Messages

One of my photography instructors had a favorite saying (from a Chinese fortune cookie); "When you are in a hurry, dress slowly".

We have probably all heard the story of the high school wood shop teacher who made his students endure countless hours handplaning a board until it was perfectly square and parallel.  It is tempting upon opening a new Tormek to gather all the chisels, plane blades, etc. for a long awaited sharpening.

The idea of spending much of an initial sharpening session concentrating on one blade painstakingly checking it with a Starrett square probably doesn't sound very exciting.

Shawn, I think you are wise to want to get your block plane blade dead on.  By the way, how did it go?

Ken

Hi, Ionut.

Very clever of you to try twisting the stone with the original shaft.  I did not think of trying that.

The instructions tell how to change stones, not the shaft.  Yes, it is very straight forward to change.  Maybe all children learn how to change grinding shafts in Sweden as part of the Sloyd knife program.  I had no problem doing it; but it would have been nice to have had a diagram to follow.

Before installing the new shaft, I had planned to use only the original wheel.  Changing wheels seems like a nuisance.  I was more interested in the finer Japanese wheel, but thought my water stones would do the job more quickly.  I had not even considered the black wheel. 

The new shaft opens up more possibilities.  Changing wheels takes only seconds.  It speaks well for the Tormek that the most recent units come equipped with both the EZYlock and the improved water trough as standard equipment.

Ken

ps My "new" square edge jig is presently maneuvering through the postal system.

Excellent post, Neal.

I just installed the EZYlock shaft upgrade on my T7.  It is very much a Tormek product.  It is well designed and nicely manufactured.  A real quality job. 

Installation took about ten minutes.  My T7 once again purrs like a kitten, and it certainly is a snap to change wheels.  I think I have it installed properly.  I'm really not sure.  Neither the kit nor the most recent edition of the handbook have either a diagram or description of changing the shaft.  The new shaft design seems to have entered the thought process at Tormek, but not the handbook or instruction process. 

Very nice product.  It deserves better instructions for those of us who have only average mechanical ability.

Ken

 

Pleased to help, Brett.  It speaks well of you as a loving husband to be willing to purchase a Tormek accessory for your wife.   She doesn't happen to have any high speed lathe turning tools she wants you to sharpen, does she?  If so, we will help provide encouragement. 

Ken

I think Jeff and Herman are going in the right direction.  The scissors jig is a somewhat longer and narrower version of the Torlock tool rest.  The Torlock is not expensive, and has many general purpose uses.

I would suggest removing one of the blades and doing a dry run:  holding the blade against the Torlock platform next to the stone with the machine off.  Moving the blade back and forth will either feel comfortable (well supported) or not.

In either the vertical or the horizontal position, you could also clamp small blocks of wood on either side of the wheel to keep the blade in place.  Again, I would recommend doing a dry run to get comfortable with things.

I would set the tool rest for a 90 degree cut.  Take a light cut.  You should not have to remove much.

Go slow and remember, "fortune favors the brave".  Keep us posted.

ken

"The knife that I have looks like only half of it was sharpened."

That may be the crux of the problem.  I wonder how many oboe students give up reed making because they don't know how to properly sharpen their knives.  I wonder how many turners get discouraged because their turning tools are not sharp; how many woodworkers never get good results with their dull tools, and how many cooks muddle along with dull knives.

You have the opportunity  to share a very important skill for reed making with your daughter (in addition to driving and funding the operation!).

I have enjoyed this conversation, also.

Ken

Brett,

Ron Hock's book is The Perfect Edge.  It includes much more than the tormek, however, he is Tormek friendly.  Ron is a knife and blade maker.  I think his book should be part of the reference bookshelf of every serious sharpener.  Also, after reading it, I had some questions and emailed him.  He answered my emails and my questions.

I think you have made  good choice with the diamond stones.  Your daughter won't have problems keeping them flat, and they should cut very well.  I think the Tormek is certainly up to sharpening an oboe knife.  I also think the teacher is wise to have your daughter learn how to sharpen by hand.  (She certainly does not want to carry a Tormek as airline luggage!)

