with the cutting wheel. There is a great deal of slop in the bushings meaning the guide bar could be as much as 3/8" out from left to right. If the guide bar had a fine thread and and a tighter tolerance bushing supporting it I think would improve the capabilities. frustration caused me to shelf the item for now.
I would have glued a metal plate to the outside of the water reservoir to stick a magnet to. That way when it comes time for cleanup you can pour the water out and wipe the shavings away with a paper towel, remove the magnet and get the remainder that is bound to cling to the magnet .
Looks almost identical to the Buck Tool 8" wet/dry sharpener (except for the 10" grinding wheel). I have a few WEN tools, and am happy with them all. Nice review!!
Agree. Just *avoid the WEN drywall sander*. Read a lot of bad reviews and still bought it. They were all spot on. Pad was so bowed that it was unusable at any speed. One guy on Amazon describes making it work by putting a Festool pad on it. That's like putting a Ferrarri transmission in a Kia. Returned it and ended up buying the Festool. Worth every penny.
I'm really pleased with this! It works like a charm th-cam.com/users/postUgkxDcr-y2Pf6xdnrFHrSP7dl9kpKaCozcSQ Takes less time than my old electric sharpener because it can take more off the knife faster, and then it smooths out nicely with the finer grit polisher. I don't know how long it will last before the grit wears away, but I wouldn't mind having to replace it every once in a while.
As someone who recently broke in and honed a new number 4 iron... by hand.. I cringed at the thought of harming that iron. I don't think I am sold on this particular item. I just finished setting up a Paul Sellers sharpening station with diamond plates ( cheap 10 dollar ones ) and those work wicked fast. I do need a grinding wheel but I don't think I will go with a wet stone set up one. Great review. I like your video style. Your review is thorough and thoughtful.
I used to use a cheap diamond plate system with a cheap eclipse honing guide, and that worked well enough for my chisels and plane blade. My hope was that this “station” would be a one stop shop for all my edges. Time will tell. Thanks for the compliment, I appreciate it!
I'd like to get ahold of something like this as a beginner. I've been looking to get into blade sharpening but I see this is really the only one worth it to start. The next price up is like 500 bucks all the way to the 5 or 6k right
I have a question about the Wen; it seems to me that when using the guide bar to sharpen chisels against the rotation of the wheel, the guide bar is too short on the left side. I cannot use about 3/8" to 1/2' of thew grinding wheel on the left side because the hand plane blade support falls off of the guide . Do I do something wrong? Thank you for your help.
انية dear, plz answer my question, i contacted the Wen manufacturer in china to buy this machine, they sent me a video of the machine, and i noticed that the wheel is wobbeling!! they claim that this problem belong to the wheel quality not the machine itself,,,and they may have right, because they sent more than one video of different wheels, some wheels were less moving while others r wobbeling to much....will that wobbeling affect the sharpeness?
i have this machine and most often use it too sharpen chisels. On the chisel & axe holder there are holes that slide on the bar left and right. Those holes are filled with black, plastic grommets. One of those broke and will not hold in the hole. I've spoken with WEN and they cannot furnish that grommet as a replacement part- they suggest I buy the entire chisel or axe sharpen all over again. This grommet s kind of flimsy so I know I can't be the only one this has happened to. How have you other folks solved this problem? Appreciate it. Thanks.
So I haven’t tried this, but I was thinking about tearing out the grommet, taping one side of each hole, and filling the hole with epoxy. Then when that dries, I could find the center of those new holes, somehow, and drill them out so they’d fit snug on the bar. This is all just a thought in my head at the moment.
@@NotThatMattNagy That's where it all starts -in our head. I think the issue would be finding the EXACT center of that hole. I might just try this and if I have a problem, I can always knock out the epoxy and replace the grommet. Thanks for the idea.
I had a quick question. What size is the arbor on this machine? I was thinking about using it for lapidary purposes and wanted to see what I could find that would actually fit properly on it.
Your wheel is tuning the wrong way to sharpen. If the wheel was turning the opposite way it would sharpen much faster. Use some kind of under it to catch the water.
Great info. You could pick up the filings with a regular magnet, .. just manually sweep it around the bottom of the water container until all the filings are gathered up.
