New Tormek knife jig the self centering one

[jeffs55]

TORMEK NEW Self-centering Knife Jig KJ-45
1   $54.00Scroll for more items
Cost summary
Description   Price
Subtotal   $54.00
Shipping   $9.95
Total   USD $63.95
They are shipping from Advanced Machinery.

[cbwx34]

TORMEK NEW Self-centering Knife Jig KJ-45
1   $54.00Scroll for more items
Cost summary
Description   Price
Subtotal   $54.00
Shipping   $9.95
Total   USD $63.95
They are shipping from Advanced Machinery.

Couple of places have them now in the U.S....

Advanced Machinery

Sharpening Supplies

Even Amazon 

[Ken S]

Jeff,

Thanks for posting that the new KJ-45 knife jig is now shipping.

Incidentally, the Amazon listing shows three dealers, all selling at the same $54 price with free shipping. All three, Hartville Hardware, Advanced Machinery, and Tormek Inc are highly reputable Tormek dealers.

I expect the initial shipment of these jigs to sell out quickly. Don't procrastinate......

Ken

[jeffs55]

I always feel better when I pay too much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
I placed the order some time ago as I got excited when I saw it coming available. Funny, wasn't Advanced Machinery the importer before Tormek started doing it themselves? So now, and almost certainly then; they would be the most expensive place to buy from. As the importer they would have been a reseller to the other places mentioned and then they would be as expensive.
LOL

[Ken S]

Jeff,
The previous importer was Affinity Tool Works, not Advanced Machinery. Advanced Machinery purchased Sharptoolsusa from Jeff Farris and have maintained the extensive spare parts service started by Jeff.

When my original T7 was stolen in a home burglary in 2011, I emailed Jeff Farris. I needed another T7, but did not need things like another truing tool, Anglemaster, etc. Jeff referred me to Advanced. He told me that they would treat me right. They did. They were a large enough dealer that they were able to sell me a "T7 Custom" years before Tormek started marketing the custom. The price was fair, the service excellent.

There is no such thing as "free shipping". Someone, either the dealer or the customer, has to absorb the cost. I do not mean to promote any particular dealer, only to encourage new Tormek buyers to make wise choices in dealers. Service and knowledgeable staff are at least as important as getting a "deal".

Ken

PS Jeff, you have been a Tormek knife sharpener for many years. Once you have used your new KJ-45 for a while, please post your thoughts.

[jeffs55]

Well I used the new jig twice on knives that were not dull but nowhere near sharp. They were however, able to be sharpened with a 4000 grit stone and that alone so they weren't blunt either. The new jigs work just like the old jig as far as holding a knife. You first place the blade into the jig and tighten that small metal knob. Then you tighten the larger plastic knob. The old jig had that little "step" in the jig that I always thought was for placing the blade. We all know that "step" was not centered between the two halves of the jig. The new jig has no "step". On the two knives I sharpened, the bevel appeared to be centered. I say appeared because I did not use a sharpie on the edge to mark it for a later check on evenness. I only sharpened the cutting edge essentially only adding a secondary bevel but it did work for that. Oops, I just looked at a picture of the KJ-45 https://www.tormek.com/international/en/grinding-jigs/kj-45-centering-knife-jig/ and I was not using the jig handle to rest on the universal support bar! I used those two projections that you see. It doesn't matter on the 3 1/2 inch blades I sharpened though as they both got sharp. I recommend the KJ-45 for those that appreciate symmetry when they sharpen.

[Ken S]

Interesting thoughts, Jeff.

You and I have been answering posts back and forth for many years. I know that you are a very experienced Tormek sharpener and have seen many innovations over the years. We have seen many innovations with knife sharpening using the SVM jigs over the years, both from Tormek and from forum members. The KJ jigs are very new. It will take a while for us (including Tormek) to develop the easy fluency with them that we have from long experience with the SVM jigs.

I believe that the SVM and KJ jigs each have different stronger areas. I also believe the self centering and convexing features will be beneficial with some knives. Not all knives. I will be curious to read what we are posting in a couple years.

Ken

[3D Anvil]

I find the rear stop on the new jig to be a big help in drawing the knife straight across the stone -- avoiding unintentional pivoting.  It's especially helpful when lifting the handle to hit the belly/tip area.  Probably not an issue for more experienced users, but nice for relative newbies like me.

And as I mentioned in that other thread, the front stop works very well for pin/pivot sharpening, when you really do want to pivot the knife to maintain a more consistent angle on curved blade sections.