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Herman's home made threading is certainly clever.  Without meaning any offense to a loyal Texan, it is a fine example of "Yankee ingenuity".  If you already have the threading equipment or access to it, it would be a viable alternative to purchasing a replacement support bar.

If you would need to purchased the thread die and holder, I would suggest just purchasing another support bar.  They aren't al that expensive.  Also, the threads are not the standard threads.  They are a modified acme thread.  The flat surface makes for better contact with the securing screw.

If you do decide to order another bar, I would suggest also ordering an extra micro adjust nut.  I have two nuts on each of my two support bars.  The double nut approach keeps the nut from moving out of adjustment.  That may just be one of my quirks. Several of us, my learned friend from Texan included, are tinkerers with the Tormek.  (Be sure to read about Herman's HK-50 knife jig.) Good, bad or otherwise, that is what I do.  I'm sure others have different opinions.

Keep us posted;

Ken

Welcome to the forum.

I'll offer a different approach.  I have a Henckel bread knife with fairly large serrations.  While I like the Tormek for my other kitchen knives, I'm not a fan of grinding the non bevelled side of the blade.

I use a quarter inch piece of dowel with some adhesive backed abrasive attached.  I use it like a file.  Filing each serration might seem like a lot of work.  One foot in front of the other and soon the journey has been completed. Ten minutes will see much of the job done.

Chose a dowel whits a little loosely in the serrations.  An alternative would be to use a piece of wood approximately 3/4" x 1/4" thick (or whatever fits your knife) and sand the edge round.  Attach the adhesive abrasive paper or (probably better) use diamond paste.  I would start with the coarse diamond paste and use a second stick for medium grit paste.

For inexpensive knives I might not bother with this.  Do be sure to grade your wheel fine and work slowly.  You can always go back for a second pass.  With experience you will get a feel for how much pressure to use.  Start light.

Incidentally, the other serrated edge blade I used to own was a Henckel tomato knife.  To my surprise, my chef's knife does a very good job with tomatoes after sharpening it with the Tormek.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Ken

I haven't tried it, however, I have seen one side of a dry grinder used with a buffing wheel.  Make very sure you use the back side , so that the wheel turns away from the tool.  Having a Tormek, I rarely use the second wheel (an 80 grit white wheel) on my dry grinder any more.  The primary wheel, a Norton X3 46 grit, gets occasional use. It cuts quickly and leaves a surprisingly smooth surface for such a coarse grit.

Ken

Welcome to the forum.  It looks like you got a good deal.  I have no idea what a THK-170 is.  Would you describe it?

I have the new EZYlock stainless shaft. I originally added on to my first T7, which had the regular shaft, but in stainless.  The new shaft is a real improvement, however, I would not give replacing the shaft top priority at this point.  Empty the water tray when you are finished, and occasionally grease the shaft bearings.  You should get a lot of service out of your shaft.  You can add the new shaft anytime.

The new model of the universal support bar with the micro adjust nut is very convenient.  I would add that when you get the diamond dresser.  The micro adjust nut makes it much easier to dress the wheel.  The diamond dresser and stone grader are really essential.

The RB-180 revolving base is nice, but hardly necessary.  I would place it at a lower priority than the new shaft.

If you have the older square tool jig, be sure to read Jeff's recent post with his PDF on keeping tools square.  Also check out the sharptoolsusa.com demo videos which Jeff did.  They are an excellent quick start guide. Keep a black marker nearby; it's a very useful tool.

Don't be shy about posting questions.  None of us came out of the womb knowing how to use a Tormek.  I would pass on trying to sharpen the nail cilppers.

Ken

Good PDF, Jeff.

Have you noticed projection length of the blade being sharpened to factor into the out of square problem?  I tend to keep the length as short as possible, but don't know if it really makes any difference.

Ken

Herman,  that's  the purpose of the blocks of wood which have been collecting dust on our woodpiles.

Ken

My Tormek sits on a discarded child's wooden table top I cobbled with 2x4 legs and misc. supports forty years ago.  The top has holes from various machines over the years.  Like me, it has become slightly less stable over the years.

