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I could not remember if my rubber drive wheel had a center ridge line or not. I removed my honing wheel. There is indeed a small center ridge line. It hasn't done any harm in thirteen years. I wouldn't worry about it.

Ken

Thank you for posting, Daniel.

Ken

Tormek mentions that their ACC solution can be used with their standard grinding wheels. I think we must overlook arguments pertaining to high speed grinding.

I also have faith that Tormek, with Håkan's lifetime of super abrasive expertise, had good reason to choose diamond wheels. Tormek could have chosen either.

I am convinced that this not an either/or issue. Diamond wheels are obviously not a good candidate or higher speed dry grinders with the BGM-100. Or, for any wheel coarser than 360 grit. I have 80 and 180 grit CBN wheels. That does not prevent me from using 360/600/1200 grit diamond wheels. There is no need for all the wheels to match.

 Agree that either will work.

Ken

A dozen years ago, several of us on the forum developed "Herman's Homemade Small Platform", a very useful tool. The larger Tormek version worked fine for larger turning scrapers, but was too wide for small knives. The large version needed to be reset after the first bevel was ground. The small version was narrow enough so that the full bevel length of both sides could be ground without resetting the platform. This provided a substantial reduction in per knife sharpening time.

Herman's version utilized the platform of the scissors jig. This had a lower center of gravity, which worked much better than my version which used the large platform as a base.  I went through several prototypes, as I believe Herman did also.

None of us had commercial motives. We shared our ideas freely. CB later added his idea based on the T2 knife jig. I like CB's idea the best. unfortunately, the cost of the parts seems prohibitive.

I look forward to future forum inspired innovations.

Ken

I have used several tables of various heights with my Tormeks. However, the benches I would like to build would be two very simple wooden benches. The length and width of each of the benches would match the dimensions of he Tormek rubber work mats. The benches old be different heights, allowing for optimum height for both horizontal and vertical grinding. They would be light enough to be easily transported. No built in shelves or cabinets would be incorporated in the design, with the possible exception of wooden support boards to hold one of the Tormek foam lined boxes.

These should be an easy weekend project for a homeowner in his shop.

With two rubber work mats, one could hold the Tormek. The rubber lip would catch any drip. The second Mat would hold tools to be sharpened and already sharpened.

Ken

Darita,

I highly recommend acquiring a couple reasonable quality learning chisels around 1/2" to 3/4" width. Teach yourself to be able to sharpen chisels grinding into the edge.

I am not suggesting that you switch, only that you master the traditional method before deciding.

Keep us posted.

Ken

Welcome to the forum, Peter. Good question. The longer universal support
(US-430) is designed for longer and wider knives. (Chef knives longer than eight inches or cleavers. The US-430 is not only longer, the vertical legs are also longer.)

If you sharpen longer knives or cleavers, the US-430 is a good investment. If you sharpen woodworking, woodturning, or regular kitchen knives, the newer
US-105 with microadjust will serve you well.

Consider the possibility of a US-430 as a possible second support bar if you find you need one.

Ken

How much metal do you normally have to remove when sharpening your chisels? I would guess that most chisels, especially those you might sharpen for other people, require more than just "sharpening".

One of the more recent Tormek online classes shows a damaged chisel. It is held  Flat side up under the support bar. The support bar is in the horizontal sleeves (edge trailing). The support bar is placed very close to the grinding wheel. "Eyeball" the chisel into a 90° angle. Grind away the damaged edge.

With the damaged edge gone, regrind the bevel. The flat will form the apex of the new edge.

The under support bar set up is well demonstrated in the online class. It is well worth your while to look it up. I-don't exactly remember; however, I would start with the episode centering around Wolfgang. If you find it, please post the episode and time. I will do the same if I find it.

(In hindsight, I wish I had kept better track of episodes and times. 
20-20 hindsight.

Ken

Is this configuration of the FVB OK? Looking at your photo, it appears OK.

What puzzles me is your comment about "water spilling out all over the place".
In my early days with my Tormek (around ten years ago), I spent the day at the Hartville Hardware Giant Tool Sale. Among the participating vendors was Tormek. I planned to spend the entire day hanging around the Tormek demonstrators. It was an excellent learning experience.

