Hello Tormekky's
Long time no post. I do hope you're all well 😎
I've just seen an ad for the home kitchen sharpener. Should I buy one? They look awfully nice 😊
Love to all.
Ken, I trust you're well?
Rob
Hi, Rob.
Welcome back. It is good to hear from you; you have been missed. While you were missing, your Uncle Bob has been busy. In fact, he was mentioned in the Agatha Christie Death on the Nile episode my wife and I watched this morning.
I happen to have a T1. I like it; I think you would, too. It is a specialty machine designed for the serious home cook. Instead of just my occasional user thoughts, I think Samuel Stenhem does a much better job of describing it in this Tormek online class. I met Samuel during my week long visit to Tormek last August. We had several opportunities for in depth one on one conversations. In addition to being a good guy, Samuel is the CEO of Tormek and uses his T1 daily in his home kitchen. Here is a link to the video:
https://www.youtube.com/live/nqD0cefN0yU?si=pA1zYPBFWIeORWAA
Don't be a stranger, Rob. You are a friend and part of this family.
Ken
Fortunately I don't have to make that decision since they are not released here in Australia. I dread the time when it is released and I have to make that decision.
John,
Is the T2 available in Australia?
Ken
Quote from: Ken S on April 14, 2024, 10:49:01 PMHi, Rob.
Welcome back. It is good to hear from you; you have been missed. While you were missing, your Uncle Bob has been busy. In fact, he was mentioned in the Agatha Christie Death on the Nile episode my wife and I watched this morning.
I happen to have a T1. I like it; I think you would, too. It is a specialty machine designed for the serious home cook. Instead of just my occasional user thoughts, I think Samuel Stenhem does a much better job of describing it in this Tormek online class. I met Samuel during my week long visit to Tormek last August. We had several opportunities for in depth one on one conversations. In addition to being a good guy, Samuel is the CEO of Tormek and uses his T1 daily in his home kitchen. Here is a link to the video:
https://www.youtube.com/live/nqD0cefN0yU?si=pA1zYPBFWIeORWAA
Don't be a stranger, Rob. You are a friend and part of this family.
Ken
You're very kind Ken and I don't believe there can be another forum on the planet when one gets welcomed back with such warmth and humanity, like the return of the prodigal son. Again, you are too kind 😊
Staying on topic for a minute, don't be too hasty to reduce your own experience with the T1. Ironically it was that Tormek video you linked that first alerted me to the T1. I think the Internet knows I'm a sucker for a new gadget and slams me with messages the moment one hoves into view!
So my needs are very simple, I'm a bloke and need to post rationalise the purchase of a new gadget. Hang on, that's not right...I mean...er...I'm interested in an effective knife sharpening system.
Seriously though, I am a bit of a frustrated chef and have the lovely shiny Global set of knives. I have used the T7 a few times but the setup is a bit of a faff and it means a trip to the workshop etc.
Is the T1 as simple to use and does it leave a genuinely tomato slicing (no toothy) finish as the posh demos portray? Your own experience is in a way more valuable than Sweden because you will give a "mortals" perspective. Those Gods in Sweden can make things look very easy.
Also what's all this talk about composite honing wheels? All new in my absence?? This is a wheel with paste integrated right? How does that work?
I think in a nutshell, I want one, the question is, does it really work well, quickly and with minimal fuss? Is Bob really my Uncle?
By the way are Herman and Elden still with us? Is Jeff Farris still OK?
All the best
R
I'm still here, Rob. I post occasionally. Haven't heard from Jeff or Elden in a long time. I won't be spending any more money on sharpening tools. The SuperGrind (T7) with my homemade jig makes it a breeze to sharpen knives. My "workshop" is my attached garage, just 5 steps out my kitchen door and I'm in front of my sharpening station. We have a modest collection of mid-priced kitchen knives that serve us well. The only thing I'm thinking of adding is a ceramic honing rod.
I do only a bit of woodworking these days. Mostly repairs. For example, recently built a couple of short sections of cedar fencing and a gate to complete a job that was mostly done by contractors we and the neighbors hired. My next project is to refurbish my tool shed doors with a bit of woodworking and some fresh paint. Since retiring a few years ago my interests have turned to things like pickleball.
Rob,
Yes, Bob really is your uncle. . . .
