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It should have been fitted with the horizontal base according to the pictures in this article https://www.woodworkersinstitute.com/woodworking-crafts/kit-tools/ancillary-equipment/sharpening/tormek-1200/

But maybe the previous owner took the hotrizontal base off? Are there tapped holes for it?

In any case, I would recommend that you acquire the XB-100 horizontal base (https://www.tormek.com/international/en/spare-parts/other-spare-parts-and-upgrades/xb-100-horizontal-base/) and mount it as indicated in the article pictures. The horizontal base is reeally needed for your Tormek to be useful for turning tools 

best, peter

I emailed Vadim my question. He responded quickly, and I have his permission to post his answer on this forum:

My question was:

you mention on page 27 that since the manufacturers of diamond paste rate them at the average diamond size, you use 0.25 micron paste to get to 0.5 micron effect. On page 23, you mention that you have settled on 1-micron diamonds as the optimum for de-rooting the burrs. Is that then diamond paste labelled 1 micron (which presumably has a small fraction of 2 micron diamonds) or do you use 0.5 micron paste to achieve that?

Vadim promptly answered by email:

Hi Peter,

How fine an edge we actually get with diamonds, is determined by the coarser particles, even if in small proportion, because they leave the deepest and widest scratches.

We therefore use diamonds labelled 0.25-micron for the finishing cleanup, even though we had determined that diamonds 0.5-micron in size do well.

For removing the root of the burr by high-angle honing, we use diamonds labelled 1-micron (# 14,000) by the manufacturer.

We do not do the high-angle honing on every knife steel, but where we use the high-angle honing,  we do not just stop at the high-angle honing with 1-micron diamonds. We do 1 more step of the finishing cleanup at the edge angle with 0.25-micron diamonds or pure chromium oxide, or the mix of them.

Cheers,
Vadim

I followed up with another question regarding paper wheels:

You are a big proponent of the paper wheels. Is that primarily for saving time in a professional setting, or are they superior in resulting quality to the much slower LA-220 Tormek leather wheels, loaded with the same grits? For the hobbyist, a couple of additional leather wheels are a whole lot cheaper than a slow speed grinder and paper wheels 😉

Vadim's answer:

We get near razor edges on Tormek with the 250mm felt and leather wheels.
Some even get true razor sharpness of 40-50 BESS with it, but I never could. I need paper wheels to get the edge that sharp. It is so because 10" paper wheels better match profile of the edge ground on the 250mm Tormek wheel, than the 215mm leather wheel.

But paper wheel setup is challenging and expensive. I don't think a hobbyist sharpener should spend time and money on paper wheels, if he can get sharp edges on his Tormek. First you should make the most of your Tormek.

Cheers,
Vadim

So now I need to get away from the computer and back in the shop to "hone" my sharpening skills 

best, peter

Thanks so much for the heads-up Ken. I will try Vadim on his direct email as you suggest.
Very best, peter

Hi wootz,

I purchased your e-book - and it is truly excellent.

One question though: you mention on page 27 that since the manufacturers of diamond paste rate them at the average diamond size, you use 0.25 micron paste to get to 0.5 micron effect. On page 23, you mention that you have settled on 1-micron diamonds as the optimum for de-rooting the burrs. Is that then diamond paste labelled 1 micron (which presumably has a small fraction of 2 micron diamonds) or do you use 0.5 micron paste to achieve that?

With your comments on page 27 the whole diamond paste terminology gets a bit confusing - or am I just misunderstanding something?

peter

Hi all - I am brand new to this forum, but extremely impressed with all the great information and inspiration ;-)

I just increased the speed of my old Tormek SuperGrind 2000 from 91 rpm to 111 rpm by simply using the outer sleeve of a piece of electrical installation wire (what we here call 5x1.5 mm2). I realize that installation wire is probably different country-to-country, but at least this worked a charm for me here in Denmark. The sleeve fits very snugly over the Tormek drive shaft - no slipping whatsoever. A whopping cost of app. 10 cent 

peter