T8 Sharpening Question On Stock Wheel

[jorongold]

Hi, I'm new to the T8.   I am looking for some insight on getting the most out of the stock sharpening wheel.   At times, when I'm sharpening a chisel (for example) with the SE-77 I can hear and feel when my chisel is being sharpened, but other times using the same setup I'm not able to sharpen.   I have used the TT-50 to true the wheel, which helps but only for a bit.   I'm wondering if the wheel is just dirty and needs cleaned.   I feel like I'm pressing the SE-77 with chisel attached too hard into wheel to get some sort of sharpening results.   I do use the stone that came with the T8 to change grits.   Just looking for some insights.   I'm wondering if a diamond wheel would be better for me?  Let me know, Thanks!!!

[micha]

Hi Joseph,

welcome to the forum.

If you, at times, have the feeling that sharpening doesn't work, first make sure you got the angle set correctly. Do you use a Sharpie or the Anglemaster? Also, if you grind a chisel for the very first time (maybe slightly correcting the angle), it CAN take quite some time. The next time it will work much faster.

Applying some pressure on the standard wheel is perfectly ok. Trueing and changing grit is also recommended.
So take your time, you'll soon get the hang of it.

Personally, I would not recommend using a diamond wheel as long as you haven't mastered the procedure on th SG wheel.  - Just my thoughts -
Mike

[John_B]

Joseph,

Welcome to the forum.

For me sharpening became a lot faster and I could hear the coarser sound when I lost my fear of wearing out the wheel and used the grading stone more often. You will find that after a number of psses the stone settles into a middle ground grit wise. You can hear and feel this happening. If I still need to remove more metal quickly I will use the stone to regrade the wheel. It is natural to worry about stone usage but the grading stone does very little to the overall life of the SG stone.

[Ken S]

Welcome to the forum, Joseph.  No doubt you will receive various replies, sometimes conflicting. I like the thoughts of Mike and John.

I lean toward the long time Tormek expert sharpeners. I am familiar with three, Jeff, Stig, and Wolfgang. I highly recommend studying the recent videos done by Wolfgang and Sebastien (the Tormek online classes). I have watched them all several times, and continue to learn from them.
Jeff Farris, who founded this forum, was the Tormek US demonstrator for many years.
Stig is now with Tormek, Inc., Tormek's US affiliate company. I have observed him sharpening many knives and chisels.

All three of these Tormek experts have ready access to the entire line of Tormek products. All three choose to use the SG-250, leather honing wheel and Tormek PA-70 compound. This combination is designed for high carbon steel and has served Tormek users for decades.
Stig has told me that he uses more pressure and more compound than most Tormek sharpeners. His stellar results demonstrate his skill.

I look at grinding wheels as long term consumables, like brake linings. Don't be afraid to use your truing tool and stone grader frequently. Become very fluent with the SG before you pull out your wallet!

Keep us posted.

Ken

[jorongold]

John, MIke and Ken,
Thank you for your thoughts/insights/wisdom...really appreciated!   I really like the idea of "not pulling out my wallet" but first getting comfortable with the SG!   I really do love the convenience of the Tormek T-8 and I know that I need to learn more on the operation end.   I will look up those videos.   

I guess I was just a little frustrated on why I wasn't getting that grinding sound and feel each time!   I do use both a sharpie and the angle finder jig for my chisels.   It seems that when I have the truing tool I would get back to that grinding feel. But, I just wasn't sure how often I should use that tool.   

[RichColvin]

Joseph,


Use it twice as often as you think you should.  And go up from there.   As Ken taught me, grindstones are consumables like brake shoes. 


Kind regards,
Rich

[tgbto]

I feel compelled to refer to the excellent video by wootz on grading (it follows an equally good one on truing) if you haven't come across it yet. I love the feeling I get after the wheel has been graded with a #80 diamond plate when I need it coarse, much more so than after i've trued. And I feel I need to true much less when using the diamond plates the way shown in the video.

[jorongold]

TGBTO,
oh wow...thank you for sending link to video on grading....really good info!  Thanks, Joe.