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Interesting post, guys.  Two thoughts come to mind:

1) Why do so many people (dare I say "we") wait until once sharp edges are not dull but blunt?  I wonder what the last hundred feet of boards run through that planer look like?

2) I believe clever people will soon be sharpening things like lathe bits on the Tormek with good success.  Would the original Tormek users have envisioned the efficient way turning tools are now sharpened on the Tormek or that drill bits can now be sharpened easily and well?

When switching wheels, is it necessary to retrue the stone each time?

Ken

This is an interesting post.  I hope more members will join in.

You may have accidentally stumbled upon an amazing discovery: an oil finish which does not need to be rejuvenated!

When you state that you are unable to remove all of the residue, are you actually removing some of the residue, or is none of it being removed?  If none is being removed, some sort of solvent might be needed.  However, if you are indeed removing some of the residue, keep going.

I like both Herman and Ionut's ideas.  I might substitute something like an old t shirt or towel for the wicking media.  I may be wrong on this; oily saw dust may not be so difficult to clean off the leather wheel.

On a lighter note,  I noticed something else in this post.  Ionut, with 50 posts, you have now achieved the status of "Jr. Member".  (congratulations!)....Herman, with 48 posts, you are not far behind.  Onward!  I have wondered if there are different status positions between "Newbie" and "Hero Member".  Does one become a "Senior Member" at 100 posts?

Sorry, I couldn't resist the curious imp in me.  Anyway, this is a good question and good answers.  I hope to read more of these.

Ken

Herman, a very useful link.  Thanks for posting it.

Ken

Thanks.  No hurry, as I will be very busy with my grandchildren for the foreseeable future.

Ken

I'm not quite sure what you mean.  Would you please explain your question a bit more?

Ken

Hi Ionut,

Thank you for your offer.  I doubt my local Tormek dealer has any of the older parts in stock, so, if your dealer has an extra, I would appreciate it.

Since I do not have one of the older jigs to look at, I am taking my best guess.  It seems the main difference between the jigs is the newer jig uses the flat back of the chisel as the reference surface against the fixed plane.  That does seem more logical, when it works. 

With a large mortise chisel:  If the jig is rotated so that it looks downward in the front position.  (This would mean the front support bar position would be grinding into the bevel instead of away from it.) The chisel is placed in the older jig with the back against the fixed plane (instead of against the movable plane).  This would mean the chisel would be slid into the jig from the direction opposite the usual way.  If this works, it would make the back the reference plane with the fixed clamping surface of the jig.

I know the last paragraph is difficult to read.  It was clumsy to write, even with English as my primary language.

The two knobs might prevent this, and have to be replaced with regular (6mm) metric nuts for better clearance.

I become fascinated with problems and occasionally find a solution for a problem which does not exist.  The older jig may work well as is if one is careful and checks to be sure the chisel is positioned properly.

The newer jig does seem an improvement for general use.  I am surprised that places like ebay do not seem to have any of the older jigs for sale.  Their owners must have decided to keep them.  Many of us are reluctant to part with old tools which have worked well, even when improved versions are available.

A large mortise chisel has a lot more steel to remove when sharpening than a smaller delicate carving chisel.  Being able to sharpen it on the Tormek seems a real work saver.

Ken

What is the availability and cost of the SHV-60?

Ken

Hi Ionut,

I have had my Tormek about a year.  It came with the newer SE-76.  I had known there was an earlier model, but had not paid much attention to it.  Using the older jig for your thick mortising chisel is very clever.  It seems a case where the "new and improved" model actually is improved most of the time, but not in all cases.  Having the fixed plane (the top of the jig) against the back of the chisel seems logical.  Keeping the opening small to allow the tool to protrude less also seems logical.  Your mortising chisel is a case of something which doesn't work well without some thought.  You have added the thought.  The older jig clearly has more potential for thicker tools.

I think the tormek is a marvelous machine.  My hands like it, too.  The Tormek lets me keep my chisels and planes razor sharp without all the wear and tear of my hands.  The Tormek is not an industrial surface grinder.  However, with creative users like you the Tormek becomes more versatile an like a surface grinder.

Keep up the good work.

Ken   

I clamped my 1/2" mortising chisel (Marples) in my SE-76 jig.  It fits nicely in the side of the opening with the square edge.  I discovered that if I slide the chisel over the other side, I can gain several millimeters of thickness.  The other edge is not square; squareness would have to be checked.

