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Yay! Glad that helped Darita.
I suppose that the paper wheels are quite a departure from the slow, even grinding work on the Tormek and it takes a little while to gain confidence, especially as there is an element of jeopardy in the higher speed revolutions.
Personally,I have all but given up on chasing sub 50 Bess scores. Too much time and fiddle faddle involved which can't be justified to most clients. Would only bother with a high end knife and by agreement with a customer.
Let us know how consistent you can get results with the paper wheels. I have had mixed results and don't bother with them much anymore.

I understand your position.  I'm a hobbyist and I have the time and inclination.  That said, consistency is what I'm after, so if paper wheels don't deliver, then I'll move on.  So far, paper wheels have given me quite good results though, so I'll carry on. 

When I started using paper wheels I had the same problem and it was a little worrying. So I think I got quite tentative which only made the problem worse. I contacted Vadim who instructed me to use greater pressure than one would think ( can't give you a quantitative figure for how much pressure).
Anyway, from that point on the process became much smoother with little or no chatter. I think there was a bit of a learning curve and a bit of 'running in' for the wheels themselves.

Well I followed your and Vadim's advice and ignored the chatter, using more pressure.  With that, I was able to get my first sub-50g Bess reading...I got 40g!  My hope is that as the paper wheel gets worn in, the chatter will go away and smooth out and I'll be able to get even sharper.  As it is, that 40g edge is able to split hairs easily, so I'm a happy sharpener.  Thanks again!

When I started using paper wheels I had the same problem and it was a little worrying. So I think I got quite tentative which only made the problem worse. I contacted Vadim who instructed me to use greater pressure than one would think ( can't give you a quantitative figure for how much pressure).
Anyway, from that point on the process became much smoother with little or no chatter. I think there was a bit of a learning curve and a bit of 'running in' for the wheels themselves.

Great advice, both from you and Vadim. I really do miss be able to ask him directly. Thank you for chiming in.

I can't,for the life of me, get rid of the bouncy vibration I feel in my tool when using these slotted paper wheels.  I've adjusted out 90% of the wobble in the wheels.  My 1/2 speed arbor has less than .0001" runout.  I've even tried attaching sandpaper to the back of a TT50 in an attempt to knock down the high spots on the out of round wheels with little success.  Is this normal?  Do all of yours do the same thing?  Or, should I have continuous contact with the wheel surface and have smooth, vibration-free contact.

I'll tell you my answer, (even though I know you won't like it)...

The faster, the smoother. 

...but does this happen for everyone?  I mean the seemingly out of round wheel?

That could be, but at this point, anything could be.  I get two high spots on the wheel on opposite surfaces and two low spots on opposite surfaces.  Is this normal or should it be a continuous contact pattern?

I can't,for the life of me, get rid of the bouncy vibration I feel in my tool when using these slotted paper wheels.  I've adjusted out 90% of the wobble in the wheels.  My 1/2 speed arbor has less than .0001" runout.  I've even tried attaching sandpaper to the back of a TT50 in an attempt to knock down the high spots on the out of round wheels with little success.  Is this normal?  Do all of yours do the same thing?  Or, should I have continuous contact with the wheel surface and have smooth, vibration-free contact.

Well, I was able to get a 52 Bess reading.  After honing with a leather wheel and chromium oxide, I went to a paper wheel with 1u spray and got the 52.  I'm happy with that.  Now I think I have a protocol for chisels.

I sharpened a chisel on the Tormek for the first time and removed the burr with the rockard felt wheel.
Then over a leather wheel, with 0.25 micron diamond polish.

But because this chisel got so short from grinding after 52 years, I had to do the deburring freehand. Grinding just barely went with the guide.
I got to BES 149.

Then I deburred with a Belgian whetstone and came up to 82 and 107.

I am not dissatisfied. But I will not reach the BESS 52 with this chisel.

I'm usually happy with anything at 100 or less.