My daughter studied both cello and oboe.  Her cello teacher and first two oboe teachers were all classmates at Eastman.  All were fine musicians with Master's Degrees.  The difference was the cello teacher played with the Cleveland Orchestra.  (There are more cellists, and more job opportunities in the orchestra.)  Both oboists played in a smaller orchestra.  The cellist made a good living.  The oboists moonlighted doing waitressing and office work to make ends meet.  For them, $100 would have been a chunk of change.

I know an oboe can make a Tormek seem reasonably priced.  (I bought one, too, many years ago.)  Be grateful that you don't have to buy a bow.

The oboe makes a beautiful haunting sound.  Best of luck to your daughter with her studies.

Ken

ps Back to the Tormek:  I would suggest you start with the fine grit configuration of your stone.  I doubt the knife is more than a little dull.  (no nicks)

Hi, Ionut.

Thanks for the info.

Ken

Brett,

Your post piques my curiosity.  I talked my my former oboe playing daughter, who played in the old oil stone days.  I did some preliminary googling "oboe reed knife/ sharpening".  The one supply house featured knives in the hundred dollar range. (No wonder the teacher is a bit gun shy about using a grinder.  The teacher probably has no idea about the difference between a dry grinder and a Tormek.)

Apparently the oboe community has not read Ron Hock's fine book on sharpening.  Some more modern stones were listed, however, the oil stones are still players.  Even the triangular arrangement where three stones of different grits shared a common oil bath, as did their swarf.  These were in vogue during the last millennium.

For sharpening one knife used in reed making, one could buy a lot of high tech sandpaper and a glass or granite surface for less than the price of regular sharpening stones.  And, it would always be flat.  I would suggest thinking carefully before spending on stones.

One article described using a burr on the knife edge to scrape the reed.  Is this part of the reed making process?   

Ken

"Man is the only animal with the One True Religion, all seven of them"

Mark Twain

Interesting.  It did not occur to me to use the SB wheel for lathe tools.  Why not, the modern ones are high speed steel.  I guess the real criteria is the kind of tool steel, not the kind of tool.

Any thoughts on which wheel would work better with A2 steel, as used in some chisels and plane blades?

Ken

I had the same thought and purchased the universal universal support bar. My plan is to use the two bars with the TTS 100 (turning tool) setting gage.  By varying only the tool protrusion setup would be very consistent and repeatable.

Ken

Brett,

I have not sharpened oboe knives.  (I hope someone will reply who actually has sharpened them.)  My daughter played the oboe many years ago.  That was in the era of oil stones.

I remember about that time WCLV, the Cleveland commercial fine art radio station, was running a fund raiser for the Cleveland Orchestra.  Various orchestra members were sharing talents (musical, cooking, photography, etc.) for a donation.  Among the prizes was a private reed making lesson with John Mack, Principal Oboist, and one of the top reed makers in the country.  My daughter was very young at the time, but, in hindsight, that would have been a rare opportunity.

The burrless double bevel knife sounds interesting, but, like you, I am a bit skeptical.

Reed making involves very fine paring.  Certainly the Tormek could handle the preliminary sharpening, and very quickly.  You might consider finishing the job with a very fine waterstone or ceramic stone.  Wayne Barton, the chip carver, uses the expression "refreshing his edges" with a fine (waterless) ceramic stone.

I recently read (on Harrelson Stanley's website, the guy who designed and sells the side moving honing jig) about "edge jointing".  This involves making a very light right angle pass along the finest stone before the final honing.  The theory is it gets rid of the microscopic bumps on the edge.

I hope others will respond, and that you will keep posting what you find out.

Ken

Gary,

Too bad about your square.  A Starrett square is a very useful tool, and should easily last a lifetime if used properly.  I would replace it; it's a good investment.  (The same applies to Henckel knives.)

Ken