New Tormek Online Class on the KJ-45/140

[Ken S]

Tormek just announced an online class covering the new KJ self centering knife jigs. The class will be this coming Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 9:30 Eastern time (US). This is the online class we have been waiting for explaining the new jigs in detail. We will finally have the answers to our long anticipated self centering knife jigs. The live class, like the others, will also be included in the Tormek Sharpening Solutions youtube channel.
Don't miss it!

Ken

[cbwx34]

Tormek just announced an online class covering the new KJ self centering knife jigs. The class will be this coming Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 9:30 Eastern time (US). This is the online class we have been waiting for explaining the new jigs in detail. We will finally have the answers to our long anticipated self centering knife jigs. The live class, like the others, will also be included in the Tormek Sharpening Solutions youtube channel.
Don't miss it!

Ken

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFHqQg5wZEg

[Ken S]

Thanks, CB

Ken

[TireguyfromMA]

This will be my next TORMEK tool purchase... .  I read somewhere the new knife holder won't be available until June though

[sveno]

This will be my next TORMEK tool purchase... .  I read somewhere the new knife holder won't be available until June though

It was my most recent Tormek tool purchase. In other words: It is already available in some online shops in Sweden.

[John_B]

I won't be able to attend.

They should cover it but if not please ask. Specifically what knives require this jig?

[Ken S]

John,
I plan to watch the live class. I will pay attention and ask your question if it is not covered.

My guess (hopefully fairly accurate) is that the new jigs were designed for the self centering feature, probably to end the years of users like us grumbling. As such, I would say the new jigs were designed for knives thicker than 2.5mm, the optimized thickness for the SVM jigs. On the thin end of the scale, the self centering feature would also true up very thin blades.

At first, I was puzzled that Tormek would produce a new self centering long jig. The long jigs are designed for knives which are long AND thin, like fillet knives. Long and substantial knives are sharpened on the regular jigs. I suspect the majority of knives will continue to be sharpened with the 45 jigs, old or new. I will not be discarding my collection (of seven or eight) SVM jigs, although I suspect the new KJ-45 will see most of my use.

I will keep you posted. Incidentally, the class, like all the classes, will be on the Tormek youtube channel.

Ken

[John_B]

Ken, for my needs I think multiple SVM -35 jigs would be a real benefit. I could set up a customers knives all at once adjust the support bars and not stop until finished honing the last one. I do not see many thick knives except for survival knives that I occasionally repair. These are sharpened at a fairly wide angle and see a tough life.

[tgbto]

I suspect I will only buy one of these jigs for very thick knives : like @john.jcb , I have multiple SVM-45s in order to have an identical projection distance (145mm in my case as I seldom do really short blades) and not reset USB height during sharpening.

The fact that these new jigs have a fixed projection length makes that impossible unless you sharpen knives with very similar blade heights, in which case there is some wiggle room with how deep you clamp the knife. There is therefore much less interest in having several of them.

As for the long jig,  I suspect it is there mainly for manufacturing purposes : the handles are identical, so they will be able to manufacture only new handles from now on, and occasionnally fit them with the long jig. There is obviously no long and flexible knife that has a thick spine...

[Ken S]

John,

I like your practical, "from the trenches" thinking.
Your thoughts resemble those of the guy who developed the kenjig    The standardized set up allows maximum time efficiency without lessening quality.

Based on the limited info I have been able to stitch together, the new KJ-45 may offer uther useful features in addition to self centering. Tormek has briefly mentioned edge convexing. The two position end stop looks intriguing. (It reminds me of the handle of the Roman pugio, the dagger carried by soldiers and also used to assassinate Julius Caesar. The pugio is discussed in the link I recently posted here.) We will soon know more about these jigs.

I have seen an online dealer listing posted from Sweden, where the jigs are already available for sale. The price looks to be around $45 US. This surprised me; I always thought the anticipated self centering jig would be considerably more expensive. We will all know more before noon today. My gut feeling is that even for those of us like you and me who already use multiple SVM jigs, purchasing at least one KJ-45 standard jig offers good potential benefits for not much money.

The new jig will require some rethinking of our techniques. In my case, I have known for some years that I needed to rethink the kenjig. I was a very new Tormek sharpener when I started working on it. Dutchman's tables, the basis of the kenjig are still very sound, although some tweaking of the application would be beneficial. A thorough technique reset with the new jig is in order.

I predict that many of us old timers will soon be using the KJ-45 for much of our knife sharpening.

Ken

[Ken S]

tgbto,

Your reply came in while I was typing. I agree about the simplified (and lower cost) manufacturing design. We will have to wait until we become familiar with the new jigs to know how much this simplified manufacturing translates into a more useful jig. I hardly ever use the long jig.

Ken

[cbwx34]

Maybe they made the "140" version, because they'll phase out the SVM versions?  Tormek doesn't use Projection Distance in their setup, so they don't have the same needs that some of us do.  So from their perspective, if the "KJ" versions work for most cases, is there a need to have both?

[tgbto]

Well it's just over so here are my 2 cents (And no, I won't comment on using the AngleMaster when demonstrating a jig engineered to fit thick, heavily tapered knives ^^ ) :

It seems a well-built piece of hardware that indeeds does it's self-centering job. The clamping method doesn't seem overly fussy, and the design inspires confidence.

The projection length is now fixed, the upside of which is that the bloody handle won't turn while sharpening.

However, I really am a bit worried by the convexing method : should the blade "catch" on the wheel, as happened to me twice when I was not pushing down strongly enough on the handle, I fear for the blade and the stone... and me. Anyway, I think it only matters for thick knives where the concavity would have a noticeable effect, and among these I only sharpen cleavers (which won't mind being concave) or traditional japanese blades (which I don't sharpen on Tormek).

Cheers !

[cbwx34]

Well it's just over so here are my 2 cents (And no, I won't comment on using the AngleMaster when demonstrating a jig engineered to fit thick, heavily tapered knives ^^ ) :
...

Neither will I! 

[BeSharp]

I'm interested in how much shorter the projection distance is at the lower stop, as I do cleavers quite often (the other day one cleaver's shortest possible projection distance with the SVM-45 was 190mm).