Am I seeing that not only can you run slotted paper wheels on the Tormek, but that they produce a better edge than 1/2 speed grinder/polisher? 

Is this saying that one should get better results on rock hard felt?

I want to use Vadim's method of using an 8" buffer for paper wheels.  Right now I'm using a Delta variable speed grinder that has a lot of runout and I don't know what speed the wheels are turning at.  I'm looking for good, reasonably priced, buffer recommendations.

Your Delta should work.  Most variable speeds run between 2000-3400 rpm.  The actual speed is not that important.  Paper wheels are pretty easy to true to a machine.  (Depends on how much runout there actually is I suppose.) 

I tried paper wheels on a Tormek... works OK I guess, but no advantage I saw over the leather wheel, and doesn't give the same results as running on a faster machine.

Wax has nothing to do with honing... it's only used on the grinding wheel.

Believe me, I tried to get those wheels to run true, but no matter what I did, they chisels were bouncing like crazy.  That grinder just doesn't cut it.

Would the MB-100 help in supporting the chisel when using the side of the wheel ?

Only if you can align the support bar to be inline with the wheel side, then you could use it as a fulcrum to gently lay your chisel back down on the wheel.  It's a good idea.

I've been working on chisels lately and found that I can use the side of my diamond/CBN wheels for flattening, however I have to pay a lot attention when I do so.  Much care must be taken while laying the chisel down so as not to allow the chisel back to rock either side-to-side or heel to tip.  What makes it difficult is that there is a constant pull on the chisel from the rotation of the wheel.  All that said, using the wheel side removes material much faster than doing it all by hand, on stones.  Once I'm sure the chisel is flat, I finish by hand on stones.  I recommend practicing on a junk chisel first.   Hope this helps.

Darita,

Ascertaining the speed of a variable speed grinder or buffer is easy enough to do. Digital read out tachometers are inexpensive and readily available. I used one when I converted my belt grinders to variable speed. (From practical experience, angle the light slightly. I had problems with straight on reflection.)

An unusual suggestion: Buy a second hand or stripped down T4. (Although there is no official ."T4 Custom", some dealers may sell them that way. Advanced Machinery is one.) The T4 motor spins at 120 RPM, compared with the 100 RPM motor of the T8. Also, for use with a paper or felt wheel, with the water trough removed, the T4 works with a 250mm wheel.

With paper wheels, the need for high speed is to generate enough heat to melt the wax. As I recall, Vadim used no wax.

Ken

That's interesting, as I have a SuperGrind that is doing nothing right now.  Question is, what effect would the slower speed have on the process?  I would think Vadim could have used his paper wheels on a T8, however he chose to use slow speed polishers instead.  Any idea why?

That is a particularly beautiful result. My compliments.

I myself have been a carpenter for more than 50 years. I am also going to give it a try on my 52 year old 'Nooitgedagt' chisels.

For me, sharp is enough. That's because a wood chisel can quickly become blunt again. Especially when working on construction work. You are then not able to sharpen chisels properly.
For that, you have a whetstone in your toolbox and sharpen "by hand," while working. That's how we were taught in school.

This always results in the end that the cutting edge is no longer 27 degrees*), or a corner is out, or the angle becomes slightly rounded. And with the Tormek, I make the cutting edge exact again, as it should be.

So if you're ever going to sharpen for a carpenter, it's not about "as sharp as possible," it's about "sharp" and the right sharpening angle. And: a straight cutting edge, exactly at 90 degrees.

But your test I do enjoy reading.

*) In Holland we sharpen wood chisels at 27 degrees and not at 25 degrees

I take your point respectfully, as you are a carpenter, where I am just a hobby woodworker.  I have the luxury of time. 

I want to use Vadim's method of using an 8" buffer for paper wheels.  Right now I'm using a Delta variable speed grinder that has a lot of runout and I don't know what speed the wheels are turning at.  I'm looking for good, reasonably priced, buffer recommendations.