I was persuaded to give the FastTrack sharpening system another go. I got a sharp chisel, but you need to decide for yourself if this method is right for you.
I think you've tested / pursued this tool far more than any human should be expected to ... I would have thrown it in the bin a long time ago. Good on you for your perservereance.
I've had the original version for more than a decade. It's not a bad tool, but in the context for which it was designed. First, it isn't intended for gross reshaping of a chisel or plane iron: if you try to use it for that purpose, you'll be there all day, as this reviewer was. If you have a chisel that is at one of the angles the FastTrack provides, a few quick strokes with each of the magnetic "stones" will adequately hone the chisel or plane blade. Second, as the reviewer pointed out, the FastTrack isn't a sharpen-everything tool. It won't sharpen tools without flat backs and parallel sides, both of which are needed to reference the chisel or plane iron. As the reviewer pointed out, that might be only half of the tools you want to sharpen. For those tools, you'll need something else, not the FastTrack. In summary, if you want to hone chisel and plane irons that have flat backs and square, parallel sides, this isn't a bad tool. It isn't a sharpen every kind of tool you can think of device. It does however, make pretty quick, easy, low skill work of honing the things that fall within its intended purpose. To be honest, however, for twice the money, the built-in chisel/plane iron sharpening feature of a Worksharp will do a faster, better job, on similar tools.
This (and your previous review) are wonderful - exactly what I want from a review. In this case, they show precisely why I shouldn't buy this sharpener. The trouble you had just trying to slot the carriage onto the base illustrates how the manufacturer could not have done much testing and refinement before selling it. Everything about it supports this conclusion. Any new tool needs to be tried and refined until it works well in use before it become a good tool and worthy of selling. Thanks.
Well I think they took this review into account when going to improve it for the mk2. They got a rubber caps on the ends, the plates are angled to give more sharpening angles, and there is a clip to center the chisel allowing a longer sharpening stroke.
Before I see all of your video, I have this system after seeing a review elsewhere and find it very hard to get a good edge and agree that is leaves scratches.
With respect Susan, I don’t think this tool is meant to change the bevel angle, it’s meant to sharpen the angle you already have which It looks like it does and as you said ‘that would be sharp enough for most people’ , I think you’re being a bit harsh.
I definitely will NOT purchase this sharpener. From my point of view, it needs a lot of refinement to work properly. First, the blade needs to be held in place with a brace of some sort; Secondly it looks like it would wear out quickly; It' awkward to hold and as you've pointed out sharp when it should have been smooth; Thirdly, it must be fastened to a firm base; fourth, the design is all wrong guides are over-sized so the carriage is sloppy so it can't operate properly. Thank you for an honest review.
Its aimed at tradesmen on building sites as a way to keep a new chisel sharp. We wouldn't bother with micro bevels etc. We are beating our chisels with a claw hammer all day. Mine works brilliantly for this. But its no good for sharpening fine woodwork tools to be fair.
Just to respond to one of Susan's dissatisfactions, I had the same problem with binding when sharpening narrow chisels indexed against one of the side guides and the "stone holder" extended out from the base. I cut a couple of small pieces of steel of different widths, drilled holes in the steel. and tapped corresponding holes in the bed of the base. When I attach one of the pieces to the bed, I can place the chisel against the steel attachment closer to the center of the bed. This took care of the binding. (Hope my description is clear enough.)
Manufacturers really should welcome reviews like this as a way of getting free field testing of their products by real users, hopefully leading to design modifications like rounding off sharp edges. Providing the review is done fairly (like this one), follows the instructions and points out pros as well as cons, I don't see what they have to complain about. Credit to you for taking so much time over both reviews; many hobbyists would have given up long ago and professionals would not spend that amount of time getting a working edge on one tool.
That was most helpful thanks. I am currently restoring some old carving chisels and could not help but notice that your gouge had the bevel ground on the inside face (similar to one that I am restoring). I have been able to find no info on how to bevel the inside face (plenty on how to bevel the outside face) and wondered how you do it. I do have slip stones, but the gouge has a really bad edge, and was considering using a dremel to establish the initial bevel. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks
There is only convention that says you need a 30 on a chisel! Is fine to put what ever bevel you want on a chisel! Obviously if you go to steep it will not cut well, and if you go to shallow it will dull quicker! So it is all personal preference as to what balance you what to use between sharp and frequency! Well mostly frequency because you can get a perfectly shape edge at 25 or even less, and the more acute angle will cut end grain soft woods better! I personally use a 25 with a micro bevel! A lot of people use an hollow grind and only sharpen the cutting edge! There are probably as many OPINIONS on sharpening as there are people! So do what works for you! Also I do not like the FastTrack system as it is limiting on your options and you still have to hone the crap out of the blade after you get finished with it! It may be OK for someone just getting started, but I feel that it would be better for a new person to learn to sharpen in a more conventional way, as they will have more flexibility in what and to what angle they sharpen to!
I noticed that in the Trend product video the chisel was held on the side of the guide nearest the user. I wonder if that is significant in preventing the slide from binding as it then moves into the channel as it is pushed away rather than out of the channel. You could, of course, use the farther guide and pull the slide towards you to achieve the same effect. However, it does seem more logical to me to butt the chisel up against use the farther guide as it provides a more positive method of preventing the chisel moving whilst being sharpened. Making the base wider so that the sliding portion never leaves the channel whilst being used seems an obvious improvement that Trend could make.
If you ground the chisel to 25 degrees then used the honining tool you might win....i think the system assumes the chisel is at 25 degrees first. Your trying to hone something not ready to be honed. Anothe thing is i thought you needed water on the diamond to prolong its life.
I have not commented before as i was happy to view your videos and enjoy them but before becoming a full time luthier Iv'e spent my previous working life as a carpenter/joiner shop and site and I to purchased a version of the tool you are attempting to get to grips with thinking it would be a great way to get the necessary accurate edges needed to cutting tools for making guitars ( to sharpen chisels / planes were a touch on the grind stone then hand sharpened on a oil stone and some times hand stropped and that was it you were good to go hang a door no problem build a guitar no) I found my version of the tool you are trying to get a sharp chisel on also a pile of junk i just put mine in the bin and chalked it up to experience thinking i should have known better i now use the veritas system and water stones yes expensive but very quick and very good but again will only do straight edged tools down to about 1/8" gouges and tiny chisels and carving plane blades will have to be done by hand 25 degrees is fine for guitar work 30 degrees great for chopping out a sprocket joint on a freezing cold roof your work is fastidious and very accurate so use your own judgment your first video on the subject was 100% right
thanks for the review i have herd people talk about this bit of kit this is the first time i have seen it used and i now know i will not be bying one as it looks like a piece of junk i will stick with my hollow ground chisel and sharpend on a trend 1000 grit diamond plate and then stropped
I know I'm coming late to the party, but after watching your review I can recommend the upgraded mk.2 system. It has plastic caps on the ends of the hand grip, so no blisters, and an adjustable spacer thing that allows narrow blades to be held in the middle of the base instead of at either end, where the stone carriage may bind on the dovetails. You can get a mk.2 upgrade kit, with these parts, that will improve your old sharpener system. If you're a professional woodworker who habitually polishes their chisels with 8000 grit stones I don't think this is for you. If you have some plain, straight edged, flat chisels that already have a 25° bevel and just need a quick sharpen, as I did, it's okay for that but again, the lack of clamping for the chisel will give you sore thumbs. I mounted the system on the edge of a table and eventually used a G-clamp under and round it to keep the chisel in place. To be fair, the instructions do say that if your chisels have a greater primary bevel than 25° you should grind them down on a wheel before using this device, otherwise you'll spend all day doing it by hand. And, again, the 220 grit stone provided is too fine for that purpose. I bought the 100 grit stone for roughing out.
hi susan, the trend fast track is excellent if your a carpenter on-site that needs a keen edge.. it works perfectly for that, its not built or made for anything else.. regards mick
Ordinarily I try to watch your entire videos, this one was too painful, so I just went from 18 minutes straight to the end. Intelligent machinery design adapts the machine to the human, it does not insist on adapting the human to the machine. This sharpener is garbage. Thanks very much for the review and for bending over backward to be fair.
