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Have you watched the video by Jeff Farris where he shows lifting the end of the knife as you sharpen the curved portion? For most knives this does a good job if you practice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYURcwkKGPs

Welcome to the Tormek Community. This is an excellent resource for any sharpening question related to Tormek.

Welcome Mr HD to the Tormek community. When I first started with my Tormek I practiced on several old kitchen knives that I had for camping. I would recommend watching the Tormek videos or this one before starting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYURcwkKGPs&t=466s

Once you get started feel free to post any questions you might have.

Welcome John,
To answer your other questions on burr formation you want to take several passes in the same direction to raise a burr. I find that several passes (3-4)with moderate pressure with a coarse setting on the stone is best if the knife is quite dull. When sharpening a knife that you have previously done there is really no need to use the coarsest setting. I find that if you do not use the grading stone the grinding stone will settle in about half way between coarse and fine. I use this on most knives then grade fine for finishing the edge. If you watch the videos by Jeff Farris https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYURcwkKGPs&t=466s you will see he is not exerting much pressure. You may also find that it takes more passes if you are altering the angle on a knife. More work must be done if you are changing the angle say from 20° per side to 15°. If you look under magnification it is apparent where you have sharpened and where you have not when changing the angle.

Also watch the part of the video where he hones the blade on the leather wheel. This is a critical step in removing the final small burr that remains after sharpening both sides on the stone. Doing this step without a jig as he shows is not difficult but it takes a little practice to get the feel for it.

Sharpening using the Tormek should be relaxing. If you are feeling any stress in your shoulders or arms you are using too much force. Let the wheel do the work. When you are done sharpening it should cut newsprint very easily. I use the advertising from the grocery I get in the mail or a store receipt. If your knife will easily cut these it is sharper than 90% of new knives out of the box.

Welcome to the forum. I think you will find the members here will make every effort to answer any questions you might have.

I also recommend browsing the knife sharpening topics once you are comfortable with the machine. There are a number of great threads that will elevate your sharpening abilities and you will be turning out razor sharp edges in no time.

Please post what they say. It would be interesting to know a little bit about this seemingly obscure model.

The most important thing about kitchen knives is how they feel in your hand and the balance. If you are prepping large quantities of food an ill fitting knife can give you a blister. How much you want to spend is also a consideration. I would also recommend buying the knives that you need rather than a set unless you get a really great deal. You can get a block or roll up case as an add on. Most people rarely use all the knives in the sets they buy. I see this when I sharpen these sets for people. Some of the knives are well used while others look like they were just taken out of the box. Go to a shop like Sur La Table and hold the knives before investing. Also consider how well you are going to care for them before making a large investment.

I also remember the odd order of the item and adjectives. For example Patrol Boat, River or PBR.

I remember from my early engineering years working for the US Navy that when you use an acronym you must spell it out when first used in the document. While extra work this might help as there are 30 definitions for USB not including the Tormek one. While most can be ruled out by context it is not readily apparent what a Tormek USB is to the uninitiated.

I like the idea. No idea how much effort it would take to implement on this site. If it were to be done there are not that many things to define.

john,

what makes a good steel? I do have one in my kitchen, but never really got into using them.

I think all of the commercial steels are close to the same. The variations come in length and finish. I prefer a smooth steel that I use every day when I pick up a knife or more often if I am doing a lot of prep work. Steels also come in coarse or fine grooves. These are a little more aggressive and can be useful when you are not diligent in using the smooth one. I personally do not use ceramic or diamond ones as I feel they are too aggressive and remove material. When my knives do not respond to the steel it is time for sharpening. When a knife has been properly sharpened and maintained subsequent sharpening is an easy job. I use the SG-250 with a light touch at its finest and the leather hone. Here is a good video on using a steel. His is grooved and he does not use it every time. Mine is smooth and I do it every day. If you are not using the knife much you do not need to do it daily. Butchers will steel several times a day to maintain the edge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKYPCxx20zg

Is the recommendation to use a traditional "steel" steel, or ceramic? 

I am under the impression that the steels are too aggressive, that the finer ceramics are better for maintaining an edge.  Under microscopic examination, my sense of the steel steels is that they tear up an edge more than restore them.  I don't care for what ceramics do to and edge either, but it is far more acceptable, to me at least. 

Last summer, when I was doing farmers markets, there was a discussion of using a ceramic as part of the finishing process of sharpening.  I tried it but did not like the results.  May well be my unpracticed technique.

Rick

Rick,
There are different steels available and ceramic ones. The primary difference is that the ceramic ones remove material while the steel ones do not. The steel rods come in 3 basic configurations coarse and fine grooves and smooth. If I remember correctly Wootz's research indicates that the smooth steel used before each use of the knife is the best. I will go look at his book as that is where I think I saw it. I am convinced proper technique is key to using the steel. Maintaining the sharpening angle the most important. I have always wondered how some chefs maintain the angle when they steel a knife at breakneck speeds. Here is the one I use. I got it many years ago and I am able to set the sharpening angle then draw the knife across it while maintaining the knife vertically. The fine and coarse grooved ones will help bring a more degraded knife back to a usable state but I have found little need if I use the smooth one each time.

I do not think my steel is available but here is a picture of it.

https://forum.tormek.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3955.0;attach=3233;image

Your skill will quickly improve with a little practice. When sharpening I would rather make 2-3 gentle passes rather than 1 heavy handed one.
Also, care of the knife is important. Here are a few tips:

Use a wooden or plastic board
Never use the dishwasher and hand wash and dry individually after each use.
Store your knives in a block with the edge up or use a magnetic strip. Do not throw them in a drawer unprotected
If you must cut bone identify one cheap knife for that purpose. We have a lot of people that cut the knuckle off of chicken thighs to make lollipops for BBQ.
Do not use the knife's sharp edge to scrape food off the board. Most people always scrape in one direction which can't be good for maintaining the edge.
Last use a steel before each use

How did you ruin your kitchen knives? I started out practicing on old kitchen knives in the camping box. They all came out sharp but with time and practice I have "honed" my skills and they are now an par with razors.

Let us know what problems you are facing and the group here always is glad to help.

I would go with Ken's suggestion. If you are using it very frequently and adding compound occasionally I doubt you will have an issue. Long term non use and storage in hot and dry conditions is the enemy of any leather.