The one change you should make to the Tormek...

[cbwx34]

Posted this in another forum... figured I'd add it here too.   (I know, it's been talked about in other threads, but since I did all this work...) 
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The Tormek was one of the first sharpeners I tried, and I developed a liking for it.  I like the Tormek for a lot of reasons... besides being fun to use, it creates little mess, is a nice "all-in-one" package, can make repairs, no "overheating" worries, little "dust" created, easily puts a great edge on a knife... among others.  Over the years though, I got involved in other sharpeners, and got away from the Tormek.

This year, I returned to either sharpening freehand on various stones, or sharpening on the Tormek.  I even ended up getting a new "T-4" model... which in some respects, is a better alternative to its larger cousin for knife sharpening... smaller compact size, less expensive (machine and stones), among other reasons.

This time though, I took a look at the Tormek with a more "critical eye".

To preface:  One thing that separates the Tormek from other sharpeners is that, when sharpening on a wheel, changing the location on the wheel, changes the angle.  So, even though you keep the knife at the same angle, if you move up or down the wheel, the angle changes.

One thing I noted on the Tormek, is on the standard knife jig, the jig has a "jig stop" that is about 2" wide.  If you pivot the knife on this stop... you can dramatically alter the angle the knife is now being sharpened at... by several degrees, because it changes the location of the knife on the stone.  Not only that, but you basically have two "pivot points" to deal with.  To illustrate, I've drawn a "Line of Contact" (LOC) on the stone...



... so if a knife is set at 20° (or any angle), the knife must stay close to this LOC to maintain the angle.  You can see that on the straight portion of the blade this isn't an issue...



...  but you can see, that if you pivot the knife to follow the belly-to-tip area, the contact location on the stone changes.  (This is more of an issue on knives under approx. 3 1/2" with a more pronounced belly tip area)...



Even adjusting the clamp as far away as possible, doesn't adequately adjust for this...



... so, the solution?  Replace the Tormek's "Stop Collar" (seen below on the left), with a 12mm drill stop collar (or shaft collar... seen on the right) with a smaller diameter.  (A solution that can be found for under $3 in most cases)...



This allows the sharpener to correctly set the knife in the clamp, and also provides a more natural sharpening movement (compared to having two pivot points to deal with), while allowing the knife to stay close to the LOC and maintain the same angle...



A couple of more points.  First, you also have the option of not pivoting the blade at all, and simply lifting the handle.  To do so requires more attention be placed on where the blade is set in the clamp... specifically, the location of the belly/tip area in relation to the pivot.  Also, this movement isn't as "natural" and may not work on all blade types.

And of course, you have the option of freehand sharpening, which many sharpeners do... and simply keeping the same location consistent throughout the blade.  This does take some practice to do so though.

There are other changes I've made (that I'll show some other time), but this is one that I think greatly enhances the use of the Tormek for knife sharpening, and is simple and inexpensive to do! 

[Crusty]

cbwx34

After your reply to my question about sharpening drop point knives this is exactly what I did, and it worked a treat.
I have a drop point hunter that had uneven grinds straight from the maker which bugged the hell out of me, I had to fix it and this little trick did the job really well 

[cbwx34]

cbwx34

After your reply to my question about sharpening drop point knives this is exactly what I did, and it worked a treat.
I have a drop point hunter that had uneven grinds straight from the maker which bugged the hell out of me, I had to fix it and this little trick did the job really well 

Thanks for the update... glad it worked! 

[Ken S]

CB,

As you said, you are thankful I am not part of the design team. If I had been, one of the six end stops would probably solve your problem.   

By the way, your photos of the 2017 KSEdition are really funny! I enjoyed them.

Ken

[cbwx34]

I might have to send you a Stop Collar for Christmas.

[cbwx34]

Part 2....
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The next "fix" isn't one I've found an easy solution for.

The Tormek knife jig isn't self centering... it is designed for knives approx. 2.5mm thick (just under .1")... this info comes from other Tormek users in their forum.  While not a huge deal, thicker or thinner knives can end up with bevels that are slightly uneven.

Some Tormek users use shims to make up the difference, but I found that if the parts on a KME clamp are rearranged, (and a washer and nut are added to the mix), it makes a decent alternative for the Tormek jig...



... and still incorporates the small pivot modification.  But, I know it's probably not worth buying a KME to cannibalize the clamp... so still looking for a better solution.  (One option for some knives is the Tormek "Small Knife Holder", which will work for some EDC size knives, but has its own issues).

[kwakster]

My idea would be to combine a KME self centering clamp with these:

A swivel bar mount:


and

A linear ball bearing:

[cbwx34]

I think I need more info....

[Ken S]

I might have to send you a Stop Collar for Christmas.

CB,

It's too late to go down to the shop and probably wake my family. I don't suppose the thread on the knife jig is 12mm. If so, the stop on the square edge jig would serve as a collar.

Ken

[cbwx34]

CB,

It's too late to go down to the shop and probably wake my family. I don't suppose the thread on the knife jig is 12mm. If so, the stop on the square edge jig would serve as a collar.

Ken

A 12mm collar will slide right on.

Looking forward to your report!   

[Sharpco]

I agree with CB.

Tormek has many jigs but I think these are too simple. I would like Tormek to work hard on the development of the jig.

And I hope the Angle master will be improved to the same type as Kenjig.

Or, like Wootz's software, how about developing an app and drawing a scale on US columns?

[GeoTech]

I haven't tried this but what if you just just take the adjustment knob and just turned it around and used the small end?

[cbwx34]

I haven't tried this but what if you just just take the adjustment knob and just turned it around and used the small end?

Good question.  It won't fit if turned around... it'll screw on, but apparently there's some kind of stop in the middle, so the "projection length" is too long.  (Might work with one of the longer after market USBs, but didn't try that).

Maybe could be made to work... an option to consider!

[cbwx34]

Part 3........
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Now moving into some options...

After "solving" the pivot issue, I added this option...



... this converts the horizontal USB on the "turning away" side of the Tormek from a horizontal to a vertical setup.

I had cobbled together a version from a couple of USBs and other parts earlier, but the setup you see here is from a design primarily from Jan, a member of the Tormek forum.  The parts I got from McMaster/Carr (2 12mm rods a 1"x2"x1' 1/8" thick wall "Aluminum Tube", and assorted nuts and washers), and a Tormek XB100 Universal Support Base.

The main reason for the setup... when sharpening on this side of the Tormek, it puts the knife in a better and more comfortable position.  But there are some "clues" in the pictures (angle marks on the stone, the "chopstick", etc...), of some other reasons (especially for the commercial sharpener).  More to come...

[Jan]

CB, thanks for sharing the images, really nice arrangement! 

I have enjoyed your various gadgets. Yes, the horizontal position is more comfortable then other generally inclined positions.

Sharpening away often enables to detect the burr sooner than when grinding towards the edge.

Jan