Pulling the trigger

[Razorsedge]

To anyone out there who is shopping for a sharpening system, let me first say, you have my sympathy. I have spent countless hours researching all of the systems out there, both in person and over the internet, listening to the proponents of each tell me why their system is best. After all of my research this is what I have found out. There is no sharpening system out there that is best for everyone.  Each person has their own needs and uses for the machine that they are searching for.

Some are looking for an inexpensive machine, others may only need to sharpen a very narrow group of tools, and still others may want a system that provides a straight grind on tools rather than the slight hollow grind that the Tormek provides. Whatever your particular needs are, it?s hard to overlook the Tormek system.

I recently (6 months ago) purchased a Tormek T7 because it had the features and abilities that were important to me. First, it?s easy to use. Put water in the tray, mount the blade in the jig and turn it on. Second, attach the appropriate jig and it will sharpen just about anything you have that needs an edge. Third, it is built to outlast a lifetime of use; it?s built the way that I would build it if I were calling out the specs.

For example, the motor is 100% duty cycle rated, meaning that you can turn it on and leave it on until the job is done, without the motor overheating. The motor is suspended under the chassis in such a way that as greater force is applied to either the grindstone or the stropping wheel, the output shaft of the motor automatically draws itself into the drive wheel virtually eliminating any chance of the grindstone or stropping wheel coming to a stop or slowing due to drive slippage. Other manufactures such as Jet have a dial on the front of the machine to allow you to make the same adjustment cited above, and I?m sure that the dial works just fine. Tormek?s solution just seems to be more elegant and I don?t have to take my hands off of the tool I?m trying to sharpen.

The tool guide bar is beautifully made out of good quality stainless and is properly rigid so as to not deflect even when substantial pressure is applied against tools leveraged against the grinding wheel. (I'm sure some moron will find a way to bend the guide bar, but there going to have to be using it as a spare jack handle to raise their truck.)

Then there are the jigs, oh the lovely jigs, they are simple, easy to use and well made. They appear to be made out of cast aluminum and are machined to their final dimensions. Where the jigs are threaded, brass inserts are used to provide corrosion resistance, thread durability and smooth operation. Stainless steel pins are pressed in to serve as locating pins and stops. The handles like those on the knife jigs are easy to grip and the large diameter face makes them easy to reference against the guide bar. Each jig is designed so that you don't have to be a brute or have four hands in order to secure a blade into the jigs. The knife jigs utilize a pair of screws, one that applies force against the other that acts a fulcrum. A little twist here, a little turn there and KABLAM! Perfection. The clouds part, rays of sunlight shine down on my T7 and heavenly choruses are heard. Let?s move on. 

The grindstone that the Tormek has developed is perfect, two stones in one. When graded to its coarse configuration it provides aggressive stock removal, but not too aggressive. I don't know about you, but I'm not made of money, and turning a roughing gouge into a long handled spoon is not my idea of financial prowess. This thought takes me back to grade school when getting up every 5 minutes to sharpen my pencil revealed a writing instrument only slightly longer than the metal collar that secured the eraser by the days end. Not a habit I care to resume with expensive tools.

When graded to the fine configuration and with just a few light passes the stone quickly removes the scratch pattern left by the coarse stone, turns a perfect bur across the edge and leaves a nice sheen on the edge of the tool. 

This leads us to the stropping wheel. When I bought the T7 I expected that I would spend most of my time grinding the edge, instead I find that I spend at least half of my time on the stropping wheel refining the edge and will return to the stropping wheel two or three times before having to re-dress the edge with the grind stone. The compound used on the stropping wheel is 8k grit if memory serves and leaves a mirror finish on the edge.

So as I?m sure you can tell by now I love the great engineering behind the Tormek, for me though its more than the engineering, its what the Tormek allows me to do, and that?s to put razor sharp edges on my tools easily. I love woodworking and any woodworker will tell you that there is nothing better that woodworking with sharp tools. If you?re a wood turner then you know that sound, that perfect sound that is made when ribbons of wood are flying, not chips, and when you turn off your lathe and run your had along a turning as it spins down and it feels like glass, ooo.  Never before in my life, until now have I had all of my chisels razor sharp all at the same time. It?s a beautiful thing.

If there were any improvements that I feel could be made it?s these. Once your tools are all ground to the shape and the edge has the angle you desire it would be nice to have a finer stone to dress the edge. (I hear that is in the works now). Lastly, the angle master works perfectly, but the print on the gauge is of poor quality and if you like to keep your tools clean as I do; the print wipes off with even the lightest cleaner (Windex). The increments on the gauge should be etched into the plastic to make them permanent.  But you have to admit, that is splitting hairs if that?s all that I can find.

So if you?re looking for a system that will outlast you and allow you to easily and quickly sharpen you tools to a razors edge, do yourself a favor. Pull the trigger.

P.S If you purchase a Tormek, you will need to re-learn one thing, how to handle truly sharp tools. Or just be prepared to bleed a lot.