Two Tormek's were set up on a Sjoberg workbench. The only protection for the workbench was a single layer of heavy cardboard. I was concerned about water spillage. I really lucked out. I arrived early, before the crowd. Tormek had hired Steve Bottorff to cover the morning. Steve is a real deal Tormek expert and instructor. He had both Tormeks setup and running. They were essentially running continually throughout the day. I monitored water spillage throughout the day. I only saw a very few drops all day. I attributed these to spillage when the Tormeks were rotated. No rotating bases or rubber work mats were used.
Had they been used, I do not believe any water would have spilled onto the workbench.

I would recommend purchasing both the Tormek rubber work mat and the rotating base before purchasing any extra grinding wheels. You will use these two accessories during every sharpening session.

I believe excess spillage is a result of poor technique. I also believe that we can do anything Tormek experts do if we are willing to work diligently and learn the craft.

We have many guest readers and new members who have never used or perhaps even seen a Tormek. While I encourage our members to share their difficulties, I hope members will be careful to avoid posting in a way which implies that these difficulties are the result of poor design or manufacturing by Tormek. Like any good product, Tormek is always innovating. When I bought my T7 in 2009, I wanted to acquire all the jigs and accessories. I did that over a period of a couple years. Although they worked well, the latest versions are better, some being improved enough to warrant upgrading to the new version. Tormek is always innovating.

Darita, I do not mean to be critical of you. Water spillage is a common problem. It is also a solvable problem. Keep innovating!

ken

Ken, I've been using the TTS-100 along with your suggestions.  I also use SchleifJunkies CBN wheels, Tormek diamond wheel, WoodTurners Wonder and the SJ, all of which leave different degrees of scratch pattern bevel coverage.  Because of that, I've had to change my Projection to achieve a full bevel scratch pattern.  I'm guessing that the cause of this is each wheel has a slightly different diameter.  Is this expected or am I doing something wrong?

Darita,

The two metal wheels on the TTS-100 automatically compensate for different wheel diameters. Draw a spoke on each wheel with your marker. This makes it easy to see when both wheels are contacting the grinding wheel. (These wheels are a Tormek patent and one of the features which make the TTS-100 so versatile.)

Incidentally, I generally use only the SG for sharpening chisels. I find SG coarse/SG fine and then the leather honing wheel with PA-70 makes quite sharp edges. Once the edge is sharp, touch ups are fast.

Ken

Darita,

The "easy way" is to standardize. That's why I developed the method of using the TTS-100 to set up chisels. It automates Projection, Distance, and automatically self corrects for differences in wheel diameter.

If you want to, you could go one step further and interchange a second support bar for your leather honing wheel.

I recently posted a description of how to set up the TTS-100 for chisels. (It is not an approve Tormek method).if you cannot find it, let me know.

Ken

Welcome to the forum, Willowatt. You should email Tormek support (support@tormek.se). Support's service is outstanding.

Keep us posted.

Ken

We first encountered the concept of modifying design expectations with Herman's Homemade Small Platform. The SVD-110 platform is an essential tool for larger tools like turning scrapers. While is serves this function well, it is, in my opinion, clumsy for small knives. I do not sharpen carving knives; however, looking at the Tormek drawings, it appears that the SVM-00 should work well with carving knives with round wooden handles. I have found it clumsy with small pocket knives and other small bladed knives.

I found this video by Paul Seymour of Arlington, Virginia. Although he and I have some different ideas, his technique seems very solid. His homemade small knife jig seems quite practical. Here is a link to his video:

https://youtu.be/MF8nWESRd_c

Meaning no disrespect, I might approach this differently. I would base my idea for a small knife jig on an existing KJ-45. This would be designed only for small knife blades ranging from pen knife very small blades through smallish pocket knives. For these purposes, the "non adjustable" criticism of the KJ-45 is meaningless. These blades are essentially all minimum width. The flexibility of insertion depth in the clamp should prove adequate.

This design has no need to handle thick "Bowie Knife" blades. Nor does it need to handle long blades. It also does not need thick clamp jaws.

I envision this jig as a complement to the regular jig. it will not be used to sharpen larger knives, only small knives which do not fit well in the standard jigs. Thoughts?

Ken

Imagine you are the customer. If the customer chooses to have a very high priced famous sharpener, high expectations seem appropriate. Using a local more reasonably priced service, I think the quality of the sharpening job should match the cost. A workmanlike job for a workman's price.

Ken

My .02, A wooden dowel wrapped in wet or dry abrasive, either adhesive backed or held on with tape, is the best solution I have found. They work better than a tapered rod. Dowels are inexpensive and available in many diameters.

I have found that this method takes less time than one might expect.

Ken