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I'm convinced that dandelions actually duck when they see the mower coming.  It's a reasonable man's only way to explain how they can survive a mower deck when they are taller than the grass that gets cut next to them.  I deeply respect dandelions.  They grow anywhere!  From shade to dry cracks in the middle of cement.  Their multiplicative proclivities are astounding. What an amazingly obnoxious plant.

Anyway, I use a Kalamazoo 1SM.  It's a 1" grinder.  It's great for sharpening because it's slow @ 17500 rpms so it does not heat things up as quickly as a faster machine does. It's truly an excellent machine for under $300.00.  But, the one inch belt is not ideal for mower blades. Powered by its Baldor motor, it does a great job and is completely adequate for the task, but a one inch belt is a little small for mower blades, so it takes longer.  If your main purpose is sharpening mower blades, you might want to consider a 2" – 4" grinder, or a dedicated mower blade grinder.  But, like I said, the 1SM does a great job.  It's a lot like mowing your yard with a 48" mower deck rather than a 60" deck.  Works great, just takes a little longer.

I'd love to have this Burr King. It rocks!  Lawn mower blade sharpening starts about two minutes in, but the whole thing is rather cool and worth watching:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvgvEpAHT3M

Or this!  You can get into a variable speed KMG for <$1500.00.  What an amazing machine.  I've had my finger trembling over the trigger on this a couple of times, but, sadly, sanity prevails:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYllaxuzMk0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy_guBBaUTU

I mean...,  It's only money..........,  Right?

I see that your machine is only 1/3 HP, is that a problem? I only anticipate sharpeining knives with this? thanx

I saw a dandelion laughing at me the other day. Can you help me change that expression by naming your belt grinder of choice? thanx

You need the bath and the grader now. The anglemaster is not vital as you can eyeball the angle that you want on an object. You use the anglemaster to see what angle it is that you are working with. You do not need it to set an angle already on an edge. The honing compound is also useful but the bare leather is going to work but not as well. I believe this is the Tormek that is designed to be used for no more than 30 minutes at a time so do not overdo it. Use 30 minutes and rest 30 minutes is the prescribed usage, I think.

There is no sleeve, leave the rust, it will grip better and only you will know it is there. It will be worn away or at least down through use. I am kidding about leaving it but not about the better grip. If Tormek wanted it rusty, they would have shipped it that way. Clean it the best way you can and let it ride. It is a friction drive so the more pressure you get up to some point  below seizure of course is better. And then again, the Tormek folks have designed that point in by allowing for the weight of the motor. I too, am a real newbie with this and bought my two for sharpening straight edge tools  or knives with some curvature. Do not be tempted to buy one of the ultra fine Japanese stones of 4000 grit or finer. They are just short of useless in application.

As far as cleaning goes here is my opinion that is not based on actually doing this. I would first try to take a wire bristle brush and brush it in hopes or removing any caked on debris. However, the wheel is actually the rough side of a piece of leather and so the stuff caked on it combined with it being scrubbed may remove that roughage. In that case, you might be able to obtain a narrow strip and attach that to the wheel. This would require a fairly accurate measurement so that the two ends meet exactly to eliminate a gap between the two ends. I would measure the circumference of the wheel and then cut my leather to that length. BUT, do not cut the ends at 90 degrees. Instead cut them at 45 degrees or more so that there is a merging of the ends from one to another. This will eliminate the bump that would otherwise occur. If this fails you can always revert to plan B which is buying another honing wheel. Good luck.

What does the box say on item "N"? Could it be the polishing compound for your leather honing wheel? Those other items are just something the previous owner used in conjunction with something else I suppose. I am sure you will enjoy your Tormek.

Thanks for your reply, but unfortunately it seems you have not understood the question fully.
You are right, I had no idea what I was talking about so I cannot help but someone on here can.

I have no direct knowledge of this jig or its use. I do not have a molding cutter. However, if there is a "limiter" made into the jig, then you should not alter its specifications. If you do, then it is only a limiter on that certain sharpening session that you are engaged in. In other words, you have destroyed its ability to limit except in that one session on the wheel. A limiter that has been altered in size, no longer limits. Its ability to limit is always changing at the whim of the person sharpening the "limiter". Having said all that, remember that I have never seen what you are asking about.

"I guess what I'm saying is that - rather than build a step to change YOUR height, perhaps move the Tormek between two (or more) platforms."

It is easier to build one stool than two or more platforms.

I think that unless you put the Tormek any higher than the height of your fingertips it is going to be too high. I know that sounds low but the actual working height of the wheel is several inches higher than the base. In other words you cannot set it at such height that you can use it and the bench still be useful for other tasks. I have a bench that is 29-30 inches high and I am 5'8" and the bench is too tall. I stand on a stool to use the Tormek. Welcome to club and be careful with your sharpened knives!

The short reason for the newest member attaining "full member" status is that this board has become much like a chat board. I registered 6-24-08 and have not yet attained full membership status. I hate to even post this as it just adds another post to my "score". The amount of posts one makes is not nearly as important as the content of that post. Those that post "good job" or something similar are just being talkative and not being useful. NO harm in that but it is just being social and not informative. I do not care how many posts anyone attains but it is not a score card. thanx

Is all this because you do not have a knife holder or the edge setter or do you simply want to play? What are the advantages of your design over the factory option?

Great pics and very interesting but what has this got to do with the Tormek as it only has two grits plus the honing wheel?

Many years ago, more than 40, I was at my aunts house and there was a giant stone wheel on an axle. There was a seat and two foot pedals that were extremely wobbly that were attached via levers and extensions to this wheel. I sat on the device and depressed first one and then the other pedal and it made the wheel turn. In my real early youth the size of the wheel seemed enormous. I was probably a very early teen or younger at this time and now am a fossil at age 57! My dad told me it was a knife sharpener. I mean the pedals had as much side movement as up and down. It was a wobbly thing and without practice would have been hard to "pedal". I wondered why you would run a knife blade over a rock but now I know! There was also a stand alone stone at my grandmothers which I was told was a wetrock (sic) now known to me as a whetrock. In those days I had no idea how to sharpen a blade. I even remember using an ordinary piece of concrete to abrade a knife edge. Wish those had been the "good ole days" but alas they were not. All this took place in southern Georgia in or around Vidalia. same place the world famous Vidalia onions come from now.

Are you looking at the mounting wheel for the leather honing wheel? A brand new honing wheel is not black.