Messages

I sharpened a 7/16" hss bit earlier today.  I switched back to the standard grinding wheel.  I really didn't notice any difference between the black wheel and the general wheel.  I might feel differently if I had a lot of bits to sharpen or, more probably, if I was sharpening carbide or other exotic bits.

With the 7/16" hss bit, if I wanted to touch up bits like this and had the regular wheel mounted on the Tormek, I don't think I would change wheels, even with the EZYlock.  So, Gary, I would not let not having the black wheel hold you back.

Ken

I'm glad I'm not the only one who uses scrapers for less than pristine uses.  They are certainly useful tools.

For what it's worth, I'm a fan of both Lie-Nielsen and Lee Valley.  Both are top quality makers.  I generally prefer traditionally designed tools.  Lie-Nielsen leans that way.  Lee Valley is more innovative in its designing.

My only Lie-Nielsen tools are three bevel chisels (the /16 sizes).  They ooze quality.  (I think Lee Valley's recent chisel offerings can give them a run for the money.)

I have been a Lee Valley customer for many years.  They have never disappointed me.  I have one of their planes, the plow plane.  It is a real stand out tool, even before they added the versatility of the newer blades.  It leaves the venerable Stanley 45 in the dust.

Choosing between these two brands is really personal preference on a tool by tool basis. It is a win-win choice.

For a jack plane, I actually have three.  All are old Stanleys, the oldest being inherited from my grandfather.  It is from the 1890s.  The middle is a 1909 Bedrock.  The new kid, is from 1926.  All are fine tools.  While I appreciate the quality of LV and L-N, I have no desire to replace my old trooper jack planes.  (No, no one "needs" three jack planes.)

My suggestion for a "mess around with" jack plane would be to first buy Chris Schwarz' Handplane book and than find a prewar Stanley in good condition. Ernie Conover's out of print handplane VHS is worthwhile, also.  Your local library might be able to find a copy for you.   They are very plentiful and quite reasonably priced.  The book will pay for itself in helping you make a good choice and tuning the plane.  Tuning a plane is not difficult, and the skill will serve you well.  It can be fun, too.

Ken

I agree with Herman.  Installing the new bearings may or may not actually improve your machine's performance.  Having a new set of bearings in the drawer will definitely not make a difference.

Ken

Next time I sharpen bits, I'll use the standard wheel.  I can't imagine it not working well.  I'll post.

Ken

I totally agree, Herman. For homeowners like us, being able to resharpen things like drill bits might be considered a necessity.  Sharpening them with the Tormek jig could hardly fall into the "basic needs" category.  Some people enjoy golf, extensive travel, toy cars or trucks, etc.  For me, the Tormek, while functional, is also somewhat my toy car. 

Truth be told, I don't think any of us would wear out either a Tormek or a Drill Doctor.  I did wear a considerable "dent" in my Norton 1000 water stone before getting the Tormek.

Mike, if you pick up more auger bits, make sure they are no more than dull. Once the screw point or wings are worn off, the rest of the bit is kaput.  There is no shortage of used auger bits.  (If you happen to find an old set of bits, the pristine ones are the ones you probably won't use, either.)

Gary,

I use the black stone, but only because I happen to have one.  (it was one of those 20% bag sales at my local dealer.  It actually fit in the bag, but barely.)  I bought it thinking it would be useful for turning tools, planer and jointer blades as well as drill bits. (Who made the comment, "buy the tool and cry once"....great comment!)  I'm sure any of these could be sharpened with the standard wheel.  I think that is part of the guiding design philosophy at Tormek.

Yes, like you, I just enjoy sharpening.

Good comments, guys.

Ken

Good point, Mike.  If the truth be told, I suspect a couple well placed swipes with a file or diamond hone is faster than either.

Then there is the argument that a good jig retains the same edge shape, or can modify one, with removing the least possible amount "of your precious tools" (phrase borrowed from the Tormek turning tool video).  On a logical basis, that is certainly correct.  However, in our real world workshops, how many of us can produce drill bits, or any tools, which we have sharpened almost to the point of extinction?

A notable exception might be auger bits.  I have a number of very well worn auger bits.  most may actually be older than I am, and probably were not carefully sharpened over the years.  As an old telephone installer, I probably used a brace and bit more than most people, but even that work used very few sizes.  (For anyone wanting to sharpen auger bits, a Nicholson file designed for the work is a very useful tool.  They are easy to sharpen.)