It occurred to me that the chisel is always in contact with the same narrow strip across the plate - so the plates might wear out more quickly than a system that distributes the wear over a larger area?
This and Susan's earlier review do make clear the primary limitations of the 1st generation of this sharpening jig. Some of these are inherent in the basic design (limitation to sharpening tool with flat backs that will fit on the backrest surface, relatively slow rate of material removal so not for primary regrinds). Other flaws and limitations have apparently been addressed in the Mark 2 version of this sharpening jig. It supposedly address the discomfort of use by adding rounded caps to the ends of the sliding portion. And it includes a piece that allows tools being sharpened to be located at or near the center of the jig so that a longer useful stroke length can be achieved without locking up the sliding motion. Susan highlighted both of these problems in both her earlier video and in this video. It appears the manufacturer understands the resulting problems and has taken steps intended to reduce or eliminate them. Just watching the first review or the first part of this second review, I wished I could say to Susan, relax a little--too much pressure. You want rapid light strokes not heavy strokes when using a sharpening jig like this one. She seems to have reached the same conclusion, leading to better success.
Pete Howlett -- check out sharpening jigs ( chisel / plain blades) by John Heisz (I Build It CA). I have used two of these contraptions and both hold chisels at the proper angle for use on wet/ dry paper. Spray the back of the paper with a thin spray of 3M 77 and stick it on glass, granite, or white melamine scrap. Strop with leather as mentioned. Enjoy a sharp chisel or plain blade again. 😁😁😁. Bob
Nice review, thanks for having the disappointment for me! My teenage son is on his 3rd guitar build and has started using his Grandads chisels and oil stone, I was considering getting a diamond stone, saw this system and thought 'that might be easier' have gone back to the ideas of a more traditional diamond stone, this might take a little more skill, but hey, learning is half the fun.
Would it be easier if you used it with the lettering facing you so your grabbing that top over the rounded edges and the chisel handle pointing towards you so your using it from left to right instead of up and down. I’ve never used this type of guide, and it doesn’t look as if I ever will. Good review and update. 👍🏻
One other suggestion. Drill & tap a number of holes in the chisel recess, and use an aluminium or suitable plate with a treaded knurled nut to hold the chisel firmly in place allowing more control with your right hand.
I know you shouldn’t have to do it but maybe make up a little spacer that sits between the shoulder and the chisel it may spread the load a little better but I totally agree with you it’s definitely a design flaw it’s only something they’ve rebranded anyway like with most of their things
Great video... Some of the responses for your first look at this product were typical 'Apple' type responses... You are holding it wrong etc. i.e. It's all your fault not ours. You gave this product far more time than I would before consigning it to the trash can. It's a neat idea that needs a few modifications but until then I can't blame you for passing on it.
As always, an entertaining and illuminating video. I am curious however as to how you have "tough guitarist's fingertips" on your *right* hand .... surely your callouses are on your *left* hand ?
I play Jon Gomm style with the pads of my fingers. I don’t have huge callouses on my right but I only play 1 or 2 hours a day and I use a variety of styles - not constant finger picking.
My nails are far too soft and flakey - I gave up trying to reinforce them years ago after reactions to some salon nail products. I use the pads of my fingers to pluck so get a small callous on the side of my thumb and tips of my index and middle. I need to use my ring finger more as it got sore during a weekend guitar camp doing picking exercises - old habits :-)
That's a very long time to regrind a bevel. It's only a little 6mm chisel, it's not like there's a lot of surface area. Obviously I don't have this exact chisel, but normally resetting the bevel for a new chisel only takes a few minutes with standard diamond plates in a honing guide.
It was magnetized by passing the diamond plate over the chisel--but only because the diamond plate itself is held to the sliding block with a magnet. If you rub an iron or steel part with a magnet, it will confer some degree of magnetic effect to that part.
I threw mine away... very misguided design. Paul Sellars quote: "We used to use a Norton oil stone and those are 400 grit." Yep. That's what we used to use before Charlesworth! And that micro bevel snake oil? We used to call it a secondary bevel. And don't get me started over the ruler trick... You only need a high degree of polish if you are going to use a 'tool' finish which you ain't in guitar making - sand paper is your final finishing process. Even violin makers use a form of sand paper after scraping. Don't get sucked into this 'performance sharpening' stuff. It is smoke and mirrors. 400 grit is fine for all general woodwork which is what you are doing nearly all the time making guitars! And you are not an idiot. You are however influenced very much by this medium. Those of us who got it from an old master craftsman take a different view.
Pete Howlett -- I have a small bench grinder with a 6" stone of about 120 grit, I think. I can set the "table" to put a " hollow grind" on the bevel side at about 1/2 or a little less across the bevel face. This exposes about roughly 5/16" of edge that needs sharpening. I can set the chisel bevel side down on a 400 grit wasser paper ( German Klingspor). Set my sharpening jig to about 25 degrees and never touch the hollow ground portion. It's not hollow ground very much -- maybe 10 to 15 thou, but I can get my chisels sharp enough to shave fuzz off a peach or a hair or twenty off the back of my hand. Is that sharp enough ? Oh and I strop on a green grit charged strip of leather about 5 strokes each, bevel and back.
Susan I agree with all your comments in principle it looks a good concept and is easy to quickly sharpen an edge however the slide is not positive at the extremes of the slide causing it to the off the edges of the tool. It is not a smooth action and consequently I have noticed the dovetails are wearing even when using lubrication It also takes considerable pressure on your thumb to keep the chisel or iron against the reference face. In the end i bought the Veritas system which is perfect, superb quality and easy to get a first class and square edge. I cannot recommend this system and with recent price Increase on the trend there is really not such a price difference for a much better product Trend should stick to what they are good at which is router cutters and jigs
This is a good honest review Susan. for me the system is over priced & not effective! it honestly needs to be discontinued & a thorough end re-design...trend do however make some good products but this isn't one of them! the whole base plate is far to short. However trend do a good honing guide with the base wheel being full length is a massive plus.
Perhaps if you ground the chisel to the appropriate bevel first, you wouldn't need to take of so much material to hone it. Might make it easier or quicker, and less wearing on the hands. Assuming you have a bench grinder.
If you do a micro bevel, do it only with the finest grit. I like 25 degrees on paring chisels and 30 degrees on ones I hit with a mallet. That system still doesn't impress me. Too much complication causing too many difficulties. A honing guide is good for remaking bevels.
