# It's no Tormek. But it is a Wen



## DMiller

Glad to know, thanks for the review! If you ever do need a bandsaw, I highly recommend the Laguna. I recently got one and it works great!


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## Holbs

> Glad to know, thanks for the review! If you ever do need a bandsaw, I highly recommend the Laguna. I recently got one and it works great!
> 
> - DMiller


I have a roubo frame saw that I have yet to really test out. It's a hand tool, not machine bandsaw. Already have the standard clone 14" bandsaw at my disposal.


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## PPK

I have this unit, and agree with you. Works great for the price. Grinding wheel on mine seemed to be balanced well.


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## Holbs

> I have this unit, and agree with you. Works great for the price. Grinding wheel on mine seemed to be balanced well.
> 
> - PPK


PPK… do you use the angle gauge that came with it? If so.. can you give any information on how to use it?  Was thinking of buying the Tormek angle gauge.


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## Andybb

I wish somebody would come out with Festool clones like their domino machine.


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## Holbs

Andy… I bet the Domino is TOO exclusive towards woodworking to be considered a thought.
Example: the WEN wet grinder is not just for plane blades or chisels, but lots of knives and such.


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## PPK

> I have this unit, and agree with you. Works great for the price. Grinding wheel on mine seemed to be balanced well.
> 
> - PPK
> 
> PPK… do you use the angle gauge that came with it? If so.. can you give any information on how to use it?  Was thinking of buying the Tormek angle gauge.
> 
> - Holbs


Yes, I do use the plain angle gauge that came with it. I just clamp in the chisel or plane iron, and letter buck! (sliding it back and forth across the stone of course) I've tried using both forward and reverse direction, and it really doesn't seem to make any difference. Both directions you end up with a bit of a burr.


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## PPK

> I wish somebody would come out with Festool clones like their domino machine.
> 
> - Andybb


+1.

I've been waiting for the same thing. It'll happen. No way I'm going to buy a Festool. Well, unless I need a big tax write-off at the end of the year…


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## Holbs

> I have this unit, and agree with you. Works great for the price. Grinding wheel on mine seemed to be balanced well.
> 
> - PPK
> 
> PPK… do you use the angle gauge that came with it? If so.. can you give any information on how to use it?  Was thinking of buying the Tormek angle gauge.
> 
> - Holbs
> 
> Yes, I do use the plain angle gauge that came with it. I just clamp in the chisel or plane iron, and letter buck! (sliding it back and forth across the stone of course) I ve tried using both forward and reverse direction, and it really doesn t seem to make any difference. Both directions you end up with a bit of a burr.
> 
> - PPK


any way you can upload some pix or vid on how to use that angle gauge? it totally looks enigmatic to me !


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## PPK

Ohhh! You mean that little plastic thing that's supposed to tell you if you're sharpening to a 25 degree angle? No, I don't use that… I'm not sure how to use it either!


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## Holbs

how do you set your angle, then? luck? 
or protractor? 
was thinking of getting the $25 Tormek angle gauge.


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## PPK

Yes, I do have a cheap protractor that I use to check the angle. But when I'm clamping it in, I look at the iron from the side to see if it looks like it's the right angle to the stone. THen after I sharpen for a bit, I check to make sure it's grinding at the same angle (grinding evenly along the whole bevel) It's not rocket science, but it gets it pretty close.


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## Holbs

I'll try to figure out the crappy plastic angle gauge that came with it this weekend. Maybe will get lucky. I'll let you know if I find an answer.


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## ThistleDown

> I wish somebody would come out with Festool clones like their domino machine.
> 
> - Andybb


No chance of that soon, they have a patent on how it works.


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## Holbs

Wen cloned Tormek. But Bosch could not clone Sawstop. Go figure.


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## dhazelton

Thanks - Curious about their track saw too.


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## WayneC

I've seen a number of interesting things from Wen. Thanks for sharing your insights.


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## Holbs

I only have 2 WEN machines. I would grade them just about even for Grizzly, better than HF. Unsure if I would buy a WEN 10" table saw, for example. But the around $100 items, I could go for.


