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Those tools are really cool!  Thanks for sharing.

Kevin, after you get through the excellent Tormek manual, the other books of note are catalogued here:  https://sharpeninghandbook.info/indexBooksVideosWebSites.html.

The Tormek Sharpening Class videos cataloged here are excellent:  https://sharpeninghandbook.info/indexBooksVideosWebSites.html

Hello,

I recently purchased a T-8 and after sharpening a few of my plane irons and chisels I discovered that I was obviously terrible at sharpening by hand.  Considering the number of new bandages on my finger tips, the Tormek works well.

I suffer from the condition known as Gear Acquisition Syndrome, which I'm sure many of you have experienced.  The outward manifestation of this condition is wondering how to make something that works exceedingly well even better.  To that end, will the Japanese water stone allow me to produce an edge that will perform fission on a hydrogen atom? 

I joke only slightly, but is the edge produced by the Japanese stone even more terrifyingly sharp than the what can be made by the graded stock wheel and strop?

Thank you.

As you mentioned sharpening chisels, I recommend you read thru this thread:  https://forum.tormek.com/index.php/topic,4971.msg35710.html#msg35710.  The overriding idea I started the thread with is that I wanted to get pretty darn sharp, and resharpen often in a speedy manner.  

If you buy into that approach, then the TTS-100 is a great add-on, along with the 3D printed jig outlined here:  https://sharpeninghandbook.info/indexJigs.html#ProjJigTTS100.  

I take that approach, using the SG grindstone, and find it works wonderfully.  My edges are certainly not as sharp as they would be if I used a 13,000 grit stone, but I find that the cutting edges work well for me.

Good luck,
Rich

P.S., I have all 6 grindstones (SG, SB, SJ, & the 3 diamond stones), yet I find with woodworking bench tools that the SG grindstone is easiest to use. 

This is still my favorite:  the Tormek T-99

When you see Japanese knife sharpeners on their huge waterstones that does not seem so absurd. Also grandpa's huge sharpening wheel. We actually have one here. I intend to build a new frame for it.

Please post pics 

Yeah, marks on plywood would work well too.  The projections needed are discussed in this forum thread:  https://forum.tormek.com/index.php/topic,4971.msg35710.html#msg35710

Hey everyone,

I thought I'd share with you my findinds pertaining to laser engraving. I started with a 5W output 455 nm, and I managed to get sub-par results by coating the blade beforehand (sharpie, mustard, painter's tape...).

I recently acquired a USD 400ish 2W 1064nm IR head, and the results are amazing. I can engrave knife blades with the sharpening angle or with their owner's name. I can also put a straight mark on a chisel right where I want. It can also mark plastics (preferably light or dark as the result is kind of greyish), so
handles can be marked too.

It might be a nice addition to a premium sharpener's toolset. Mine is an open-frame one, so quite bulky, but there are also portable versions that will engrave up to 70x70 mm.

Cheers,

Nick.

What laser do you use?

This is still my favorite:  the Tormek T-99  https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/New-Tormek-T-99-W213.aspx

The 3D-printed jig I outlined works the same way your board does for setting the protrusion of the chisel beyond the SE-77 jig.   And, as Ken noted, the TTS-100 is used to set the USB distance to the stone to a standard.  

This approach handles 3 angles:  20°, 25°, & 30°.  I think those work well for the majority of chisels.  

I'm at the point where I have complete sets of Imperial, number and letter sizes, and metric bits.  If I break a bit, it is usually one which I use often, so I replace it with a well-made one (and buy a 2d for a backup). 

I wanted to do the same.  That is what this jig is for https://sharpeninghandbook.info/indexJigs.html#ProjJigTTS100

I have a mish-mash of drill bits which have come from many sources, including inheritance from my dad (who loved Harbor Freight). As I replace them, I but good quality ones from McMaster-Carr.  

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that bits which are much shorter (e.g., ¼" shorter) are not as hard as they were before grinding off that material. At least they need to be resharpened more often. 

I usually use the SVM-00 for blades which are short.  One easy example is a marking knife.  It works well for that.  

Rick, I'm glad you've posted this.  I've also used a bench grinder to start the process of cleaning up a badly damaged drill bit.  I knew that I sometimes ground down past the area of hardening, but did not know about damaging the DBS jig.