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I was excited when The Tormek Story was rekeased. Having recently visited Tormek in Sweden, I had the pleasure of having met some of the people in the video. I had also become acquainted with several more through email correspondence. It was a delightful trip and one which raised my already high regard for Tormek and its employees. Here is a link:

https://youtu.be/wYaVdHSJGN8?si=Tkow2czto50WjwPV

My appreciation for this video increased when I learned how to translate the first part from Swedish to English using closed captions. That is easy to do. In the upper right corner of the screen, there is a "CC" button to enable closed captions.

The video traces the history of the Tormek concept and philosophy as well as the products. Most of us will not be fortunate enough to visit Tormek in person. This video provides a fine introduction to the proud heritage of Tormek. It also rekindles warm memories every time I watch it.

Enjoy!

Ken

We often read about or have to sharpen knives with chipped edges. This situation is far from new. It predates the use of iron and steel. This video talks about bronze age weapons and tools.

https://youtu.be/Wj6KwtGx6DE?si=tc_fqRxnD-BZJtFF

Ken

Good thought, John.
Ken

Do not be discouraged. While discovering something new is valuable, discovering a new useful application is also useful, as when the Corning engineer's wife discovered that the glass designed for locomotive headlights also worked well for kitchen ware. Today we know this as Pyrex.

Ken

Well done, Max!

Ken

PS I don't know anything about ultrasonic cleaning. Is it possible that the cleaning might also remove any rust prevention properties from previous sharpening?
Especially with carbon knives, oiling the knife after cleaning might be prudent. (just a guess)

Max,

Wootz' early passing was certainly tragic. Thatleaves to us the task of carrying on the creative work he helped advance.

Ken

Welcome to the forum, Max, and happy birthday!

You put forth an interesting idea. I admit that I know nothing about ultrasonic cleaning; however, the idea sounds intriguing. I hope you will explore it more fully and please keep us posted.

Ken

I agree with Dutchman. I prefer the KS-123; however, I still have both my ipad file and several copies of Dutchman's tables. (I also still have several kenjigs, which I still believe are the fastest and most accurate method of setting knives, although I concede it is not the most versatile.)

Ken

I seem to be out of synch with some of our forum members regarding micro bevels.For the record, I do not think they are wrong. Why the difference in thinking?

My sharpening and sharpening thinking is primarily chisels and bench planes. This goes back to the early 1970s and oilstones. I really did not sharpen knives until the 2010s when I had a chance meeting with Steve Bottorff. My first sharpening love is still chisels.

In the 1970s, the popular chisel sharpening technique involved starting with a small diameter (6") higher speed electric grinder for rough grinding. The apex work was left for bench stones to avoid overheating. Micro bevels became fashionable because the smaller bevel area required less physical labor. This was logical, although old timers like Frank Clausz recognized that the strongest edges were flat ground.

This micro bevel thinking has carried over onto Tormek sharpening. I no not think it is necessary.  Unlike with bench stones, the Tormek's electric motor does the heavy lifting with sharpening. Also, the Tormek's 250mm or 200mm wheel diameter creates a much flatter grind than smaller diameter dry grinders. I am open to benefits of stropping at a slightly higher angle, although honing at a higher micro bevel angle just seems like extra work to me. I am not saying that micro bevels are wrong, only that I have not personally found them to be useful.

Ken

Welcome to the forum, Michael.

I suggest you purchase your US-430 from a dealer which offers freereturns within thirty days. That will give you a hands on test to verify thatyour cleaver will work with it.

Ken

This is the video I watch to prepare for using my DBS-22. I use it infrequently, but watch this video before every session. Tormek commissioned Alan Holtham to make this video. It is very thorough and well explained. It is by far the best video I have seen on the DBS-22. Watching it and a little practice has never let me down. Here is a link:

https://youtu.be/fSUa1iFUzkM?si=RwoLv-P8RsGWep9L

Keep us posted.

Ken

Micro bevels are a common topic on the forum. Here are some thoughts:

https://youtu.be/zfcdQ3dZosM?si=FhpqvIvsaM5M8MuH

Ken

I spent a day with one of the top Tormek demonstrators. One of the tools he used was a Veritas PM-V11 chisel. The Tormek demonstrator spoke very of it. Good tools are lifetime investments. I would recommend the Veritas chisels. I would highly recommend favoring quality over quantity. Better two or three premium chisels than a set of average chisels.

Ken

Welcome to the forum, Terry.

Please forgive a little linguistic housekeeping. "Planer" refers to the blades of electric thickness planers and electric jointers. This jig is the SVH-320 (shown in this link)

https://tormek.com/en/products/grinding-jigs/svh-320-planer-blade-attachment

Chisels and hand planes use the SE-76 or SE-77 Square Edge jig. Plane blades are often called "plane irons".

The best way to make sure a chisel edge is being ground square is to blacken the bevel with a marker. Then turn the grinding wheel by hand and check it with a small square. If you are not grinding square, tap the handle of the chisel lightly to eyeball it square. Get the grind square before completing sharpening.
This online class covers chisels:

https://www.youtube.com/live/wMATay8ITE8?si=_ecJHWJxUwEOyury

It sounds more tedious than it really is.

Keep us posted

Ken

The shaft circled in red, which is pRt of the SVD-185 and SVD-186 is generally called the SVD-180. TGBTO is correct.

Contact the donor. I suspectthe rest of the SVD-185 was inadvertantly separated from the rest of the kit.

Eventually, I believe you will want to upgrade to a SVD-186 or 186-Revised. In the meantime, if your Allen screw strips out, it is available as a spare part. If you need a replacement, email support (support@tormek.se).

Ken