Upgrade 600grit diamond as only stone?

[spoonycoot]

I bought a Tormek super grind from an estate sale about a year ago and I decided I want to get it setup and running. The original grind wheel is very uneven and I'm not sure how much life is even left. It did not come with a dressing tool.

I'm debating on just buying the 600grit diamond wheel instead of the normal stone. By the time you buy a new stone the dressing tool and the stone grader they come out to about the same price as the diamond stone.

My question is will the 600 grit diamond wheel work well for general sharpening or will I have to get a course and extra fine too? I plan on sharpening chisels, plane irons, and maybe some knives.

Thanks for your inpput!

[cbwx34]

I bought a Tormek super grind from an estate sale about a year ago and I decided I want to get it setup and running. The original grind wheel is very uneven and I'm not sure how much life is even left. It did not come with a dressing tool.

I'm debating on just buying the 600grit diamond wheel instead of the normal stone. By the time you buy a new stone the dressing tool and the stone grader they come out to about the same price as the diamond stone.

My question is will the 600 grit diamond wheel work well for general sharpening or will I have to get a course and extra fine too? I plan on sharpening chisels, plane irons, and maybe some knives.

Thanks for your inpput!

My input... I would first figure out if the original grind wheel really is no longer usable.  If it really isn't, I'd reconsider buying the diamond stone, and consider getting a new original stone.  The original stone is more versatile, (since you can change the finish level), and also more forgiving, for example if you accidentally gouge the stone you can fix it, if you do the same to a diamond stone, it might ruin it.

But if your goal is to get a diamond stone, then I would start with the 600g, you can use it and then decide if you need to add a more coarse or a finer stone.  (One diamond stone rarely does it all, no matter which one you get.)  Depending on the condition of your tools, a coarse stone might be beneficial too.

Also, since it's an old Supergrind, and if it still has the original shaft, you might make sure that you can get the old grind stone off, before ordering anything.  You might need to upgrade the shaft components also.

[Ken S]

Welcome to the forum, Jonathan

I agree with CB. I would first measure the diameter of your existing grinding wheel. New, it was 250mm. if it is near 200 mm, it is close to the end of useful life. (Don't discard it; it may have specialized uses even if well worn.)

Carefully try to remove your wheel from the shaft. Your two best friends are a lot of patience and penetrating oil.

if you decide to replace your wheel, my first choice would be another SG-250. As CB says, it is the most versatile wheel. It is also the best learning wheel. You can always add diamond wheels later if you wish.

If you have not already seen them, I highly recommend the Tormek youtube online class videos. They are the best Tormek training available.

Keep us posted.

Ken

[spoonycoot]

I appreciate the replies. I was assuming I would need to upgrade to the stainless shaft.

I'll measure the stone when I get home. Does the dressing tool have a limited life?  There is a giant groove in one side of the current stone. It looks to require a considerable amount of material to be removed to make it flat.

I saw somewhere an upgrade kit it was close to $500 without the dressing tool, but included a new wheel as well as trough and micro adjust jig holders. I don't recall if I have the micro adjust. The cost of upgrades is quickly approaching a new T8. I may consider selling and just going new.

[John Hancock Sr]

That is one of the hazards of buying an old machine. II bought a T7 at auction and after new stone, shaft, grading stone and trueing tool I was still way ahead. If you were to go with just one wheel then I agree with the others - get the original stone. The trueing tool does wear out but the tip is replaceable, part ADV-D, and lasts a long time.

The 600 is a good compromise but you will still need to hone to higher grits on your stones before stropping. The 600G will not get your chisels and planer blades sharp enough I'm afraid.

[spoonycoot]

Good news I measured the current stone it's nearly 248mm!  Also, the current shaft appears to be stainless albeit without the quick remove nut. All other upgrades aside from the updated water trough are present. Seems like I'll just buy a truing tool, a stone grader, possibly a new trough, and get sharpening!

[Ken S]

The gods have smiled on you! When you purchase your new TT-50, ake sure it is the newest revised in 2019 design. The earlier TT-50 works OK; the 2019 version is less prone to jumping. Here is a link from Tormek.com picturing the new design:

https://tormek.com/en/products/accessories/tt-50-truing-tool

Make sure you tighten the locking screw to hold it in place. (I speak from an oops experience on this.) Start out with very light cuts, perhaps half a number on the microadjust. Don't dump the gritty water down your drain; it may clog your drain. I siphon off the water with a turkey baster (a good forum idea, but not mine). Discard the sludge with a paper towel, then a final rinse. The new water trough design is nice to have, although the original works fine.

Be sure to register your SuperGrind on Tormek.com. No warranty remains; however, registering it allows you to view and download the latest online version of the handbook. I downloaded it on my iPad and refer to it frequently.

Incidentally, "SuperGrind" originally meant the man made aluminum oxide grinding wheel, the SG-250. This was more aggressive than the natural sandstone grinding wheel.

Keep us posted.

Ken

[John Hancock Sr]

Also check out the videos on the Tormek Innovation official YouTube channel. Watch the videos related to your interests first. Lots of fantastic info there

[RichColvin]

Jonathan,

I have a Tormek 2000 that I've had for 20 years now.  There are some upgrades you should consider as I've noted below.  They don't have to be done all at once, but should be considered to do over time.

Sooner than later:

• TT-50 Truing Tool - Upgrade to the newer one.  If you have the older ADV-50, this is a HUGE upgrade.
• TTS-100 Turning Tool Setter - If you are sharpening woodworking (especially wood turning) tools, this is a must.  (Your machine may come with one.)

In the mid-term:

• US-105 Universal Support (with micro adjust) - this is a real nice upgrade
• MH-380 Machine Cover - seems small, but keeping your machine clean is much easier with this.  Some of the older T-2000s came with a yellow one, and that works just fine.
• SVD-186-R Gouge Jig - If you are a wood turner or carver, the newer SVD-186 is a huge improvement over the SVD-185 & especially over the SVD-180.  This is highly recommended.  The -R model is an improvement over the base SVD-186 and is used when sharpening on the side of the grindstone (to get a flat grind).  I don't use that feature very often.
• SVX-150 Scissors Jig - Do not overlook the value of keeping your wife's scissors sharp.

Over the longer term:

• RB-180 Rotating Base - this is really useful if you are flipping the machine around between the vertical and horizontal positions.  Especially useful as you get older.
• MSK-250 Stainless Steel Shaft - this is a nice upgrade, and definitely useful if you start swapping out grindstones in your sharpening sessions.

As for the diamond grinding wheels - these are very useful if you are sharpening tools like drill bits.  The ability to swap out between the course, fine, and then extra fine without having to reset the USB make these quite useful.

Hope that helps.
Rich

[cbwx34]

...

• US-105 Universal Support (with micro adjust) - this is a real nice upgrade

...

Good ideas.  If I had to buy a new Universal Support though, I'd probably put the money toward a US-430.

[Ken S]

Good possibility, especially if one sharpens many large knives.

Ken