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As for the US-430 not being part of the standard T8 delivery, I think that's a bit cheap.

I was involved in both the reintroduction of the US-400 and the US-430 and would like to  share what I learned from these processes:

The US-400 was originally part of the T-400, a specialized machine specifically designed for sharpening kitchen knives. The frame was longer than the standard Tormek. The longer  frame and the longer US-400 accommodated longer knives. Wootz (Vadim of Knife Grinders) was the first member to post about the US-400. He located and purchased one in Italy, quite a feat as Wootz lived in Australia. A small group of us, represented by forum member and Tormek dealer, Steve Bottorff, asked Tormek CEO, Håkan Persson to consider reintroduce it. Håkan agreed to produce a limited run. As I recall, it was for fifty units. These sold out quickly.

I emailed Håkan, suggesting that the US-400 would be amore useful tool if the legs were longer to accommodate taller cleavers. Håkan liked the idea and the US-430 was born and gifted me one of the first ones. I do not know whether I was the only one to make the suggestion.

The US-400 was never intended to be used with the regular Tormek models, even though it is compatable with them. The longer support is really only used in sharpening longer knives. Just as those who sharpen  knives exclusively occasionally complain about having  to pay for including the SE-77 with the T8, woodworkers might complain about paying to include a US-430.

I would classify the US-430, along with the rotating base and rubber work mat, as useful accessories where there is a need.

Ken

Wim,

You ask a very practical question. In the real world, I suspect most of us sharpen mostly midrange knives.I had the good fortune to watch Tormek expert, Stig Reitan, for a couple days. Stig has sharpened countless medium grade knives when demonstrating for Tormek using a T8 with an SG-250 and a leather honing wheel with Tormek PA-70. At home, he keeps his wife's Japanese knives sharp and well honed with a T-4, SG-200, and leather honing wheel with PA-70.

Stig is the master of pressure control, from heavy pressure for heavier grinding to finishing with very light strokes. He uses the stone grader more often and more skillfully than anyone I have met.

Ken

As you say this issue is just with longer knives, I suggest that the standard universal support is not long enough. The extended range US-430 support should solve your problem. Having a second universal support will be useful many times. Here is a link:

https://tormek.com/en/products/accessories/us-430-extended-universal-support

Ken

Sir Amwell captured my thought: "This is interesting".

I believe the SG has several underappreciated advantages. Unlike diamond or CBN superabrasive wheels, the abrasive runs all the way through the useful range of the wheel. Yes, the wheel does need occasional truing and dressing. Or, this could be restated to saying that the SG can be trued and dressed. For the majority of the fifty years of Tormek, this was never a big deal.

Along with truing and dressing, the SG can also be reshaped. The most common uses of this feature is putting a radius on the two corners of the wheel and grinding out chips in the wheel. I now make radiused corners on my SG as part of routine mtce.

I think the Stone Grader is an essential feature. It allows one grinding wheel to serve as both a coarse and a fine wheel. I also think it was designed before superabrasive wheels were used. Our late member, Wootz, introduced using inexpensive diamond plates as a more versatile alternative. Here is a link to his video:


https://youtu.be/141hD1d1zj0?si=GiyEMIY2L1htLf03

I modified his method slightly by epoxying DMT file cards onto flat pieces of aluminum. A 24" piece from the hardware store can be cut into three pieces. Mounting this into a square edge jig keeps things square.

These diamond plates are inexpensive and available in different grits. I had no trouble resurfacing my SG smoother than "1000 grit" although 10k seems like an enjoyable pipe dream. These diamond plates work well with the SG, SJ and SB wheels. As Wootz noted, using them helps keep the wheel true longer.

Try it; I think you will like it.

Ken

I question the importance and accuracy of grit numbers with Tormek sharpening. The concept of being able to adjust the grinding surface of a single wheel finer or coarser seems very useful to me. The minimum and maximum numbers of 220 and 1000 seem a fictitious over simplification to me. I believe Tormek interjected them to make it easy for the typical user to understand with minimum/maximum thought. This seems like another example of trying to aligning Tormek wet sharpening with dry grinding and/or bench stone sharpening.

