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I happened to visit my former local Tormek dealer last weekend.  (I moved out of the area last summer.)

The dealer now has a new huge store facility (six or seven acres of store).  For the first time I saw a T3 in their small Tormek display.  The T3 was still in the box on a lower shelf, but at least it has made it to the shelf.

Ken 

Chief, I'm glad your boat finally righted.  I would suggest you write Tormek AB and nicely, but firmly grumble.  They should make things right. 

Keep us posted whether they respond or not, and good turning.

Ken

I found this in our archives, and thought it might be interesting and relevant for those who want to flatten their backs:


Hand Tool Woodworking / Re:Not just for TORMEK -- LET'S TALK HANDTOOLS!
« on: December 23, 2003, 10:16:57 pm »
Just to clarify my approach to sharpening.  I use the Tormek for grinding only, despite having had an excellent half morning's session with Torgny Yansson!

My sharpening is done on 800 and 8000grit waterstones.


Many people who come on my courses have done irrepairable damage to the flat side/back of their blades before arrival.  Please beware of rounding the flat side on hollow waterstones, or even the scary sharp method.
David Charlesworth.

The T bar could probably be held in the small tool holder.  With care, it might give a reasonable parallel surface.

What surprises me is that I don't recall seeing prior posts with this problem.  If the problem was indeed Tormek related, I would expect it to manifest itself with a number of users.

Have you sharpened these turning tools before using other methods?  Related, do you know another turner who would sharpen them with either another Tormek or a dry grinder?  If the problem is in the steel of your turning tools, I would expect the trouble to follow.

The other possibility which comes to mind is how much pressure you are putting on the tool against the wheel.  My turning tools are stored away, however, I have not noticed this glazing with carbon chisels, plane blades or high speed drill bits.

A late thought, what kind of steel are your turning tools? Today's powder technology is producing some exotic steel, which may or may not play nicely with the SG Tormek wheel.

Keep us posted.

Ken

Back to my first post:

When I first acquired my Tormek, I had a lot of difficulty using the angle master.  Being the inventive type, I devised an improved version.  I knew it would work much better.

Before I had a chance to build a prototype, I had another sharpening session.  At the time, my improvised shop was also my unheated garage.  That day happened to be very pleasant, so I set up my Tormek on my Work-mate outside.  That's a very nice way to work. The light was great. To my great surprise, the angle master worked quite well.  The problem was not the anglemaster.  The problem was trying to use it in poor light.  I had ignored the instruction book directive to work in good light.

I often read posts by new users who are having difficulties similar to mine.  It is easy to overlook the fact that all over the planet thousands of Tormeks are functioning as designed.  We overlook the obvious problem, operator error.  The problem with untreated operator error is that it all too often becomes operator frustration and soon the operator gives up in disgust.

One of the many nice things about this forum is that there are no hot shots.  None of us are child geniuses.  The Tormek is not a difficult machine to learn.  My Dad had a favorite saying, "We can be bold in doing something if we are first humble in learning it."

Let's all keep learning and sharing that journey, both the successes and the oopses.

Ken

ps My modification for the angle master would have been to lengthen the bearing surface along the blade.  (The surface at the bottom of the keystone which sits on the blade)  I would have removed the keystone on the side away from the sharp edge of the blade and made it square.  It would no longer be symmetrical; I don't think the Swedish engineers would have liked that.  I still think it would work better that way.  My real problem was trying to work in poor light.  Old eyes didn't help, either.

Herman, good thoughts.

[Do not shortcut it!]

I know ow exciting it is to open the box of a Tormek.  The energy flows and the natural impulse is to set up, grab an edged object, and have at it.

May I make a more boring suggestion?  Before setting up the machine, read the included book very carefully.  It's your book.  Don't be afraid to highlight, underline or use tape bookmarks.   

Most of the common beginner problems are covered in the book.  They are not always covered  thoroughly enough to circumvent a hands on learning curve, however, having a good working knowledge of the book will generally keep you on the right track.

If you are reading this before your Tormek arrives, make sure you have a Sharpie marker.  this simple little marker will be invaluable in your learning curve.  It will keep you on target with setting bevels. 
Do not shortcut it!

Do not try to avoid using the stone grader.  I include myself in the large group of (foolish) users who tried to avoid using the stone grader in the hope of making my precious grinding wheel last longer.  The wheel is a consumable.  It is designed to be worn down and replaced.  A key word here is "eventually".  That might be a very long time.  Has anyone on the forum actually worn out a wheel through use?

Before leaving this topic, the way to stretch the life of a wheel is regular and careful dressing.  Using the whole surface of the wheel instead of wearing a narrow groove helps, too.


I must leave to pick up my granddaughter at school.  I hope this gets the ball rolling.  Please feel free to comment and add.

