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Early this morning we have a new Tormek video, "The Tormek Story". Here is a link:

https://youtu.be/wYaVdHSJGN8?si=eW47b6nzhG4Y4EYQ

This informative video tells the story of fifty years of Tormek, as told by those who lived it. The majority of the video is in English. It is well worth watching.

Ken

Season's greetings to all. 2023 has been an exciting year for the Tormek Community. It has seen the 50th Anniversary T8; the recertification of the T4 and T2 to continuous duty; the self centering KJ knife jigs; the MB-102; and some fine online classes. I look forward to 2024 being another productive year for our Tormek Community.

Ken

In Class 22 Wolfgang was asked if there is a T2 style knife jig for the T8. He answered "No, it is a completely different technology." Excellent answer. It also starts to explain why the tilt up technique is not used for the tip of the knife with the T2 and T1. Start at 23:00.

https://www.youtube.com/live/zPfckZXyW6Y?si=FGv6XFa-_U2eEDuU

Ken

I was pleasantly surprised. Class 22 is listed as "which machine should I choose". Tucked in is a question about the DBS-22 with some interesting thoughts. I had not thought about leaning toward the larger T8 with the DBS-22 because of the weight of the jig. Also, I had not thought about possible damage to a diamond wheel with smaller drill bits. (Use the SG-250 with smaller drill bits.) This class is the first place I have heard this information.
Well done, Sébastien and Wolfgang!

https://www.youtube.com/live/zPfckZXyW6Y?si=FGv6XFa-_U2eEDuU

Ken

I used to think I had no use for recurve sharpening. I did not, and still do not, have any recurve knives. I was wrong.

The first twelve minutes of the recurve class have some excellent background information on preparing the grinding wheel. I highly recommend watching it.Here is a link:

https://www.youtube.com/live/aw4vJSUPXmk?si=REqO_BTvEpVjnxKJ

Ken

PS The rest of the class is informative, also.

Part of the Tormek philosophy is not abandoning  support for older, out of production models. Part of this program includes maintaining only the latest parts in inventory when they are compatible with older models. An example of this was the disappearance of the stainless steel straight main shaft when the EZYlock shaft became available. Tormek quite logically concluded that, as the EZYlock was fully backward compatible, there was no need for the expense of maintaining the straight shaft in spare parts inventory. 

As newer, improved versions of jigs and accessories are introduced, older versions are no longer listed in the product line and are discontinued. I suspect this will happen with the SVM jigs, if it has not already happened.

I now think of the SVM and KJ jigs as two different tools. The KJ is self centering and can do convexing. The SVM, while not self centering, offers adjustability of the end stop. while this may not be necessary for many users, for high volume knife sharpeners it is highly desirable. Therefore, I think it is prudent for a knife sharpener who is seriously contemplating starting a knife sharpening service to acquire an SVM-45. The SVM and KJ jigs complement each other. The KJ is the jig of choice for thicker knives. In my opinion, the SVM is the correct choice for rapid switching of knives of typical thickness. I believe a well equipped sharpener should have both. I do not believe duplicating the long jigs is as critical.

At this time, finding SVM jigs among dealers' stock or used should not be difficult. I would not wait.

Ken

We have always had high expectations for our Tormeks. And, our expectations keep getting higher.

I purchased my first T7 in 2009, the tail end of a very long Tormek history when the complete basic machine consisted of the machine, one grinding wheel (the SG-250) with stone grader, and one leather honing wheel.

Today, the "complete basic machine" would probably consist of at least six grinding wheels and two honing wheels, plus a desire  for more of each. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not being critical of this trend, only noting it. Our variety of jigs, accessories and expectations has also increased.

We may be overlooking the fact that, while the Tormek excels at many sharpening tasks, in some its performance is less than excellent. For example, with flattening the backs of chisels  using the outside of the grinding wheels, conventional grinding wheels could not be retrued (flattened). the ability to flatten declined with wheel wear. Admittedly, the consistent size of the diamond wheels has diminished this limitation; however, when using the SG-250, the grinding wheel designed for high carbon steel, the constraint still remains. While purchasing diamond wheels may be cost efficient for a large shop or school, I find the cost per tool excessive to purchase diamond wheels for just several chisels. I still prefer to do the entire bevel sharpening procedure with the SG-250, but do the flattening and back polishing with flat bench stones. Admittedly, some prefer to do the final sharpening steps for the bevel with bench stones. This is a perfectly valid technique, just one that I do not use. My point is that, in my opinion, the Tormek excels at sharpening bevels and is less than stellar at flattening backs. Fortunately, back flattening is a one time chore, and minimized by purchasing premium chisels. Why not use the Tormek for operations where it excels, and related tools for the other operations? We do not expect this of other tools. Even a humble home workshop probably has multiple saws, hammers, chisels, etc.