Is this intended for grinding or just sharpening? If it is meant to grind it would need some fairly rough grits to remove larger amounts of metal. Similarly, there's no way it can compete with the polish you achieve with an 8 000 grit stone unless it has an 8 000 grit stone to fit. Similarly, I can't imagine that it has a stropping attachment ;-) Did you try some leather work gloves? You could try to round over the edges of your tool but there's no way you could round over all your chisels.
I am a woodworker and I can understand the frustration of "Sharpening" chisels and plane irons. It has taken me years and lots of time to get what I feel is a realistic idea of sharpening. I have and use a Worksharp system and the Veritas guide for resetting the angle. I have ordered one the the tools you are describing, not because I will use it to sharpen but more to keep a fine honed edge as I work. I have a leather stropping wheel on a small grinder that helps me keep a fine polished edge, also. I don't know if there is any one best method to sharpening. Good luck on your quest! :)
It just appears awkward to use. Some way of clamping the chisel is needed. As you pointed out one should not have to have a learning curve to get results.
Same results for me. Tried it once, put it down to experience and moved on. I found the most useful way of sharpening was to watch Rob Cosman's RUclips channel. Anyone else used Rob Cosman?
i think the direction are only a guide, you need to find what works for you, asfar as a polish finish that's a different process other than sharpening.
The aluminium extrusion used on the device is too soft,stainless steel is ok but not cost effective.The extrusion is also far too short and should be at least twice its current length. delrin might work but is not normally extruded and would have to be machined to form the correct profile.Therefore not cost effective.A re-design is essential for this product to be efficient.A word from chinese philosofer Lao Tzu c.400 B.C."Oversharpen the blade and the edge will soon blunt".
it's obviously a bad design and one made to cut costs while maximizing profit. They probably order 20 foot tracks of this and cut it up into the smallest possible size and do nothing else to it to cut costs. That things should be twice as long and it needs a proper handle or at least a good roundover.
They are not that bad but are overpriced and are only any good for a quick touch up on site and you do need the higher grit inserts to get acceptable edges . It will never replace a stone for properly sharpened tools, although I still tend to use abrasive paper on glass rather than a stone.
There are just so many poor design aspects to this piece of equipment that fairly obviously render it pretty useless. It seems to be analogous to a completely unnecessary reinventing of the wheel, and a painful one at that. Thank you for persevering with it on our behalf, I have no doubt about your abilities, Trend's I'm not so sure about in this instance.
I do hope that the manufacturer didn't put pressure on you to revisit this because of your previous unfavourable review - if they did so that's appalling. I think you presented your view of the thing thoroughly and honestly. Your concerns would be mine. You were far too polite to say that it's a gimmicky piece of crap so I'll do it for you. I don't think it'll ever be a challenger to hand sharpening on diamond/waterstones finished off with a leather strop. I you want to get all precise using those then the Veritas Mk 2 honing guide is a far better option
I can't see how anyone comes to a conclusion other than that this is a gimmicky little device that might help rank amateurs, but should be avoided by anyone with a higher level of skill. OK as a Christmas present for grand-dad.
Thank you for the second brutally honest review if this ill conceived system. Glad you stuck to your guns and didn't give in to the free merch temptation. The whole system seems very awkward and not very well thought out or tested before going off and making millions of them to market. I guess they thought they had a real winner. But NOT!! I've also seen this exact same system marketed under the name M Power. Aside from all the obvious flaws you point out the other considerations are that the wear and tear on the dovetail track is ultimately slowly degrading the precision of the pairing of the stone face to the chisel face because it will expand the track gap and ultimately rock more than it does now. This will probably result in a slightly rounded over face on the blade. It would seem that some sort of a bearing system would be in order. As well, the top sled should be much longer so you can easily use the full length of the stone. The next issue would appear to be the stones. They are small to begin with and it appears that only the same 20% of the surface will be used over and over which is going to rapidly kill those stones. OH, and for the record, you are the perfect person (type of person) to be conducting this review, like you said, it will be people exactly like you most apt to purchase such a tool and you also have experience in the other sharpening methods and know the quality of sharpening that you require for your work.
The one of the many major problems is that the track is way too short. It should be twice the length - at least. The other giant cockup is that the sharpening is being done in the wrong direction (sideways). What were they thinking when they came up with that design?!
The whole idea of this tool should be to make sharpening easier, quicker, and comfortable. It misses all this things and I would say you are the perfect person to test it. It looks as if it could be a winner but the manufacurers need to wake up and listen to the problems. 1 the part where you hold the jig shoud be at 90 degrees to the travel so that the rounded part would be easy to hold. 2. their should be some sort of holdown for the chisle so that a consistane presure can be mentained. I am no expert but from watching this video i can see the pitfalls and "Trend" should also and make a tool that anyone can use with ease.
You are surely not stupid and those who make remarks only prove that negative. Your desire to have an angle of 25 degrees is perfectly fine. 25 / 30 degree bevel is done for one reason. By having a 25 degree bevel enables _fast_ re-honing of the30 degree. The geniuses calling you an idiot would also say that having a hollow ground is obviously demanded. Wrong as well. It is only ground that way because of the action of grinding. The hollow ground is a _by product_ that happened when grinding. Yes it is also advantageous as it also allows for faster honing. That’s it. I’m watching their honing method and it’s stupid and only an idiot would insist it is worthwhile. Honing takes awhile. Your approach is perfect. Establish a 25 and move later to the 30. It is not easy for anyone. I recently did it on my block plane. I hope you did not pay a farthing for that POS made in China no doubt and charging people as if it was made in USA, Germany or the UK. Great Job‼️👍🏻
6 лет назад+1
So they didn't like it? So what? Have they offered any advice as to what went wrong? Or cover the cost of your time? If not, tell them to get stuffed. This type of tool is designed to be used by anyone, and so there is no need to have any experience of sharpening. It looks poorly engineered, given the trouble you are having to operate it, which no end of 'experience' will overcome.
Looks like a very gimmicky tool at best, and works like one too. The magnetization is likely from the magnet holding the diamond plate in, and the sharp edges from the process of cutting up the sections of extrusion and then saving money by not using a second operation to break the edges adequately. Seems like it would be so much more efficient to actually learn to sharpen the tools the "old fashioned" way.
You really didn’t read the instructions it tells you if your chisel is only grinding on the very top your angle is way off 25 take it to a grinder 1st. Also they recommend the 100 grit diamond file for mass hogging of material
What they call 'float' anyone else would call slop, sloppy engineering and manufacturing. As you come off the end of the base that slop is what causes the carriage to bind. The only effective way I can see of counting that is having the chisel completely centred up and even then, anything over 1" wide, you're going to hit the same problem again.
Hello Susan. Not to defend Trend, but have you thought about rotating the base at about 45 degrees to you? So you have a relaxed position for your hand and arm. I don't think you need a death grip on the slide or the chisel. Just grip much like you are buffing your finger nails. I would curl my fingers around the large radius on the center area and this would allow the butt of my hand to push the slide toward the chisel with short side to side motion. Your thumb and pinky finger I think should be wrapped over the ends you have been pushing on, to assist in a control guide for the slide, but do not white knuckle your grip. The whole device seems to me to be more for freshening up a chisel and not actually use it to change a chisel angle by one or two degrees. I turn wood on my lathe and don't need or use a flat chisel much, just on a very limited bases. I am no means suggesting my way is right just making some observation. This jig should not be this much of a struggle as you are having. Just trying to help. Good Luck.
