Messages

Robin,

I'm glad the extended support bar has worked for you.  I checked out your website.  Well done.  It looks very professional, yet friendly.  Offering the mobile service seems very smart.  I'm sure a lot of businesses appreciate the convenience.

Best wishes for you and your business.

Ken

Rather than try to guess what Richard Raffan might say, I decided to email him.  ("Contact" on his website, richardraffan.com)

Richard promptly and graciously replied, and allowed me to post his reply.  Here it is:

Ken,

These days I have my Tormek set up with a platform fixed on the vertical rest for my skew chisels: the wheel comes to the chisel. And on the other side I use the horizontal rest for gouges, mainly so I don't have to adjust the skew platform.  I prefer the wheel coming on to the tool as I don't hone, and I used the vertical approach because I found that easiest at the time and I could well have been shown that by Geoff Brown.
I might add that I do very little turning these days and now use my Tormek mostly for knives. I'd go with what Jeff Farris recommends as he'd use the Tormek more than anyone and knows it inside out.

As far as updating photos in books:  it's a nice idea but generally deemed far to expensive. Typos and major errors in editing are corrected at the first reprint but that's about it. I'd love to upgrade all my publications on a regular basis but it's not feasible.

I'm not sure this does much to clear the air, but feel free to post on the forum. Cheers, RR.

Richard Raffan

David,

I have one of these to dress my dry grinder wheels.  It works well and is inexpensive.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=55075&cat=1,43072,43080&ap=1

The BGM-100 is designed for shaping (as opposed to sharpening) turning turning tools.

By the way, good choice in a dry grinder.

Ken

My first impression when I saw the EZYlock was that it was a lot of nicely engineered and machined stainless steel for fifty-nine dollars.  I am still impressed with it.

Ken

Herman, I'm glad to see you posted on this.  I remembered your earlier post about breaking your wheel.

http://forum.tormek.com/index.php?topic=929.0

(Good post and informative.)

With your rusted shaft, did you notice any rust near the threaded end for the drive wheel?  If so, then a stainless nut would be a good idea.  If not, perhaps we have a non existent problem.

My upgrade EZYlock shaft came with very inadequate instructions.  Looking at the old shaft and parts, I have a narrow shaft nut. I only have the one nut now spare, so my kit must have come with only one nut, like Herman's did. The exploded parts diagram in the handbook shows two different nuts for the shaft.  If I interpret metric nut designation correctly, the stone end nut is 6mm thick and the drive wheel side nut is 4mm thick.  I may have assembled my unit with the new EZYlock with the wrong nut.  (Tormek, a diagram would help.)

My handbook shows a parts list for the 1200 model.  The 1200 seems to use the same nut for both ends.  Elmer, does your handbook have the exploded parts diagram for the T3? 

Ken

ps It's well worth everyone's time to read Herman's post about the broken wheel as a warning not to leave the stone in water.

Thanks, Jeff.

Steve,

This post goes far beyond the usual in several ways.  It shows how little we really know about each other. However, it also shows how we all try to offer good advice in good faith.

For what it's worth, I admire you for attempting such a large project.  I know it is frustrating that things did not work out the way you had planned.  All is not lost.  You have some new hard won knowledge.  You also have the woodworking "bug".  Those two can be a powerful combination for forward motion.

I predict you will use this temporary setback as a building block for future projects.  I hope you prove me right.

Hang in there, compadre.

Ken

ps  I bought my century old Bedrocks from a carpenter in his eighties (in 1972).  He told me he had hollow ground the blades, and that he could touch up the sharpness with a file.  I'll bet he would have swapped those blades in a nanosecond for either O1 or A2.

I am curious about what the letters in the jig and accessory designations.  The numbers seem to be the largest size the jig will handle (in millimeters) or the length of the platform (tool rest).  The letters seem to make more sense in English than Swedish.  This surprises me.  Is there a chart explaining what the letters signify?

Ken

ps....Be sure to watch the sharpening and "large format block plane" you tubes on the Lie-Nielsen site.  lots of solid info which works equally well with Lee Valley planes and other stones.

Ken

Steve,

Two thoughts:

A2 or O1?  For an extra $34.50, you can order one of each with your plane.  Keep them both sharp and see which you prefer.  Eventually you can grind a secondary bevel on one to another angle if you want.

With the maple board you started to cut:  Is it large enough to be made into a cutting board?  My cutting board is 18" x 24".  I use it almost every day in food prep.  It's a nice one and I like it.  I would like it more if I had made it myself.  It would be a nice use for your maple.

Your jointer should have no problem with the shorter length boards.  They wouldn't be such a hassle to cut to size.  (Have you considered a thin kerf ripping blade or using a bandsaw?)

Final thickness could be whatever happens.

Ken

Matt,

The cable guys would be drilling the same holes I did for telephone wires.  I used to resharpen my bell hanger bits for a smaller point angle.  I never checked exactly (I used a hand file).  The 90 degree setting on the DBS-22 would be close. The standard 118 degrees is really for metal.  Most of the wood holes I drilled were through soft framing lumber.  The sharper point seemed to cut faster.

Ken

Steve,

As Curly said in "City Slickers", "Day ain't over yet."  You made a valiant attempt, and learned some things.
You will be a better woodworker for the experience.

Keep us posted on your progress, and what you think of the Veritas bevel up jointer.  This might be a good time to invest in a good four foot straightedge.  Useful now and useful later, too.

"Fortune favors the brave"

Ken

Matt,

I was looking through the instruction manual with the DBS-22.  The possibilities for this jig only begin at sharpening standard jobber's drill bits.  (In case "jobber's" is unfamiliar to you, it's the common length of fractional drill bits....the garden variety drill bits.)

With a range of 1/8" to 7/8" (3 to 22 millimeters), the range includes number bits from 1 to 30 and all the letter bits.  Seven eighths inch would include some of the smaller bits with Morse tapers used in machine shops.  Bell hanger bits used in the telephone, data and cable TV industries.  Most of the masonry bits.

Not only will the jig handle all these bits, it can be adjusted to "custom" sharpen them for different materials.  That's a lot of firepower!

Are you thinking of sharpening drill bits professioinally?  If so, here's an idea for you:  I worked as a telephone installer.  Over the years I went through hundreds of bits, mostly twelve or eighteen inch "bell hanger" bits.  (Bell hanger bits have a hole near the end to pull wires back through the hole.)  I was one of the very few who sharpened my own bits (the carbon steel twist bits).  I also carried carbide tipped masonry bits in both long and short lengths.

Most of these are pricey bits.  They could be easily resharpened many times with the Tormek and DBS-22.  If you are interested, check with your local telephone and cable TV companies.  (Talk with an installer to find out how to reach the local foraman.)  Electricians and "wire puller" companies would be good prospects.

Telephone crews could provide a lot of repeat work.  And, the bits are in only a few standard sizes.

More later.....

Ken

I would lean, like Steve, in the direction of the O1.  Plan to do minor touch ups more frequently rather than sharpen.

Eventually, Steve, you will probably have both blades (and more!) for the low angle jack plane.

Do keep us posted both with the project and the plane.

Good luck.

Ken

I recently grumbled about the lack of good instructions with the EZYlock shaft.  The instructions provided with the DBS-22 are much better.  In fact, the DBS-22 seems like a class act start to finish.

Ken