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Guys, I apologies for my tone in my last post.

I do love Tormek, and trust its quality, like a son trusts his father.
And like when a son finds out his father is not ideal, I had sort of a childish reaction, that I am now ashamed of.

I actually bought 2 new jigs, and one is fine, and works perfectly well, but the other has the skewed adjustable stop that doesn't hold, it is lighter in weight, and dimensions are slightly different.
I therefore think this different jig is either a defective production batch or counterfeit.

Hi,
Happy to read that it was one jig that was faulty.
No one is to blame but us if something is of bad quality. Our quality checks normally prevent this but items can sometimes pass inspection without we notice that it has quality issues. Things like this always make us better.
I have sent you an email and also made our Importer in Australia aware of this so you get a jig that is as it should be.
Sincerely,
Stig

Hello. Stig.

I'm having the same problem. I think there is a problem with the entire jig produced sometime in 2017.

Hi,
Sometimes it takes time to answer some questions. This was one.
As usual, I am going to answer the honest way.
To start with, you are wrong.
We produce thousands of the SVM-45 every year. We have less issues with this model in zink than the previous one in aluminum. 2018, so far, I have a handful of issues, one was operator problems. And this might be jigs that was purchased last year or even 2016. And some jigs that I have got sent to Sweden for inspection had traces of damage after they have been dropped to the floor, most likely from the user. Which sadly, we might find out after we replace a jig.

We stopped making the adjustable handle with a screw to lock it. The treads in the nylon got worn out as most users used to much force when they tightened it. The solution with the o-ring made even the adjustment easier.

Sadly, whatever I answer, it sounds like an defensive speech. If someone has an issue, contacting us on support@tormek.se is easier and faster to get help than to post things here. Luckily, Ken S does inform me when I need to check the Forum If I have been absent for a while.

Sharpco, I will send an email to our Korean importer to help you so you get jigs that you can accept. We don't want unhappy customers.

Sincerely,
Stig

This is becoming a full time job for you Stig!

This is my take... Yes there is a little play in the position of the black adjustment knob on the SVM-45 held somewhat securely by the internal o-ring, however i haven't found that minor resulting movement to change much on the bevel and the vast majority of my knives are large scandi bevels so I'd likly notice a difference before those who sharpen small secondary bevel knives - not to mention I am ridiculously obsessive and a perfectionist. I just try to keep things centered...
The beauty without having a locking screw that holds the black adjustment knob in place is that it can be quickly adjusted back and forth, which otherwise would need to be unscrewed to loosen then adjust the jig, then re tightened.
When using both the SVM-45 and 00 together, coupled with a hand made knife, you can guarantee that the minor imperfections of the knife being handmade will affect the bevel position on the stone in relation to it being held in the jig. Adjusting that black knob is essential, it's quick, easy and efficient as it is. I advise anyone struggling with this set up to watch how the sharpeners at the Dalah horse co. (demo on youtube) sharpen their tools adjusting that black knob!

I like the sound of the duct tape idea which may help remove the slop!

As I have mentioned in my other post ( I know I have only posted once before this!) the tormek and it's jigs (of course I can only comment on the ones I have used) work beautifully, sadly it's us, the user that let the machine down.
The guides that you use with the Tormek are exactly that, guides. There is still skill involved on behalf of the user!

As stated before, a learner driver wouldn't blame a car for not driving properly, it will drive, but you have to practice how to do it - it will drive beautifully if you drive it beautifully. Like anything the Tormek has a learning curve.

It looks like this discussion is getting a little heated, which is a shame and is one of the reasons I have stayed away from forums and online groups up until someone asked me via instagram to share my thoughts. Just my 2cents on this topic.

Warm regards,

Tom.

[thick]

Page 122 in the handbook shows how you hone a chisel freehand. I hone my knifes the same way.
I got a new Japanese knife some years ago, known to be sharp "out of the box". 5 days later my wife told me that I had to sharpen it. I honed it and it stayed sharp for weeks.
I told this to my friend who import these knifes and got the answer that all knifes has a little burr when new and honing will get them sharper.
I sharpen my knifes 1-2 times each year but hone them 3-5 times each year depending on quality of steel and angle I've played with.

Some month ago I got in contact with an Australian woodcarver who purchased a Tormek and was not very satisfied with the edge he got.
We had long discussions via Instagram and after a few weeks he really learned and had the time to test and play around so he got the edge he wanted and slightly more. When he purchased the SJ stone, I gave him the tip, same as your wrote, to put an extra degree on the angle-master when he was using the Japanese wheel.
He is a very talented spooncarver, you can follow him on Instagram,  spoon_carving_with _tom where he also share his view of sharpening in a honest way.

Sincerely,
Stig

Ah, OK.  Guess I was trying too hard.

I have seen that Instagram feed.  (Unfortunately, he's another guy who thinks "Instagram Live" is a good idea).    He seems like he's into stropping quite a bit (considering he evens sells strops).... do you recall anything specific on the leather honing wheel (not the SJ stone) that differed from stropping on a regular strop, that was different?

Thanks.

Hi,
Stropping is essential to keeping any tool sharp. Depending on which medium you use will depend on the results you will achieve.

