After twenty-five years of building cabinets and furniture, I think the most dramatic improvement in my woodworking happened when I went from sharpening on a bench grinder and oilstones to a water-cooled mechanical stone. Well, I haven't totally abandoned the grinder, but the manual stones haven't seen the light of day in quite a while. It's not that the water-cooled sharpener is any quicker, but it sure is a whole lot more fun and less work. And the edge is definitely superior to anything I ever achieved during a quarter of a century of sweating.

Being exceptionally cheap, I invested in a low budget Woodtek machine (about $99), which has served us well and produces an excellent edge on planes and chisels. I locked the guide at 25 degrees and I keep an old 2-liter pop bottle of water beside the tool so I can refill the resevoir as needed. It came with a 1000 grit fine stone, and I invested another $25 or so in a 400 grit version, just to speed up things a little.

Water-cooled grinders revolve very slowly, so there's little danger of overheating a blade and causing it to lose its temper. There's also a far smaller risk of injury when compared to a grinder which spins a stone at 1725 or 3450 RPM. There's little risk of sparks being generated, either. Of course, because they have a speed reducer built in, they cost more than bench grinders.

The wheel on a water-cooled sharpener is either vertical (see the Tormek) or horizontal (pretty much all the other models). The orientation is important. A vertical wheel continuously dips into a trough of water, while the others all use a resevoir above the stone which has to be regulated. In addition - and this is the big difference - the Tormek uses the edge of the stone, while the others all use the side. That means that a chisel being sharpened on the Tormek enjoys the same speed across the width of the blade. All of the others, using the side of the stone, suffer from the same dilemma: each revolution of the stone presents a short contact with the blade near the center, while out at the edge the blade meets several more inches of stone in the same period of time. That means that the chisel is being sharpened more at one side than the other. The wider the blade, the bigger the deviation. It's not a huge problem, and I've dealt with it rather successfully by presenting the blade at an angle to the axis of the stone.

On the other hand, all of these stones give you a flat bevel, while the Tormek delivers a hollow-ground profile that matches the circumference of the stone. That, too, is not a problem: it doesn't seem to make any difference whatsoever to either the tool or the work it does.

The other major difference in the units shown below is the accessory packages (as in "tool rests") they offer. Depending on what you want to sharpen (lathe skews, carving gouges etc.), you may want to ask your retailer or catalog salesperson if there's a jig specifically designed for your tools. Tormek offers everything a shop could possibly need, and most of the others can cover the most commonly used tools in your arsenal.

Prices below are rough guidelines only. Try online sources like Rockler and Amazon, or a local retailer, for hard numbers.

An interesting machine from a very reputable manufacturer (Model 23-710), it has both a dry grindstone and a wet honing stone. The 1/5HP motor runs a 5" diameter, aluminum oxide dry wheel (120-grit), and an 8" diameter by 1000-grit wet wheel. Both have decent tool rests and the dry wheel comes with an eye shield.
The sliding tool holder secures lathe turning tools, carving chisels and plane irons, and it may be used on either wheel.The body is cast iron to reduce vibration, and the wet wheel has front and rear splash guards for retaining water spray during operation.
This machine is 16" wide, 21" deep and 13" tall. It weighs in at a substantial 42-1/2 lbs.

Street prices that we saw were in the $157 range.

For more info, visit them online.

This machine was called a "top value" by Wood magazine a year or so ago, and we thoroughly agree. The water cooled grinder not only provides a better edge, it makes tools last longer and run cooler. The machine takes up less than one square foot of bench space and has a 7" wheel that spins at 420 RPM for ultra-smooth, precision sharpening. Running nearly vibration free, it easily sharpens plane irons, knives, planer knives, drawknives, scissors and other tools and blades. An adjustable, wide built-in guide makes it easy to follow the correct angle for any type of edge and the tool comes with a one year parts and workmanship warranty. It only weighs 13 lbs, but size isn't everything...

We paid $99 for our machine, and $25 for an extra 400 grit stone.

For more info, visit them online.

This very quiet machine sharpens jointer and planer blades up to 15 - 3/4'' long. The large aluminum oxide wheel (7-7/8") offers precise sharpening, while the 560 RPM motor gives a fine finish. The water feed keeps blades cool and the machine is ightweight (26.9 lbs) for easy transport. The motor draws 1.1 Amps

We found a fascinating site on the Web by Davis Reed Smith who is, I believe, an Australian. (My apologies, David, if you're not.) He has converted one of these machines into a total sharpening station by designing custom tool rests and jigs, and he even managed to upgrade the water system. To see what he has done, click here.

Street price for the Makita seems to be about $260.

For more info, visit them online.

The most important distinction between Tormek and all of its competition is "the wide range of tool holders and accessories available (plus the owner's handbook). TORMEK has complemented a superior grinder with accessories that help you get the job done right, quickly and with a short learning curve. But, even without the jigs, the TORMEK is still a better grinder. Why? Well, look at the stone. The SG-250 Grindstone, made exclusively for TORMEK, is the best quality grindstone available. Its unique ceramic binder yields a stone of unmatched consistency. The porosity of the stone, the cohesion of the binder and the grain size are all matched for a perfect balance of fast cutting action and long stone life. Add to the quality of the grindstone the following features: continuous duty rated motor, gearless drive, removeable water tray, plated rust resistant hardware and a patented angle-setting gauge, and you've got the best grinder on the market. But, that still isn't the whole story. Because TORMEK also incorporated a leather honing wheel on the other side of the grinder to let you finish the sharpening process right on the machine.
" The Tormek bevel angle setting guide can be adjusted according to the diameter of the stone, and the universal support bar has a micro adjust for an easy and accurate setting of the bevel angle."

$399 to $800, depending on accessories.

For more info, visit them online.

Multi-Sharp
Tools and More offers a VERY economical water-cooled system. Here's what they have to say about it...
"Our unique Wetstone system uses the same basic principle as the industrial bench grinder: a controlled flow of water cooling both blade and stone to eliminate over-heating and loss of hardness in the steel. Tool Holders ensure accurate sharpening, and the traditional leather strop removes any burr for perfect, razor-sharp edges. Fits any power drill! This sharpening sytem is used by professionals, but it is so easy to use, any one can use it! Awarded Practical Householder "Best Buy' in 1999! Imported from England. Free Shipping. Price $39.99."

For more info, visit them online.

This is a system from England which certainly looks quite interesting. It seems to be a professional, industrial caliber sharpener with numerous attachments and jigs, In addition to the sharpener, the company offers a full line of honing and stropping machines, so they have some expertise in this area. There are two optional drill sharpening attachments available for large and small twist bits, and an optional parallel attachment which handles 4 different size blades - it looks like it can sharpen knives/blades up to 20" or even longer. (Keep in mind that you would need to adjust the power with a 110/220 adapter.)

Their Web price is £466.00 plus 17.5% VAT (sales tax)... about $800.

For more info, visit them online