If your chisel fits that way, it would be a very simple solution to your problem.  If that still is not thick enough, you could file a slot near the far side of the jig (away from the square edge).  This would not interfere with squaring narrow regular chisels.  The slot would not have to be very deep, only deep enough to accommodate the thickness of your mortising chisels. The less deep, the better. The width of the slot should only be wide enough to fit your widest thick mortising chisel.  Spending the time to make sure the edge of the slot was square would be well spent.  If your chisel required a deep slot, you might want to file some of it on the main part of the jig, and some on the movable part, to spread the stress.  Using a file with safe (no teeth) edges would help.

This would allow you to use your SE-76 jig for your mortising chisels, without interfering with regular chisels.  It should require no extra parts.

Ken

Ionut,

The threaded pin screws in the SE76 appear to be standard 6mm threaded set screws 30mm long. (They are loosened with a 3mm metric allen wrench.)  I checked in my Reid Tool catalog.  They show only shorter set screws in the 6mm metric thread.  A specialty hardware store carrying an extensive metric inventory might have the set screws in a 40 mm length.

Reid carries a variety of studded knobs in inch thread sizes.  If you redrilled and tapped the bar for possibly 1/4 or 5/16 threads, you could use knobs.  (The 1/4 inch thread might be too close to 6mm to have much strength.

Reid does carry metric socket head cap screws in longer lengths.  Matching a screw length to your application might require using more than one washer.  This method would require using an allen wrench.  It would be a bit of a Rube Goldberg, but it should work.

If you ground the support bar thinner, would it be rigid enough to hold the thicker mortising chisel without bending?

If you ground the support bar from the inside, you would not need longer screws.

Ken

Kudos on a very useful post.

Is rounding over the edge with the leather honing wheel part of the nature of the beast or the result of less than careful technique?

I can certainly see the benefit of using a microbevel with stones.  The benefit seems less so with a machine like the Tormek.

I am surprised no one has addressed the differences between the T3 and T7 machines.  I have only used the T7, so I really cannot comment on the T3 based on actual experience.

The T3 has a smaller diameter grinding wheel (and leather hone).  Instead of a ten inch wheel, it has an eight inch wheel.  That would make more of a hollow grind.  Whether or not this is a problem in the real world I am not sure.  With dry grinders, an eight inch wheel is quite often larger than most.

The housing on the T3 is plastic instead of metal.  The implication is that it is less rugged.  Tormek seems a very customer oriented company, so I would think a replacement housing would be available at a fair price, if needed. 

The T3 is about half the weight of the T7, and noticeably smaller.  In a larger shop, this might be a disadvantage.  In a small shop, it might actually be a benefit.

I am quite happy with my T7.  If I did not have it, I believe I would also be quite happy with a T7.

It would be nice to hear from forum members who have experience with both models.

Ken

Rhino,  Like so many of us, you are paying the piper for all the years you did not sharpen your knives.  I would suggest focusing on three knives, the ones you use the most.  In my case, that would be the chef's knife, the paring knife, and the six inch slicing knife. (The most used knives will be the ones with the smallest remaining traces of the manufacturer's printing left on the blades.) That would make cooking the day's dinner more pleasant.  It would also prevent you from having a mindset of having to hurry.

I recall a comment in one of James Beard's book about a fine set of knives being at least as valuable as the good silver, and should last as long.  I have enjoyed using Hinckel knives for more than twenty years.  I use them daily, much more than any of my Kitchenaid or Cuisinart.  They are a joy to use, and I remove steel very carefully.  Do not make a chef's knife into a paring knife in haste.

Ron Hock's book on sharpening has a well written section on knife sharpening (including thinning the bolster).  I recommend acquiring a copy.

Sharpwoman, can it be that you are the only female on this forum?  (I would be surprised.)  Since none of the women are offering advice, I might chime in.

In thirty-five years with the telephone company, I noticed that the best technicians, both male and female, usually had either a mentor or access go good training.  Having both is ideal, as well as some internal drive.

I believe finding a good teacher, either one on one or in one of the several small schools available would speed your learning process.  Doing some online poking around, I have found several in different areas of the country.  If you could find a one or two day training class which specialized in your area of interest, that would seem ideal.

The classes I have found (in Cleveland and Texas) also sell equipment. I am sure there must be others. If attending a class was not possible, these people have also written books and perhaps videos.

Apprenticing with a sharpener could be a very good choice.

In my opinion, Tormek has done a very fine job of providing educational material for woodworking tools.  In comparison, the offerings for the various types of scissors/ shears seem lean.  Given the large number of scissors users, this seems odd to me.  It seems a fertile area for Tormek to expand its training offerings.  The SharpTools video mentioned elsewhere is very good, but could be expanded to include more specialty scissors.

Good luck in your endeavour.  Please keep us posted.

Ken