Messages

Good questions, Tom. Paul Sellers from the UK is certainly an excellent source. Another excellent resource person in the US is Ernie Conover. He can be emailed through conoverworkshops.com.  I have known Ernie for thirty years and have taken numerous classes with him, including his handplane restoration class. He is an excellent teacher.

The #1 plane is really a very collectable plane rather than a user. Approach any restoration carefully.

Ken

I was pleased to find this new video from Tormek about convexing sharpening a knife with a T4 Bushcraft. Granted, it could be just as easily done with a T7/8 or a regular T4; however, I have felt the T4 Bushcraft has not received much press.

The video was very well done, both informationally and technically. Here is a link:

https://youtu.be/zqqEyRU2SxY?si=-MOVJymKkkPCObaJ

Ken

Good post, John.

Ken

Hobbit,

Good question. Many years ago, my T7 was stolen during a break in while I was moving. I contacted a friend who was a former US importer for Tormek. He referred me to a large US dealer who also stocked spare parts. While there was no official "custom" program at the time, he sold me a stripped down version of the T7 at a fair price. Neither he nor I got rich on the deal.

I have no knowledge of UK dealers. I would suggest you contact the UK importer and several larger dealers. Include the dealer who sold you your present T4. Explain your situation and that you are looking for a second T4, either regular or Bushcraft (they are identical). Watch for sales and the second hand market.

Unlike the T8 Original, the T4 does not include any jigs in the original box. Essentially, you would end up with a spare SG-200, leather honing wheel, and marker, all of which you would probably end up using.

Ken

Two thoughts:

The actual cutting is only done by the very edge of the blade. I agree with the secondary bevel. I understand the desire for the entire bevel to be shiny; however, this shine is mostly for looks. Spending time with the leather honing wheel will help narrow the gap.

A possibility is purchasing a new SG-200. That will make the two wheel diameters much closer. Use your present SG-200 for tools which don't require the SJ-200.

Ken

Good point. I had forgotten about my 2024 post. The video can stand on its own merits.

Ken

This video features two knife experts using a Tormek. Oneof them is Thomas Ericksson, grandson of one of the founders of Morakniv.

https://youtu.be/iYsgxerFKHk?si=fDHKgjQ8N_4QRb_W

Ken

TGB,

Your points are well taken. It may surprise you; however, I agree with you. In my own sharpening, I use a set of three DMT diamond cards. Each is epoxied onto a piece of steel 2" x 8" x 1/16". This was a piece of 2' steel from my local hardware store cut into thirds. These are placed into older square edge jig (s).

I fully credit Wootz for conceiving the idea o using diamond plates to keep grinding wheels true and graded. I consider my minor modification a small improvement. Wootz' premature passing was tragic in many ways. Who knows what concepts Wootz would have developed with a longer life.
believe both truing and grading are developing concepts. I do not believe either Wootz' concept or my modification will prove to be the end all.

I often do not know the experience level of the members involved. Some members, like you, are obviously more skilled than the majority of the membership. I suspect most members are still using the stone grader, many using it very infrequently. For some, I believe these suggestions might be a step up in their technique. I encourage more advanced posts like yours. It will help us all grow.

Ken

This topic is an expansion of my TT-50 topic. The same concept of average cutting efficiency can be applied to the stonegrader. It works in both keeping the stone coarse and fine. Again, I recommend watching the Pressure online class linked here:

https://www.youtube.com/live/7laP_ysnMwo?si=FzjiYp79vs5zLKfS

Ken

I have posted before about my preferred TT-50 technique. I learned this by "resharpening" a turning skew. I set the jig according to the booklet recommendations and soon realized that the skew did not fit the standard specs. Instead of just resetting the skew to match the existing specs, I decided to regrind it to the Tormek jig specs. Bad move. It created a lot of time consuming work. The one bright spot was that I became fluent with my TT-50. I should have just shifted the skew gradually, correcting it over several sharpenings.

This experience helped me develop my mental bar graph of using the TT-50. Imagine a bar graph where the horizontal axis represents use time of the tool. The vertical axis represents the cutting efficiency (sharpness) of the tool. The tool begins with 0 time and 100% cutting efficiency. As the tool is used,  the cutting efficiency gradually decreases. Eventually, the TT-50 is used to restore the stone to 100% efficiency. Combining all the points lets us arrive at an average cutting efficiency.