Using flat strops with PA70 and a thick suede will give you a wonderful "draw" affect, a beautiful polish and a very sharp blade(so long as you have sharpened it correctly before) but will always put a micro-convexed edge on your tool - not good for scandi edged green wood working tools. It's fine for kitchen knives, EDC blades and any other blade with a secondary bevel.

Using very thin leather with high tensile strength (kangaroo) like I do for my strops ensures no micro-convexion will ever occur regardless of the pressure you apply and the amount of times you strop, with all the advantages stated above about the important draw affect associated with leather as well as a beautiful polish and of course a surgically sharp edge.

Stropping on wood works, but poorly when compared to the above two other methods. After the first pass or two, the wood becomes very slippery due to the inability of the wood to hold the compound. This - like applying too much oil to your honing wheel makes wood a pretty poor choice.

Cardboard again will work, but with similar affects of the wood and will soon tear.

Then you have the Tormek wheel which of course will polish a hollow ground bevel. It does a great job, and although its a thick leather and will cause micro convexion if you press too hard, with light pressure and the correct angle, you can get a great finish and can reduce the micro-convexion.

Once again, microconvexion on a secondary beveled knife isn't a problem... the bevel is so small that when you grind / sharpen again, it wont affect the tool and won't be noticeable.

Micro convecion is only a real issue on scandi grinds where a massive bevel and subsequently lots of metal, must be removed to get it back to a true flat grind...

Another point worth mentioning is you can strop a hollow ground tool on a flat surface, but the results of stropping a flat scandi tool on a wheel is less than ideal.

As for the Tormek wheels. The 220/1000 wheel isn't fine enough grit for the finish I aim for in carving - i never sand my work so the finish left by the tool has to be flawless. Since purchasing the 4k stone, my blades have never been sharper. I have spent over one and a half decades learning the skill of freehand sharpening and perfecting my technique. I have tried pretty much all mediums from Wet / Dry sandpaper through to Japanese waterstones. It is something I am very passionate about (and of course stropping) and it is something I have taught to people on many occasions, not to mention thousands on youtube. The results I get are beyond functional - an example (also shown on youtube) is cutting 1 single unsupported hair with a mora 106 after using sandpaper, 6k stone and strops.

This being said, frustratingly the Tormek gives me slightly better results after only a few months of use. By being able to apply more pressure to the 4k stone and in a more concentrated and direct fashion, it leaves a better mirror polish straight off the 4k stone...

The key question though is, is there a functionally noticeable difference when both blades are used for carving wood? No... 

It pops the hairs off my arms a little easier and I can feel that, when I pull my thumb across the edge it gives me that sensation that its removing (cleanly) microsopic layres of skin cells (did I say I'm obsessive?)

That being said, I use the tormek for the vast majority of my sharpening now days. The results are incredible, it's fast, effective, easy to learn (easier than freehand sharpening) the results are repeatable (with practice) and as mentioned above, I get a better finish off the stones. However I do use my Kangaroo strops over the wheel the vast majority of the time for the reasons mentioned above. I say vast majority of the time, because my kitchen knives get stropped on the wheel without a second thought (as mentioned, secondary bevel knives don't have this issue)

As for how often to strop, little and often is my advise... I went months between sharpening my carving axe and weeks with my knives between taking them back to the stones because stropping keeps that edge keen. The key is little and often! Don't let the blade lose that hair popping edge, strop before this happens. For carving, this means every 30-40 mins for me!

The key here is, I think we all have a missconception that the Tormek sharpens our knives for us, but as I have always said, the machine takes skill to use, especially for knives. I have messed up about 4 mora knives over the months through mistakes, but it's a learning curve for everyone! The guides that hold the tools are exactly that, guides, they will guide you but won't do the work for you. Maybe with the plane iron jig it might, but for knives and some other tools like bowl gouges with a variable profile etc, the user will have to control the positions. It will take time.

I can tell you now, there isn't anything wrong with the Tormek machines or Jigs I don't think, but we always blame the machine and jig before we blame ourselves..
I read another post about the SVM-45 jig and its "problems". I'll share my thoughts over there too.

Another thing, scandi bevels like that on the mora 106's are a whole lot harder than the small secondary bevels to sharpen well. Couple the large scandi bevel, the SVM-00 and the SVM-45 jigs and you need much more practise than you do just sharpening a kitchen knife, secondary bevel  and one svm-45 jig.
Things take time to learn, I bet a new learner driver wouldn't blame the car for not driving properly?
The Tormek works beautifully, it's the user that lets it down sadly (as much as we hate to admit it!)
The car will drive, but you have to practise how to do it, and it will drive beautifully if you can drive beautifully.

I wanted to pick the machine up and throw it across the room during the first few days through frustration, but the darn thing is just too friggin heavy. The next few days I continued to practise, each time I learn't something I didn't know before, It started to become an enjoyable process and even more rewarding and exciting. Then I couldn't stop myself sharpening every knife I could find!

Anyway this is my experience and two cents.. Lastly whats wrong with Instagram live?!  Maybe join me in the next video and I can show you how to use your Tormek, you may learn some tips and realise live videos are useful after all