Why no Water for T2?

[Stovepipe]

I'm curious as the owner of 3 T-8's and a T-2 why water isn't used with the T2 wheels? I thought the purpose of water cooling on the T-8's was to keep the knife edge cool at the point of contact. Am I wrong here? Although the T2 rotates at a much slower speed there seems there would be sufficient heat buildup at the edge to affect the properties of the knife.  Am I wrong?

[cbwx34]

I'm curious as the owner of 3 T-8's and a T-2 why water isn't used with the T2 wheels? I thought the purpose of water cooling on the T-8's was to keep the knife edge cool at the point of contact. Am I wrong here? Although the T2 rotates at a much slower speed there seems there would be sufficient heat buildup at the edge to affect the properties of the knife.  Am I wrong?

Tormek's answer...

https://www.youtube.com/live/dCe3bKc5Ym8?feature=share&t=1730

[Ken S]

Good question, Stovepipe.

A couple thoughts:
The T2 does not actually rotate at a much slower speed. The motor and power train is the same as the T4. The listed motor speed for both is 120 rpm, as opposed to 100 rpm with the T8. Surface Feet per Minute is Circumference times RPM. The larger circumference of the T8 wheel increases the SFM; however, the difference is not very significant.

The T2 is the latest incarnation of Tormek's specialized machines for the food industry. The earlier version did use water. It was in the era when the only Tormek grinding wheel was the SG-250. That is a wet grinding wheel only. The T2 is specifically designed to be used by restaurant staff with little sharpening training and without water or honing compound. It is designed to use Tormek's diamond wheels. These are designed to be used either dry or wet with ACC solution. They are also designed with light grinding pressure. These facts, plus my faith in Tormek, convince me that overheating is not a problem.
I have never noticed any overheating with my T2.

Ken

[Stovepipe]

Thank you for that Ken. I thought somewhere Wootz preferred the CBN wheels because they preformed better at the temperatures where the edge of the knife contacted the grinding wheel. When he added the wheel coarse wheel (replacing the honing wheel) he recommended spraying with water to keep that contact temperature down.
After reading about your comments on the video, I watched at length and picked up some good points. The T2 was mostly in the corner never used. I'm now using the T2 for quick sharpening the neighbors knives and I must say I'm glad I've learned to properly use it. It's a gem.

[Stovepipe]

CBX34,

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to send me the link. I do remember watching that segment and keyed into what they were saying. I must say the more I watch the T2 video the more I pick up. Amazing how much information there is packed into that video.

Thank you so much.

[Ken S]

Stovepipe,
Using your T2 to quickly sharpen your neighbors' knives sounds like an ideal application for it! Leave the jig set to your standard angle setting (or use the black marker), with no need for water, the setup is fast! I even trimmed a bolster with mine. The T2 is very versatile.
Keep us posted.
Ken

[jimon]

I'm curious as the owner of 3 T-8's and a T-2 why water isn't used with the T2 wheels? I thought the purpose of water cooling on the T-8's was to keep the knife edge cool at the point of contact. Am I wrong here? Although the T2 rotates at a much slower speed there seems there would be sufficient heat buildup at the edge to affect the properties of the knife.  Am I wrong?

Tormek's answer...

https://www.youtube.com/live/dCe3bKc5Ym8?feature=share&t=1730

Did I understand correctly from this video - it is not necessary to use water for diamond wheels on the T-8?

[Ken S]

I would like to interject two comments.

First: Vadim's observation that CBN wheels run cooler is correct. however, it is important to remember that the comparison was with conventional wheels. Diamond wheels had not been introduced at that time. The cooling effect was due to the aluminum or steel open design of the wheels, not the CBN. Diamond wheels have essentially the same open steel design. One should expect essentially the same cooling effect.

Second: Tormek has always stated (with the T8) that although using the diamond wheels wet with ACC solvent is the preferred method, it is also possible to use them dry. The problem with running them dry is that takes away the cleaning effect of the ACC.

I have watched two videos recently on how to scrub CBN wheels with chemicals. One is by a vendor; one is by a well known sharpener. Such scrubbing is not needed with diamond wheels and ACC. In my opinion, trying to save a little money by omitting the ACC is foolish economy.

Ken