New user from Nevada...

[W3DRM]

Just thought I would check-in as a new user. Have just ordered a new T-7 Ultimate package from Sharp Tools USA and hope to receive it in a week or so.

I have struggled for years trying to keep my turning tools and my wife's kitchen knives sharp via a dry grinder and a few stones without much success. Finally decided to pony up the bucks for a new Tormek T-7 in hopes that it will solve most, if not all, of my sharpening tasks. My biggest issue has always been getting a consistent edge on my tools. It's always been a hit or miss situation (mostly a miss for me ).

Am also wondering if there are any other Shopsmith users on this forum? Would like to know if there are any special hints or tips to sharpening the Shopsmith HSS turning tools.

[Ken S]

Welcome, W3.

I think you have purchased your Tormek the smart way.  Since you already have the turning tools, and a need to sharpen kitchen knives, why not get the kit and save some money?

I was no so smart; I went the piecemeal approach.

There is a learning curve with the Tormek.  If you read some of the postings on this forum, you will know that grinding squarely is often a problem at first.  Go slow; check your work, and use a sharpie.

I had problems using the angle gage.  Then, one day, I set up my Tormek on sawhorses outside in very good light.  No more angle gage problem.

Jeff's turning tools DVD is very well done and informative.  Study it, and the short videos on the sharptools website.  Start with your simplist tool, become proficient at sharpening it, and gradually move on.  You will be up and running very shortly.

Keep us posted on your progress and good luck.

Ken

ps. Use the fine stone setting with a light touch on your kitchen knives.  The coarse stone setting is fine for converting your chef's knives into paring knives.

[W3DRM]

Welcome, W3.

I think you have purchased your Tormek the smart way.  Since you already have the turning tools, and a need to sharpen kitchen knives, why not get the kit and save some money?

I was no so smart; I went the piecemeal approach.

There is a learning curve with the Tormek.  If you read some of the postings on this forum, you will know that grinding squarely is often a problem at first.  Go slow; check your work, and use a sharpie.

I had problems using the angle gage.  Then, one day, I set up my Tormek on sawhorses outside in very good light.  No more angle gage problem.

Jeff's turning tools DVD is very well done and informative.  Study it, and the short videos on the sharptools website.  Start with your simplist tool, become proficient at sharpening it, and gradually move on.  You will be up and running very shortly.

Keep us posted on your progress and good luck.

Ken

ps. Use the fine stone setting with a light touch on your kitchen knives.  The coarse stone setting is fine for converting your chef's knives into paring knives.

Ken,

Thanks for the reply and suggestions. I've been saving for the T-7 and accesories for quite a while now and have watched all of the videos I can find on it. Also went through a lot of digging for information and have been really surprised to find very little "negative" talk about any of the Tormek units or accessories. Expensive, yes BUT, I've spent my fair share of bucks on all kinds of sharpening stones, grinders, etc and while they do a decent job, it's the lack my being able to produce a consistently good edge that has pushed me to make the change. It's probably just my own method of doing things that has caused me problems, so I can't really blame anyone else. Only time will tell if i can master this new tool. I can only hope that I will someday be half as proficient as Jeff and many others seem to be.

I am currently going through the forum posts (starting with the earliest and working my way to the latest). I'm finding lots of great information and do notice that lots of folks have had problems with keeping their tools square. Hopefully, I'll be able to learn from the issues other folks have had.

I hope to be able to contribute to this forum as I learn the ins and outs of the Tormek systems. I'm in no hurry as I am retired and have plenty of time to read and watch videos as well as practice usign the various attachments.

[Ken S]

Don,

I'm sure you will do well.  Like you, I'm retired.  What convinced me to get the Tormek was preparing some chisels for a dovetail class.  My hands became quite sore.   In hindsight, part of the problem was me.  I needed to start with a more coarse stone than the 1000 grit waterstone.  However, the Tormek does the hard work now and my hands appreciate that.

I believe practice time spent with a regular chisel of about 3/4" width is well spent.  It will give you a good feel of how your Tormek works and the cutting action of the stone.  Be sure to use the stone grader.   IN my humble opinion, it makes a very good foundation block for building your skill.

I hope you will participate in the forum.

Ken

[W3DRM]

Ken,

Thanks for the confidence! I do have a couple old chisels with chips and nicks in them. I'll use them as a starting basis for learning the Tormek. I am most interested in getting my lathe gouges and skews sharpened but am certainly willing to take the time to get the basics down first. Of course, my wife has other plans... I have to get her kitchen knives sharp first. Guess that will be my first job. Will practice first with some old paring and butcher knives that have been around for many years. I also have an old hatchet that I'm not sure which is sharper the hammer side or the blade side. That one should be a good challenge too.

BTW, just got word this morning that my T-7 has shipped and is supposed to arrive next Monday. This is making me feel like a little kid waiting for my first bicycle to arrive after ordering it from the Sears Roebuck catalog!

One last thing - was the tormek site down for a while today? I was unable to get in to either tormek.com or this forum for quite a few hours earlier today. i could get to my other sites okay, just the Tormek site seemed unresponsive.