No wonder you had difficulties. Your workbench visibly wobbles. Both sitting and being up close to the work restricted your arms. You’ve tested the Fast Track with one very narrow chisel and one very wide one, outside the routine size range I expect its intended customers would use it for. One was pre-ground to a different angle, a non-standard usage yet you refused to use their non-standard roughing plate. By contrast, in your ‘Scary Sharpening’ review video you stand up to work, use medium-sized chisels, have a non-slip mat, don’t wobble your bench, and filmed it after a whole afternoon’s practice. Your ability to sharpen to 8,000 by hand is out of the Fast Track market’s league, and will never compare with it.
fantastic review, I can see from it alone that the engineering of this device is very poor, too short of a slide area, hence the jamming, the handle looks painful to hold ( brave to continue for so long) too much movement in a tool that should be producing such precision edges, bearings would be more useful. takes a long time to sharpen a simple tool by the look of it alone !!!
It's designed for quick touchups on site when the chisels are at the correct angle already, probably the second worst review I've ever seen done on anything, the worst was your first review.
¡¡Bravo!! Ole tus ovarios... Es una mierda la herramienta, y no funciona, yo compré el Trend DWS/HG/SET porque tiene un rodillo muy ancho y ese si funciona, gracias por tu valoración Susan.
rubish review whatch one of the other reviews on here and you will learn how to yous this tool it takes a while to get the proper angles but once you have its easy to keep tools sharp, and this tool is for flat chisels and plane blades only,I have been using for ages no problems at all
That shuttle is poorly designed. Seems they forgot what the human hand looks like, on top of forgetting it which direction said shuttle will be mostly moved in. There're more design issues, but I'll leave those to others.
Am I correct that in the first review you were using your left hand to slide the sharpener back and forward ? Now you are using your right hand !! Are you right or left handed ? Obviously this is going to make a big difference to how efficiently the tool works, or have you been try to pull the wool over folks eyes ?
What are you trying to prove? Modifying the angle with a sharpener? Maybe you should have sharpened a 2 inch 30 degree chisel to a 25 degree angle. Geez!
OMG why don't you just send it back and then take a good look at your work place and your poor thumb after an hour and you still carried on ? I'm not saying you can't do fine carpentry because I think your work is great. When you buy a oil stone or wet stone you have to buy 4or5 different grades it's the same with this machine there's different grades of diamond that's why they sent you the other ones
a good idea poorly executed. Seems to me the way it is made makes it difficult to operate. Something has to work well to be used. If it is not easy to use, or do a good job, it won't get used.
Hi Susan, your are the furthest thing from an idiot as you can get when it comes to wood working. you're one of the few people (men and women alike) in youtube who knows what they're doing. so don't let the trolls get under your skin. the only thing i can see here is that the tool you have is something to apply a final edge with. it is not something you would take out deep gouges in the cutting edge of a chisel or other tool. the fact the tool binds up is due to a host of factors, of which trying to take off too much material in one stroke is the leading one. this tool is a hone. pure and simple. it is not a grinder. it is designed to take infinitesimally small cuts. it takes no pressure at all to do the work. the micro bevel is a more stable cutting edge, at 30 degrees it IS duller than a 25 degree edge. Marples puts that micro bevel on their wood chisels and they work great. but they do have their limitations. the softer the wood is you are cutting the steeper the angle has to be. so if you're cutting spruce, the 25 degree bevel will cut far better than the 30 degree bevel will. the tool gives you the OPTION to put a micro bevel on the edge if the job calls for it. other than that the tool ensures the exact angle at the cutting edge when you use it AFTER grinding the chisel. to apply the micro bevel you should use the finest grit plate you have and only take two or three strokes. it doesn't take much and you won't be fighting the burr development near as much. the micro bevel is just that: micro! the other problem the makers of this device do not tell you is that you need to shim the tool you're sharpening in the slot it lies in. in other words, it you have a 3 inch groove that the chisel you're sharpening lies in and the chisel is half an inch wide, the you need to place something along side the chisel to keep the hone from grabbing the chisel and dragging it into the corner it shears against. the wear you're seeing on the dovetails is normal for anodized aluminium when used with the oil you're using. WD40 is probaly the best lubricant for aluminium parts the other thing the boneheads neglect to tell the user in the instruction manual is that you need a small amount of water based lube on the honing plate to prevent it from clogging up... diamond hones don't live long when used dry. in all a good and honest review cheers mike
I can’t believe people are commenting that you are a ‘great candidate to test this tool’. Darling, you’re not a site carpenter and you’re supposed to press the chisel against the shoulder, not digging it into the pad. This is to sharpen blades already at the bevel which you didn’t use! I’m bewildered as to why you’d buy this?..
Ergonomically speaking, that block-like "handle" on the top is bloody awful.. it looks almost like it's *intended* to be awkward and blister-inducing. There's a reason why for centuries, hand operated tools have had rounded handles.. it's so that they're *not* murder on your hands. Whoever designed this piece of junk has clearly never actually used it to put an edge on a tool.
Susan, I cannot watch anymore its too painful, That sharpening jig is a peice of Junk******* Iam sorry you bought it.. I agree with you on the bevel degree of 25° I have been a finish carpenter/ cabinet maker for 30+yrs I always sharpen my planes & chisels with Diamond plates & water to a 25° Angle.
Mechanical engineer here. A slide made of aluminium and plastic material exposed to steel fillings WILL wear very quickly, even if lubricated. It is a terrible design. Inept engineers happen anywhere, anytime...
These gadgets are rubbish, a grinding wheel oil or wet stone are the best tried and tested by professional tradesmen and women, it is the users preference on angles and just how you use the given tool, that thing wastes more time as well as the money just buy the thing
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I think you've tested / pursued this tool far more than any human should be expected to ... I would have thrown it in the bin a long time ago.
Good on you for your perservereance.
I've had the original version for more than a decade. It's not a bad tool, but in the context for which it was designed. First, it isn't intended for gross reshaping of a chisel or plane iron: if you try to use it for that purpose, you'll be there all day, as this reviewer was. If you have a chisel that is at one of the angles the FastTrack provides, a few quick strokes with each of the magnetic "stones" will adequately hone the chisel or plane blade. Second, as the reviewer pointed out, the FastTrack isn't a sharpen-everything tool. It won't sharpen tools without flat backs and parallel sides, both of which are needed to reference the chisel or plane iron. As the reviewer pointed out, that might be only half of the tools you want to sharpen. For those tools, you'll need something else, not the FastTrack.
In summary, if you want to hone chisel and plane irons that have flat backs and square, parallel sides, this isn't a bad tool. It isn't a sharpen every kind of tool you can think of device. It does however, make pretty quick, easy, low skill work of honing the things that fall within its intended purpose. To be honest, however, for twice the money, the built-in chisel/plane iron sharpening feature of a Worksharp will do a faster, better job, on similar tools.
