If you buy a Tormek T-7 between June 1st and June 30, 2015 you get an LED lamp which fits on top of your machine. Stig, Will this lamp be offered as a separate product?
A bright LED light would certainly be useful. I hope I don't have to buy another Tormek to get one!
Ken
I think you can purchase the light separately for $665.00 US. It comes with a free Tormek T7 that fits on the bottom of the light.
I believe there is something that is called Google, I think that is right. That might not be spelled correctly, maybe it is Yahoo instead. Beats all what will show up if the proper words are inserted sometimes. LED worklamp, perchance?
Hi,
We don´t sell it separately.
The base on the lamp is fitted for the top of the T-7 and makes it a bit special.
Regards,
Stig
I hope the decision not to well the LED light is actually a decision not to sell it separately until after the sale. If the light is not eventually sold separately, it would be the first Tormek accessory not to conform to the company philosophy of having all jigs and accessories available for older Tormek models. This is especially frustrating in that it appears to be a marketing decision rather than a technical difficulty.
Ken
From the image I saw of the light, I think one of those arm lights with the magnifier lens might be a better deal for those of us with pre this T7 fixture. Have both light and a magnifier, verses just a light that you hold behind your item.
I have two magnifiers on a clever bit of metal that goes behind my ears and rests on the bridge of my nose :-)
Sometimes I post before I know the whole story. The lamp is not a Tormek product. Like the promotional ax or knife, it is a promotional item only. my perception that Tormek had deviated from its philosophy of making any new (Tormek made) jigs or accessories fully compatible with older machines is still intact. My error.
Having older eyes and working in a shop with general fluorescent lighting, I do think the lamp would be a useful addition to the lineup in the future.
Ken
I use this kind of lamp. both zoom and light i one :D
(http://i.imgur.com/neAmFO8.png)
I have the same type of lamp mounted over my Tormek. I use it to check my progress when I'm sharpening. One of my favorite uses is checking to see if I've raised a burr everywhere along the edge. To do this I wipe the knife (or tool or whatever) on a rag and then look at it with the magnifier to see if threads have been snagged all along the edge.
I also have a 40X dissecting microscope on the bench to take a closer look at the edge itself so I can see just what's going on with the bevel.
I love the idea of having a microscope in your workshop....leave nothing to chance :-)
One of the things I see with the 40X microscope is the damage done to the edge by a steel. I use a steel because it's a quick way to refresh an edge. But a steel will work for only a while and then the knife will have to be sharpened. The steel effectively reduces the edge angle, and eventually the edge becomes blunt. I've seen similar damage caused by those devices where a knife is sharpened by running it through a slot. I remember the first one I ever saw. It was on the side of a new appliance called the electric can opener. It did nothing to sharpen a knife.
I found a magnetic sewing machine LED light on eBay that works, sortta. I am sure it is not as nice as the Tormek light. I hope it becomes a product.
Quote from: Herman Trivilino on June 06, 2015, 06:50:59 AM
One of the things I see with the 40X microscope is the damage done to the edge by a steel. I use a steel because it's a quick way to refresh an edge. But a steel will work for only a while and then the knife will have to be sharpened. The steel effectively reduces the edge angle, and eventually the edge becomes blunt. I've seen similar damage caused by those devices where a knife is sharpened by running it through a slot. I remember the first one I ever saw. It was on the side of a new appliance called the electric can opener. It did nothing to sharpen a knife.
Have you any light to shed on ceramic "steels" Herman? I've mentioned this before with my global knives. I used the T7 to put a proper edge on my chefs knife some time ago and went very carefully, fully jigged etc. Then I started using a regular steel to just tickle the edge back before each use. That worked really well for several months and then one day it nicked the blade and when I looked closely, the blade had a really sloppy raggy edge. I think the steel had been folding, folding, folding until eventually it seemed to almost leave a burr like edge which was very untidy (although due to its tooth it did still slice quite well).
