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Does it help much in the end?
If you were to guess how many BESS points would drop?

Impossible to say, because it depends on too many other factors such as the type and condition of the steel and the edge.

Also, you might get it really sharp for showing off, but then when you go to use it, it can lose that keen edge quickly.

When honing free hand you can easily feel and hear when you've got the knife at the angle that matches the bevel. And there's no danger in sneaking up on that angle, as long as you do it from the side that won't make contact with the knife edge. In other words, you never want the knife tilted in such a way that only the knife edge makes contact with the stropping wheel; that will ruin the edge.

After you true the grindstone it will have a very rough surface. Sharpen something like an old chisel or mower blade first. It will help smooth out the rough surface so you can use it for more refined tasks.

If, after repeated attempts, you cannot get good results I would contact Tormek support.

There was someone, a few years ago, had the same problem with a T8, if I recall correctly. There was no definitive understanding of the cause of the problem, but I suspected that the support bar was not parallel with axis of rotation of the grindstone. If this is your problem you will forever have problems squaring chisel ends.

On the other hand, it is much more likely that nothing is wrong with your machine and you are just not using the right techniques, as this is perhaps the most common beginner problem.

Keep practicing. Try to find old beat up chisels that you can practice on. Lots of people have them in toolboxes and rarely use them because they are not sharp.

Is three really any issue with adding anti-freeze to the water?

I wouldn't do that. Embedding the grindstone with anti-freeze might cause more damage than allowing it to freeze.

The axe jig has nylon bearings that ride on the tool bar. I just tested mine. The tool bar is quite rusty right now and even so the axe jig moves freely. There is even a bit of play that allows me to wiggle the jig. So, I think Ken's suggestion that the holes in the jig are not parallel is the likely culprit. I would examine it closely and also see if it wiggles a bit when on the tool bar. You could try to bend it into shape, or contact Tormek support and see if they will replace it.

This video shows what appears to be a quick and easy way to sharpen scissors using only a vise and a file.

https://fb.watch/8CJiuH8Qi7/

I cannot imagine that this technique would work with anything other than a slightly dull pair of scissors that had no nicks. And you'd need a really fine file.

I find that it takes a very long time to do anything more than modest regrinding the apex of a knife.

You are not grading the grindstone properly. Apply the coarse side of the stone grader with a lot of force and for enough time to refresh the grindstone. If necessary, use the edge of the stone grader.

As the above links to other conversations reveal, when you use the Angle Master to set the angle on a chisel, you are setting the angle at the very tip of the chisel, not the angle described by Stumpy in the video.

hello, ive had my tormek T8 for a litle over a month now and its great. however the stone that comes with it to change the grade of the grinding wheel, has become rather smooth on the course side. is this common?

It happened to me.

it still works to change the grade of the grindwheel but it takes much longer to bring the grindstone back to 220 grit then id did when it was new.
am i doing something wrong or that just how it goes?
thanks
yon

I think it's just how it goes. You need to use the edges of the course side of the stone grader and don't be afraid to apply a lot of force. The edges of the course side of the stone grader will eventually round over a bit, which will increase its effectiveness.

The smooth side of the stone grader will develop a concavity to its surface. This is also a good thing as it increases the effectiveness.

From the looks of the edge, my guess is that the back of that chisel is as pitted as the front. Unless you grind the back flat (or at least the portion of the back near the edge) you will never get all those nicks out of the edge. Nevertheless, an old chisel like that is good to have around for rough work.

I really want the Japaneses Waterstone Wheel, the SJ-200 so I can have mirror edges, I really like shiny edges on knives for some reason.

You can get mirror finishes with the SG and the honing wheel. Make sure the SG is free of swarf by applying the coarse side of the stone grader if necessary. Then use the fine side of the stone grader, but you have to apply a lot of force and spend a lot of time to get the SG properly graded. Then, after sharpening the knife use the honing wheel. In my experience this gives a mirror finish. I've never tried the SJ.

Knives that are sharpened in this way may not perform well for some kitchen tasks. For example, when slicing a tomato I like the knife edge to be a bit rough so it cuts through the tomato skin better. On the other hand, that nice smooth finish is good for carving wood. I'll never forget the first time I got a wood chisel sharp with my Tormek. The chisel performed like a completely different tool. I spent several years working as a carpenter and had never appreciated the value of a chisel because I never had a truly sharp one.

The chipping shows up during grinding, if I continue grinding chips continue to show up. The stone is well dressed and trued. The picture of the chips is through a 15x loupe. There are deep scratches on the blade in the general area of where the chipping occurs which lends weight to the damaged blade theory. I'm new at this so just wanted to get some feedback. I have been picking up knives at yard sales to practice on. This is the first time I have encountered something like this.

I have encountered it only once on a pair of cheap pocket knives. The only thing I could do was sharpen them at a very blunt angle, making them useless for all but the roughest of purposes.

So you don't know if the chipping was there before you started sharpening, or were created by the sharpening process?

Inspect the edge with good light and a magnifying glass. Sharpen and see if the chipping gets worse or better.

If the sharpening process itself is creating the chipping, then I recommend you sharpen at a more blunt angle. It's poor quality steel.

On the other hand, if the chipping is reduced by sharpening, I recommend dressing the grindstone coarse and sharpen until the chipping disappears. Then you can dress the grindstone fine and sharpen again. Finish off with the leather honing wheel.

I bought their best buy, J.A. Henckels take-apart kitchen shears, a few months ago from Amazon. I ordered one pair but got three! The take-apart feature makes them easy to clean and will make them easier to sharpen. Years ago Jeff Farris told me to sharpen only the non-serrated blade of a pair of kitchen shears on the Tormek, and that the serrated blade could be lapped by hand.