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Interesting video with some good practical information. I wish they would have included the soft Japanese board and polycarbonite boards as well. Here is what I use under my boards to prevent any slippage.Especially needed with the plastic ones.

https://www.target.com/p/con-tact-brand-174-grip-premium-153-non-adhesive-shelf-liner-thick-grip-white-18-x-8/-/A-13052241

I use 140mm for my length on most knives. I also will use a block and ruler at different settings if the knife warrants it. It is a lot faster when nothing needs to be changed.

Once in a while when the black residue bothers me I will use the edge of a piece of steel held at a fairly high angle to remove most of it. The spine of a scrap knife also would work. For the most part I rarely do this as I find that the compound seems to break down with use and becomes finer resulting in an even better finished edge. How often you add compound of course depends on use but I now do not use it as liberally as I once did.

Welcome to the forum Steve. There is a wealth of information on woodworking tools in threads already and the combined knowledge of the other members always astounds me. Don't neglect your kitchen knives; they are fun to sharpen on the Tormek.

Is it possible that the difference in force needed to cut the test medium is due to the extra force needed for the wedge to penetrate the medium? It would be interesting to look under a microscope at the test medium that the blade has just contacted but not cut through. Better yet would be a using a very high speed camera to see what is happening.

I like having the fine adjustment when I am using the Sharpie method to exactly duplicate an existing angle. I have a couple of customers that specifically ask for the knife to be sharpened at the exact angle it is currently at. Without the laser tool to accurately measure the angle the sharpie is all I have at my disposal.

Ken, are most chisels not square new and out of the box? I have done a few but never seen them this far off.

I like the idea of replacing the shaft with the corrosion resistant stainless steel one.

During my engineering days working for the US Navy corrosion was a constant battle made worse by a salt water environment. Rust is insidious and it will reform quickly if even trace amounts remain. Shafts will be pitted by rust and short of using chemical means it is not possible to completely remove it by sanding without excess material removal. Once started you may be able to slow the rusting but not stop it from recurring.

..........I have accumulated seven support bars over the years. I believe two would suffice for most Tormekers. (one standard, the second preferably the US-430 and a VFB)
I'm sure there are additional support bar uses unknown to me.

Ken

Hi Ken - Typo may confuse some; should it be FVB?

Roger, I think you can do better with just the standard Tormek setup you have along with the FVB. take a look at this thread where Al was able to achieve a 65 BESS score.

https://forum.tormek.com/index.php?topic=3936.0

I also wanted to point out that the burr you see in print or on the Internet is greatly exaggerated so that you can easily visualize it. As you become more experienced you will be able to detect a much smaller burr along the blade. It is not necessary to have a relatively large burr for proper sharpening. After all you are just going to grind it off when you sharpen the other side. The final burr you will have after using the finest setting on the stone is almost undetectable. When you move to the honing step you are actually honing off the remaining burr leaving a polished and extremely sharp edge.

This is the subject of many threads here, final burr removal and honing. When you have properly honed the blade you will have an extremely sharp edge that will last you longer.

lastly, learn how to properly use a steel to maintain your edge. You can significantly extend the time between sharpening if you use the steel prior to each use of the knife.

No need to remove it. I was just wondering if I was missing something. Sort of like the American Literature class I had to take in college; great stories but I never could see the messages the professor said was there.

Ken, as you know I agree with you assessment of Facebook and the page in question. However, I am puzzled how it relates to a toothy edge discussion.

What I like is that by following the steps outlined in the book you are able to produce an exceptionally sharp and lasting edge with a stock Tormek. It may take a little longer but it can be done.

Thank you for the article it is an interesting read.

The myths that are so prevalent in the knife sharpening world abound. It is difficult even in the face of scientific proof to convince many of the believers.