This (and your previous review) are wonderful - exactly what I want from a review. In this case, they show precisely why I shouldn't buy this sharpener. The trouble you had just trying to slot the carriage onto the base illustrates how the manufacturer could not have done much testing and refinement before selling it. Everything about it supports this conclusion. Any new tool needs to be tried and refined until it works well in use before it become a good tool and worthy of selling. Thanks.
hi Susan I am a carpenter of 40 years I was given one of those jigs tried it twice then promptly put in the box of dead tools
Well I think they took this review into account when going to improve it for the mk2. They got a rubber caps on the ends, the plates are angled to give more sharpening angles, and there is a clip to center the chisel allowing a longer sharpening stroke.
This is one of the most brutal reviews I've ever seen. Haha. I appreciate your candor.
I think she was way too nice.
This is the sort of thing I would have bought, thinking it would be easy to use. Thanks for saving me a few pounds.
Very nice explanation! Channel is great, love your work, and have learned some interesting techniques. For example, 15 foot radius! Cool!
Before I see all of your video, I have this system after seeing a review elsewhere and find it very hard to get a good edge and agree that is leaves scratches.
With respect Susan, I don’t think this tool is meant to change the bevel angle, it’s meant to sharpen the angle you already have which It looks like it does and as you said ‘that would be sharp enough for most people’ , I think you’re being a bit harsh.
I definitely will NOT purchase this sharpener. From my point of view, it needs a lot of refinement to work properly. First, the blade needs to be held in place with a brace of some sort; Secondly it looks like it would wear out quickly; It' awkward to hold and as you've pointed out sharp when it should have been smooth; Thirdly, it must be fastened to a firm base; fourth, the design is all wrong guides are over-sized so the carriage is sloppy so it can't operate properly. Thank you for an honest review.
Its aimed at tradesmen on building sites as a way to keep a new chisel sharp. We wouldn't bother with micro bevels etc. We are beating our chisels with a claw hammer all day. Mine works brilliantly for this. But its no good for sharpening fine woodwork tools to be fair.
You didn't seem to re-oil any of the diamond plates... but yeah, I've tried this and agree with everything you said. Great review.
Just to respond to one of Susan's dissatisfactions, I had the same problem with binding when sharpening narrow chisels indexed against one of the side guides and the "stone holder" extended out from the base. I cut a couple of small pieces of steel of different widths, drilled holes in the steel. and tapped corresponding holes in the bed of the base. When I attach one of the pieces to the bed, I can place the chisel against the steel attachment closer to the center of the bed. This took care of the binding. (Hope my description is clear enough.)
In other words, you made it into the way it should have been manufactured in the first place. So.. the manufacturer is an idiot.
I prefer the jig that holds the chisel at the desired angle, moving the chisel, or plain iron against the stone. Has worked for me for 50 years.
Manufacturers really should welcome reviews like this as a way of getting free field testing of their products by real users, hopefully leading to design modifications like rounding off sharp edges. Providing the review is done fairly (like this one), follows the instructions and points out pros as well as cons, I don't see what they have to complain about. Credit to you for taking so much time over both reviews; many hobbyists would have given up long ago and professionals would not spend that amount of time getting a working edge on one tool.
That was most helpful thanks. I am currently restoring some old carving chisels and could not help but notice that your gouge had the bevel ground on the inside face (similar to one that I am restoring). I have been able to find no info on how to bevel the inside face (plenty on how to bevel the outside face) and wondered how you do it. I do have slip stones, but the gouge has a really bad edge, and was considering using a dremel to establish the initial bevel. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks
go on girl! Don't let others say what you have to think. Rob
There is only convention that says you need a 30 on a chisel! Is fine to put what ever bevel you want on a chisel! Obviously if you go to steep it will not cut well, and if you go to shallow it will dull quicker! So it is all personal preference as to what balance you what to use between sharp and frequency! Well mostly frequency because you can get a perfectly shape edge at 25 or even less, and the more acute angle will cut end grain soft woods better! I personally use a 25 with a micro bevel! A lot of people use an hollow grind and only sharpen the cutting edge! There are probably as many OPINIONS on sharpening as there are people! So do what works for you! Also I do not like the FastTrack system as it is limiting on your options and you still have to hone the crap out of the blade after you get finished with it! It may be OK for someone just getting started, but I feel that it would be better for a new person to learn to sharpen in a more conventional way, as they will have more flexibility in what and to what angle they sharpen to!
I noticed that in the Trend product video the chisel was held on the side of the guide nearest the user. I wonder if that is significant in preventing the slide from binding as it then moves into the channel as it is pushed away rather than out of the channel. You could, of course, use the farther guide and pull the slide towards you to achieve the same effect.
However, it does seem more logical to me to butt the chisel up against use the farther guide as it provides a more positive method of preventing the chisel moving whilst being sharpened. Making the base wider so that the sliding portion never leaves the channel whilst being used seems an obvious improvement that Trend could make.
If you ground the chisel to 25 degrees then used the honining tool you might win....i think the system assumes the chisel is at 25 degrees first. Your trying to hone something not ready to be honed. Anothe thing is i thought you needed water on the diamond to prolong its life.
I have not commented before as i was happy to view your videos and enjoy them but before becoming a full time luthier
Iv'e spent my previous working life as a carpenter/joiner shop and site and I to purchased a version of the tool you are attempting to get to grips with thinking it would be a great way to get the necessary accurate edges needed to cutting tools for making guitars ( to sharpen chisels / planes were a touch on the grind stone then hand sharpened on a oil stone
and some times hand stropped and that was it you were good to go hang a door no problem build a guitar no)
I found my version of the tool you are trying to get a sharp chisel on also a pile of junk i just put mine in the bin and chalked
it up to experience thinking i should have known better i now use the veritas system and water stones yes expensive but
very quick and very good but again will only do straight edged tools down to about 1/8" gouges and tiny chisels and carving
plane blades will have to be done by hand
25 degrees is fine for guitar work 30 degrees great for chopping out a sprocket joint on a freezing cold roof
your work is fastidious and very accurate so use your own judgment your first video on the subject was 100% right
thanks for the review i have herd people talk about this bit of kit this is the first time i have seen it used and i now know i will not be bying one as it looks like a piece of junk i will stick with my hollow ground chisel and sharpend on a trend 1000 grit diamond plate and then stropped
I know I'm coming late to the party, but after watching your review I can recommend the upgraded mk.2 system. It has plastic caps on the ends of the hand grip, so no blisters, and an adjustable spacer thing that allows narrow blades to be held in the middle of the base instead of at either end, where the stone carriage may bind on the dovetails. You can get a mk.2 upgrade kit, with these parts, that will improve your old sharpener system.
If you're a professional woodworker who habitually polishes their chisels with 8000 grit stones I don't think this is for you. If you have some plain, straight edged, flat chisels that already have a 25° bevel and just need a quick sharpen, as I did, it's okay for that but again, the lack of clamping for the chisel will give you sore thumbs. I mounted the system on the edge of a table and eventually used a G-clamp under and round it to keep the chisel in place.
To be fair, the instructions do say that if your chisels have a greater primary bevel than 25° you should grind them down on a wheel before using this device, otherwise you'll spend all day doing it by hand. And, again, the 220 grit stone provided is too fine for that purpose. I bought the 100 grit stone for roughing out.
hi susan, the trend fast track is excellent if your a carpenter on-site that needs a keen edge.. it works perfectly for that, its not built or made for anything else.. regards mick
Ordinarily I try to watch your entire videos, this one was too painful, so I just went from 18 minutes straight to the end. Intelligent machinery design adapts the machine to the human, it does not insist on adapting the human to the machine. This sharpener is garbage. Thanks very much for the review and for bending over backward to be fair.
