11-05-2017, 10:42 PM
The Kalamazoo 1SM 1x42 belt grinder is inexpensive and works very well for sharpening knives and lots of other stuff too. Belts are inexpensive and last a great deal longer than smaller belts as the belt is wider and longer than the Work Sharp. Unless you do a whole lot of sharpening you don't need to replace belts very often at all, and there is a much greater variety than the Work Sharp. The only downside for you is that you will probably want to come up with a homemade knife rest. That’s what I did. It works great. Sorry, I can’t speak to sharpening gouges as I’ve not done it.
While I have not done it, I know the Tormek does a great job on gouges and has special jigs just for the task. The downside is that it, as you have probably figured out, it is very expensive. A jig for gouges is an additional cost. If you do a lot of sharpening, consumables such as the grinding wheel are expensive too. That said, you get what you pay for and the Tormek will probably last a life time and is backed by a company the completely stands behind their product.
Tormek also has the BGM-100 that provides for using Tormek jigs such as one for gouges on a regular bench grinder. https://www.tormek.com/usa/en/accessorie...nting-set/ That would be a far less expensive option. If you get a CBN grinding wheel for your bench grinder, heat is not much of an issue.
Hope that helps!
While I have not done it, I know the Tormek does a great job on gouges and has special jigs just for the task. The downside is that it, as you have probably figured out, it is very expensive. A jig for gouges is an additional cost. If you do a lot of sharpening, consumables such as the grinding wheel are expensive too. That said, you get what you pay for and the Tormek will probably last a life time and is backed by a company the completely stands behind their product.
Tormek also has the BGM-100 that provides for using Tormek jigs such as one for gouges on a regular bench grinder. https://www.tormek.com/usa/en/accessorie...nting-set/ That would be a far less expensive option. If you get a CBN grinding wheel for your bench grinder, heat is not much of an issue.
Hope that helps!