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Messages - Ken S

#8236
I finally tried back flattening yesterday.  I was surprised with how simple it is.  I started with a spare old plane blade.  The wheel moves slowly; a little practice soon makes one comfortable. I did not use the universal support bar, although it seems like a good idea. The Tormek did as well as my 1000 grit waterstone, with less discomfort to my hands.  It was no faster.  In the future I will look into beginning with the 200 grit waterstone if much flattening is necessary.  I still prefer to finish with the 4000 or 8000 grit waterstone.

The Tormek did a nice job of flattening an old 3/8" Buck chisel with a belly in the blade.  Progress was slow, but very controlled.
#8237
Why the 80 grit stone?  I recently purchased a Norton 3X 46 grit stone for my dry grinder.  It cuts fast, and the finish is surprisingly not as coarse as I had expected.  These stones are made with two different binder hardnesses (I and K).  I don't know which might work better for you.  I also don't know how these stones would work wet, as mine is a six in diameter.

If it worked well wet, an eight inch 3X 46 grit stone would certainly speed up shaping.
#8238
I would agree with sbachner's suggestion.  A taller support bar would be a simple task for a local machine shop.  I recently had a local machine shop modify my Omnijig (dovetail router machine).  The work was done far more precisely than I could have done it, and the price was fair.

If you want to lower your end cost, consider having the shop make up several units, and sell the rest on ebay as after market products. 
#8239
I neglected to mention in the first post that Ron Hock states he made the suggestion for the fix to "Tormek's US representative". 
#8240
On page 90 of his sharpening book, Ron Hock states that he suggested a fix for flattening the backs of chisels and planes with the Tormek, and that it may already be available.  Would you please describe this.
Thanks.