It occurred to me that the chisel is always in contact with the same narrow strip across the plate - so the plates might wear out more quickly than a system that distributes the wear over a larger area?
This and Susan's earlier review do make clear the primary limitations of the 1st generation of this sharpening jig. Some of these are inherent in the basic design (limitation to sharpening tool with flat backs that will fit on the backrest surface, relatively slow rate of material removal so not for primary regrinds). Other flaws and limitations have apparently been addressed in the Mark 2 version of this sharpening jig. It supposedly address the discomfort of use by adding rounded caps to the ends of the sliding portion. And it includes a piece that allows tools being sharpened to be located at or near the center of the jig so that a longer useful stroke length can be achieved without locking up the sliding motion. Susan highlighted both of these problems in both her earlier video and in this video. It appears the manufacturer understands the resulting problems and has taken steps intended to reduce or eliminate them.
Just watching the first review or the first part of this second review, I wished I could say to Susan, relax a little--too much pressure. You want rapid light strokes not heavy strokes when using a sharpening jig like this one. She seems to have reached the same conclusion, leading to better success.
Pete Howlett -- check out sharpening jigs ( chisel / plain blades) by John Heisz (I Build It CA). I have used two of these contraptions and both hold chisels at the proper angle for use on wet/ dry paper. Spray the back of the paper with a thin spray of 3M 77 and stick it on glass, granite, or white melamine scrap. Strop with leather as mentioned. Enjoy a sharp chisel or plain blade again. 😁😁😁. Bob
Sharpening jigs John Heinz
Nice review, thanks for having the disappointment for me! My teenage son is on his 3rd guitar build and has started using his Grandads chisels and oil stone, I was considering getting a diamond stone, saw this system and thought 'that might be easier' have gone back to the ideas of a more traditional diamond stone, this might take a little more skill, but hey, learning is half the fun.
Looks like they took note of the review the one ive seen comes with plastic shroud and spacer for smaller chisels
Would it be easier if you used it with the lettering facing you so your grabbing that top over the rounded edges and the chisel handle pointing towards you so your using it from left to right instead of up and down. I’ve never used this type of guide, and it doesn’t look as if I ever will.
Good review and update. 👍🏻
One other suggestion. Drill & tap a number of holes in the chisel recess, and use an aluminium or suitable plate with a treaded knurled nut to hold the chisel firmly in place allowing more control with your right hand.
I know you shouldn’t have to do it but maybe make up a little spacer that sits between the shoulder and the chisel it may spread the load a little better but I totally agree with you it’s definitely a design flaw it’s only something they’ve rebranded anyway like with most of their things
Great video... Some of the responses for your first look at this product were typical 'Apple' type responses... You are holding it wrong etc. i.e. It's all your fault not ours. You gave this product far more time than I would before consigning it to the trash can. It's a neat idea that needs a few modifications but until then I can't blame you for passing on it.
I use a 20 degree face and sharpen the edge to a 25/30/35 depending on the chisel and the task at hand. The face however, is always 20 degrees.
As always, an entertaining and illuminating video.
I am curious however as to how you have "tough guitarist's fingertips" on your *right* hand .... surely your callouses are on your *left* hand ?
Not all finger-style players use their nails. Susie's nails are short - see close-ups.
They are short, but they are not Tommy Emmanuel style callouses. No callouses on her right hand IMO.
I play Jon Gomm style with the pads of my fingers. I don’t have huge callouses on my right but I only play 1 or 2 hours a day and I use a variety of styles - not constant finger picking.
My nails are far too soft and flakey - I gave up trying to reinforce them years ago after reactions to some salon nail products. I use the pads of my fingers to pluck so get a small callous on the side of my thumb and tips of my index and middle. I need to use my ring finger more as it got sore during a weekend guitar camp doing picking exercises - old habits :-)
That's a very long time to regrind a bevel. It's only a little 6mm chisel, it's not like there's a lot of surface area. Obviously I don't have this exact chisel, but normally resetting the bevel for a new chisel only takes a few minutes with standard diamond plates in a honing guide.
It was magnetized by passing the diamond plate over the chisel--but only because the diamond plate itself is held to the sliding block with a magnet. If you rub an iron or steel part with a magnet, it will confer some degree of magnetic effect to that part.
I threw mine away... very misguided design. Paul Sellars quote: "We used to use a Norton oil stone and those are 400 grit." Yep. That's what we used to use before Charlesworth! And that micro bevel snake oil? We used to call it a secondary bevel. And don't get me started over the ruler trick... You only need a high degree of polish if you are going to use a 'tool' finish which you ain't in guitar making - sand paper is your final finishing process. Even violin makers use a form of sand paper after scraping. Don't get sucked into this 'performance sharpening' stuff. It is smoke and mirrors. 400 grit is fine for all general woodwork which is what you are doing nearly all the time making guitars! And you are not an idiot. You are however influenced very much by this medium. Those of us who got it from an old master craftsman take a different view.
Pete Howlett -- I have a small bench grinder with a 6" stone of about 120 grit, I think. I can set the "table" to put a " hollow grind" on the bevel side at about 1/2 or a little less across the bevel face. This exposes about roughly 5/16" of edge that needs sharpening. I can set the chisel bevel side down on a 400 grit wasser paper ( German Klingspor). Set my sharpening jig to about 25 degrees and never touch the hollow ground portion. It's not hollow ground very much -- maybe 10 to 15 thou, but I can get my chisels sharp enough to shave fuzz off a peach or a hair or twenty off the back of my hand. Is that sharp enough ? Oh and I strop on a green grit charged strip of leather about 5 strokes each, bevel and back.
Susan I agree with all your comments in principle it looks a good concept and is easy to quickly sharpen an edge however the slide is not positive at the extremes of the slide causing it to the off the edges of the tool. It is not a smooth action and consequently I have noticed the dovetails are wearing even when using lubrication It also takes considerable pressure on your thumb to keep the chisel or iron against the reference face. In the end i bought the Veritas system which is perfect, superb quality and easy to get a first class and square edge.
I cannot recommend this system and with recent price Increase on the trend there is really not such a price difference for a much better product
Trend should stick to what they are good at which is router cutters and jigs
This is a good honest review Susan. for me the system is over priced & not effective! it honestly needs to be discontinued & a thorough end re-design...trend do however make some good products but this isn't one of them! the whole base plate is far to short. However trend do a good honing guide with the base wheel being full length is a massive plus.
Perhaps if you ground the chisel to the appropriate bevel first, you wouldn't need to take of so much material to hone it.
Might make it easier or quicker, and less wearing on the hands. Assuming you have a bench grinder.
Gostei muito.
Pay no attention to such unwarranted criticism Susan! It is just a leg! That is it is just a matter of a pinion!
Your opinion is equally valid!
If you do a micro bevel, do it only with the finest grit. I like 25 degrees on paring chisels and 30 degrees on ones I hit with a mallet. That system still doesn't impress me. Too much complication causing too many difficulties. A honing guide is good for remaking bevels.
