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Messages - Ken S

#16
Knife Sharpening / Knife sharpening thoughts
January 27, 2025, 04:19:02 AM
Knife sharpening with a Tormek is not a "one size fits all" situation. Knives come in many sizes; many steels; many grinds; and different sharpening expectations. Sharpeners may sharpen half a dozen knives to more than a hundred. One technique will not cover all knife sharpening situations.

All our knife jigs are compromises. The SVM jigs have adjustable stops. They are not self centering. The KJ jigs are self centering. They do not have the adjustability of the SVM jigs.

Various members have posted about trying to standardize at 139mm or 140mm projection. While this speeds up setting chef knives, all knife jigs made since 1992 do not have thread length to handle paring through chef knives at a common distance (usb to grinding wheel.

One of the benefits of studying the Online Classes is getting to see the traditional Tormek technique being performed by Tormek's own experienced teachers. This can help answer a lot of questions. I would not say that this is the only acceptable technique. I would say that this is a solid technique and suitable for many situations. It may not always be fast changing; however, it is not static. The very traditional concept of handheld knife honing has recently been modified to include jig honing with the new MB-102 multijig which now includes built in Frontal Vertical Base honing capabilities.

The WM-200 Anglemaster, which has always worked well with chisels and plane irons, was not well loved by many for knives. Tormek recently added the KS-123 for more efficient and accurate knife setting.

Returning to my first paragraph, I believe the ideal knife sharpener will be skilled with both the KJ and SVM knife jigs and will use both, depending on which fits his particular sharpening needs more efficiently.

Ken






#17
John,

Your last reply surprised me. I remember a conversation I had with a Tormek rep and a rep from Tormek's US importer when the T4 was introduced in 2014. It was friendly; however, I pulled no punches with the questions I asked. I asked very pointed questions about Tormek's warranty policy. I gave the example of a 6 1/2 year old T4 with a motor problem. How would Tormek handle this? They assured me that when Tormek received notification of my problem, they would email me a prepaid shipping label. To be very clear, Tormek would cover shipping costs both ways. When Tormek received my unit, they would promptly and thoroughly make repairs and return my machine to me.

I have no reason to think that Tormek has changed this policy. If, by chance, this policy is no longer in effect, I would like to know about it. I regard Tormek very highly; however, I do not give them a free pass.

I hope you will continue communicating with Tormek. Please keep in mind that it is Friday evening, and that support works Monday through Friday. I have every confidence that you will receive excellent service. When your Tormek is repaired, I hope you will report back to the forum with good or bad news.

Ken
#18
Knife Sharpening / Re: CBN wheels
January 23, 2025, 10:28:11 PM
This forum is provided to us by Tormek without charge or advertisements. Tormek does not sell CBN or resin bonded diamond wheels. Now that everyone can find contact information, please direct further questions to those vendors.

Ken Schroeder, Forum Moderator
#19
Welcome to the forum, John.

I know the head of Tormek support. He is a rare treasure, having worked at Tormek since the 1980s and is very conscientious. It is also important to remember that Tormek is a very small company.He works Monday through Friday and wears several hats. I am sure you will hear from him.

ken
#20
Welcome to the forum, Blaine. I cannot speak directly to your situation, although, once I reached age seventy several years ago, I have had to adapt more.

My first thought is to gain maximum control of the knife. I think there is much untapped potential in the T2. The knife jig holds the knife securely anda very controllable uniform angle. The 600 grit diamond wheel, supplied with the machine, is designed to cut with minimal pressure. The cutting motion is designed to sharpen without lifting the knife for the tip.

My second thought is to concentrate on working deliberately. Keep your black marker nearby for frequent checking as needed. slow and steady wins the race. The original use plan for the T2 was to be a one wheel machine, the 600 grit Diamond Wheel Fine. Early on, one large Swedish customer requested a more coarse wheel, and the Coarse Diamond wheel was added as an option. Eventually, the Extra Fine Diamond wheel was added. My advice would be to start with the supplied 600 grit DF wheel and only add the extra wheels if you find you really need them.