4:49 From the very first time you use your WEN, and then thereafter, both flanges, the shaft, and the nut should all get a good coating of Tef-Gel on a regular as-needed basis. Tef-Gel will help keep the corrosion down. And if your going to let the WEN tool sit for a prolonged period, pull the wheel and clean the shaft, flanges and nut and keep the wheel off during storage.
I have had this machine for about 2 years. The stropping wheel started off terrible. The leather was not attached to the plastic wheel properly and it had a huge bump in it. I removed the leather and glued on a new piece. That fixed the problem and now it works well... not perfect... but it now doesn't have the horrible bump, just a little wiggle. I get razor sharp with it. I'd say that it is well worth the price and then some, especially if compared to the Tormek. The reversing motor is very handy. The stone it came with is perfectly fine and it has not worn down much at all. It is also quiet and aside from a lot of water mess, it doesn't produce metal dust like a regular grinder. You don't need ear plugs or even eye protection when using it (although I use eye protection anyway). Some day I might get a Tormek stropping wheel or redo the Wen wheel with new leather, but for now it works just fine.
you need to use the chisel jig from the horizontal position
The Wen is my first sharpening system. I've had it for a few years now and it has been a great addition. I use it mostly for sharpening my lathe tools and some kitchen knives. The motor noise always concerned me, but now after watching a few videos of other Tormek knockoffs it seems to be common to all. Maybe the same manufacturer making units for several companies. Regardless, it is a very alternative to the WAY over priced Tormek.
I epoxied 2 steel washers to the outside of the res and attached magnets to them so I can easily remove the magnets for cleaning
When you reach the of the stroke or point on knives, make sure you lift up, not back towards you to maintain a consistent edge angle. Tormek has a pretty good educational series on YT that covers technique which is worth watching.
Should have used rare earth or some other real magnet and put the magnets on the outside and make them removable.
I could not afford the Tormak machine so I bought this one. I think it has potential but I couldn't get repeatable results. the castings and machined parts are not precise. after I trued the cutting wheel and set the reference bar to the height for a cut I noticed the bar was no longer level with the cutting wheel. There is a great deal of slop in the bushings meaning the guide bar could be as much as 3/8" out from left to right. If the guide bar had a fine thread and and a tighter tolerance bushing supporting it I think would improve the capabilities. frustration caused me to shelf the item for now.
I would have glued a metal plate to the outside of the water reservoir to stick a magnet to. That way when it comes time for cleanup you can pour the water out and wipe the shavings away with a paper towel, remove the magnet and get the remainder that is bound to cling to the magnet .
just lay a magnet on the bottom then take it out wit the metal stuck to it every time you need to refresh the water , why glue it to the plastic,
Looks almost identical to the Buck Tool 8" wet/dry sharpener (except for the 10" grinding wheel). I have a few WEN tools, and am happy with them all. Nice review!!
Agree. Just *avoid the WEN drywall sander*. Read a lot of bad reviews and still bought it. They were all spot on. Pad was so bowed that it was unusable at any speed. One guy on Amazon describes making it work by putting a Festool pad on it. That's like putting a Ferrarri transmission in a Kia. Returned it and ended up buying the Festool. Worth every penny.
I'm really pleased with this! It works like a charm th-cam.com/users/postUgkxDcr-y2Pf6xdnrFHrSP7dl9kpKaCozcSQ Takes less time than my old electric sharpener because it can take more off the knife faster, and then it smooths out nicely with the finer grit polisher. I don't know how long it will last before the grit wears away, but I wouldn't mind having to replace it every once in a while.
Great review. I had to check this out since the tool is so inexpensive.
As someone who recently broke in and honed a new number 4 iron... by hand.. I cringed at the thought of harming that iron. I don't think I am sold on this particular item. I just finished setting up a Paul Sellers sharpening station with diamond plates ( cheap 10 dollar ones ) and those work wicked fast. I do need a grinding wheel but I don't think I will go with a wet stone set up one. Great review. I like your video style. Your review is thorough and thoughtful.
BTW some of the debris at the bottom of the water tank is most likely stone from the wheel. The magnets clearly wont catch that.