As much as I like and respect the very skilled Tormek staff, it is reallythe Robs and Kens (and their wallets) which keep the whole ball of wax going. I do find the T1 easy to use. Yes, the target market is home cooks who are untrained in sharpening. In my opinion, they have fulfilled that goal very well. I also feel that they have done a good job a good job of catering to a different market, The Samuels, Robs and Kens who have years of experience and a T7/8 in the workshop. The T1, like the T2, offers quick and accurate setup. No water or honing paste is needed and he knife holding ig couldn't be easier to set. Yes, we might occasionally want to do major repair work on a damaged knife That's the domain of the Big T we have in the shop. With the T1, we can have the knife sharpened and/or honed bofore the Big T is set up.
The T1's diamond wheel isjust the ticket or Global knives.
The composite wheel is nothing new.I think Tormek actually had them briefly years ago. I have had a et of three "rust erasers" for decades which have served me very well.
As with any tool,a little practice helps.
Ken
Quote from: Rob on April 15, 2024, 10:34:28 AMAlso what's all this talk about composite honing wheels?
To add to what Ken said, the composite wheel is in effect rubber embedded with abrasive. It is coarser than your typical leather strop or wheel with honing compound. Probably equivalent to a strop with one of the coarser compounds.
The composite wheel is perfectly fine for removing the burr but will not get you super refined. For that you would probably want to add a leather strop. I know Bazz from Findon Sharpening here in Adelaide takes his knives to a leather strop to get a super refined edge but for most kitchens the composite wheel is perfectly fine to quickly get you back to work with a perfectly useable edge.
Herman,
Thanks for posting. I have always appreciated your mixture of an experienced college physics teacher and practical home shop workshopper.
John,
In the absence of a T1, the T2 makes a good stand in. It costs more; however, it has interchangeable diamond wheels.
I have wondered if the composite honing wheel could be used as a "stone grader" by using it first dry and then moistened.
Ken
Quote from: Ken S on April 16, 2024, 01:22:46 AMIn the absence of a T1, the T2 makes a good stand in
The T1 is pretty much novice proof (reluctant to use teh "i" word). It would be for the wife to use mainly so that she can undestroy the knives she constantly destroy. She out never use a T2.
John,
A suggestion- my wife is an excellent cook. I am not. She does the cooking; I maintain the knives and do the chopping. This efficient division of labor provides us with tasty meals. It also gives me hands on feedback about our knives.
Ken
TBH I would still be the one using it ;)
John,
As you (and I) are the ones who enjoy sharpening knives, would that be such a bad thing?
Ken
I think it is fair to say that an experienced sharpener would be getting excellent results sharpening typical kitchen knives with any of the Tormek models.
Ken
Morning all from across the pond. Hi Herman, nice to hear you're still grabbing a square and a saw every now and then. That's more or less my level of use today too. That will remain until I reach the luxury of retirement. The Holy Grail!!
I remember your jig, no wonder you wouldn't consider a T1. I on the other hand am still possessed of the opinion that "he who dies with the most tools, wins" 😎
Also my workshop is a fair stroll from my kitchen and I don't have a wonder jig.
Right, gotta go.. work calls. Have a lovely day chaps and never forget, Robert is your Mothers brother!
I believe our thoughts on any Tormek model except the T8 are often clouded by considerations which may not be relevant to sharpeners of typical kitchen knives.
The home cook, the target market for the T1, probably has more than the recommendd three "must have" knives. A dozen is probably more accurate, especially if the cook is somewhat of a knife aficionado. These knives generally fit into the categories served by the T1. With reasonable care, the 600 grit diamond wheel will keep all of them sharp.
If the home cook wantsto sharpen woodworking tools, he or she may already have a T4 or T8. (In Rob's case, he is a longtime T7 user.) Or, probably more typically, the home cook may have no interest in woodworking.
For the T2, a commercial kitchen probably has many more knives. Again, these would fall into categories within the scope of the T2. Very fewcommercial kitchens have a need to sharpen anything except kitchen cutlery.
Pocket knives were mentioned. I will have to double check that later this week. I rarely sharpen my pocket knives. My gut feeling is that readjusting the knife jig side to side will easily take care of any pocket knife issues.
Tormek has done xtensive field testing with its products. I suspect these issues will disappear aftertwenty or thirty knives are sharpened.
Ken
Rob,
Good to hear from you and that you are doing well! Thanks for inquiring. I'm doing well. Have been staying busy with other things such as gardening, etc. Haven't used the Tormek for quite sometime. Have done a fair amount of chainsaw chain sharpening but that has slackened off since my son got out of the tree service buisness.
