Tormek SG-250

[Ken S]

 I highly recommend this video to new Tormek users and those looking into purchasing a Tormek:

https://youtu.be/UckPmizllk0

The video shows a real expert Tormek sharpener making a knife VERY sharp using A T8, SG-250, and leather honing wheel with Tormek PA-70 honing paste. The sharpener is our own Wootz (Knife Grinders. Australia. He has become a global knife sharpening expert.)

While the video uses essentially standard issue Tormek equipment, Wootz also uses a computer program and a Vertical Front Base, both of his design. While these enhance the knife's sharpness, the video shows that the standard Tormek SG-250 and leather honing wheel are quite capable of producing very sharp edges, far beyond factory sharpness.

I am posting this because I have read several recent posts questioning the utility of the stalwart Tormek SG wheel. While I like the diamond and CBN wheels, the Original SG performs like a trooper, and should not be overlooked.

Ken

[Ken S]

Here is another all Tormek video. This video uses only Tormek products. My only point of disagreement is with his issue with sharpening small knives. He has not seen Herman's small platform, developed on this forum. It's a good video.

https://youtu.be/jg5lyZDbWt8

Ken

[cbwx34]

Here is another all Tormek video. This video uses only Tormek products. My only point of disagreement is with his issue with sharpening small knives. He has not seen Herman's small platform, developed on this forum. It's a good video.

https://youtu.be/jg5lyZDbWt8

Ken

While I agree with his statement that there may be better alternatives to sharpen pocket knives (especially if that's all you're doing), I don't agree with his statements on the Small Knife Holder.  I snapped a screenshot from his video of his example...



... and it should work without much issue on the knife he shows... just takes a bit of learning to get it done.  In fact, the Wicked Edge sharpener he demonstrates in another video as the "solution" for pocket knives... I've used and have even recommended the Tormek holder as a solution to sharpen some style knives on it... and others have used the Tormek holder on it with success.

(p.s.  Even though he's talking, you can run it twice as fast)... 

[John_B]

Watching Wootz sharpen the knife, slowly moving across the stone is a very soothing. I find this part of the process very relaxing and satisfying. Feeling a nice burr along the entirety of the edge is rewarding. I do need to try and hone using the guide instead of freehand.

One thing I do that I have not seen mentioned anywhere in the manual or videos is to keep a notebook with settings for each knife. Normally when I have a batch of knives to sharpen they are all different shapes and sizes. Under the person's name in the notebook I make a short entry for each knife noting the angle I will be using for sharpening, knife in jig measurement and software results for setting the support bar.

I do not like to regrade the stone for each knife as it just takes time. What I do is grind all the knives that need the coarse grit, regrade the stone to the finer grit and finish them all off using my recorded settings. I have never timed this to see if it is most efficient but it is how I do it. I think I started this  process because in the back of my mind I was worried that multiple regrading would shorten the stone's life. The other benefit of the book is that the next time I am given the knives I know all the settings.

[cbwx34]

Watching Wootz sharpen the knife, slowly moving across the stone is a very soothing. I find this part of the process very relaxing and satisfying. Feeling a nice burr along the entirety of the edge is rewarding. I do need to try and hone using the guide instead of freehand.

One thing I do that I have not seen mentioned anywhere in the manual or videos is to keep a notebook with settings for each knife. Normally when I have a batch of knives to sharpen they are all different shapes and sizes. Under the person's name in the notebook I make a short entry for each knife noting the angle I will be using for sharpening, knife in jig measurement and software results for setting the support bar.

I do not like to regrade the stone for each knife as it just takes time. What I do is grind all the knives that need the coarse grit, regrade the stone to the finer grit and finish them all off using my recorded settings. I have never timed this to see if it is most efficient but it is how I do it. I think I started this  process because in the back of my mind I was worried that multiple regrading would shorten the stone's life. The other benefit of the book is that the next time I am given the knives I know all the settings.

Notebook can be a good idea.

An alternative to grading the stone back and forth is never grade it at all.  You end up with a stone in what some describe as its "natural state"... roughly around 600g, that leaves a great edge, and will make most repairs without issue.  Saves time and stone.

[Ken S]

I use both the small blade tool and a version of Herman's small platform. My set up technique with the kenjig (see here for an article about the kenjig:
http://www.sharpeninghandbook.info/Images/Tool-Jig-KenJig.pdf)

My set up was to use three Tormek knife jigs, the regular 45 mm jig with the small,blade tool; the now discontinued 100mm length jig; and the 140mm jig. By including the use of the small blade jig, I was able to set paring, slicing and chef's knives to a jig projection of 139mm. If I standardized on 15° bevel angles for each side, this enabled me to sharpen a common mixture of kitchen knives with only using the kenjig to set the Distance from the grinding wheel to the support bar one time, before the first knife. Using the pencil line scribed at 139mm on the back of the kenjig and the three jigs, I rarely have to adjust the jig Projection.

A recent change is to include a second regular 45mm jig used without the small blade tool for knives with small handles. The small blade tool seems primarily designed for carving knives with substantial wooden handles.

I find Herman's small platform easier to set up with smaller knives.

John, I like your notebook idea. My thinking with the kenjig setup with multiple jigs was primarily aimed at the farmers market sharpeners who might have to sharpen a hundred knives of various sizes on a Saturday morning in a cost effective manner.

I can see the benefit of group starting the knives requiring a coarser wheel, if conditions are favorable.
The handbook and older videos do not show it, however, I think using the stone grader or a diamond plate to grade the wheel to a middle grit, usually called "600" would be a useful technique.Incidentally, the knife specific T2 model uses a 600 grit diamond wheel.That should eliminate or substantially reduce the need to use the stone grader frequently.

The use of the kenjig supports my idea of making sharpening time more efficient by automating set up and not skimping on accurate grinding time.

Ken

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