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The Scissors are a very old pair of Swiss made Scissors That have been around since I was a kid & have been used to cut things like copper wire (until I was cot doing that as a kid) & any thing that I could think of.

Isn't it great that we can bring back those old tools that our parents used, and make them work as good, or even better, than when they were new?  When I was a kid I thought that ruining a pair of scissors was a crime that could never be erased.

Thanks Steve, I'll attempt to re square the iron today and report back.

Do you have an old inexpensive wood chisel lying around?  You could practice on that.  There's no need to remove more metal from your plane iron.  You said you could get is square by adjusting the frog, so unless you're borderline OCD (like me ;-) there's no need to mess with it until you've had a bit more practice getting edges square.

I think I may have ruined a perfectly good block plane iron.  I didn't check before it I started the sharpening process for the first time, but after grinding it is significantly out of square.  I set the iron into the plane and had to skew it all the way over to get the iron square to the frog.  Any ideas on how I can reclaim the iron, I do not have any other grinder except the T7?

It's not ruined.  You may have mounted the iron crooked in the jig.  Or your grindstone is out of square.  Or, you just applied more force, with your fingers, on one side of the iron when you sharpened it.

The next time it needs sharpening you should be able to straighten it back out.

I still question if there is a reason why someone wouldn't or shouldn't use the TT-50 - Diamond Truing Tool for this purpose?  

The precision is not necessary.  The grinding wheel is too narrow and the work is too rough. 

On the other hand, if you want to do it, go for it.  Just be aware of the fact that it could eat the diamond tip of the truing tool.

With your rusted shaft, did you notice any rust near the threaded end for the drive wheel?  If so, then a stainless nut would be a good idea.  If not, perhaps we have a non existent problem.

Mine did not get rusty.  Jeff just confirmed in his response that that nut is not included it the upgrade kit.

The nut I'm talking about is not made of stainless steel.  In fact, IIRC, it's the same nut that came with my 2000 when I bought it about seven years ago.  The MSK-250 did not come with a new nut, as I recall.

I'm so glad this discussion took place here.  I've been over-oiling my honing wheel for years.  Today I sharpened every knife in the kitchen.  As I added compound to the wheel it kept coming off as a dirty liquid goo.  I kept removing the goo add adding fresh compound until I got the wheel cutting properly. 

I was able to quickly sharpen and hone every knife.  It was the fastest and smoothest sharpening session I've ever had.

I will never again add oil. Just fresh compound.

Is the situation the same with the T-7?  I ordered the MSK-250 and, if I recall correctly, it did not come with a stainless steel nut.

I get perfectly good results on my chisels and hand planes using only the stone that comes with the Tormek, followed by the Tormek honing wheel.  I think anything more than that on these tools, and many others too, is overkill.

As to the new plane irons and chisels, I always check to see if the back is flat.  If it has machine marks on the back, I'll flatten it and then sharpen it before I ever use it, unless for some reason I'm in a hurry to use it and don't have another on hand.

My tools cut like a hot knife through butter now. I'm working on a wall sculpture now and mounted a slab of red oak on my lathe and cut the surface down and hollowed out some areas in no time flat, no tear out, and I needed to follow up with very little sanding. I must say, I'm impressed.

I worked for several years as a carpenter.  Power tools were used for everything a power tool could be used for, so I thought that if were ever to become an accomplished carpenter I'd need to own all the power tools needed to make any project look like it was done by an accomplished carpenter. 

It wasn't until I started sharpening tools on my Tormek that I learned I was wrong.  For example, I could never get good results with a chisel, and thought I needed a router to mortice a door hinge.  But I now know that with a sharp chisel I can succeed.  Same thing with hand planes, etc.

If you think you don't know how to use chisels and handplanes because you've never had success with them, it's much more likely that they simply aren't properly sharpened.  To work correctly, these tools need to be razor sharp.  Then they are a pleasure to use.

Just curious: How do you guy handle the dirty water and the sludge that builds up at the bottom of the tray?

Scoop out the slush with a putty knife and toss it in the trash or out on the lawn.  I usually toss the dirty water out on the lawn, too. 

A question came up on another woodworking forum about the use of antifreeze to prevent the wheels in water-cooled grinders such as the Tormek and the Jet. 

Water should never be left in the trough long enough to freeze, anyway.

I know that sharpening services do offer to sharpen paper cutters.  Those things take a lot of abuse, some people try to use them to cut all kinds of things.  I've never sharpened one or had one sharpened for me.  Looking at them, I would think they're shapened like hockey skates are sharpened.  A nice true edge at 90 degrees.

I save a few dollsrs on the whole system, but am I buying things I will not use? 

ou don't know what you'll end up using once you get started.  I remember when I first got my Tormek.  After sharpening every knife, chisel, and plane iron in sight, I started looking for other stuff that had an edge I could grind.  It became something of an obsession, but I'm better now.   

If I visit my local hardware store, they have a little flyer they can give me, listing their sharpening services, and the prices.  The person who does the sharpening is listed on that flyer, and I've talked to him a couple of times on the phone.  Of course, I've had him sharpen a number of things for me, such as carbide-tipped saw blades for my table saw, and hand saws, too.  (I can't sharpen those things with my Tormek).

If I were inclined to go into business for myself, I'd take a close look at those prices, and I'd ask the sharpener if I could come and visit his shop.  Perhaps under the pretence of having to pick up a saw blade that he's recently sharpened for me.