As "do it yourselfers", we like to be prepared for whatever comes down the pike.  No one wants to have to run to the hardware store for just a drill bit or odd size chisel. If we look at our drill index of bits up to one half inch by sixty fourths, probably most of the its are pristine.  Two or three may be well worn.  One or two may be missing or broken.  How many of us need to resharpen our 1 3/4 inch chisels?

From a time and cost standpoint, most of us would be further ahead to just have a second bit for the half dozen sizes we frequently use.

That said, the Tormek and its accessories can be a pleasure to use.  Having sharp tools certainly adds to the joy of woodworking and/or cooking.  I also enjoy the mental aspect of extending the possibilities of what this very versatile machine can do.

I think the DBS-22 is one of the most interesting and versatile accessories for the Tormek.

Ken

Bradley, you mention using the Shapton stones.  I have used the Norton water stones for quite a while with good success.  (Better success since I do the initial work on the Tormek).

I have wondered if the finer Shapton stones (above 8000) give a noticeably longer lasting edge?  Have you noticed anything one way or another?

Thanks,

Ken

I bought the individual jigs instead of either of the packages.  That may of may not have been a good idea.  ii have a lathe, but didn't have a shop until quite recently.

In my case, I bought almost all of the jigs and accessories when they were on sale.  I don't know if anyone is doing shows for Tormek anymore. Affinity did the last show in my area.  I kept hoping I might meet Jeff at one of the local shows.  I bought most of the jigs during shows at 20% off or, once in a while, the dealer had 20% sales on almost anything in the store.  This can be little slower way to acquire things.  just be ready to jump when the sale happens.

My advice would be to buy the jigs you can use.  I would include the Torlock.  I use the TTS-100 in sharpening chisels and planes.  That's not the original function, but I have found it useful.

Like Mike, I have sent a few dollars to Warren, Maine, and hope to continue doing so.

Ken

an afterthought...

My new shop has lots of fluorescent lights.  It looks very bright until i actually have to see something closely, like the sharpened tip of a drill bit.  Sharpening drill bits really requires much better light. 

I had a similar problem when I first got the Tormek.  i had a terrible time using the angle master to set bevel angles.  my old shop was also the garage.  I moved the Tormek outside.  In the much improved open shade daylight I could see the angle master very well.

I have several old Smith Victor tungsten photo studio lights and stands.  I think they will see regular service in the shop.  They should be available at reasonable prices.  They also work with regular 100 watt tungsten or newer bulbs.

Ken

Excellent question, Mike.

Actually my plan is to convert most of my present bits to four facet before putting the jig away.  Or, at least enough to become fluent with the jig.  I'm only partway there now.

Let's assume your scenario.  I have spent several hours of study, both reading and watching Alan Holtham's well done you tube.  I would not want to do that every time I got the jig off the shelf.  I believe the process can be greatly shortened by writing some notes to myself.  The first part of my post was really preliminary notes to myself.  Almost all the set up on the jig can be done by rote ("by the numbers").  The USB distance and bit protrusion don't change.  Do them first just like putting on a seat belt.  The 118 degree setting is almost all the time; just leave the jig set that way and tightened.  Before storing the jig, make sure the secondary face stop screw is fully tight.  That will save a lot of problems.  Include checking that, as well as the other "rote" items in your note to yourself.

By doing all this the only real variables are the primary and secondary cut depth screw adjustments.  Write some good notes to yourself about these.  Expect the first bit or two to take a little longer.  Beyond that, the technique should come back to you.

I read an excellent book written by a surgeon about check lists.  (Do a google search on "checklist"; you should find the book info.  It's well worth the time to read.)  Your notes will be your checklist to jog your memory.

As I said, I really have no background to comment either way on the Drill Doctor.  Just a thought:  Since you already have an older Drill Doctor, would you gain more useful flexibility by adding a second, newer DD or combining your present DD with the DBS-22?

I don't have the answer.  however, I am curious to read your thoughts. 

Keep on posting

Ken

ps I think any drill jig works best when kept handy enough to "refresh" the cutting edge when it first starts to think about becoming a little dull.  That's just a quick touch to the primary faces with the stone graded fine.  Very little time and very little steel removed.  Hopefully this is done often enough to keep the jig use in your memory banks.

Gary, do you realize that your post (this thread) has become the fifth largest on this forum.  Good post!

Ken

In a post quite a while back, Ionut mentioned the Tormek wheel actually has three degrees of coarseness; coarse graded; fine graded; and (the most coarse) right after the diamond dresser has been used.  ionut is quite knowledgeable and innovative.

Ken

I finally had a chance to fire up my DBS-22 (drill bit grinding jig).  As promised, here are my initial thoughts on the jig.

