One universal toolrest not square to the stone

[FabianM]

Recently I purchased a new Tormek T4. I tried to sharpen a few different tools and actually was quite statisfied with the result (of course a bit more practice is needed ). Plane irons were not ground 90° to their sides, though. I used the SE-77 jig and checked the adjustments according to the youtube-videos. It did not work at all, so I purchased the TT-50 and shaped the stone with it. The stone did not keep the 90° angle of the grinding surface with its side, but the tool support was parallel with the stone in the horizontal position (I attached a picture, actually the stone is a bit more out of square than it is shown in the photo).

So tried the other way of mounting the support and in this position the metal rod of the support was not parallel anymore, so this might actually be the only correct attachement position.

In both cases I pressed down the support with one finger over the adjustment wheel (like in the videos) so this  can not be the issue.

So I am not sure what the problem is, maybe you have an idea what the issue could be. Maybe the support bar is bent, but I believe both attachement positions would be problematic then. Maybe the machine just needs to be replaced.

Thank you!

[cbwx34]

A couple of references you might look at...

Rich Colvin's page has a lot of info...

https://sharpeninghandbook.info/WW-Plane.html

... and Tormek's video on the subject might be of assistance...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMATay8ITE8

(Sorry, don't know the answer to your question, but thought this might help in the interim).

[Ken S]

Welcome to the forum, Fabian.

Two things would surprise me: First, I would be surprised if your support bar is bent. Yes, that is a possibility; however, the support bar is made of 12mm steel. I don't see much possibility that a new Tormek US-103 universal support bar would be bent. I agree with your observation that a bent support bar would be problematic in both positions. Second, I would be very surprised if a new Tormek "just needs to be replaced". The T4 was the first machine built by Tormek to have a machined one piece zinc top. This design dramatically improved accuracy and was later incorporated into the T8. During manufacturing, every Tormek machine receives extensive testing.

The critical accuracy component is the parallelness between the grinding wheel and the support. Check this by placing the support bar almost against the grinding wheel.Good light is important.

Use the marker method to see if you are grinding square. An accurate square is essential. Be sure your plane blade sides are parallel. Test for square grinding early. I usually do this before turning on the power. Early testing is crucial. Do not completely sharpen an edge only to discover you are out of square.

The SE-77 jig is very versatile. It is also not automatic and may require more checking initially. Be patient; having the ability to control camber is worth the learning curve.

One of the advantages of Tormek is its outstanding support (support@tormek.se). The support personnel are not new employees reading canned answers. They are experienced career Tormek employees with a wealth of knowledge. I consult support frequently.

Have patience and keep us posted.

Ken

[Herman Trivilino]

TT-50 and shaped the stone with it. The stone did not keep the 90° angle of the grinding surface with its side, but the tool support was parallel with the stone in the horizontal position

That alone should be worthy of a replacement of the entire machine under warranty. I recommend you contact Tormek and ask about returning your machine for a warranty replacement.

What you've observed means the tool support is not parallel with the axis of rotation of the grindstone. Moreover, worse than not being parallel, they may askew, meaning they don't lie in the same plane. You will never get your chisels and plane irons square.

It could be that the support bar is bent, but that's easy enough to check if you have a carpenter's square and a flat surface. It could instead be that the sockets that hold the legs of the support bar are not aligned correctly.