New member a few questions please!

[Ianb]

Good morning
I have just bought a s/h 1200 supergrind with a few accessories.
Cleaned and pulling it back and ready to true the wheel.

A few questions.
I bought this as I was getting frustrated trying to sharper a few wood worth chisels and I hoped to be able to make and sharpen some tooling for my metal work lathe. I seem unable to sharpen and make tools without some sort of line/ angle / jig to follow.

I think it's fine for wood work tools but realised not really suitable for tooling? Any advice please?

I think I can manage to profile the wheel but do I have to use the stone grader as I need to get one?

There is a company in the uk called Rutlands who seem to do the stones at sensible prices. Would this do?

Still confused with the black metal strip that came with it?
Also the small jig on the left of picture?

Thanks.

[Ken S]

Welcome to the forum, Ian.

We are at something of a handicap with the T1200 on this forum. (Do not despair!)  This forum was founded in 2003 by Jeff Farris, who was Tormek's US agent at the time. Tormek manufactured the T1200 primarily, if not exclusively, with the European 50 Hertz, 240 Volt motors. Therefore, the T1200 (and later T3) are rare in the US. Happily, forum membership has become much more international over the years.

Now, the "Do not despair" part. Several good resources are available to you: First, register your T1200 on the tormek.com website. It is easy to do. There is no remaining warranty time; however, registering lets you access and download the latest online edition of the handbook. This 160 page book (free) is the Bible for Tormek users. I downloaded it onto the books program on my ipad and refer to it frequently.

Make a note of Tormek's support email address, (support@tormek.se). Support is a very helpful (free) resource staffed by longtime experienced employees. They have a wealth of knowledge, including with older equipment.

Check out Tormek's facebook channel. The online classes are excellent. They go beyond "instant success" marketing infomercials and provide more in depth coverage of the skills needed to really master the Tormek. The latest class, available Thursday, Dec 8, 2021, is about the history and development of the Tormek, including jigs, accessories, and grinding wheels. I have only watched the Swedish version. I understand no Swedish; however, the video part indicates good coverage of all of the earlier products. I have watched all of the online classes multiple times, and continue learning each time. There is much to be learned, including from the classes discussing tools you may not be sharpening; much of the technique is common to many tools. I suggest keeping a pocket notebook noting the subject, which class, and time on the video for quick reference. I would dedicate a separate page to each topic to help organization. Including handbook page numbers would also be beneficial. (I confess I have not actually done this; it would have saved me many hours.)

You could easily spent more on upgrades than the original cost of your machine. You can go far with careful technique. An example of this is your SVH-60 square edge jig. Compared with the newer SE-76 and SE-77 models, it is a bit fiddly to use. Used with careful technique, a small square, and a black marker, it will provide yeoman service.  Eventually, you will probably want the new TTS-50 truing tool, a stone grader, and the new microadjust US-103 support bar. However, with patience, inexpensive diamond file cards will do the job. The Knife Grinders you tube channel has a good video describing this.

You can sharpen metal lathe bits with your Tormek. I have a test to compare cutting speed of different types of grinding wheels. I place a metal lathe bit in the square edge jig and grind for five minutes. The amount of metal removed tells the tale. The SG-200 wheel does cut with this test, but very slowly. It is really designed primarily for carbon steel. The new 200 mm diamond wheels work better, although they are expensive. I use Norton 3X wheels, either 46 or 80 grit. They need some fiddling with mounting bushings and some extra spacers for the 25mm width (fender washers work well). For a guy with a metal lathe, this should be no problem.They work very well, are quick cutting, and at $50USD are a bargain.

I am unfamiliar with Rutlands grinding wheels, living in the US. I would suggest trying one if they are inexpensive. The Tormek SG-200 is a known good. It is my go to wheel, especially for chisels, plane blades, and knives. I use wheels like the 3X for special uses.

Do keep us posted.

Ken

[Ianb]

Thank for the reply. I have carefully tried the wheel and guess I need the grading stone to finish off. That's the next step.

[Herman Trivilino]

After you true the grindstone it will have a very rough surface. Sharpen something like an old chisel or mower blade first. It will help smooth out the rough surface so you can use it for more refined tasks.