supergrind 2000 issues

[jeffs55]

That is an awful lot of work. The new nuts and shaft are supposed to be stainless. While stainless will rust, this should be adequate to prevent a seized nut again. Failing that, wrap the threads in Teflon tape, aka plumbers tape and empty the water trough. Natural evaporation is your friend here.

[Ken S]

Jeff,

I routinely remove the grinding wheel at the end of a grinding session. Just a little practice with the EZYlock makes this quick and easy. This is especially when using more than one grinding wheel, however, I also believe it is good practice with only one grinding wheel.

I have never felt the need to use plumber's tape with a stainless shaft.I do place a spacer where the grinding wheel would be to keep the shaft from sliding out. A short piece of plastic pipe works fine. If you make up one, do yourself a favor and make up a couple spares.

Ken

[Stickan]

Hi RREvans,
With the Ezylock we recomend the same annual service as we had on the older machines without this system. Remove the stone and shaft and check if there is enough grease on the nylon bushings and check the shaft so it looks as it should.
You will not need to remove the stone after every sharpening session.

Best,
Stig

[jeffs55]

You will not need to remove the stone after every sharpening session.

Best,
Stig

You heard it here first.

[Ken S]

I developed the habit of removing the grinding wheel while I was testing the compatability of 3X and CBN wheels with the Tormek. By that time, my shaft was EZYlock, which does make the process much easier.

I would agree that this is not necessary. I do not feel that it is "an awful lot of work", especially when one becomes fluent with EZYlock. The SG-250 is my go to grinding wheel for my personal sharpening. While leaving the water trough dry and clean at the end of a sharpening session is essential good practice, removing the grinding wheel may be overkill. For me, it is comfortable overkill.

To each his own.

Ken

[RichColvin]

I do the same as Ken ... but I do it so I can wipe down the machine inside and out.

Rich

[Stickan]

Looking after the machinery is always satisfying and understandable. Personally, I am a bit lazy when it comes to this and normaly I take an afternoon in the summer cleaning up the workshop with a couple of cold ones.

Best,
Stig

[Ken S]

Stig,
With your work travel schedule, when do you find time to be lazy? 
Ken

[Herman Trivilino]

Based on all this and the feedback, i've ordered a replacement wheel and EZYLock shaft/bushings. I am confident that this will fix everything.

Me. too. The very same thing happened to me and I ended up doing what you did, but the hard way. First I bought a new grindstone. It wobbles because the main shaft was bent so I then had to order the new shaft.

The problem was caused in part by leaving water in the tray after each use. It wicks up into the grindstone and keeps it and the main shaft wet longer. I now try to remember to empty the water tray after each use.

[Herman Trivilino]

The universal support is not threaded, but I want to cut threads in it so I can use a micro adjust nut. Does anyone know what thread size I should use?

I picked up a 12 mm die at the hardware store along with a matching nut. I don't remember the pitch. I cemented the nut into the plastic cap of a juice bottle for a homemade micro adjust nut. After cutting the threads go over the the entire shaft lightly with a file to knock the tops of the thread ridges off just a bit. This is the poor man's way of making Acme threads! I then flattened the side of the threaded shaft that faces the locking screw. The nut spins on its own after giving it a start.

[RichColvin]

I just cut my solid shaft off & welded on a ½"-20 threaded rod in its place.  For the nut, I used a punch set to mark the six sides as 1 thru 6.

Some notes :

• the ½" rod is 0.010" too big in diameter.  I had to use my metal lathe to reduce the rod's diameter
• the 20 threads per inch (US National Course) is a bit more course than the Tormek rod which seems to be a fine thread
• I used two of my XB-100 Horizontal Bases to hold the threaded rod at the right position for welding.  My first attempt using a wooden block wasn't successful.

Overall, it is still better than the smooth rod, & only cost me about $8.

[Ken S]

I have made several modifications to my Tormek equipment. Some have worked well, others less well. While the two small knife jigs I have made by modifying the platform jig do not work as well as Herman's scissors jig version, I think my kenjigs work very well. My idea of using a second microadjust nut as a locking nut has not proved useful; swapping out the locking screws and nuts on some jigs and the T4 has been beneficial. I suspect a number of us have spare parts from such experiments.

In the case of threading the support bar to create a homemade microadjust, this may be a practical idea if one has the thread taps and the skill to use them. Having a machinist in the family helps, too. For most of us, I believe purchasing a replacement universal support with the microadjust is a more practical  solution. The 12mm Acme thread with a flat top is difficult to duplicate.

I feel the threaded support bar is essential for truing the grinding wheel with a minimum of stone removal. I purchased a spare universal support several years ago. There are times when having a second unit is useful. Not every universal support needs to be threaded, although at least one should be.

Ken

[Herman Trivilino]

I think the micro-adjust is essential when using the SVM-45 knife jig, too. I remember the old days before micro-adjust and we did the final fine adjusting by rotating the handle of the SVM-45. Those threads on the handle wore out and Tormek revised the design. The newer SVM-45 has an o-ring and from what I've read here it doesn't always work well. The threaded handle on my SVM-45 has long ago seized. I just use the micro-adjust to do the final fine tuning of the edge angle.

Of course, having my homemade platform jig I don't use the SVM-45 as much as I used to, but the micro-adjust is essential for the fine adjustment of the platform jig. Without it the platform jig would be very cumbersome to adjust. As it is, I can do it one-handed, leaving the other hand free to hold the knife.

[Ken S]

Good points, Herman. Your post (and mine) demonstrate the versatility of the Tormek. As the old ad goes, "different strokes for different folks".

I consider one of your homemade small platform jigs essential for a Tormek sharpener. I also use Tormek's small blade holder in conjunction with the kenjig routine. I use it in conjunction with the SVM-45 for paring knives. I do this to keep the Distance between the universal support and the grinding wheel consistent. This technique allows a farmers market sharpener to go back and forth between knife sizes without needing to change adjustments.

If someone did not mind using two kenjigs, I think using the straight SVM-45 would be more convenient.

If someone was willing to dedicate a reasonable amount of time to learning the skill, I think your platform is probably the fastest method.

I have two SVM-45s, one with the old design, one with the new design. I have not noticed problems with either. I also have older style SVM-100 and 140 jigs. I dedicate a jig to each size knife, so I do very little, if any, length adjustment.

Personally, I think a complete sharpener should be well grounded in the orthodox Tormek methods, as well as fluent with both your small platform and the kenjig.

Incidentally, the new replacement adjustable stop parts fit both design jigs.

I find this an interesting dialogue.

Ken

[SharpenADullWitt]

I believe the standard thread for a 12mm die is 1.5mm.  My SG2000 has the first threaded rod that was offered, and I have often wondered about that nut that is on there, I should try the nut from my T-7.  My understanding is the rod changed to an acme thread and I don't know if those are always compatible.