Messages

You make some good points, Sir Amwell. My sharpening has been limited to Victorinox, Mora, and standard Buck knives. I would probably feel differently if I was investing in or sharpening super steel knives. My simple methods have worked for me. Others may find more sophisticated methods preferable, which is fine with me.

We both agree about the KS-123. I believe the WM-200 will continue to be useful for tools like chisels and plane irons. In the future, I see the KS-123 quickly replacing the WM-200 for knives. I also believe the black marker will continue to be useful.

Tormek is innovative and adaptable.

Ken

Nice post, Kwakster.

I have long believed that one of the virtues of this forum is the combining of several creative minds.

I agree that Vadim's tragic early death deprived us of his ongoing ideas.

Ken

Welcome to the forum, Enrico.

The short answer is that an exact reading in degrees doesn't matter. Consistency and repeatability are more important, both for cutting and for minimizing the amount of steel removed in sharpening.Exact measurement is more important when two surfaces are mated, such as in a threaded nut and bolt.

I suspect the difference you are reading may be caused by the taper of the blade. The WM-200 works very well with tools like chisels, with a large, flat measuring surface. The KS-123 is a substantial improvement for knife set up. Incidentally, whether your Tormek is a T4 or T8 makes no difference in this matter.



In our enthusiasm, it is easy to blur the line between practical precision and our egos. I do not wish to demean the pursuit of excellence; however, to borrow a line from one of the online classes, "the tomato doesn't know the difference".

Ken

This video is ore philosophical than nuts and bolts sharpening. For those who feel this has no place on a sharpening forum, please feel free to skip it.

Ken

 https://youtu.be/59pV7zN3Wi0?si=mZiBTmrh98BI-p_u

Kwakster,

I am pleased to see your revived interest in small platform jigs. Your design is clever. I have never understood why Tormek has never produced one. The narrow (same width as the grinding wheel or a little less) allows a knife set up which does not have to be moved to grind the full length of both bevels, a real time saver. It is also much faster than resetting each knife in the traditional knife jig.

After making several small platforms with the SVD-110, I realized that Herman's design using the platform from the scissors jig provided a lower center of gravity. CB later made a platform using the knife jig from his T2. The parts are expensive, but the design is a dream.

I could also not understood why more farmers market sharpeners didn't jump on the idea. It is the ideal way to sharpen many knives quickly.

Ken

Thinking about the video link Mike posted, Irewatched a couple turning tool sharpening videos. I would suggest using both Glenn Lucas videos and the Tormek woodturning tools video as a solid study combination. I would include the shorter Nick Agar videos with this group. Here are links:

Ken

https://youtu.be/-cEXDssipig?si=RPD3PEPLjOHiGzY9

https://www.youtube.com/live/7aHmc43RUY4?si=Rlp0e7pNfWKs-VwA

I'd worry about changing the width SG-250 wheel. If you are using the flat side enuff to dish it, I would invest in a diamond wheel.

The taboo about grinding on the side of the wheel is an old safety issue with thinner wheels exploding on high speed dry grinders. it really isn't an issue with 50 mm thick slow speed Tormek wheels.

Ken

I know two highly regarded Tormek experts who routinely hone between sharpening. Samuel, responding to a comment I made during the T1 online class, stated that he used his T1 in his kitchen to hone before every time he cooked. Stig has stated that he sharpens his kitchen knives once or twice a year, and hones them more frequently. Stig's cutlery are Japanese knives. His wife does the cooking, and lets him know when the knives are just starting to be off sharp. Neither Samuel nor Stig uses BESS, although I am certain that their knives are always quite sharp.

Granted, they are not your typical sharpening customers who postpone sharpening. However, I hold them up as shining examples of best practice.

Ken

Al,

Good post. When I reply I rarely know the experience level of the posting member. Often, my "best guess" is not a "good guess". You seem like you are making good progress on a deeper quest. I am pleased to see that.

Ken

I don't like the idea of using the side of a non diamond wheel to flatten a tool and trying to true the stone with the stone grader.

Before Tormek introduced diamond wheels, the dreaded hollow grind was not considered a problem with large diameter grinding wheels. If one felt a need to correct for a hollow grind, the easiest way was just to set the Anglemaster to 28° instead of 25°. Flattening could be minimized in several ways: 1) Purchase premium chisels which require considerably less flattening. 2) Only purchase the chisel sizes you actually use. Years ago, I purchased a complete set of Marples Blue Chip chisels from 1/8" to 2". I labored at flattening the backs. When I eventually gave the set to my nephew, some of the larger widths had never been used, and the backs were never flattened. Half a dozen chisels are more than enough. 3) Chisels with a "belly", where the middle of the back, ideally should be returned to the dealer. "Concave" chisels, where the middle of the backs dips, only need the edge area to be coplaner. For plane irons, do an online search for "David Charlesworth Ruler Trick" which will eliminate most of the flattening time.

In the past, I used oilstones, waterstones, and wet and dry sandpaper on glass for flattening. Recently I have switched to diamond stones. For my low volume needs, these are sufficient.

Ken

Try sandpaper first.

Ken

I knew Wootz from his earliest posts on the forum. We were both early believers in BESS. He was certainly one of the great pioneers and innovators in knife sharpening on the forum. As a former Medical Doctor and researcher, he had a keen and disciplined mind. He also had a practical mind. His technique was not always orthodox Tormek, although he was always respectful of Tormek. I liked and respected him, both as a person and as an innovative sharpener.

His writings and videos are an invaluable source for us, as are some of the products he developed. I am concerned when frustrated members post about having problems with his techniques. I would suggest that we all study his video about using a Tormek SG-250 and leather honing wheel with PA-50 honing paste only to sharpen a typical kitchen knife. Using this technique without a battery of other honing equipment, he obtained a BESS reading of 75, a very respectable score. Here is a link to that video:

https://youtu.be/UckPmizllk0?si=viBZ2vsnJktvCiIL

What was his "secret sauce"? Like a concert musician, Wootz had years of dedicated practice. He did the work to earn his skill. I am convinced that any one of us can reach his level of skill if we would be willing topit in the same amount of time and work.

Actually, a more accurate statement would be that our necessary work time has lessened because of his very generous sharing of his knowledge.  We are all better sharpeners because of Wootz.

Ken

PS For those of us who are new to the forum, "Wootz" was the user name of our late member Vadim Kriachuk of Knife Grinders of Australia. Sadly, he passed away too early, and we will never know what further innovations he might have given us.

Mike,

Thanks for posting this. It has some clever "new to me" ideas. Two really stand out for me. Glenn has dedicated a usb for gouges. Using the 600 grit DF-250 diamond wheel, he has secured the microadjust with liquid locknut, set for the 250mm diamond wheel. when he switches to the composite honing wheel, he places a spacer. This sets the spacing for the honing wheel.

During the Sharpening Doctor, I asked Wolfgang about how to control the amount of swing to shape the gouge. Wolfgang answered well; however, I think Glenn's use of spacers is a more controlled solution.

I highly recommend this video. Good find, Mike.

Ken

Scotty,

Do you use an anticorrosion solution, either Tormek ACC or Honerite Gold? I would suggest ordering a bottle. Use it, noting the condition of your wheels. By the time you use up the bottle, you will have a good test sample and an answer to your question.

I have not used my CBN wheels since Tormek introduced "the dark side". My CBN wheels are 80 and 180 grit. With Honerite Gold and light use, I never noticed a problem with them. Nor have I noticed a problem with Tormek diamond wheels and ACC.

I like the idea of erasera and rubbery belt cleaners.

Ken

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