I'm new to this but I'll give it a try: First off, I don't believe your machine is a 2004, I believe its a 2000 because I have one just like it. I believe in 2004 Tormek took off the 90 degree corners. Good machine though, mine still works well. I grease the bushings periodically with Lithium grease. Lithium grease keeps water and dirt out.
To catch the iron filings I taped 3 rare earth magnets on the outside of the water trough. When I clean out the trough, I just wipe off the filings. Geoff Brown from England noticed this and now the new T-7 has the rare earth magnets are in bedded in the plastic molding.
Rather than purchasing the new turntable you can make your own using a 10" lazy-suzan between 2 boards. The top board has 2 holes and the bottom has one, so you can turn the board 180 degrees and insert a stop into the top and bottom board. I've used this method for years and have found it a lot lighter than trying to lift the machine.
When you start using the machine, don't get discouraged that the first sharpening seems to take long as you need to take a flat grind into a bevel grind.
To catch the iron filings I taped 3 rare earth magnets on the outside of the water trough. When I clean out the trough, I just wipe off the filings. Geoff Brown from England noticed this and now the new T-7 has the rare earth magnets are in bedded in the plastic molding.
Rather than purchasing the new turntable you can make your own using a 10" lazy-suzan between 2 boards. The top board has 2 holes and the bottom has one, so you can turn the board 180 degrees and insert a stop into the top and bottom board. I've used this method for years and have found it a lot lighter than trying to lift the machine.
When you start using the machine, don't get discouraged that the first sharpening seems to take long as you need to take a flat grind into a bevel grind.