I used to use a cheap diamond plate system with a cheap eclipse honing guide, and that worked well enough for my chisels and plane blade. My hope was that this “station” would be a one stop shop for all my edges. Time will tell.
Thanks for the compliment, I appreciate it!
Good review. clear commentary and good video coverage. well done !
Thanks!
Santoku knife is usually less than 20 degrees perhaps 15 there sharper than western knives.
Thank you for making this. Can you attach a CBN wheel to this machine?
Yes it’s giving me problems I’m thinking of buying the tormek chisel jig. Might have a longer support bar.
Great review! 👍 👏
You need to get a stone dresser to keep it parallel.
I'd like to get ahold of something like this as a beginner. I've been looking to get into blade sharpening but I see this is really the only one worth it to start. The next price up is like 500 bucks all the way to the 5 or 6k right
Great review. Thanks for doing this
I am really close to going with this or a worksharp 3000. Then just using a cbd wheel with them instead of the normal ones.
I have a question about the Wen; it seems to me that when using the guide bar to sharpen chisels against the rotation of the wheel, the guide bar is too short on the left side. I cannot use about 3/8" to 1/2' of thew grinding wheel on the left side because the hand plane blade support falls off of the guide . Do I do something wrong? Thank you for your help.
Adjustable open end wrench (Cresent) is backwards. Ex Shop teacher.
Very informative thank you!
Matt have you heard of anyone sharpening drill bits on the outside face? Good video!
Thanks for sharing precious info! 👍
I would like to buy exactly these machines, but you can't get them anywhere in Germany. How much does it cost in the USA? is it 10"?
انية
dear, plz answer my question, i contacted the Wen manufacturer in china to buy this machine, they sent me a video of the machine, and i noticed that the wheel is wobbeling!! they claim that this problem belong to the wheel quality not the machine itself,,,and they may have right, because they sent more than one video of different wheels, some wheels were less moving while others r wobbeling to much....will that wobbeling affect the sharpeness?
I just unboxed my Wen and the wheel has very little wobble, it shouldn't affect the sharpening at all.
i have this machine and most often use it too sharpen chisels. On the chisel & axe holder there are holes that slide on the bar left and right. Those holes are filled with black, plastic grommets. One of those broke and will not hold in the hole. I've spoken with WEN and they cannot furnish that grommet as a replacement part- they suggest I buy the entire chisel or axe sharpen all over again. This grommet s kind of flimsy so I know I can't be the only one this has happened to. How have you other folks solved this problem? Appreciate it. Thanks.
So I haven’t tried this, but I was thinking about tearing out the grommet, taping one side of each hole, and filling the hole with epoxy. Then when that dries, I could find the center of those new holes, somehow, and drill them out so they’d fit snug on the bar. This is all just a thought in my head at the moment.
@@NotThatMattNagy That's where it all starts -in our head. I think the issue would be finding the EXACT center of that hole. I might just try this and if I have a problem, I can always knock out the epoxy and replace the grommet. Thanks for the idea.
This is where a 3d printer comes in handy. Even if your not good with cad making grommets and such is easy
Wonder how things are going after three years. Still using it?
I had a quick question. What size is the arbor on this machine? I was thinking about using it for lapidary purposes and wanted to see what I could find that would actually fit properly on it.
Why epoxy the maget? Get a rare earth maget and then just drop it in the bucket.
Where you place the chisel on the holder, can chisel 3.5” fit. Thanks
I believe it’s 179$ now.
Pour the used water in your yard.
Anybody ever tell you your voice is really similar to Stephen Colbert's?
You are the first
What’s the difference between the bg4270T and this one?
Buy direct from WEN.
Seriously !!!
Where i can buy it….link please
best place i found was home depot no hassles free delivery, dont buy the warranty, when has a two year warranty already,
Just Google for the best price.
You should use less crap magnets.
Your wheel is tuning the wrong way to sharpen. If the wheel was turning the opposite way it would sharpen much faster. Use some kind of under it to catch the water.
That's not what "side-by-side" means.
You have nearly universal company in this but it's not a leather "strapping" wheel. It's a "stropping" wheel which rhymes with "cropping."
...did you actually watch the video?
You CLEARLY didn't watch the video. Your observation is denied. You may now return to licking the window in your parent's basement!