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The Tormek TS-740 Sharpening Station advertises "a work surface between 750 mm to 830 mm (29 3/4" and 32 2/3") in height".

Just continue to use your Tormek as usual. That little bit of zinc or aluminum won't hurt anything and will eventually be removed as you sharpen your tools, grade the grindstone, and true the grindstone.

TT-50 and shaped the stone with it. The stone did not keep the 90° angle of the grinding surface with its side, but the tool support was parallel with the stone in the horizontal position

That alone should be worthy of a replacement of the entire machine under warranty. I recommend you contact Tormek and ask about returning your machine for a warranty replacement.

What you've observed means the tool support is not parallel with the axis of rotation of the grindstone. Moreover, worse than not being parallel, they may askew, meaning they don't lie in the same plane. You will never get your chisels and plane irons square.

It could be that the support bar is bent, but that's easy enough to check if you have a carpenter's square and a flat surface. It could instead be that the sockets that hold the legs of the support bar are not aligned correctly.

After 20 years, I'm still using my upgraded T-2000 SuperGrind.

I made a platform that attaches to the base of the scissors jig. The scissors jig allows the platform to get a lot closer to the grindstone than the platform of the SVD-110. I use it to sharpen all my knives and anything else suited to it. I can sharpen knives ranging in size from pen knives to machetes.

If I'm having a sharpening session where I have several knives t sharpen, all at the same angle, I don't have to adjust the jig in between knives.

Does it help much in the end?
If you were to guess how many BESS points would drop?

Impossible to say, because it depends on too many other factors such as the type and condition of the steel and the edge.

Also, you might get it really sharp for showing off, but then when you go to use it, it can lose that keen edge quickly.

When honing free hand you can easily feel and hear when you've got the knife at the angle that matches the bevel. And there's no danger in sneaking up on that angle, as long as you do it from the side that won't make contact with the knife edge. In other words, you never want the knife tilted in such a way that only the knife edge makes contact with the stropping wheel; that will ruin the edge.

After you true the grindstone it will have a very rough surface. Sharpen something like an old chisel or mower blade first. It will help smooth out the rough surface so you can use it for more refined tasks.

If, after repeated attempts, you cannot get good results I would contact Tormek support.

There was someone, a few years ago, had the same problem with a T8, if I recall correctly. There was no definitive understanding of the cause of the problem, but I suspected that the support bar was not parallel with axis of rotation of the grindstone. If this is your problem you will forever have problems squaring chisel ends.

On the other hand, it is much more likely that nothing is wrong with your machine and you are just not using the right techniques, as this is perhaps the most common beginner problem.

Keep practicing. Try to find old beat up chisels that you can practice on. Lots of people have them in toolboxes and rarely use them because they are not sharp.

Is three really any issue with adding anti-freeze to the water?

I wouldn't do that. Embedding the grindstone with anti-freeze might cause more damage than allowing it to freeze.

The axe jig has nylon bearings that ride on the tool bar. I just tested mine. The tool bar is quite rusty right now and even so the axe jig moves freely. There is even a bit of play that allows me to wiggle the jig. So, I think Ken's suggestion that the holes in the jig are not parallel is the likely culprit. I would examine it closely and also see if it wiggles a bit when on the tool bar. You could try to bend it into shape, or contact Tormek support and see if they will replace it.

This video shows what appears to be a quick and easy way to sharpen scissors using only a vise and a file.

https://fb.watch/8CJiuH8Qi7/

I cannot imagine that this technique would work with anything other than a slightly dull pair of scissors that had no nicks. And you'd need a really fine file.

I find that it takes a very long time to do anything more than modest regrinding the apex of a knife.

You are not grading the grindstone properly. Apply the coarse side of the stone grader with a lot of force and for enough time to refresh the grindstone. If necessary, use the edge of the stone grader.

As the above links to other conversations reveal, when you use the Angle Master to set the angle on a chisel, you are setting the angle at the very tip of the chisel, not the angle described by Stumpy in the video.

hello, ive had my tormek T8 for a litle over a month now and its great. however the stone that comes with it to change the grade of the grinding wheel, has become rather smooth on the course side. is this common?

It happened to me.

it still works to change the grade of the grindwheel but it takes much longer to bring the grindstone back to 220 grit then id did when it was new.
am i doing something wrong or that just how it goes?
thanks
yon

I think it's just how it goes. You need to use the edges of the course side of the stone grader and don't be afraid to apply a lot of force. The edges of the course side of the stone grader will eventually round over a bit, which will increase its effectiveness.

The smooth side of the stone grader will develop a concavity to its surface. This is also a good thing as it increases the effectiveness.