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## PPK

I own the Wen Drill press, and VERY pleased with it… Way more features than the competition, at the same price, and the quality is decent. So far the lineup isn't as extensive as Grizzly, but what they do have seems pretty good!


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## RCCinNC

Yeah, for 140 bucks, I'd buy that…but I'm not sure I'd spring for a Tormek planer/jointer blade sharpening jig and fine grit stone to go with it. Call me a tad pessimistic…I'd love to be wrong though! Anyone have first hand experience?


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## summerfi

I bought this machine on Amazon for $120. That's extremely reasonable compared to the Tormek. I've had it two days now and have sharpened about 30 chisels. This is a VW, not a Cadillac, but it gets the job done. My grinding wheel has slight side to side wobble, but otherwise is fine. The leather stropping wheel has more wobble, but still works. The leather on it is cheap, more like thin suede. The tool holding jig is kind of flimsy and could be improved, but again, you can make it work. I'd like to replace it with the sturdier Tormek jig, but at $70 I probably won't be doing that. One observation is that the more chisels I've sharpened, the better I've gotten at it. There is a slight learning curve to setting things up to get a square grind. The last several have come out really nice. The 10" wheel puts a nice hollow ground bevel on a chisel. You can't go directly from the grinding wheel to the stropping wheel. I use three grades of stones in between. Then after stropping, a chisel will cut edgewise through paper like butter. I've only had this machine a short time, but so far I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, especially considering the price. Oh yeah, I can't figure out how to use the plastic angle guage either. It would be nice if there were instructions.


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## Holbs

Bob…this will help on how to use the angle gauge:




View on YouTube


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## summerfi

Thanks Holbs. I'll give it a try.


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## RonHoof

Does the Tormek wheels fit the Wen machine? I cannot find any info about the arbor size of either brand.
It'd be great if you can buy the different grits sizes available from Tormek and use them on the Wen.


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## Holbs

> Does the Tormek wheels fit the Wen machine? I cannot find any info about the arbor size of either brand.
> It'd be great if you can buy the different grits sizes available from Tormek and use them on the Wen.
> 
> - RonHoof


I believe so. I have not purchased any Tormek stones yet. I had to put woodworking on hold for a time due to security events around the house. My 2 car wood working shop was full of …. wood working. Had to slam everything left & right to make room to store work vehicle in garage. Hoping in the next month to get back into things. Still have to fully assemble a new Laguna MBX220 and Sawstop ICS I bought back in Sept


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## AGolden

Thanks I was curious about this. I am in the situation of looking for a grinding solution. I would like something to help me re-grind the primary bevel on my tools. I have been trying to decide between something like this machine and a worksharp 3000.

As someone who owns both, do you have a perspective on what would be the better investment? especially for re-grinding bevels?


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## Holbs

I had to put wood working related material on hold this last year due to security events around the house. Hoping to get back into things this coming Fall.
I would say WEN wet grinder VS Worksharp 3000: get both  If I had to choose 1, it would be the Worksharp 3000 due to the multi-purpose aspect. You can flatten the back of chisels & plane irons, sharpen to your bevel angle, make your own sandpaper circular discs (or go diamond plates), simple to turn on and just go for a couple seconds witout any setup, smaller footprint. However, I bought the WEN wet grinder to help fixing dings and chips in chisels & blades that would take a long time on the Worksharp. Plus, you can install a chisel on the WEN and let it run for a couple minutes without babysitting it. But you are limited to the grinding stone grit unless you buy other stone grits.

I would say…Worksharp 3000 for quick everyday re-sharpening of bevels. WEN wet grinder for rehabbing purposes/new bevel angles. If you have spendy chisels/plan irons, the metal will not get anywhere close to overheating with the WEN wet grinder. So there is that.


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## Lucky_Boy

I have the Wen sharpener and have purchased several jigs from Tormek…. I think it preforms nearly as well as my buddys Tormek… the jigs are the key in my opinion. As you stated does not replace my sharpening stones but compliments them… Not as balanced as the Tormek but it does the job!


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