A Tormek New Year

[Ken S]

I would like to begin 2016 a ittle wiser from having lived through 2015.  I had several experiences with the TT-50 truing tool and one with the stone grader which I hope to be able to classify as developmental as opposed to continuing problems.

The TT-50 truing tool is essential to good Tormek practice. My first difficulty with it was totally operator error. I neglected to tighten the screw which secured it with the universal support bar. As a result of this, it dug into my grinding wheel. I thought I had ruined it. I even ordered a replacement unit.Once I camled down, I tried using the TT-50 again very carefully. It worked flawlessly.

My next surprise was with the T4. I hadn't used it very much, and was surprised how much work it required to true the stone again.  It made me a firm believer in the importance of every T4 owner beginning with a TS-50.

The third experience was while demonstrating the Tormek at the Hartville woodworking show.  I discovered the grinding wheel of my T7 was not true. I had trued it recently, but had used it extensively.

I believe the Tormek grinding wheels are no more prone to becoming untrue than any other grinding wheels. The lesson is to be constantly vigilant.

The other surprise, after the woodworking show, was discovering how worn my stone grader had become. The fine side still works well, however, the coarse side is no longer coarse. The stone grader has been listed with "consumables". No shame, just reality.

With 2015 in mind, I will begin 2016 by truing the grinding wheels on both my T7 and T4. I have ordered a new stone grader. The last measurement of my SG-250 showed a diameter of 240mm reduced from 250mm. I need to modify my kenjig. I will increase the distance between the universal support and the grinding wheel slightly to preserve the 139mm projection distance. The kenjig has become comsumable with my present SG-250

I do not believe we can totally escape the gremlins. However, by beginning the new year with true grinding wheels and a proper stone grader, I believe we have a fighting chance.

2015 has also seen quite a number of exciting creative posts on our forum. I find this most encouraging. While preserving our primary function of helping beginners obtain sharper edges, we have also pushed back the frontier of the Tormek. I hope thic will continue. In that spirit, I highly recommend the DVD "Lego Brickumentary". It is a fellow traveler in creativity.

Best wishes for another fine new year.

Ken

[stevebot]

This was the first year in many that I have not received a holiday card from Tormek. It is a cute card, maybe Stig or another wmployee can post it online.

[refugio]

In that spirit, I highly recommend the DVD "Lego Brickumentary". It is a fellow traveler in creativity.

Great movie! It's free with Amazon Prime and we're watching it right now with my 3yo grandson.

[Ken S]

Glad you like the movie, refugio.

Ken

[refugio]

I can also recommend "Crafted", a short film that is also free on Amazon Prime.

[Ken S]

Thanks for the suggestion. I added it to my amazon prime watch  list.

Ken