"Blank" Honing Wheel

[AusSn]

I want to put my own piece of leather on a LA-220 honing wheel instead of what comes from the Tormek factory.  Seems tedious and wasteful to buy a brand new one and try and remove the leather before adhering a new strip of leather.

Does anyone have any ideas on either 3D printed patterns, Tormek blank wheels, or possible used ones?  Wide open on this.  I have a CW-220 and want to try out other leathers for final honing.

Thanks in advance.

[John Hancock Sr]

I did this and discovered a few things.

There are some 3D models here https://www.printables.com/model/394248-tormek-leather-honing-wheel-la-220-alternative

The pins on the wheel are very weak so maybe use a stronger filament or 100% infill around the pins. Mine broke off so I drilled them out and used short screws which work well.

The maker suggests epoxy or superglue. I would definitely not use superglue. I used contact cement which worked perfectly. He also appeared to use an angled butt joint - again, I would not do that.

I cut the leather slightly wider than the wheel and trimmed it to width after gluing it on using a skiving knife. As for the join I did an angled skive of about 15-20mm and overlapped so that the join faced away from the direction of rotation so that use would not cause it to lift up. The overlap was slightly bumpy so I laid the wheel on its side and used a skiving knife to trim it flat then used a sanding drum on the Dremel to sand it perfectly flat. I finally ran the tips of my fingers over the join to test its flatness.

After deburring on the wheel I actually use a flat hand strop with green compound to refine the edge and this seems to get the best results.

[Ken S]

Aus Sn,

From the Tormek website: "cowhide from Tärnsjö Garveri tannery". One of the exhibits in the Tormek Museum describes this impressive leather. I can not imagine better quality than the leather Tormek uses.

However, I realize that some of our members have aspirations which go beyond the standard equipment. Therefore, with a little imagination, MDF can be made into very usable leather honing wheels.

https://youtu.be/BAhgVmQoeiA?si=Qxxi4fslkde80rbC

This link shows a second grinding wheel being mounted on the "dry side" of the Tormek. The shaft from the optional shaped leather wheels is shown, although extension shafts of different lengths are available from third party suppliers.
The MDF wheel can be easily be removed and replaced. The wheel can also be mounted in place of the grinding wheel. Spacers such as fender washers can be used to fit the EZYlock shaft.

No doubt others will chime in.

Ken

EDIT: Here is a relater link:

https://youtu.be/c6iIC3wBmNY?si=v0Y-FmLw7fozF5xb

[AusSn]

Thanks so much!  I could not help but notice that Sweden is very short on large footed marsupials so I am forced to make my own.  While perhaps misguided and unnecessary, I just want to see what all the kangaroo tail hype is about.

Tormek does not sell a blank LA-220. They were kind enough to reply to my request.

That 3D printing file is a great start.  Thanks for the link.  I have someone that thinks they can tweak that design for stronger pins.  It will take some time to get this all set up but I will report back.

[Perra]

You can also try this..
https://forum.tormek.com/index.php/topic,5567.0.html

[Ken S]

One of the high points of my visit to Tormek in August of 2023 was being included in a meeting of the Design Committee. The standing committee included Håkan, Mats, and Tim, plus two guests. The other guest was Per Ericson ("Perra"). The main topic was the KS123 knife setting tool, then in development. We examined two prototypes, one designed by Tormek and one designed by Per. The group was very congenial. We were all working together to develop the best tool. There was no competition in the group.

I felt honored to be included in this group. It was like discussing religion with the Holy Trinity.

Per is a retired Swedish Industrial Engineer. His design work and machining is impeccable. Recently we have seen new developments in knife jigs and setting tools. I believe honing will be one of the next areas to see further innovation. With people like Per and the Design Committee working on it, I have great faith.

Ken