My accessories  are stored in a nice looking white metal kitchen hanging cabinet which has seen service in many houses in my family (starting with my grandparents).  It is probably older than I am.  It works very well.

I don't think the Tormek chest is especially overpriced in itself, just beyond most of our budgets.

Sorry you are having a tough year, onewaywood.  Hopefully next year will be better.  Wise choice getting a bandsaw.  Much safer than a table saw and very versatile.

Ken

I agree with Rhino's preference of having drawers to store the extra grinding wheels.  At least, thats my first thought.

I certainly understand that the price for this item may well be out of most of our budgets, mine included.

However, in response to Rhino's comment (probably shared by many)  "An alternative is to buy a tool chest with wheels at any of the hardware stores.  The type that has a top chest sitting on top of a bottom chest with wheels.  Maybe the bottom chest can perform the same function."

I don't think it's fair to directly compare the Tormek chest with some of the inexpensive big box store rolling chests.  Most of them have a very few drawers and a large cabinet space.  A more fair comparison would be with a multidrawer Kennedy chest.  Kennedy does not make a chest in this size.  They do make larger chests with either five, seven or eight drawers.  They are a quality product and are priced in the ball park of the Tormek chest.  I suspect a Kennedy chest in this size with six drawers would be comparable in cost.

Like Herman and probably most of the forum, I use other tools in addition to the Tormek for sharpening.  This chest seems very well designed for the Tormek.  It is compact, something well appreciated in a small shop environment.  I would need other facilities for my sharpening needs in addition to this chest.

It would be fun to see one, and probably be very tempted.  I hope Tormek will soon post more detailed dimensions, including the inside sizes of the drawers.  I would not be surprised to see "package deals".

Ken

Welcome to the forum, Cabear.  Speaking just for myself, I'm not ignoring you; I just have no background with shears.

Good luck.

Ken

It's a clever idea.  I would like to see more specifics about it.  I have the DVD and measured drawing from New Yankee Workshop.  I have been planning to build a sharpening station which would accommodate two Tormeks.  At my age, that probably isn't practical.

However, if this unit would not require a second mortgage, it seems promising.

In the New Yankee episode, Jeff recommended against using wheels to make it portable because of the pressure sometimes involved in grinding.  No doubt it would be more stable without wheels. However, for some users the portability would be nice.  I suspect the height adjusters are a common metric thread, and could be replaced by wheels.  A simple portable base could be made up.

A simple wooden platform would be easy to build.

I look forward to seeing more information (and the price).

Ken

Grepper, you have to think of the long term usage cost.  While this machine might be just a little pricey up front, the motor uses only a little more electricity than a hundred watt bulb when it is running.   I'm sure a tool hawker would not miss this point.

Mike, an old Bridgeport milling machine would probably do this flat work well.  You could put it where your workbench used to be.

Ken

Good thoughts, guys.  In this age where major crimes are solved on television in less than an hour, becoming really proficient in knife sharpening requires concentrated experience.  (It makes me appreciate my old friend the chisel!)

I spent a long time and hard work flattening my grandfather's oilstone years ago.  Today I would try to do it on a diamond flattening stone, but back then it was rub rub rub on glass with carborundum powder.  Since then, I am very careful to try to use the surface of a stone or grinding wheel evenly.  I will also be sure to know when to hold and when to fold.

Any thoughts on thinning the bolster when needed (other than just do it)?

Thanks.

Ken

The moral of the story is sharpen it correctly from the start.

Ken

This arrived in today's email.  I don't know anything about it.

http://www.rikontools.com/facttag80-805.htm?et_mid=632082&rid=237810368

Keep in mind that an eight inch wheel has more surface speed than a six inch wheel at the same motor speed.  The larger wheel would give less hollow ground effect.

Baldor is certainly known as the best, and is priced accordingly.

A good grinder won't wear out.  I would check the old market, back when most grinders had an extra measure of quality build.

Ken

Good thought, Stig.  Thanks; I will work on it.  I do think it would be valuable to keep a straight piece of wood near the Tormek to check the edge curve of kitchen knives.

Funny story, Koolingit!  It reminds me of growing up in New Jersey.  Good for Tessie!  We need more Tessies to keep the knife sharpeners honest (and knowledgeable).

Ken