The jig seems very well engineered and well machined.  Impressive.  It also seems very versatile.  I suspect its versatility is largely wasted on average users, although anyone doing a lot of specialized metal drilling would appreciate its flexibility.

Set up is not as difficult as one might think.  Developing a "by the numbers" mind set helps in set up.  Another help is keeping things as simple as possible.  The example which comes to mind is the point angle setting.  The jig will handle angles from ninety to one hundred and fifty degrees.  I would suggest leaving the 118 degree setting fixed until one has really mastered the jig.

The distance between the grinding wheel and the Universal Support Bar is easily set with the included template.  Set it and let it remain a constant instead of a variable.

The protrusion of the drill bit beyond the holder is set with a stop on the jig.  This is another smart constant. 

By leaving the point angle at the standard 118 degrees and leaving USB distance and bit protrusion as designed, the jig is noticeably simpler to use. 

The same template used to set the USB distance is also used to set the clearance angle.  It has four settings from seven to fourteen degrees and a table of recommended angles for different diameter bits.  It is a simple setting.

The only setting which is tricky is the depth of cut screw.  My first sharpened bit is at least respectable, so setting the depth is not really difficult.  it will just take some more experience to become more proficient with setting the depth.

I like the four facet cut.  It should cut down on the bits skating before actually cutting.  As a practical observation, the instructions state the secondary faces are not necessary when reaming (enlarging) a hole.  For those of you who can access the finewoodworking membership site, Ernie Conover has done an excellent you tube on precision drilling of wood with regular bits.  For a precision size hole he suggests using a small pilot hole, then a bit close to final size and then the final size bit.  Not quick, but very accurate.

The instructions do not specifically address the issue, but I cannot see any benefit from using the fine graded stone on the secondary faces.  The cutting is done only by the primary faces.  I can see the possible benefit of regrading the stone with the primary faces.  I would regrade the stone and smooth the primary faces before setting the jig for the secondary faces.  (I would regrade the stone to coarse before grinding the secondary faces.  That would also leave the stone ready to grind the next bit.)

Is the jig worth the money?  I confess I bought mine at a very attractive (possibly mismarked) price compounded by a 20% discount due a tool show.  I was the first customer through the door and immediately bought the DBS-22.  By the way, the "22" is 22 millimeters (7/8"), the maximum bit size the jig will handle.  3mm (1/8") is the minimum.  I think it is worthwhile, but I am a Tormek junky.

I have no experience with any other drill bit jigs except grinding by hand and using a file.  I'm not skilled at either of these.  The Tormek has the advantage of consistency while removing the minimum of metal and not overheating the bits.

I happen to have a black wheel, however, I believe the drill jig should work all right with the standard wheel.

I would welcome comments, especially from those who have used the jig more than I have.  (If you have sharpened three bits or more, that means you.)

Ken

Gary and Mike,

I'm hoping to fire up the DBS-22 this weekend.  I will post my initial usage thoughts.

Ken

Bradley,

Welcome to the forum.

I am curious as to what "too slow" is. As a field trial, I recently reground a chisel bevel to thirty degrees.  This chisel gets all the jobs I try to avoid with the high price tools.  I may live in a slower world.  However, regrinding the bevel did not seem to take much time.  I realized later that all I really needed to do was grind a steeper micro bevel. The steeper cutting angle held up better under rough service.

The SE-76 should work with the BGM-100 and a dry grinder.  My question is why would you want to use it that way? Yes, the dry grinder would grind more quickly.  However, the quickness comes with the risk of overheating the tool.  If you leave enough (thickness) flat area on the blade to lessen the overheating risk, you also add a lot more time with your stones.  If you have to remove a lot of steel, for example, from a badly pitted blade, grinding away the bevel at a right angle and then grinding away the pitted area, then using the dry grinder would definitely be faster.  Hopefully this would be a very rare occasion and only done once with a blade.

Dressing your wheel with the diamond dresser right before using it will give you the Tormek's most aggressive cutting.  if you are doing a lot of grinding, you should be able to hear and feel the difference as the wheel needs attention.

I would suggest three things to increase your sharpening speed:

1) Have your tools sharp before starting a project and hone/polish often.

2) Use micro bevels.

3) Use multiple tools or blades.  This might seem impractical, however, most shops have an extra jack plane and/or a few odd chisels laying around.  If you are moving along flattening a board and don't want to stop to refresh the jack plane blade, just grab the second plane.

By all means, keep asking questions and posting.

Ken

The Lie-Nielsen website has some well done you tubes on sharpening, including changing the bevel.