Then my family got sick and all that kind of horseplay stopped for several months. Meanwhile I had been bemoaning my lovely global chef's knife being damaged in this way and my brother piped up with, you need a ceramic for that hard Japanese steel and promptly bought me one for Christmas. I've been using it ever since and it is way better than the old traditional steel. Why would this be? I haven't done anything to the knife and yet the ceramic appears to have brought it back from the brink! It's still not as sharp as a decent sharpen on the Tormek but it is pretty good. Do you think the ceramic provides sufficient "cut" to restore the edge to something respectable? I wish I had a microscope!
Steve, I second that hope. One of the demographics of Tormek users is that our eyes get a day older every day. Also, hopefully, with the passage of time our expectations become higher. We need very good light to meet these expectations.
Ken
Quote from: Rob on June 09, 2015, 05:16:58 PM
Have you any light to shed on ceramic "steels" Herman? I've mentioned this before with my global knives.
I recall that, and I have since then had in the back of my mind a desire for a ceramic. Also perhaps a ceramic knife, but that's another discussion. Anyway, no I have no experience with the ceramic "steel".
QuoteI used the T7 to put a proper edge on my chefs knife some time ago and went very carefully, fully jigged etc. Then I started using a regular steel to just tickle the edge back before each use. That worked really well for several months and then one day it nicked the blade and when I looked closely, the blade had a really sloppy raggy edge. I think the steel had been folding, folding, folding until eventually it seemed to almost leave a burr like edge which was very untidy (although due to its tooth it did still slice quite well).
Well said. My observations at 40X magnification seem to support that assessment well.
Hmm
I'm intrigued to learn what's happening at the coalface with a ceramic "steel" vs the less than ideal edge left by a traditional steel. In use, the ceramic really feels like it's cutting better. There is a pleasant resistance to the edge as you pull the knife over the tool. I'd really like to get a closer look at what its doing to the edge.
My guess is that it's applying a micro bevel. Basically the same thing as a steel, just cleaner and better. More filing, less bending.
Pictures attached
Here are a few ideas of led lights. There are all kinds available with all kinds of prices.
First, I almost forgot to send in the registration for the T-7 I purchased recently in time to secure my promotional LED lamp and Tormek baseball cap. Then I forgot all about the lamp until it arrived in yesterday's mail.
Pretty nice lamp!
(http://www.sharpoperator.com/uploads/5/7/5/8/57583949/8933021_orig.png)
The threads on the lamp I received were still a bit ragged. A few minutes cleaning up and smoothing and and a hint of lubrication and everything screws together nicely and fingers should be safe.
The beam is even focusable within a useful range.
(http://www.sharpoperator.com/uploads/5/7/5/8/57583949/6899847_orig.png)
And it's bright! And the screw-on magnet is a little monster.
~Doug
A few days ago I was standing in my kitchen and say a single straid of a spiderweb in our back yard, about 30 ft away. Now I know that a spider web of under a thousandths of an inch at 30 ft if well beyond the resolution of the human eye, let alone through a screen door. But as a light source reflecting the sun it is perfectly visible. (It is the same with stars, we cannot see them but we can see the light.)
Then it occurred to me that this is how I see the old dull edge of knives and scissors even without magnification. A bright light is the secret, coupled with rolling the edge so you see every possible angle between your bevels. Any glint of light as you roll and you have found the dull spot. Eureka!
Fully agreed, Steve, and thanks for concentrating our attention on the play of bright sun rays. :)
It's not just a pretty sight, the reflected rays really carry very valuable info about the bevel properties.
Last year we have discussed here my opinion that the human eye can quite easy distinguish between hollow and flat grinded bevel, thanks to the focusing properties of the hollow grinded surface. http://forum.tormek.com/index.php?topic=2295.30
Jan
Thanks Jan. So True.
This is a repeat of an earlier comment, but should be new to our newer members:
During my first three years with the Tormek, I worked out of an unheated and poorly lit garage shop, not the most pleasant environment. At the time, I thought the anglemaster was poorly designed. I found out otherwise when one day I set up my Tormek on a workmate just outside the garage. I was on the north side of the house, so the light was "open shade" (sunlight but on the shaded side of the building, a very pleasant way to work). Suddenly, the anglemaster worked much better! As recommended in the handbook, good light is crucial for good work with the Tormek. (It helps with any tool.) Fluorescent light is not as good as proper task lighting.
Ken