Got another T8...now what?

[Vstrom USA]

So, I picked up a second T8 off craigslist, couldn't pass up the price.  Looks like the truing tool has been used once.  For the moment I will have one SG250 graded course and one SG250 graded fine.  But how should I best optimize my new purchase?  SB250?  DF250?  Felt?

I feel like I have a decent hand at grinding, I think I need help/practice at honing.  I feel (and my bess tester confirms) that I seem to roll the edge.  I use the FVB.  Most of my use is with kitchen knives, of course I would some day like to be proficient enough to set up at the local farmers markets, but I am not consistent enough for that yet.

I will add that I also have a Kally 1x42 for repairing damaged edges.

Let me know what you think.
Don.

[tgbto]

Hey Don,

I think the rolling issue needs to be addressed first. If you're sure it's rolling, may it be from either using an angle that is too acute for a soft steel you're working on, or too high a pressure when honing ? For me it was simply a matter of not honing long enough, just reducing the speed at which I move the knife when honing showed a huge difference in BESS results... For the kind of steel that I sharpen, the felt wheel doesn't seem to change bess results much compared to the leather wheels, maybe I'm not using it right.

I happen to have two T-8s too, and when I do some volume sharpening, one has the SG on it and the other the leather wheel with FVB, so I don't have to remove the SG wheel when honing long knives, And I try to keep a projection length around 145mm. This is my ideal speed/BESS result compromise. When I want to improve the looks, I add the SJ on the one without the leather wheel, and I start with short kinves that don't require removal of the SG wheel. I prefer to risk the sturdier/cheaper SG than the SJ. And I found the SJ made the honing faster, even though it's mostly for looks.

For kitchen knives, I'm not sure the SB would be really useful, except if you had high volumes of really heavily damaged hard-steel knives. The SG will do a decent job otherwise. As for diamond stones, that's a matter of personal preference I guess, but the real advantage to me is the fact that you can exchange them easily without having to change the USB setting. I clearly prefer the feedback the "traditional" Tormek stones give me, plus when you grade the SG stone you don't really have to worry about changing diameters either.

Have fun,

Nick.

[Vstrom USA]

Thanks Nick.  I like the idea of the honing wheel on the other T8.  A simple but incredibly helpful idea.

[BeSharp]

I will add that I also have a Kally 1x42 for repairing damaged edges.

Let me know what you think.
Don.

Don, instead of a Kally, first check out the Viel S5 with the variable frequency drive modification. Our own esteemed moderator, Ken S., was instrumental in seeing that project through, as was Steve Bottorff from Sharpening Made Easy dot com. There's a thread about it on the Bessex forum. I find being able to put the Viel down flat on a surface very useful.

As per KnifeGrinder's latest research, being able to slow down the belt is critical in ensuring the edge does not soften.

[Ken S]

Don,

I must speak as a friend of both the Viel and the Kally. It is true that I was part of the team which simplified converting the Viel to variable speed. My poor Viel has some honorable scars from being the guinea pig. The end result is a conversion process which is easily done in a home workshop with a portable drill. Several of us worked at designing the mounting plate, which greatly simplified the process.

Steve Bottorff (sharpeningmadeeasy.com) also happens to be a Viel dealer. Steve made an arrangement with Viel to substitute their smaller drive pulley and to have it factory bored to 15mm to fit the Penn State Industries variable speed motor. The increase in cost was quite modest. The conversion process is detailed on Steve's website and on the bess exchange (bessex.com). Take it from me, who has cobbled a couple conversions in my home shop, the components from sharpeningmadeeasy are the only way to go.

Now to the Kally: A friend generously gave me a Kally skeleton (no motor). I used my first PSI motor, previously altered to 1/2" bore and mounted it on my Kally. I like both belt grinders equally well. Viel makes a very nice scissors attachment, which can be modified to the slightly nicer TAS scissors clamp. (I like the soft grip clamp.) Forum member, Grepper, has designed and manufactured a superb knife jig for the Kally.

Regarding speed from the factory: grinding speed is determined by Surface Feet per Minute (SFM) or metric equivalent. Given the same motor speed, a belt grinder with a smaller diameter drive pulley will run at lower SFM. From the factory, the Viel with its six inch drive pulley, runs at around 2700 SFM. With its four inch drive pulley, the Kally runs at 1800 SFM, noticeably cooler. While I am partial to variable speed, an unmodified Kally would be a serious contender.

Either makes a good complement to your Tormek.