Smoother ground surfaces can be achieved by using lighter grinding pressure. Smoother honed surfaces can be obtained by moistening the composite wheel, lightening the honing pressure, or extending the honing time.

In the years since I joined this forum (2009), I have seen numerous sharpening  frontiers pushed back by forum members. We still have room to grow.

Inexpensive diamond cards are a good way to expand the grit range of the non diamond Tormek grinding wheels.

Ken

Unclebuild,

"Tormek has several obsolete square edge jigs, with the SE-76 being a common older model replaced by the current SE-77, which offers cambering ability; even older models include the SVH-60, designed for thicker chisels and preceding the SE-76, with all these jigs designed for sharpening chisels and plane irons to a square edge, though the newer ones offer more versatile features."

I suspect your twenty year old jig is the SVH-60. one of the newer jigs would be easier to use.

Ken 

Welcome to the forum, Martha.

If you hold your knife on a cutting board, looking at it from the side, you should not be able to see light under any part of it. If you do, you need to correct it. The area where the light shines through will not cut through properly. In English, we call this "the green onion effect". This is usually caused by the bolster of the knife protruding below the edge of the blade. This is corrected by grinding down the bolster. This should be checked and corrected as part of routine sharpening, although it is frequently overlooked. This can be done freehand. Wolfgang covers this in one of the advanced knife sharpening classes.

Please let us know if this does not correct the problem. We are here to help.

While you are reading this, may I ask a favor? Although I am a US native English speaker, I have some long ago background in Spanish and German. I am sensitive to the frustrations our members who are not native English speakers may have on the forum. The forum has grown from a primarily US based English speaking community to a much more global community. I welcome this growth, although it also brings some "growing pains". I  would welcome any suggestions you might have to make the forum more multilingual friendly. You may post them or send mea Personal Message

Here is a link to the Knife Grinders youtube describing how to use the diamond grading plates:

https://youtu.be/141hD1d1zj0?si=KNY8N51jgPNBNrE9

Ken

I sharpen only my own knives. The only thin knife I own is the Henckels boning knife which is part of the set I purchased in 1990. My wife and I eat very little fish, so I have never added a fillet knife.

I have SVM 100 and 140 jigs, as well as a KJ-140. My boning knife is not long enough for either 140 jig. In hindsight, I would not purchase either of the long knife jigs, although I like the regular knife jigs.

Ken

Nicely done, Kwakster!

Ken

I would like to interject my thoughts about what is included and what is not included with various Tormek models. I will use the T4 as an illustration. The balance is between the most substantial machine and the final price. I have always thought the T4 is more than a hobby machine. When it was first introduced, the only three Tormek wheels for it were the SG and the SJ. The diamond wheels were not added until several years later. I have always thought that the TT-50 should have been included, although I realize that would have increased the price substantially. I also replaced the plastic EZY Lock nut with the metal nut issued with the T8 and the plain nut with the quick release as on the T8. These make the T4 a more efficient heavy duty machine, although at higher cost.

I look at any Tormek as a long term investment. I do not factor in cost"savings" when comparing models. In the long run, I believe the more practical machine is the best value.

Ken

I would like to add my thought that I believe the middle gap in the longer Tormek knife jigs was an intentional design feature. When I visited Tormek, I was included in a design committee meeting. The members are an incredible, very experienced group. I have great confidence in them.

Ken

Eric,

I agree with Rich. With traditional hand woodwork, glue ups for tabletops are usually "sprung". This means being planed so that the two ends of the board protrude ever so slightly beyond the middle of the board. When the boards are clamped together, the middle is compressed enough to be together and the ends are under pressure.

This is notquite the same as the knife jig jaws; however, extra pressure on the ends of the jaws will make the clamp more secure.

Ken 

PStoTormek: This would be good to include in the instruction sheet.

I would not purchase an SG-250 until you have definitively proven based on your own sharpening that your DF-250 will not sharpen scissors. I suspect that the DF-250 will do the job. You may have to use a lighter touch, but the results may be the same. You should base your decision upon your actual testing.

Ken

I second Wim's and Rich's recommendations.

Ken