SE-77 first thoughts

[Herman Trivilino]

If you acquire the zinc knife jig, I think a good use for the aluminum one may be its modification for thick knifes as described by Wootz. For thick knives sharpening the larger jig angles are usually not a problem because also the edge angle is larger – some 40⁰ or more.

Also, a thick knife is bound to be wide, so the little bit of extra metal (dotted line in drawing) will not rub the grindstone, even if the bevel angle is small.

The only time I consider bevel angles to be critical is when I have a valuable knife and I wish to duplicate it so as to remove as little metal as possible.

One thing I discovered is that the cheap paring knives in my kitchen drawer wear out faster for me as a Tormek owner. I find myself sharpening them much more often than I ever did before I owned a Tormek. Some of them are downright skinny and I've had to trim the bolsters to keep up with it.

[jeffs55]

Ok, does the new knife jig solve the problem of different sharpening angles on thicker bladed knives? For me, the material used to make the jig is irrelevant as long as it does what it is supposed to do. Sure, the zinc allowed a finer finish but what are we really wanting?  A beautiful jig or a better jig? I would like a jig that allowed me to hone a thick bladed knife, ie more than 1/8 inch across the spine and have each side  of the blade at the edge the same appearance when completed. What I mean is the edge will necessarily be polished wider on one side than the other unless you physically remove the knife and reset it in the old jig for each side when sharpening.

[Jan]

Jeffs55, unfortunately the zinc knife jig does not solve the problem with thick knives. 

The term "improved angles" concerns only its ability to sharpen smaller edge angles than the previous knife jig. I am afraid it is not realistic to expect the solution of the thick knife problem's soon, it is a principle problem.

If the knife is thicker than 3 mm (1/8") or thinner than 2 mm the side asymmetry starts to be visible (for people who are aware of it). For thin knives you can compensate it using suitable shims, while for thick knifes only Wootz's solution can resolve the problem. I agree with you that it is annoying.

Jan

[SharpenADullWitt]

Part of my brain is wondering if the switch to zinc is just about cost (cost to make, reuse/recover unused material, defects in production, etc), or if the tighter tolerances, have some other bearing? (for example if Tormek decided to get into the shim game for thinner knives, or if they have some idea of another adapter or replacement piece to make the jig work better with thicker blades. (so the SVS-50 wouldn't be the only multijig)

[Herman Trivilino]

Part of my brain is wondering if the switch to zinc is just about cost (cost to make, reuse/recover unused material, defects in production, etc), or if the tighter tolerances, have some other bearing?

I suspect the two notions are inseparable. It seems to me that if it's easier to machine zinc to tighter tolerances, then it'll be less expensive, too.

[Herman Trivilino]

I would like a jig that allowed me to hone a thick bladed knife, ie more than 1/8 inch across the spine and have each side  of the blade at the edge the same appearance when completed.

If you own the scissors jig the platform is easily modified to temporarily accommodate a home made platform that will easily accomplish this. I have posted extensively on this topic. The platform is easily removed so that the scissors jig can be returned to use as a scissors sharpener.

You can make the platform out of wood, plastic, or metal. I've done all three with success. The plastic one is seen in the photograph in my profile.

The jig can be used to sharpen the smallest of pen knives, machetes, and everything in between. Once the jig is set up for a particular bevel angle you can use it sharpen as many knives as you want without any adjustment or re-attachment of the jig.

[Ken S]

I agree with Herman. I have the advantage of having seen the new T8, which uses a lot more zinc. I think we have to differentiate between achieving lower cost by lowering the quality and lower cost achieved by improved technology with no decrease or an increase in quality.

My first experience with Tormek's use of zinc was the DBS-22 drill bit jig. At the time I had no knowledge about it being made of zinc. I just knew it seemed like a very well designed and machined product.

I knew beforehand that the new gouge jig, the SVD-186 was made of zinc. It seemed like enough of a major improvement to me to recommend it as a replacement for present SVD-85 users.

Considering the new T8 will sell for $699 US and the former price of the T7 was $665, the use of zinc must have been a very intelligent way to lower production cost without lowering quality.

In my opinion, the Tormek knife jigs are primarily designed for cooking knives, specifically for restaurants. The chef uses his knives extensively day in and day out. His knives must be sharp. The thicker knives are generally hunting knives and frequently used more occasionally. If Tormek actually designed and manufactured a special knife jig for thicker knives, I wonder how much demand there would be for it. Yes, it can be done, and Wootz has modified his knife jig for that purpose. However, we get back into a situation that just because something is possible does not mean it is a wise business choice.

Personally, I think that serious Tormekers should also make one of Herman's jigs. There are situations when Tormek's impressive line up of jigs don't seem ideal. Herman's small knife jig fills one of those gaps nicely.

Ken