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To tell you the truth, Jeff, I've never even tried to use the honing wheel. I can hone so quickly by hand on the waterstones that it just doesn't seem worthwhile to learn the new skill. The large-diameter Tormek wheel creates such an easy bevel to "feel" on the stone, it makes it incredibly easy.

Also, I'm never sure that the edge is perfectly straight across until I hone half a dozen strokes on the 1,000 grit stone. And sure enough, I usually find the edge wearing a tiny bit more in one "high" spot, proving that my Tormek technique was less than perfect.

Finally, I must admit that I just love the tactile feel of that final honing on the waterstones.

Sharpening seems to be such a personal thing in woodworking - no two people do it exactly the same way. Don't get me wrong, though, I LOVE the Tormek and wish I had bought it a long time ago.

This is not the "official" answer, but for plane blades I personally use the Tormek to create the edge, then turn to my water stones and hone by hand. Half a dozen strokes on the 1,000 grit stone to make sure the edge is perfectly flat across, then another half dozen strokes on the 8,000 grit stone, finally half a dozen strokes on some plywood rubbed with green honing compound, and I have a perfect cutting edge. It may sound like a lot, but from the time I leave the Tormek the honing takes about 90 seconds, which is probably faster than I could hone on the Tormek's leather wheel anyway.

This may not be the "purist" approach but it works extremely well.

I make perhaps 10 trips back and forth across the stone. The resulting grooves are "erased" easily with the stone grader, leaving a perfectly smooth surface.

Another important difference:  if you buy a Grizzly there is no Jeff Farris to respond instantly and expertly to your questions.

Minor grinding is no problem.

If you have to take wide plane blade from 30 degrees to 25 degrees it can take a while if you wait for the whole bevel to be ground. The alternative (one I use) is to just grind the first quarter inch on the Tormek, then hone on a waterstone either freehand or using a jig.

Did you hone the blade on the Tormek or just go straight from the stone to the wood?

I'm no expert but I have no trouble with the roughing gouge. Just hold the gouge firmly at the business end, not on the handle, so you can feel the stone cutting, and gently but firmly roll it from side to side as you're moving it across the stone.

First, I think I can speak for all male participants on this forum in welcoming such an attractive user to the group. I hope I don't get my privileges pulled by suggesting that you are significantly better looking than Jeff - stunning, actually.

Second, if the things you are trying to sharpen are truly cold chisels, and it sounds as if they are, I wouldn't bother trying to sharpen them on the Tormek or anywhere else for that matter. They don't need to be sharpened.

Third, in terms of obtaining a consistent edge angle, the brainless, easy way to do it is by using a couple pieces of wood. Screw one little piece of wood a couple inches from your benchtop and use that as a reference so the chisel edge protrudes the same distance from the jig each time. With the tool protruding that distance, use the angle measure - you'll do this just one time - to set the grinding angle you want, adjusting the tool rest up and down. Now cut a piece of wood the distance between the tool rest and the wheel (don't worry about getting it exact to the thousandth of an inch).

From that point on, use the two pieces of wood to set up the machine and you'll get the same angle each time.

Fourth, the way to deal with water and the Tormek is to assume things will get a little wet. After fussing with mine for a while I finally just set it up on top of an old plastic tablecloth. Now I don't worry when water spills. I have some rags right there and clean up when I'm done.

Hope this helps.

MARK RODERICK

I'm sure I'm not the first person to do this, but I only used the angle jig once. Instead, I have two simple little "jigs" to set the angle.

First is a small piece of wood screwed on to the bench where I keep the Tormek, maybe a couple of inches from the edge. I hold the Tormek sharpening jig firmly against the edge of the bench and push the chisel or plane blade until it touches the small piece of wood. So the blade is protruding from the sharpening jig the exact same amount each time I use it.

Then I used the angle jig once, and cut a small piece of plywood so it just fit between the metal bar and the wheel. That way, I can get the bar and the wheel the exact same distance apart every time.

With those two measurements taken care of, the grinding angle is the same each time. And of course you can make a plywood piece for each angle you want to replicate.

This is much faster than using the angle jig and the felt pen. And you can do the same thing with turning tools, etc.

Again, I'm sure I'm not the first or the 1,000th person to do this.

One of the great things about the Tormek is that you can use it in all different ways, depending on your personal habits and preferences.

Personally, when I'm sharpening chisels and plane blades, I only use the Tormek for the rough grinding. The hollow grind left by the Tormek lets me easily hone on a waterstone by hand. A few swipes on a 1,000 grit stone, then a few more on an 8,000 grit stone, and I have a perfect edge. I can do all this in the time it would take to re-grade the Tormek stone from 220 to 1,000.

But I don't do turning tools that way because they're harder to hone by hand.

In any case, each woodworker can use it the way he wants to use it. Sharpening and honing tends to be a very personal thing anyway.

There's a third way, although not quite "by the book." Just sharpen the chisel on the Tormek freehand, i.e, with no jig. It's pretty easy to keep a constant "length" of the chisel just using the universal tool support and your fingers sliding back and forth. For most chisels this works fine.

I'm a new user as well. I don't notice much wiggle, but in any case I think the wiggle is immediately taken out of play when the blade engages on the wheel, so it doesn't matter. Jeff can correct me if I'm wrong.