Is this intended for grinding or just sharpening? If it is meant to grind it would need some fairly rough grits to remove larger amounts of metal. Similarly, there's no way it can compete with the polish you achieve with an 8 000 grit stone unless it has an 8 000 grit stone to fit. Similarly, I can't imagine that it has a stropping attachment ;-) Did you try some leather work gloves? You could try to round over the edges of your tool but there's no way you could round over all your chisels.
"I am melting, I need a break to have a drink, (gin and a valium), I need a glove for the blisters". I am glad I forked out for the veritas.
I am a woodworker and I can understand the frustration of "Sharpening" chisels and plane irons. It has taken me years and lots of time to get what I feel is a realistic idea of sharpening. I have and use a Worksharp system and the Veritas guide for resetting the angle. I have ordered one the the tools you are describing, not because I will use it to sharpen but more to keep a fine honed edge as I work. I have a leather stropping wheel on a small grinder that helps me keep a fine polished edge, also. I don't know if there is any one best method to sharpening. Good luck on your quest! :)
It just appears awkward to use. Some way of clamping the chisel is needed. As you pointed out one should not have to have a learning curve to get results.
when you get the Chisel sharp use Jewelers Rouge to polish the blade.
Same results for me. Tried it once, put it down to experience and moved on. I found the most useful way of sharpening was to watch Rob Cosman's RUclips channel. Anyone else used Rob Cosman?
Rob Cosman is probably the best there is.
i think the direction are only a guide, you need to find what works for you, asfar as a polish finish that's a different process other than sharpening.
Good job. They should pay you for what you did
The aluminium extrusion used on the device is too soft,stainless steel is ok but not cost effective.The extrusion is also far too short and should be at least twice its current length.
delrin might work but is not normally extruded and would have to be machined to form the correct profile.Therefore not cost effective.A re-design is essential for this product to be efficient.A word from chinese philosofer Lao Tzu c.400 B.C."Oversharpen the blade and the edge will soon blunt".
it's obviously a bad design and one made to cut costs while maximizing profit.
They probably order 20 foot tracks of this and cut it up into the smallest possible size and do nothing else to it to cut costs.
That things should be twice as long and it needs a proper handle or at least a good roundover.
good video poor tool. Many thanks for showing the pieces of metal. I would not call it an assisting tool.
Hi Sue, try lubricating the stones with a little oil to prevent the surface from getting clogged and sticking
They are not that bad but are overpriced and are only any good for a quick touch up on site and you do need the higher grit inserts to get acceptable edges .
It will never replace a stone for properly sharpened tools, although I still tend to use abrasive paper on glass rather than a stone.
There are just so many poor design aspects to this piece of equipment that fairly obviously render it pretty useless. It seems to be analogous to a completely unnecessary reinventing of the wheel, and a painful one at that. Thank you for persevering with it on our behalf, I have no doubt about your abilities, Trend's I'm not so sure about in this instance.
I do hope that the manufacturer didn't put pressure on you to revisit this because of your previous unfavourable review - if they did so that's appalling. I think you presented your view of the thing thoroughly and honestly. Your concerns would be mine. You were far too polite to say that it's a gimmicky piece of crap so I'll do it for you. I don't think it'll ever be a challenger to hand sharpening on diamond/waterstones finished off with a leather strop. I you want to get all precise using those then the Veritas Mk 2 honing guide is a far better option
Think I’ll pass on that gizmo. Thanks
I can't see how anyone comes to a conclusion other than that this is a gimmicky little device that might help rank amateurs, but should be avoided by anyone with a higher level of skill. OK as a Christmas present for grand-dad.
Thank you for the second brutally honest review if this ill conceived system. Glad you stuck to your guns and didn't give in to the free merch temptation. The whole system seems very awkward and not very well thought out or tested before going off and making millions of them to market. I guess they thought they had a real winner. But NOT!! I've also seen this exact same system marketed under the name M Power.
Aside from all the obvious flaws you point out the other considerations are that the wear and tear on the dovetail track is ultimately slowly degrading the precision of the pairing of the stone face to the chisel face because it will expand the track gap and ultimately rock more than it does now. This will probably result in a slightly rounded over face on the blade. It would seem that some sort of a bearing system would be in order. As well, the top sled should be much longer so you can easily use the full length of the stone. The next issue would appear to be the stones. They are small to begin with and it appears that only the same 20% of the surface will be used over and over which is going to rapidly kill those stones. OH, and for the record, you are the perfect person (type of person) to be conducting this review, like you said, it will be people exactly like you most apt to purchase such a tool and you also have experience in the other sharpening methods and know the quality of sharpening that you require for your work.
This tool has its limitations......BUT............not once did I see you lubricate the slides. This would have made life easier.
The one of the many major problems is that the track is way too short. It should be twice the length - at least. The other giant cockup is that the sharpening is being done in the wrong direction (sideways). What were they thinking when they came up with that design?!
The whole idea of this tool should be to make sharpening easier, quicker, and comfortable. It misses all this things and I would say you are the perfect person to test it. It looks as if it could be a winner but the manufacurers need to wake up and listen to the problems. 1 the part where you hold the jig shoud be at 90 degrees to the travel so that the rounded part would be easy to hold. 2. their should be some sort of holdown for the chisle so that a consistane presure can be mentained. I am no expert but from watching this video i can see the pitfalls and "Trend" should also and make a tool that anyone can use with ease.
You are surely not stupid and those who make remarks only prove that negative.
Your desire to have an angle of 25 degrees is perfectly fine.
25 / 30 degree bevel is done for one reason. By having a 25 degree bevel enables _fast_ re-honing of the30 degree.
The geniuses calling you an idiot would also say that having a hollow ground is obviously demanded. Wrong as well. It is only ground that way because of the action of grinding. The hollow ground is a _by product_ that happened when grinding. Yes it is also advantageous as it also allows for faster honing. That’s it. I’m watching their honing method and it’s stupid and only an idiot would insist it is worthwhile. Honing takes awhile. Your approach is perfect. Establish a 25 and move later to the 30. It is not easy for anyone. I recently did it on my block plane. I hope you did not pay a farthing for that POS made in China no doubt and charging people as if it was made in USA, Germany or the UK.
Great Job‼️👍🏻
So they didn't like it? So what? Have they offered any advice as to what went wrong? Or cover the cost of your time? If not, tell them to get stuffed. This type of tool is designed to be used by anyone, and so there is no need to have any experience of sharpening. It looks poorly engineered, given the trouble you are having to operate it, which no end of 'experience' will overcome.
Here's an example video with the Mk2 version, much improved...
ruclips.net/video/zW0c87jdtdM/видео.html
Looks like a very gimmicky tool at best, and works like one too. The magnetization is likely from the magnet holding the diamond plate in, and the sharp edges from the process of cutting up the sections of extrusion and then saving money by not using a second operation to break the edges adequately. Seems like it would be so much more efficient to actually learn to sharpen the tools the "old fashioned" way.
You really didn’t read the instructions it tells you if your chisel is only grinding on the very top your angle is way off 25 take it to a grinder 1st. Also they recommend the 100 grit diamond file for mass hogging of material
What they call 'float' anyone else would call slop, sloppy engineering and manufacturing. As you come off the end of the base that slop is what causes the carriage to bind. The only effective way I can see of counting that is having the chisel completely centred up and even then, anything over 1" wide, you're going to hit the same problem again.
