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Thanks for the great post, Rob.

As I understand it, the black stone (SB-250)  is harder than the grey stone (SG-250).  Bearing in mind that I've never used either type
of cutter, please excuse the "new guy's" question: Do you think that the black stone would give better service as a "repair" stone?
In other words, do you think that the black stone would be more effective in reviving the chipped chisels I previously described?

Here's to learning something new every day.

Cheers

Once again, very, very informative posts.

Yes, I (the O.P.) received our used T-7 with a few missing bits and a grey stone that was worn down to 210 mm.  Noticing the diminished diameter
of the SG-250 right away, I contacted the seller and informed him that we needed the machine for sharpening framing chisels (primarily).  In response,
the seller offered to sell me an SB-250, at a discounted price, and assured me that it would be suitable for our needs ... and that is how we came into
possession of the black stone.

At this point in time, I'm waiting for a check or two to come in.  Once we have the funding for it, I will place my order for the missing Tormek accessories,
which includes the upgraded EzyLock Main Shaft, and install and/or use them.  After that, I will install the original SG-250 stone and practice with it on
some old chisels that were taken out of service due to severe chipping.  Assuming that we eventually get positive results, I'll give the SB-250 a try.


   
   

You're in London, Rob?  Wow, I lived in the UK for several years and I hardly remember seeing a
lawn like that -- except for estates like Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire (the county I lived in).

Really beautiful!

Thanks very much for the replies, folks.  Very, very informative -- and I'm looking forward
to the day that we bring the T-7 back to productive operation.

By the way, swapping the black stone for grey seems like a very good idea, at this point.

Okay, Ken, so I read Jeff's blog on the Tormek website.  It would seem that the preferred stone for the chisels
we use for traditional joinery is the grey stone (SG-250).  Once again, this really has me thinking ...

Will the reduced diameter of our original grey stone (210mm) have any impact on our ability to bring our
Barr chisels back to where they should be?

By the way, the posters who assumed that timber framing chisels have to be extremely sharp are correct.
I initially learned traditional joinery from masters living in the south and, much later, picked up a few new
tricks from craftsman in the northeast -- and all of them continuously seek to keep the error in their joinery
to less than the width of a business card.  When one considers the fact that the faces of some heavy construction
timbers can be as wide as 14-inches, less than a business card's width requires a lot of delicate finishing work.

In closing, there are many occasions when a sharp framing chisel is integral to the job -- especially when
fitting joinery together in preparation for a frame raising.  As I have never mastered a sharpening technique,
we're [presently] forced to have our chisels sharpened by an outside source.  The T-7 is my hope to eventually
learn a sound sharpening method.  The best framing chisel in a joiner's box is always the sharpest one in a
joiner's box.

Thanks for your time ... 

   

 
       

Ken,

I'm having trouble understanding what the XB-100 Horizontal Base is used for. 

As I understand it, there's one (standard) base on the T-7 for use with the stone and one
(standard) base for use with the leather honing wheel.  This is what came on the used T-7
I purchased and -- from what I can see -- appear the same as the Tormek T-7 photos.

Does the XB-100 replace one of the standard bases? 

I notice that the XB-100 is not listed in the "accessories" section of the Tormek website, either.
Please educate me about this item.  As I mentioned before, I'm going to be ordering items
from Tormek soon, so the more I know about the benefits of accessories the better.

Thanks for your time

[Reviving a T-7]

Thanks for contributing to my Reviving a T-7 thread, Ken. 

Two (or more) heads are always better than one.

[SB-250]

Thanks for the informative replies, folks!

I'm gleaning from the replies that I may have made an [expensive] mistake in purchasing the SB-250
grindstone.  This is more than a little bit troubling because the fellow I purchased the T-7 system from was a
guy who demonstrates the system.  You see, after I received the system, I immediately noticed that the original
SG-250 "grey stone" was worn down, so I immediately queried the seller about getting a new stone.  After explaining
that we were in the timber framing business -- and that we employ Barr chisels (for the most part) -- he recommended
the SB-250 "black stone." 

Is it the board's consensus that we won't be able to sharpen our framing chisels as well with the black stone?

A couple of years ago, I purchased a used T-7 system for a good price.  After having a great deal of difficulty
getting the original SG-250 stone to sharpen with pressure applied, I put the machine aside.   Last month, I
posted a thread here asking for advice about how to properly tighten the "cutting" stone on a T-7.  After reading
the advice posted to said thread, I've decided to upgrade the T-7 system by purchasing & installing an EzyLock
MSK-250 shaft.

Along with the shaft upgrade, I'd like to order anything else necessary to bring the T-7 back to service.  The T-7
will be used primarily as a sharpening system for various sized chisels.  When I purchased the system, it came
with the following items: a tool rest (with micro adjust dial), a leather honing wheel, an SG-250 grinding stone
(with 210mm of diameter remaining), an SE-76 Square Edge Jig, a WM-200 AngleMaster and [what I believe
is] an SVM-140 Long Knife Jig (no number on the jig).

As I mentioned, the SG-250 was worn down to 210mm, so it was suggested (early on) to replace the original
grindstone with an SB-250 Blackstone Silicon version, which is still sitting in its Tormek box.

When I researched what comes standard with the T-7, I realized that the following items are missing from our
used system: (1) TT-50 Truing and Dressing Tool, (1) SP-650 Stone Grader and (1) PA-70 Honing Compound.

I realize that the TT-50 Truing Tool and the PA-70 Honing Compound are necessary for general operation of the
T-7 system, but one thing I'm unsure of is whether or not the SP-650 Stone Grader is used with the Blackstone
Silicon grindstone.  In other words, is the SB-250 a direct replacement for the original SG-250 grindstone and,
more to the point, is it used in exactly the same way (rough for material removal and smooth for sharpening)?

Along with the items I've identified as being missing, any thoughts on what we might add to our system to improve
the chisel sharpening operation would be much appreciated.

Any thoughts on adding the SJ-250 Japanese Waterstone for chisel sharpening would also be well received.

Thanks very much for your time ...
   

Thanks for all of the replies, folks.

At this point, I'm working on a list of anything we might need to return our T-7 to service.

I think that it might be more productive to start a new thread, provide an inventory (of sorts)
and ask for advice on what to order. 

As for tightening the "old-school" nut on the T-7 ... I would like to have the ability to change stones
quickly, so the EZYLock design seems like a more than worthwhile upgrade.

I really appreciate the advice, Ken, but I believe I mentioned (early on) that I stay very busy and,
consequently, computer forum time is a luxury for me.  Nothing personal, I just don't spend a lot
of time on the computer these days. 

Thanks again for everyone's time ...
 

I purchased a used T-7 at a good price a couple of years ago.  As the T-7 came out of its box without a stone attached, I tried tightening the grey stone, to no avail (it would simply slip when any meaningful pressure was applied).  I keep pretty busy, so I chalked it up to a bad used tool purchase ... and while the Tormek has been collecting dust, our sharpening guy has been smiling.

After doing a search on this forum, I've come to find out that my assessment of the T-7 may have been erroneous and that, in fact, there may be a way for me to tighten the stone properly. 

Before I man-handle and break anything, however, I thought I'd ask the forum for the definitive T-7 stone tightening method. 

- Are you supposed to hold onto the stone while you tighten the nut? 

- Is there a torque specified for tightening the nut? 

Any and all constructive posts will be much appreciated.

Thanks very much for your time ...