Related, is the concept of tool (and knife) size. The Tormek excels at mid range tools and knives.  It does a great job with mid size chisels. With chisels 1/4" and narrower, performance can get dicey. Knives can be the same way. It excels with chef knives. Very small blades like pen knives can be dicey, even with the SVM-00.

I am not being critical of the Tormek. I am only saying that although my other sharpening gear is no longer used much in routine sharpening, I still find it useful for some operations. Sometimes I find a few quick strokes with a mill file more efficient than using my Tormek. as Engineer Scotty would say in the Star Trek movies, "The right tool for the right job".

Ken.

In the ongoing debate of whether to sharpen knives grinding into or trailing, one question seems to be often overlooked:

Are we grinding with the knife held in a jig or freehand?

While perhaps not the only issue, I believe this is the fundamental issue. Grinding into the edge allows for observing the water flow over the edge. it also allows for heavier grinding pressure and faster grinding times. Grinding away makes freehand grinding possible. Grinding away may also allow for more control due to the slower pace, although a case can be made for the accuracy of using the jig.

Two sub questions should be included with this question: Have we developed the skill to sharpen freehand well? And, how many knives do we sharpen in what time period?

My knife sharpening mentor, who was proficient sharpening in either direction, generally sharpened edge trailing. While he acknowledges that jig sharpening offers the most control, he sharpened at farmers markets for many years with the Saturday morning time constraint of sharpening a hundred knives within the morning. Not having to set up each knife in a jig allowed him to "get up a little speed".

I offer these thoughts as guides and do not recommend carrying them to extremes. Your comments are welcome.

Ken

For some reason, I did not receive the notification email about the upcoming online class on Nov 22. The topic is maintaining your Tormek, an important topic.
Don't miss it!

Ken

I dislike referring to a forum comment when I cannot locate the original comment. In this case, I will make an exception. The comment was about chefs using knife sharpening services. The link to this video expresses my thought in the first minute or two. (The entire video is well worth watching; however, just the first small part will give you my thought.) Here is the link:

https://youtu.be/dtEfBKJZrVQ?si=YH41OurfqQ9CNmWb

I believe most chefs form the attachment with their knives craftsmen/artists have with their tools. They may prefer to use their personal knives and either sharpen them themselves or have a trusted assistant do it for them. In the past, there were few suitable sharpening options for a fastidious chef with little sharpening training. I believe the T2 offers a practical solution. Fine knives are expensive and are critical for a fine chef.

I believe the T2 fills a need for high end chefs, just as I believe the T1 can serve home cooks. My earlier comment about the T8 supplementing was unwise for this forum. "In partnership" would be a better choice of words. Both have strong points and are more versatile when combined with the other.

Ken

One of the reasons I like the text up grinding wheel mounting procedure demonstrated by Wolfgang is that it seems adequately accurate without being overly accurate. I define "overly accurate" as adding needless complications without adding practical benefits. The alignment procedure I devised is overly accurate. It is too cumbersome to be useful, especially with multiple grinding wheels. It will not be part of "my custom".

Ken

I don't know when Tormek started to recommend radiusing the corners of the grinding wheel (not for diamond wheels). Wolfgang demonstrates this in the first (knife sharpening) online class. Before the online classes, Tormek did not seem to have an efficient way of sharing this kind of information.

I do not recall reading about it in the handbook. I do recall Jeff Farris referring to something similar in a brief ancient forum post. Jeff mentioned that he was grinding a radius in the outside corner of his grinding wheel. Unfortunately, he did not provide any reasons for doing this.

If any of the forum old timers remember anything more about this, please post and share it.

Thanks.

Ken

I do not own or sharpen any recurve knives. Therefore, I did not pay proper attention to the recurve blades online class. I rewatched it last night, and was pleasantly surprised with the valuable general information it contained. For those of you, like me, who do not sharpen any recurve blades, and may have constrained study time, there is much general knowledge in 4:40 to 11:00. I highly recommend watching at least this segment of this class. Here is a link:

https://www.youtube.com/live/aw4vJSUPXmk?si=qo-ADU5wRyJBnHCY

This segment begins with the importance of mounting your grinding wheels with the text upright. It then moves to the importance of radiusing both corners of your grinding wheel(s). Borrowing Wolfgang's phrase, I have made both of these procedures "my custom" and recommend the same to you.

Ken

https://youtu.be/3qrMejCAt3w?si=5xIi3xhCrYcwjpgD

Ken

We are increasingly expecting more precision from our Tormeks. In one of the online classes, Wolfgang used the expression that we must "make it our custom". I believe this is one of the keys to having our Tormek sharpening perform more to the expectations of the precision machine shop environment. A number of simple procedures done routinely will increase our precision. Most of these are not new to us.

Locking down our support bars starting with the sleeve on the microadjust leg.

Recently added, adjusting the MB-102 with equal pressure between the two legs will help maintain alignment.

