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Brand new Wood Workers Wonder Cbn Wheel 200 grit  Only had it  for five days  - Used to hollow grind A2 steel.   Four chisels, two plane irons, and half a set of planer blades.   Already Shiny steel and smooth spots all along right side of wheel an some on left.    Is this normal?    I have no faith in this product right now.   Any thoughts?

Hi Darita,
I have a 2000 there was only one thing ever wrong with it.  The drive wheels back then then were plastic and routinely cracked along the axis of the pin from the center on out.  I went through three.    In all fairness to Tormek, I should point out  they replaced one, but they just kept breaking.    When I learned that Tormek came up with a new zinc wheel I immediately replaced my last oft-epoxied wheel.  As far as I'm concerned this is all water under the bridge.   The reason I mention it is to help you out not bash Tormek.   But, I will state that many of these "upgrade" kits are huge waste of money because the one thing they don't supply is the awesome zinc wheel.    If you have a an earlier Tormek the drive wheel is where I would start.    For me the new wheel was like a Christmas present because my 2000 is a whole new machine.    Everything else on this machine is solid!    There are consumable parts that wear o course.     You might look at your axle as they wear at the bearing points and this could lead to play.   On mine the plastic bearings held in enough steel slurry to start abrasion,  though I'm not ready to replace the Axle yet.     All the Best

Hi Ken,

Thanks for the great answer.   

Hi
I'm looking to replace an SG-250 with a more aggressive stone wheel.   I  only use my Tormek to hollow grind the basic geometry of straight edge woodworking tools.   I  never use the Tormek method and polish the hollow grind. I always set a secondary bevel on a a flat stone.  Hence, I have no need of a dual-grade stone.  I want a stone that will cut faster and glaze less than the SG-250.   Most of the steel I grind is A2, though I sometimes grind high speed steel planer knives.   Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks

Hi Rick,

I have been sharpening my "disposable" Dewalt planer blades for a long time.   There are some considerations though.  1. the parallel between the set screw holes and the blade edge is what "sets"  blade in the machine.    This is good when it comes to installing the blades since there really is no set up.   The concern is keeping the parallel when sharpening.   I suggest that you do NOT attempt to sharpen both edges for this reason.  One edge should be left with the factory parallel so that you can reference from it using the jig.  I mark the edge that is be sharpened and always reference off the original (though used and dull) edge from the factory so I do not end up chasing my tail.    2.   You want to set the angle by marking the edge with magic marker very accurately so as to take as little off the blade as possible.  You also want to be very careful in your set up so as to keep from wandering and therefore help preserve the original parallel.   3. Also for the reasons already stated you must true the stone before you attempt this.  So the short answer is yes  -  with care you can sharpen them and save a bundle of money.     

As regards to your second question about chatter - the grip looks a bit thin, but I assure you it works and there is no chatter