i finally broke down and got a bench grinder

[mcginnis6010]

I usually sharpen my axes, knives and other tools by hand and i make knives by stock removal by hand too( dont own a forge unfortunately) but recently i been having some pain in my elbow and arm that i can only assume from repetitive motion. So i broke down and went to home depot and bought a ryobi bench grinder. Never used one before and after trying to sharpen a knife on it i realized im gonna need some practice with it.

[Pappy]

Ya it will eat a knife up,great for axes /chisels/punches and other rougher tools.
Not that good on finer stuff ,like knives.
   Pappy

[Fred Arnold]

I purchased the same grinder a few years back and except for the dust it still looks new. Like Pappy said if you need to remove stock swiftly it's great but you need to use some light pressure and finesse on smaller finer tools. I was surprised how quietly and smooth the motor runs and believe it should last a lifetime. Mine doesn't get much use because most of my sharpening is still done by hand with mill file and stones. I do use the grinder to touch up my splitting wedges and then smooth them with a large file.

[Grunt]

Go to any woodturning supply house and look at 60 grit aluminum oxide grinding wheels. Get one and a wheel dresser. If you develop a light touch the 60 grit wheel will do the job.