Messages

Rich,

I read through the cited section of your Sharpening Handbook. You have done a fine, thorough job; turning is obviously your passion. I recommend it highly.

Ken

Lars,

A few suggestions: Tormek used to sell a woodturner's instruction box. It contained an instruction book written by Torgny Jansson, the founder and inventor of the Tormek. It alco contains an excellent DVD by Jeff Farris, the founder of this forum. Jeff is an accomplished turner. The DVD is divided into two sections, setting up the jigs and using them. If you cannot find the instruction box, email Tormek support ([email protected]). They can help you with instruction.

There is a section in the handbook covering sharpening bowl gouges. It is subheaded SVD-186R, although it also applies to the SVD-185. It starts around p72.If you don't have a paper, just register your Tormek online. You can then download the handbook in several languages, including Danish, at no charge.

Here is a link to two Tormek youtubes which should be useful to you:

https://www.youtube.com/live/7aHmc43RUY4?si=az8R7KNDS8GQsK96

https://youtu.be/-cEXDssipig?si=uDrrB8DM_N1dpCd_

Ken

I like to encourage work by forum members, especially work which stays within the forum philosophy of being non commercial. Forum member, Eric Ho, has researched and produced a PDF which falls within these guidelines.

I had some initial reservations, namely that Eric does not sharpen presently with a Tormek. However, he does not write negatively about the Tormek. He also compares six different sharpeners and sharpening methods. One of these is our late, well respected member, Wootz  (Vadim Kriachuk of Knife Grinders Australia). Wootz was a longtime innovative Tormek user.

Eric included several prelated areas which I found interesting.  I was fascinated with his thoughts on CATRA testing, which tests longer sections of
a knife blade. He supports these thoughts with what I would consider a substantial investment in money,  test knives, and in actually sending these knives to CATRA for expensive testing.

I do not believe I will ever spend the money to actually send any knives to CATRA for testing, although Eric did a good job of explaining the testing procedure. I was glad to read about the testing.q

Eric discusses four factors in how long knives remain sharp, the most important being the bevel angle. His coverage seems fair and balanced, something I appreciate.

Eric's PDF is 29 pages, a very workable length. I have it loaded on my ipad and printed out. It is an interesting addition to my sharpening library.!     

Download link: https://be-sharp.io/2026/01/09/catra-testing-cutting-edge-retention-bess-knife-grinders-australia/

Ken

I epoxied mine to a piece of aluminum 2x8x1/16" to insureflatness.

Ken

Clever find, John.

Ken

Rossy66,

Here is a link to the video by Knife Grinders Australia describing which diamond plates to buy and how to use them. They are inexpensive and readily available.

https://youtu.be/141hD1d1zj0?si=oiDzZ1dNtQqO7Cdw

Ken

Here is another auto dubbed German to English Tormek video.I believe each presenter is influenced by questions from the field. Here is a link:

https://www.youtube.com/live/4DrtIl0SRZc?si=ohwuTzsyRHX6W9g2

Ken

Join us for a new live episode featuring the brand new KSK-106 Knife Sharpening Kit.

In this session, Sébastien and Hugo will walk you through how to use every piece of the kit to achieve a precise and repeatable edge on virtually any knife. You'll see the full process, from setup to final honing, along with practical tips to improve your results.
EDIT: THE CLASS WAS RESCHEDULED TO APRIL 29 DUE TO TECHNICAL PROBLEMS.
Ken

One of the things I admire about Tormek is its fair and balanced approach. I believe there was some bias against the T4 when it was first introduced, a preference toward the tried and true. However, the stout hearted "little brother" has proven itself a worthy competitor. Eventually, Tormek paid for industrial recertification, which eliminated the "thirty minute duty" myth and introduced the three 200 mm diameter diamond wheels, which added to the machine's "oomph". ( I hope this evolution will soon continue with an SB-200 silicon carbide grinding wheel and a T4 flat composite honing wheel.)

Tormek does seem to be innovating into recognizing the need for smaller, specialized machines. Like the English version, this translated German version uses an overview followed by role playing. The two versions are similar. I recommend watching both. Here are links:

The original English version:

https://www.youtube.com/live/zPfckZXyW6Y?si=3M7N3bU2kFSKbpvb

the German over dubbed into English version:

https://www.youtube.com/live/lpxrs6StlwE?si=H4ecvJwKxjHm-IK8


Ken

I just found the auto dubbed German to English Tormek Maintenance video. Another all thumbs up recommendation. I believe we can all benefit from watching this video. It goes into more depth than the older video. Here is a link:

https://www.youtube.com/live/CQf1ieSwEI4?si=Kp16ngKRc4HZq_ly

Ken

Rich,

I found a couple more over dubbed videos on Tormek's German channel(Tormek DE). The #14 video covering basic honing seems excellent and more advanced than the English language version. I recommend it very highly. In fact, I would consider it intermediate or advanced honing. When the basic honing video was first introduced, intentions for a second video, advanced honing were announced. This video seems to include those more advanced parts. Here is alink:

https://www.youtube.com/live/-hqZS3ztYeA?si=jxlqp0VwhgiRVbIl

I don't know if the Tormek Swedish and French channels have any auto dubbed videos. I hope so. If anyone locates any more auto dubbed videos, please post links.

Ken

I like to compare slightly different versions of videos. In this case, this video is the German version, overdubbed in English. Wolfgang is the presenter. I suspect the subtle differences may arise over time from user questions. Here is a link:

https://www.youtube.com/live/esyBimutGiY?si=Dk0nkenEwCZHz4OP

Ken

I agree that the new kit might be useful for someone setting up to sharpen knives. Like any of the kits, this kit makes more economic sense for someone who does not already have any of the components.

Ken

Good post, John. A scrub plane was on my want list, but sadly never made it to the purchased column. Your solution is quite practical. A scrub plane needs to be sharp. Precision edge shape is not so critical. The cambering feature of the SE-77 is a valuable aid with a smoothing plane. I agree with John that the SVD-110 is a very adequate and cost effective tool for sharpening a scrub plane.

Ken

The Tormek crew has recently released a very informative new video centered around cambering plane blades. Also included is valuable information covering grinding wheel housekeeping (truing, dressing and deburring) and good technique to avoid water trough noise with the T8.

This video also reflects the evolving refinement of the Tormek videos, namely more effective use of close ups. Here is a link:

https://youtu.be/TIicRhEh57E?si=17Si_fg0bImvLdNV

Earlier videos focused primarily on getting a square grind with chisels. While also important, in my opinion, this is a secondary function. Nicking the corners to avoid "plane tracks" is a good starting point, but not "the highest and best use" of a plane blade.

Cambering allows the plane to be tuned to different functions. Heavy cambering is usually used for rough initial planning. This is generally done with a jack plane. Heavy cambering blades are set for a deep cut and a narrow width.


The second function is jointing. The planes of choice for this function are longer. Cambering is set for a cutting depth of approximately .005". This is to joint or level the edge.


The final function is smoothing. These planes are shorter. The blades are set for a cutting depth of around .001. This is preferred over doing a lot of sanding.

In skilled hands, properly cambered plane blades can produce fine woodworking.

Ken