Keeping our grind wheels trued and regularly dressed with the stone grader (SG wheels, not diamond wheels) as well as keeping our water clean.

These are a few simple procedures which should become part of our custom. Used regularly, they will increase our precision without increasing our cost. They will also improve our frame of mind.

Ken

When I purchased my first Tormek in 2009, the T7 was essentially the only choice in the US. At the time, I wanted to sharpen my woodworking tools and was not especially interested in sharpening knives. I have no complaints; the T7 is a fine machine and continues to serve me well. A chance opportunity to study with Tormek knife guru, Steve Bottorff, opened my mind to the possibility of sharpening knives.

In August, during my visit to Tormek in Sweden, I had the opportunity of watching Johan Englund, Tormek's worldwide manager for the T2, demonstrate the T2. From Johan, I learned that the T2 is a specialty machine, not a machine "just" for knives. It deftly sharpens specialty non knife kitchen blades as well as cutlery. Some of these blades would be difficult to sharpen with a traditional Tormek.

I have been using my T2 more recently. As a senior citizen, my health issues make it difficult to use the stairs to reach my basement workshop. I am very grateful to have my T2 on my dining room table.

My thinking has changed to believing that a new Tormek sharpener specializing in knives might be better served by starting with a T2 instead of the tradition T8. I do not mean to discourage anyone from purchasing a T8, only to say that I believe for a knife sharpening business, he might be further ahead to begin with a T2 and use a T8 as the "supplemental" machine.

Attached is a link to the online class Johan does with Sebastien:

https://www.youtube.com/live/dCe3bKc5Ym8?si=cnhnC3HWRK07Lu2z

Ken

Whenever I encounter a new piece of equipment or technique, I tend to categorize it as immediately useful; hopefully useful at some point; maybe useful for me at best; or not for me. Sometimes a jig or technique may fit more than one category for this user.

Different aspects of the KJ-45 self centering knife jig fall into different categories for me. The main event, self centering falls into immediately useful, although not in a way one might expect. My thickest knife is my Mora Garberg, with a thickness of 3.2mm. I have several Mora knives, none of which I need. I have reached the age where bushcrafting is only a mental interest. I just like Mora knives. Looking ahead, if I ever need to sharpen my Garberg, it will be far less frequently than I sharpen my several thin paring knives. It is my thin paring knives which seem candidates for self centering. If I am being honest with myself, workarounds for my thin knives do not seem difficult.

While the inner stop of the KJ-45 might seem a possible substitute for the US-430, the ideal US-430 is the US-430.If I did not already have one, for knife blades longer than eight inches and cleavers, the genuine US-430 would be high on my wish list.

I am glad to own a jig which can handle convexing, although I doubt I will ever convex an edge. None of my Moras seem heavy enough, nor are my future plans demanding enough to warrant convexing.

These are all just personal thoughts. If I was a serious knife collector or an active bushcrafter, I would feel differently. I welcome other points of view.

Ken

I have recently read a request on the forum for facts, not opinions. In general, I agree with this, as long as the facts pertain.

I do not have definitive facts to offer; however, I would offer some observations. Regarding steel grindings clogging the grinding wheel, at the ends of sharpening sessions, I regularly observe a lot of steel grindings caught by the magnet in my water trough. (The same applies with my taped on magnet on my T4.) Are there grindings which are not caught by the magnet? Perhaps, although I am convinced that the vast majority of the grindings are trapped by the magnet.

I have watched watched a couple youtubes about cleaning superabrasive wheels with chemicals when used dry. I have never noticed a problem when using an snti corrosion solution.

I have no degree in abrasive technology, just a moderate amount of sharpening experience, enough to convince me that clogged wheels are at most a minor problem. (Noted that my SJ turns black from steel deposits. I have not noticed a problem with my SG.)

Ken

Aquataur,

I was reading your posts unsuccessfully looking for a reference to glazing and grinding material being stuck in the grinding wheel. I was reading the wrong member's posts.

Anyway:  You posted about the width of felt wheels with your T3. I learned some interesting things while measuring my T4, which is identical with wheel related measurements with the T4.

1) With the water trough removed, a 250mm wheel fits on the main shaft.

2) even though the 200mm wheels are 40 mm wide and the 250mm wheels are 50mm wide, the ten mm difference is at the edge. The 250mm wheels have a deeper center indent. The width of both sizes at the bore is essentially identical.

I would mention one caution: the all plastic housing of the T3 does not have the heat dispersing characteristics of the T4's zinc top. As long as you are careful, this should not be a problem, especially with a felt wheel.

I leave it to your creative imagination to explore all of this!

Ken

https://www.youtube.com/live/uNupoAP5gAU?si=6P6YbZ8nz1Hvz23m

September 12at 9:30 eastern time. New online class about the new MB-102 Multi Base.

Ken