Hello Susan. Not to defend Trend, but have you thought about rotating the base at about 45 degrees to you? So you have a relaxed position for your hand and arm. I don't think you need a death grip on the slide or the chisel. Just grip much like you are buffing your finger nails. I would curl my fingers around the large radius on the center area and this would allow the butt of my hand to push the slide toward the chisel with short side to side motion. Your thumb and pinky finger I think should be wrapped over the ends you have been pushing on, to assist in a control guide for the slide, but do not white knuckle your grip. The whole device seems to me to be more for freshening up a chisel and not actually use it to change a chisel angle by one or two degrees. I turn wood on my lathe and don't need or use a flat chisel much, just on a very limited bases. I am no means suggesting my way is right just making some observation. This jig should not be this much of a struggle as you are having. Just trying to help. Good Luck.
No wonder you had difficulties. Your workbench visibly wobbles. Both sitting and being up close to the work restricted your arms. You’ve tested the Fast Track with one very narrow chisel and one very wide one, outside the routine size range I expect its intended customers would use it for. One was pre-ground to a different angle, a non-standard usage yet you refused to use their non-standard roughing plate. By contrast, in your ‘Scary Sharpening’ review video you stand up to work, use medium-sized chisels, have a non-slip mat, don’t wobble your bench, and filmed it after a whole afternoon’s practice. Your ability to sharpen to 8,000 by hand is out of the Fast Track market’s league, and will never compare with it.
fantastic review, I
can see from it alone that the engineering of this device is very poor, too short of a slide area, hence the jamming, the handle looks painful to hold ( brave to continue for so long)
too much movement in a tool that should be producing such precision edges, bearings would be more useful.
takes a long time to sharpen a simple tool by the look of it alone !!!
Great paperweight and a fantastic work out. For sharpening anything a dead loss.
Sorry lady by this system you didn't need to much pressure OK becorse the Dmt diamant stones don't need pressure
It's designed for quick touchups on site when the chisels are at the correct angle already, probably the second worst review I've ever seen done on anything, the worst was your first review.
Thanks! Much appreciated
Trend do make good products... This most certainly is not one of them!.
¡¡Bravo!! Ole tus ovarios... Es una mierda la herramienta, y no funciona, yo compré el Trend DWS/HG/SET porque tiene un rodillo muy ancho y ese si funciona, gracias por tu valoración Susan.
rubish review whatch one of the other reviews on here and you will learn how to yous this tool it takes a while to get the proper angles but once you have its easy to keep tools sharp, and this tool is for flat chisels and plane blades only,I have been using for ages no problems at all
That shuttle is poorly designed. Seems they forgot what the human hand looks like, on top of forgetting it which direction said shuttle will be mostly moved in. There're more design issues, but I'll leave those to others.
This review was quite painful to watch. it's 2022 now, i hope the new iteration of this sharpener is better than yours. cheers
Am I correct that in the first review you were using your left hand to slide the sharpener back and forward ? Now you are using your right hand !! Are you right or left handed ? Obviously this is going to make a big difference to how efficiently the tool works, or have you been try to pull the wool over folks eyes ?
What are you trying to prove? Modifying the angle with a sharpener? Maybe you should have sharpened a 2 inch 30 degree chisel to a 25 degree angle. Geez!
your just hard work.... why did you bother.. its not for your tiny and rubbish wickes chisels.. its for a carpenter who needs a keen edge..
It's a gadget designed to give newbies confidence to sharpen their own tools, nothing more.
OMG why don't you just send it back and then take a good look at your work place and your poor thumb after an hour and you still carried on ? I'm not saying you can't do fine carpentry because I think your work is great. When you buy a oil stone or wet stone you have to buy 4or5 different grades it's the same with this machine there's different grades of diamond that's why they sent you the other ones
Why are you sitting while working? You place yourself in an impossible position.
a good idea poorly executed. Seems to me the way it is made makes it difficult to operate. Something has to work well to be used. If it is not easy to use, or do a good job, it won't get used.
Hi Susan,
your are the furthest thing from an idiot as you can get when it comes to wood working. you're one of the few people (men and women alike) in youtube who knows what they're doing. so don't let the trolls get under your skin.
the only thing i can see here is that the tool you have is something to apply a final edge with. it is not something you would take out deep gouges in the cutting edge of a chisel or other tool.
the fact the tool binds up is due to a host of factors, of which trying to take off too much material in one stroke is the leading one. this tool is a hone. pure and simple. it is not a grinder. it is designed to take infinitesimally small cuts. it takes no pressure at all to do the work.
the micro bevel is a more stable cutting edge, at 30 degrees it IS duller than a 25 degree edge. Marples puts that micro bevel on their wood chisels and they work great. but they do have their limitations. the softer the wood is you are cutting the steeper the angle has to be. so if you're cutting spruce, the 25 degree bevel will cut far better than the 30 degree bevel will. the tool gives you the OPTION to put a micro bevel on the edge if the job calls for it. other than that the tool ensures the exact angle at the cutting edge when you use it AFTER grinding the chisel.
to apply the micro bevel you should use the finest grit plate you have and only take two or three strokes. it doesn't take much and you won't be fighting the burr development near as much. the micro bevel is just that: micro!
the other problem the makers of this device do not tell you is that you need to shim the tool you're sharpening in the slot it lies in.
in other words, it you have a 3 inch groove that the chisel you're sharpening lies in and the chisel is half an inch wide, the you need to place something along side the chisel to keep the hone from grabbing the chisel and dragging it into the corner it shears against.
the wear you're seeing on the dovetails is normal for anodized aluminium when used with the oil you're using. WD40 is probaly the best lubricant for aluminium parts
the other thing the boneheads neglect to tell the user in the instruction manual is that you need a small amount of water based lube on the honing plate to prevent it from clogging up... diamond hones don't live long when used dry.
in all a good and honest review
cheers
mike
That is a bad sharping system.
I can’t believe people are commenting that you are a ‘great candidate to test this tool’.
Darling, you’re not a site carpenter and you’re supposed to press the chisel against the shoulder, not digging it into the pad. This is to sharpen blades already at the bevel which you didn’t use! I’m bewildered as to why you’d buy this?..
Ergonomically speaking, that block-like "handle" on the top is bloody awful.. it looks almost like it's *intended* to be awkward and blister-inducing. There's a reason why for centuries, hand operated tools have had rounded handles.. it's so that they're *not* murder on your hands. Whoever designed this piece of junk has clearly never actually used it to put an edge on a tool.
Susan, I cannot watch anymore its too painful, That sharpening jig is a peice of Junk******* Iam sorry you bought it.. I agree with you on the bevel degree of 25° I have been a finish carpenter/ cabinet maker for 30+yrs I always sharpen my planes & chisels with Diamond plates & water to a 25° Angle.
Mechanical engineer here. A slide made of aluminium and plastic material exposed to steel fillings WILL wear very quickly, even if lubricated. It is a terrible design. Inept engineers happen anywhere, anytime...
That is one poorly designed tool.
These gadgets are rubbish, a grinding wheel oil or wet stone are the best tried and tested by professional tradesmen and women, it is the users preference on angles and just how you use the given tool, that thing wastes more time as well as the money just buy the thing
There junk a mere gimmick
It would appear that don’t want this to work. Some tools, you have to learn how to use them. I don’t think you are being fair to the manufacturer.
She's been more than fair. The "tool" is just absolute garbage.