If you have difficulty controlling the angle with the honing wheel, try using a flat strop secured to your bench.

I am writing this for both you and me. I am planning to move to a smaller senior living unit in the near future. I will not have my workshop or room for my T8. When I visited Tormek, I had the opportunity of meeting Johan, the T2 mannager and watch him demonstrate the T2 in a one on one environmaent. I immediately liked him. i have faith in him, the T2, and Tormek.

A close second choice would be the T1.

I hope other members will add their thoughts and that you will keep us posted.

Ken

PS Check out this Tormek online class:

https://www.youtube.com/live/dCe3bKc5Ym8?si=BuFi3LdZocRJYsHN
#21
Welcome to the forum, Mike.

For many years I thought that Tormek's woodturning jigs, along with the DBS-22 Drill Bit Jig, were Tormek's most advanced set up tools and jigs. In recent years, Tormek has made major advances in knife sharpening. The KS-123 Knife Setting tool and self centering KJ-45 and 140 knife jigs have changed that.

I like both the T1 and T2. They are well designed for two important niche markets of knife users, dedicated home cooks and professional kitchens. The T8 is designed for sharpeners, like yourself, who also sharpen other tools and thosewho sharpen professionally. The T8 andits predecessors have served knife sharpeners around the world for decades. Also, I believe kitchen knives are the most extensively covered topic in the Tormek online classes. I recommend that you study them.

Keep us posted.

Ken


#22
Welcome to the forum, Matt.

Here is a link to the water trough. Although it is listed for the T3 and T4, it should also fit the T1200. Sharpening Supplies supplies most of the Tormek parts in the US, however, with the part number, any Tormek dealer should be able to order it for you. You might want to check with support (support@tormek.se) to double check its compatibility. Tormek prides itself on "no Tormek left behind", so parts are available.


https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/products/tormek-t4-water-trough

You should register your T1200 on Tormek's website. While no warranty remains, registering lets you view and download the latest edition of the handbook. I downloaded it onto my ipad and refer to it frequently.

Do keep us posted.

ken
#23
Welcome to the forum, Joe.

Since you are wisely holding off with your supersteel knives and a tube of PA-70 honing compound came with your T8, I suggest you stRt with PA-70 and set the diamond compound aside. Your time learning your SG-250 and PA-70 will be well spent. This is the combination the Tormek instructors use in the online classes, and they have access to the complete Tormek lineup.

Keep us posted.

Ken
#24
Caution:


Most of the replies here predate the introduction of both the Tormek diamond wheels and the newer CBN wheels.

Ken
#25
General Tormek Questions / Re: SG-250
January 10, 2025, 02:13:29 PM
In order to restore the grinding surface of the Tormek SG with fresh (sharp) grains,it is necessary to use the diamond tipped TT-50 Truing Tool. The grains are not designed to be self sharpening (friable). Although the SG is primarily designed to sharpen carbon steel, it will also sharpen hss, although more slowly. This process can be sped up by frequent light truing with the TT-50.

As hss tools became more widely used, Tormek introduced the silicone carbide SB wheel, designed to give increased performance with hss and other harder steels. Later on, Tormek introduced the diamond wheels.

I agree, requiring a replacement SG and EZYlock shaft, your SuperGrind is no longer "a bargain". However, there are thousands of SuperGrinds still in active service providing quite serviceable results. For less than the cost of adding grinding additional wheels, adding a TT-50 Truing Tool (preferably the newer version) and a US105 support bar with microadjust should give you satisfactory results.

Keep us posted.

Ken
#26
General Tormek Questions / Re: Sa250
January 06, 2025, 01:46:51 PM
Welcome to the forum, Gino.

I suggest that you email support (support@tormek.se) Support are the experienced experts with older models. The head of support may have actually been part of the team which built your SA-250.

Keep us posted.