If the TT-50 is used more often, the average cutting efficiency is improved. This principle is shown in the online class on Pressure. Done frequently, only a very light cut is needed, perhaps only half a number on the micro adjust. Wear on the grinding wheel in minisculs. For heavier or prolonged use, efficiency can be improved by leaving the TT-50 preset in a second support bar.

Here is a link to the Pressure online class. There is much good information in it.

https://www.youtube.com/live/7laP_ysnMwo?si=FzjiYp79vs5zLKfS

Ken

When I purchased my first Tormek in 2009, in the US, "the Tormek" was the T7. In hindsight, like Integrale, if the T4 was available, it would have been quite adequate for my needs, either blue or Bushcraft version. No complaints with my faithful T7.

John, one of my pet ideas over the years has been using a single ball bowling bag to carry my T4. (It also works with a T2 or T1.) I think it makes an ideal way to carry a mobile Tormek. My Brunswick bag cost around thirty dollars US. I wish it had been available in blue with gold trim, the colors of Sweden and King Magnus III. In my humble opinion, that would have been really classy. However, my black bag is perfectly functional.

I removed the grinding wheel. I placed the wheel in its cardboard box. The box fits in the bottom of the bag. The T4 sits on the wheel box. A plastic food container would provide more water protection, but a sealable baggie would also work with the box. i lent my T4 to a friend for an extended trial run. I was surprised by how much my humble bowling bag held. Several jigs, truing tool, stone grader, etc., protective plastic cloth, extension cord, more etc.

The neckstrap makes carrying very convenient. I can even imagine using public transportation for mobile urban sharpening.

Ken

The phrase, "including, but not limited to" is a legal phrase which can also apply to the Tormek machines. Tormek marketed the smaller, 200mm diameter wheel machines as being for hobbiests. With no disrespects intended toward hobbiests, I believe the improvements introduced with the T4 go well beyond the hobbiest realm. In fact, the machined zinc top designed to limit the heat of the T4 later became the primary difference between the T7 and the T8. The old "thirty minute duty cycle" is a leftover from the certification test for older models with all plastic housings which retained the motor heat. The machined zinc top of the T4 (and T2) acts like a radiator and disperses the heat. It also provides a three bundred percent precision improvement in the alignment of the main shaft and support sleeves.

The standard size of dry grinders in 200mm wheel diameter or "eight inch" in the US. Many old timers like me are still using fifty year old smaller six inch grinders. While the reigning champ is still the 250mm grinding wheel, the T4 "hobby" wheels are the same diameter professional eight inch dry wheels, and the Tormek wheels are thicker.

The Tormek 200mm universe is still evolving. A major step forward was the introduction of diamond wheels. These were first introduced as the DWF-200 and DWC-200 for the T2. Within a half hour of the arrival of my T2 and DWC, I discovered the DWC was also a perfect fit for the T4 and greatly increased its "horsepower". The switch from the DWS wheels to the DW series made flat grinding using the side of the wheel possible and added the extra fine wheel to the lineup. (The slanted composite honing wheel of the T2 also fits the T4.) In my opinion, the T4 wheel evolution is still not completed. I hope Tormek will eventually introduce a SB-200 blackstone.

Still underdeveloped markets for Tormek are older users and users with smaller workshop space. A T8 is a lot to carry for us senior citizens. A T4, especially with its grinding wheel removed, is pleasant to carry and requires less shop space. In a larger shop with a permanent space, this is not a problem. For a senior or an apartment dweller, this could be the deciding factor between a Tormek and going back to bench stones.

I am not advocating the T4 regular or Bushcraft for everyone. There are certainly situations where the T8 is the logical choice. High volume professional sharpening or situations like regularly sharpening larger drill bits certainly favor the T8 size machines. All of the jigs work with the T4, although some heavier applications favor the T8.

When the T4 was first introduced in 2014, I remember posts suggesting the T4 as a "starting" Tormek, with intentions of eventually "upgrading" to a T7. I don't recall many posts from users who eventually made that switch. Some, no doubt, coveted the "big engine V8"; however, I suspect most realized that the T4 was quite capable of handling their needs.

Incidentally, except for the color and marketing, the regular and Bushcraft models are identical. Neither is limited to hobby use.

Ken

Tormek IT replied that according to our hosting service, we had an attack by a botnet. That is way above my paygrade, however, we are hopefully done with it.

Thanks for being alert, guys.

Ken

Mike,
I have experienced the same failure rate today. I sent a status update request to Tormek IT. I will post any updates.
Ken

test

the forum appears to be working again!

Ken