Ken

Herman, I don't believe you will be disappointed.  While they both cover sharpening, they are enough different that I believe both are worthy of space in our active libraries.

After you have a chance to read through them, please post your thoughts.  It would be nice to hear more thoughts on them than those of that "ken s" guy.  (I know as much as he does, and that's not bragging.)

Ken

Jeff, I heard a journalism prof discussing laptops and tablets recently on NPR. (National Public Radio, for you Brits, similar to BBC)

Anyway, to paraphrase his comment in my native telephonese, he stated that the tablets are quite good at receiving, whereas, the laptop is better at transmitting.....

Ken

For those of you who are considering purchasing Forstner bits:  Do yourself a favor and look at the high speed steel bits sold by Lee Valley.  They should hold their keen edges for a very long time.

Also, a note to Rob:  As I recall, you are a turner.  You could turn tapered blocks, similar to replacement socket chisel handles, to mate with the inner taper of your Forstner bits.  Use diamond paste.  That should restore your Forstner bits to their former glory.  (Keep the blocks for future touchups.  Store them in a sealer plastic bag to help preserve the diamond paste.)

Ken   

Herman, I applaud your Yankee ingenuity.  With embarrassment, I must admit I chose a less noble path when I needed another adjustment nut. Instead of Yankee ingenuity, I chose to use Yankee dollars.  I ordered a replacement part from sharptoolsusa.  (from the sharptoolsusa website>Tormek>replacement parts>T7)

66   US-105N Adjusting nut with scale for Universal Support   1   $ 7.00

While it was not the course of least cost, the nice people in Missouri gave me excellent service, even though I used Yankee dollars.

Ken

ps You are certainly picking up steam.  You have blasted through senior member, and I look forward to you becoming the first hero member from Texas!

Jeff,

This forum reminds me of the sleepy little Ohio towns after fracking was discovered.  From time to time I look at the "more statistics".  Recently it seems like a tsunami has hit the stats.  Like you, I think this is exciting. 

I am one of the prime grumblers about the lack of good training materials. The videosvyou have done are quite good, but don't completely quench our thirst for knowledge.  I realize we are handicapped by living in an age when when the most complex mysteries are solved within an hour filled with commercial messages.  IMHO, the most effective training material should also be the simplest and most easily accessed. 

I have found the search engine only partially useful.  I think a more effective solution would be having a couple posts made like the welcome posts.  I would suggest one for Frequently Asked Questions and another for Less Frequently Asked Questions.  Things like grinding squarely, using the stone grader, and lifting the knife handle to form the tip bevel would be under FAQ.  Things like thinning the bolster on a knife, or cambering a plane blade might be under LFAQ. (Turning tools, Planer blades and maybe hand tools should have FAQ and LFAQ, also.)

My suggestion would be  to address specific issues in regular posts first.  Then, the relevant posts would be edited and combined into a clear answer.  (A nice touch would be to list the poster's name with the post.) 

I would suggest you, as forum administrator, be the one with permission to access, edit, and add to the issues. In addition to being the moderator, you have the respect of the forum as both an honest spokesman and someone who has spent a lot of time in the trenches. With "copy, paste" from good posts, the work involved should be minimum.

By having the FAQ and LFAQ posts appear below the welcome posts, they would be quickly and easily accessed by both members and the curious who are investigating whether or not to invest in a Tormek.  If I was looking, I would print them for my reference.  I could see them as being of great value in getting new members up to speed with avoiding most of the pot holes. 

Welcome to the brave new world........Oz may never be the same.

Ken

Rob, glad you like the book.  I regard Leonard Lee highly.  I think he has written a good book, and the accompanying VHS, now DVD, has both good information and good dry humor. IMHO, everyone on the forum should have copies of both Leonard Lee's book and Ron Hock's book in the personal library.

Jeff, since getting your computer working again, do you have the feeling you are not in Kansas (Missouri) any more.  The forum has a plethora of full and senior members, and they are busy posting....suggesting more work for you! It reminds me of Tevya'a line in Fiddler on the Roof, "I know we're the chosen people, but can't you choose someone else once in a while?"

Ken

Yes, Rob, I bought the drill jig.  I agree, Herman, as long as we keep sharpening them, drill bits, high speed or otherwise, will continue to do their jobs.

I do have and use other bits than the household small ones for screws and anchors.

I bought the drill jig at a woodworking show my local dealer hosted.  It was 20% off.  I like tormek and I really like bargains.  Looking at the price of individual replacement drill bits, it may actually pay for itself over the long haul.

Ken

How politically incorrect for a Texan!  Herman, I'm shocked.

Ken

I think "creative" would fit better than "cheap".  Clever, Herman.

Ken