Ken,
Thanks for the message alert! It's a good thing that I had the password recorded as I didn't remember it.
Elden
Posts from Rob, Herman, and Elden within a week! Three of our stalwart members
It is a good week!
Ken
Quote from: Elden on April 20, 2024, 05:25:49 PMRob,
Good to hear from you and that you are doing well! Thanks for inquiring. I'm doing well. Have been staying busy with other things such as gardening, etc. Haven't used the Tormek for quite sometime. Have done a fair amount of chainsaw chain sharpening but that has slackened off since my son got out of the tree service buisness.
Ken,
Thanks for the message alert! It's a good thing that I had the password recorded as I didn't remember it.
Elden
Hi Mate
Dam good to hear from you too. Crikey, at this rate, Jeff Farris will poke his head round the digital door any minute now 😂.
I too spend a fair time in the garden Elden and built a greenhouse 2 years ago which I absolutely love. I also have a wood burning stove so regularly sharpen my chainsaw blades too. In fact just last October I treated myself to the Stihl MS 550 which is the fuel injected model. My word that thing is an animal, especially with a 20" bar. So much power and a doddle to start. I've long had the Oregon sharpening tool for chains and I will buy an Alaskan mill once my kids are at University. I can't wait to mill my own lumbar. I think underneath it all I'm a frustrated horticulture lumberjack! The two things I like doing the most are gardening and cutting logs!
Quote from: Ken S on April 16, 2024, 01:22:46 AMHerman,
Thanks for posting. I have always appreciated your mixture of an experienced college physics teacher and practical home shop workshopper.
Thanks, Ken. I don't know if I ever told you this. I think I recall correctly that as a youngster you were able to haunt the stockrooms of Edmund Scientific. I hope you realize what a special experience that was. Physics instructors have always held Edmund Scientific in the highest regard. Always providing quality equipment at fair prices. Their Astroscan teflecting telescope was an especially good contribution to the collection of equipment that any good teaching laboratory should have. That's a telescope we could lend to students with little fear of damage. I suspect you could drop it out of a moving vehicle on a country road and it wouldn't suffer any significant damage.
My apologies for hijacking this thread. :)
Quote from: Elden on April 20, 2024, 05:25:49 PMRob,
Good to hear from you and that you are doing well! Thanks for inquiring. I'm doing well. Have been staying busy with other things such as gardening, etc. Haven't used the Tormek for quite sometime. Have done a fair amount of chainsaw chain sharpening but that has slackened off since my son got out of the tree service buisness.
Ken,
Thanks for the message alert! It's a good thing that I had the password recorded as I didn't remember it.
Elden
Hi Elden. Good to know you are still around. Get that old Tormek out and freshen up the edges on your gardening tools. Even the lowly shovels and hoes benefit from a fresh edge. Roots are always getting in the way!
Herman,
Thanks for reminding me about one of the magic places in my life. I grew up in Camden County, New Jersey, about ten miles from Edmund Scientific Company in Barrington. Edmund's started in 1942 selling surplus optics. Edmund's used to have a barrel of free stuff. Dad made me a periscope from two free surplus tank prisms as a Christmas present. I still have it.
I visited Edmund's several years looking for a set of scales for my photo darkroom. I found a nice Ohaus triple beam balance. While there, I enjoyed "The Mad Scientiist Room" filled with all kinds of used and surplus lab equipment, a tinker's paradise. They also carry an impressive variety of optical gear and science projects.
Definitely a magic place. . . .
Ken
Brilliant Ken. I'm so glad you kept the item your Father made. That's a lovely memory.
I'm liking the direction of this thread
Quote from: Ken S on April 22, 2024, 01:53:49 AMWhile there, I enjoyed "The Mad Scientiist Room" filled with all kinds of used and surplus lab equipment, a tinker's paradise. They also carry an impressive variety of optical gear and science projects.
If I was ever aware of that aspect of their history I've long ago forgotten it. It's no wonder that they grew into today's highly-respected scientific supply house. In recent decades a lot of scientific supply houses have fallen into disrepair. Fallout from the beginnings of the digital age. Most of them just ain't what they used to be.
Herman,
If you are ever in the Philadelphia/ South Jersey area, Edmund's in Barrington is a very short drive and well worth it.
In addition to the Mad Scientist Room, be sure to try out the submarine periscope going from the main floor to above the room. It is good to nourish your scientist's inner child!
Plenty of educational stuff, too.
Ken