Knife sharpening thoughts

[Ken S]

Knife sharpening with a Tormek is not a "one size fits all" situation. Knives come in many sizes; many steels; many grinds; and different sharpening expectations. Sharpeners may sharpen half a dozen knives to more than a hundred. One technique will not cover all knife sharpening situations.

All our knife jigs are compromises. The SVM jigs have adjustable stops. They are not self centering. The KJ jigs are self centering. They do not have the adjustability of the SVM jigs.

Various members have posted about trying to standardize at 139mm or 140mm projection. While this speeds up setting chef knives, all knife jigs made since 1992 do not have thread length to handle paring through chef knives at a common distance (usb to grinding wheel.

One of the benefits of studying the Online Classes is getting to see the traditional Tormek technique being performed by Tormek's own experienced teachers. This can help answer a lot of questions. I would not say that this is the only acceptable technique. I would say that this is a solid technique and suitable for many situations. It may not always be fast changing; however, it is not static. The very traditional concept of handheld knife honing has recently been modified to include jig honing with the new MB-102 multijig which now includes built in Frontal Vertical Base honing capabilities.

The WM-200 Anglemaster, which has always worked well with chisels and plane irons, was not well loved by many for knives. Tormek recently added the KS-123 for more efficient and accurate knife setting.

Returning to my first paragraph, I believe the ideal knife sharpener will be skilled with both the KJ and SVM knife jigs and will use both, depending on which fits his particular sharpening needs more efficiently.

Ken

[John_B]

I agree that those new to the Tormek system should develop a strong base in the fundamentals before venturing down the rabbit hole in search of an ever sharper blade. While it is tempting to buy every wheel and accessory I would hold off until you reach a point where the stock system can't provide what you need. While watching the YouTube videos from Tormek is a great starting point nothing beats sharpening a bunch of old knives and yes Ken a chisel.