Japanese King Stone and the Tormek

[sharpasatack]

First, I was wondering if the wheel dresser for the Tormek wheel will work on the Japanese King stones.

Second, does anyone have an opinion on which one to purchase if they were only going to get one (800 or 4000 grit)

Thanks for your reply  

[Jeff Farris]

The stone grader will not work on the King stones.  Also, I think you will find that the King stones wear at a very fast rate and do not offer the flexibility of the TORMEK stone. My advice between the two would be, "Neither".  Use your TORMEK grindstone as it is designed, and it can do both shaping of tools and refinement of the edge.

[kahukusweet]

I'd like to buy the system, but am afraid it won't get blades as sharp as one can with waterstones.

Why do you dislike the King Japanese waterstones? Is it just becasue they are not O.E.M.?
How come the stone grader won't work on them?
How sharp can the TORMEK stone get them in terms of grit?
What about the backs of the blades that also need to be honed flat?

Thanks!
-steve

[Jeff Farris]

I'd like to buy the system, but am afraid it won't get blades as sharp as one can with waterstones.

Why do you dislike the King Japanese waterstones? Is it just becasue they are not O.E.M.?  
How come the stone grader won't work on them?

No, the fact that they are not O.E.M. has nothing to do with my analysis of the stone.  If you are a water stone user, you know how soft they are and how quickly they wear under hand use. Now consider how much more quickly they will wear when attached to a motor. The nature of the abrasives and the binder prevent our stone grading system from working. The ability to polish the surface of the stone to achieve a finer cutting action comes from the patented composition of the TORMEK grindstone. It is significantly harder than a water stone, but not just harder, it is sharper, too. But the biggest reason not to mess with any other stone on your TORMEK is that the TORMEK stone can do everything you need it to do AND  do it without changing stones.

How sharp can the TORMEK stone get them in terms of grit?

If you follow our three step process -- grind at 220, refine at 1000 and hone at 6000 on the leather wheel, your edges will be razor sharp and very highly polished.  We have orthopedic surgeons who rely on a TORMEK for their operating instruments.

What about the backs of the blades that also need to be honed flat?

The back of chisels and plane irons can be flattened on the side of the TORMEK grindstone and polished on the leather honing wheel.

[kahukusweet]

Thanks for the answer!

Aloha,
Steve

[msrdnr]

One of the great things about the Tormek is that you can use it in all different ways, depending on your personal habits and preferences.

Personally, when I'm sharpening chisels and plane blades, I only use the Tormek for the rough grinding. The hollow grind left by the Tormek lets me easily hone on a waterstone by hand. A few swipes on a 1,000 grit stone, then a few more on an 8,000 grit stone, and I have a perfect edge. I can do all this in the time it would take to re-grade the Tormek stone from 220 to 1,000.

But I don't do turning tools that way because they're harder to hone by hand.

In any case, each woodworker can use it the way he wants to use it. Sharpening and honing tends to be a very personal thing anyway.