[Mike Fairleigh]

CQ W3DRM de KC0KBC, welcome and gl with your Tormek OM, maybe we can meet and discuss on the air sometime!

73,
Mike

[W3DRM]

My Tormek T-7 arrived on Monday. Have been busy watching the videos and reading the manual/documentation that came with it.

I did sharpen a couple of my wives "old" knives and they came out quite sharp. She even said they were much sharper than what I have been producing with my old dry grinder and stones. That is encouraging as I was afraid I would ruin a few knives getting familiar with the unit. Have also sharpened my old hedge shears and was amazed at how sharp and clean the cut was after I was done. My only dislike is that the shears hit the new water trough deflector. Seems as though it would be better if it were a little more horizontal thus allowing more room for items being sharpened.

As I am sure most new T-7 owners do, I tried sharpening numerous different things, like one of my bench chisels. It came out razor sharp and was very easy to set up. Also did my old hatchet - wow, couldn't believe the nice edge it put on the blade.

The last item I shaped and sharpened was one of my bowl gouges. Again, very easy to set up and while it took about 20 minutes to put a light finger-nail shape on it, it worked perfectly. My gouge is HSS so I suspect the SB-250 would have gone a bit faster but still a nice experience. The edge appears to be very sharp. Am going to be doing some turning later this afternoon so will find out how good it is. BTW, the videos by Jeff are excellent in getting you started using the TTS-100 guide.

Am I impressed and having fun yet? YES!!!  I think I'm going to like this new toy, er, I mean tool...

After going through all of the boxes, I think I am missing two pieces. I can't find the "Tilt Shoes" that I thought were supposed to be included with the new water trough. I contacted Tormek today about this but haven't had any response, so far. The T-7 has a 5/2011 date code on it so I suspect that was when it was manufactured - over a year ago.

My only other comment regards the amount of water splash/spillage I am getting when using the unit. Not sure if it's just me being inexperienced or that I need to come up with a better means of containing the water so it doesn't run all over my workbench. Am thinking about getting a large plastic planter base that will contain the water. Have also thought about getting a lazy-susan bearing mount and placing a piece of plywood on it so the unit is easier to rotate for the different modes. Yes, I know a new rotatable base just came out but it won't solve my water problem.

The new water trough with the built-in magnet does collect the metal. Too bad the magnet can't be removed so the trough can more easily be washed out along with the metal filings that are attracted by the magnet. Just my opinion...

Overall, I am very impressed with this unit. Expensive yes, but from the little I've worked with it, well worth the price. Everything is high-quality...

Sorry to bore you with my post but felt I needed to expound on my experiences as a new T-7 user.

[Black Mamba]

The " tilt shoes ", as you call them, adhere to the base by virtue of magnets. I found mine to be placed on the bottom of the base on the left hand side as you look at the machine from the front. When you go to employ them, they fit into a specific area that aids holding them in place.

Enjoy your new toy,

Tom

[Herman Trivilino]

I took a scrap piece of 3/4 inch plywood, glued a piece of linoleum to the top. and them wrapped the edges with some thin scraps of wood.  This holds the spilled water nicely.  Just keep a sponge near by for bailing.

There was an episode of New Yankee Workshop in which Norm made a stand for the Tormek.

[W3DRM]

The " tilt shoes ", as you call them, adhere to the base by virtue of magnets. I found mine to be placed on the bottom of the base on the left hand side as you look at the machine from the front. When you go to employ them, they fit into a specific area that aids holding them in place.

Enjoy your new toy,

Tom

In the current manual, on page 37 you'll find the reference to the "Tilt Shoes" as follows:

Tilt Shoes Control the Water Flow
With the two extra feet, we call them Tilt Shoes, you can
raise the honing wheel side of the machine so the water
follows the tool towards the outside of the stone and runs
back into the water trough. You minimize the water dripping
onto the housing. This is an advantage especially when
sharpening wide plane irons. They have built-in magnets
which makes it easy to store them under the machine.
(The T-3 has no Tilt Shoes.)

Thanks for the tip but, I just re-checked my T-7 and can find no extra pieces attached to the unit itself anywhere or in any of the boxes and packing that came with the unit.

[W3DRM]

I took a scrap piece of 3/4 inch plywood, glued a piece of linoleum to the top. and them wrapped the edges with some thin scraps of wood.  This holds the spilled water nicely.  Just keep a sponge near by for bailing.

There was an episode of New Yankee Workshop in which Norm made a stand for the Tormek.

Sounds like a good idea to me especially using linoleum for the top.

I did see the reference to the New Yankee Workshop in one of Jeff's videos. Will check it out. Maybe I could create a top to the cabinet with some kind of a fitting that would drain the water off into a bucket or something. I'm also seeing quite a bit of debris coming off the honing wheels so it's good to keep something under the grinder to catch everything.

[GeoTech]

Don,
I purchased a HTC HGP-12 stand that is adjustable for height and you can flip the tool base so it contains any spills. I bought it from Dynamite Tools for around $125.00 delivered. I have the new Tormek RB-180 on order, it is their new rotating/lockable base for the    T-7.