Upgrade of Tormek ST-250 with BGM-100 stay and new stone

[Anders1965]

I have plans to upgrade my old drill-driven ST-250 with the upgrade BGM-100. I plan to mount it vertical on the frame, by using a L-bracket. Anyone with experience in this way of upgrading?(See pic Tormek ST-250-2)
I also want to change the old Gotland sand stone that is the original from 1974.  Is it possible to use the new axle MSK-250 for upgrading ST-250?   

[RickKrung]

Anders1965.  Welcome to the forum.  What a great year - the year I graduated from high school. 

Very curious old machine.  Good luck.

If you mount the BGM vertically with an "L" bracket, are the legs going to project below the front surface?  Seems they would have to and if so, why not just mount the BGM on the front face of the machine case?  Or, given there is no motor inside the case, is there lots of room such that you can drill holes in the top of the case for the legs to project through?  If that is the case, what about adding a BGM, vertically on an back of the machine so you have the benefits of the vertical USB position as well? 

Rick

[Ken S]

Welcome to the forum, Anders.

The MSK-250 should fit. I suggest you email Tormek support. (support@tormek.se). They are experienced experts with older Tormeks and very helpful.

Keep us posted!

Ken

[Anders1965]

Thanks a lot for the advice! 
I will check with support if I can add the bracket directly on the side, it would be more elegant.  I should make shure that the ijg arms wont be too short for reaching proper angles.  There are plenty of room inside the frame for drilling holes.

[Anders1965]

Hi Tormek fans!
I have decided to mount the XB-100 bracket on a L-bracket. There are plenty of space under the top of the frame.
If I use a drill with reverse, I can use the same position for grinding against (Forward) and with the stone(Reverese) from the vertical mounting.
I guess I just use up the old stone on this setting instead of investing in new stone and new axel, because I quickly will reach the cost of a new T-4.
So next is a long stay and jigs!

Keep you posted!

[Anders1965]

I have an old ST-250 from the late 1970's.  The original Gotland sand stone is weared down to 20 cm, and I have done some upgrades:

New cylinders for an universal stand. New universal stand US-430, MSK-250 axle with Easy Lock. Grinding stone SG-250.
I realized that the frame was about 3 cm more narrow than the T-8, but it works.
I use an old geared Bosch drill, with a customized bit for the drive wheel, it's very strong.
I kept the original bronze bushings, and it fits the new axle perfectly.
The new stone doesn't wear off so much as the old sand stone, and I use a very strong magnet from a Tandberg loudspeaker to collect the metal in the cooling water.
The original tray is not working so well no, so I must move the supports a bit outside the metal frame.
I have invested in 3 jigs, knife, long knife and for axes.  I also got the truing tool and a stone to change the grit on the stone. Works very good.
I made my own leather honing wheel I mounted on a quick grinder. I use the Tormek PA-70 pasta. and it works fine.

The upgrade has been a bit costly, but still far away from T8 in total price. The only thing is that the engine I use is a bit noisy. Maybe I upgrade with a silent AC engine.
It's fun to upgrade the good old ST-250! 

First day with the new stone, I sharpened 13 knives, all my work knives from Mora, Clas Ohlson and Biltema and a chef knife from Vargen & Thor :-)  They are now razor sharp.

[micha]

Congrats, Anders!

You're preserving some interesting bits of Tormek (and Bosch ) history here, while putting those to good use. I'm impressed!
Thanks for sharing!
Mike

[Anders1965]

Thank you Mike :-)
It really works well. I guess very few upgrade their old drill-driven Tormeks.

I think it's relatively expensive (200USD) to upgrade to an original AC engine.

Let's see, maybe I make a custom grinder at a later stage.