Ken
#27
"Usually" matching the existing bevel angle with the black marker will serve. Reading between the lines of the Online classes, I suspect thatis the actual commonly used method.  :)

Ken
#28
Keesh,

I would consider "the ideal" grinding wheel to be aTormek wheel, around 80 grit, and 40mm thick. Unfortunately, such a wheel is not available. I do not consider my plastic pipe adaptor solution to be any where near ideal. I have found it satisfactory for initial grinding. If, like Rick, I had a machinist shop and skills, my hands down favorite would be his solution.

I would prefer a thicker wheel than 1" 25mm). .however, 1" is the standard thickness for most 8" dry grinder wheels. I did ask a Norton rep about the possibility of a 40mm thick wheel with a 12 mm bore. Norton would make this for me, with a minimum quantity of 500 wheels.

Before leaving the ideal world, for frequent sharpening if bits larger than 12 mm, a T8 or a braced T4 would be preferable.

Is the 3X wheel suitable for wet grinding? I think so, however, at $60US, I will be happy if it would last half as long as a Tormek wheel.

Ken
#29
General Tormek Questions / Re: Tormek Expectations
January 02, 2025, 08:54:15 AM
Welcome to the forum, John.

Let's start the conversation by talking about good lighting. For many years, my workshop was a poorly lit garage. I made the mistake of prioritizing acquiring tools over good, very good, lighting. Then one day I set up my Tormek outside in what photographers would call open shade lighting. It was very bright but not high contrast. I purchased a good LED task light and my sharpening improved.

Start with a single bench chisel. 3/4" is a good starting width. Use your DF-250 as a diamond wheel with a light touch. Before I purchased my Tormek T7 in 2009, I sharpened with oilstones, waterstones, and sandpaper after the customary friable white 80 grit six inch grinding wheel. I used hollow grinding and a microbevel. With the Tormek SG-250 andleather honing wheel I did not need the labor saving microbevel. Electricity didthe work.


Slow speed wet grinding works best for resharpening as opposed to reshaping. I classify really dull tools as border line reshaping jobs. When doing repetitive tasks like hand chopping dovetails, you can feel the difference when your chisel first starts to loseits keen edge. This is the time for light resharpening, frequent, minimal metal removing. If you do a lot of dovetailing, a second freshly sharpened chisel of the same size is much more useful than having eleven different sizes. Do not move on from this first chisel until you are completely satisfied that it is sharp. Speed will come with time.

Did your Jet machine come with the standard aluminum oxide wheel? I am not familiar with  the Jet machines. Are the Jet wheels gradable? I use my SG wheel to sharpen my 1891 vintage Stanley jack plane iron and my 1909 vintage Bedrock irons. I have never tried sharpening them with diamond wheels, so I can't speak from experience. My gut feeling is to use the ACC solution with your DF-250 wheel. (I never use my T8 diamond wheels dry or without ACC.)

Don't be in a hurry to purchase more grinding wheels. Onceyou master your present wheel, you will know from experience if you want or need any more grinding wheels.

Be patient.Study the Tormek online youtube classes. Do not be shy about posting questions on the forum; you are among friends.

Ken
#30
Knife Sharpening / Re: CBN wheels
December 31, 2024, 04:33:05 PM
One of the problems with comparing superabrasive grinding wheels (both CBN and diamond) is the source of the information. A common search seems to be trying to locate the same manufacturer as Knife Grinders used. Look at this comparison chart from the Knife Grinders website:

http://knifegrinders.com.au/11CBN.htm

Pay special attention to the wheel diameters. The Tormek is designed to use 250mm grinding wheels. Vadim of Knife Grinders was a very experienced Tormek user. His CBN wheels were 250mm, just like the Tormek diamond wheels. He was the firstCBN vendor to do so. Adapting 254mm wheels to use with a Tormek is an after thought.The oversize diameter adds a needless constraint. Yes, they can be adapted to the Tormek, however, that is not their primary use.

Some CBN vendors have posted videos on using their wheels. I have not found any using a Tormek, only higher speed dry grinders (which they also sell). Ihave even seen vendor videos showing how to scrub wheels with Blaster solvent, something unnecessary with diamond wheels used with ACC.

I have no problem with any vendor promoting his own products, including Tormek, as long as conflicts of interest are noted.

Ken