Messages

Hi,
I recommend the 600 grit wheel, DF-250, for flattening chisels and plane blades. The DC-250 is to coarse and would mean lots of extra work for you.
The Diamondwheels will not clough easily and if so, by using a rubber, you clean it out. SO far I have had no issues with clogging, I have not sharpened any much HSS steel but see no issue yet.

Sincerely,
Stig

Hi,
Have to respond to the comment about the comment "you have to fight the grinding wheel when trying to hone the edge."
That's only a fact on longer knives when honing with the jig. If you hone freehand on top of the honing wheel you can easily twist the blade to not touch the stone. I believe that most users do start to hone freehand when they get used and comfortable with the system.
Also, in my opinion, the RB-180 rotation base is one of the best accessories you can get for any Tormek machine. It makes the whole process of sharpening so much easier. The weight is only positive then.
We have seen a big change of users the last years and there are so many users who buys a Tormek only to sharpen knives. A great model is a T-4 Bushcraft if someone would think a T-8 would be at a to high cost. With the T-4 Bushcraft, the Knife and Ax jig is included.

Best,
Stig

Jan,
I had a chat with a friend of mine who works for Veritas and his response was that it has properties of stainless steel but not considered as a stainless steel alloy.

Best,
Stig

Thats is one ruined knife, Jan!

When it comes to knives that have a have a high vanadium and / or molybdenum content, I have never had an issue with the SG stones. For instance, the knife Brand Global have knives with cromova 18 steel which are great to sharpen with the SG stones. I have had experiences with cheaper knifes that the burr is hard to remove under 40 degree angle. With the SG stones i find that the better quality it has, the better it work.
Regarding steel, I have a favourit powder metal which works extrmely well on the SG stones and that is PMV-11, a steel that Veritas uses in plane blades and chisels. Some facts here : http://www.pm-v11.com/Story.aspx

Best,
Stig

Hi,
For personal use, all my knives are sharpened at 30 degree (15 each side)
They stay sharp for a year if I hone them 2-4 times a year.
I see no reason to use a diamond wheel on them, exept one knife I have, Vmatter that uses Amorphous Metal, as they call it. This specific metal get better removal and edge with dimanond.

My experience during the last years shows me that most times the issue to get really sharp tools is the lack of proper honing. On page 127 in the latest handbook, or in the straight edge jig chapter, the correct techniqe is shown.  I hope this can be of help.

Best,
Stig

Hi all,
I was reading john.jcg's answer about micro craks which I am certain is the main reason.

"Another possibility is if the knife has been improperly used it may have developed micro-cracks which are not visible to the naked eye. These cracks can propagate during sharpening and result in the nicks you see."

Knives with powder steel tend to have this kind of breakout more than knives with stainless steel.

The main reason I checked the forum today was to wish all a great and sharp weekend!

Sincerely,
Stig

Good morning,
I just want to inform about that Affinity tool is no longer the US importer of Tormek products. Tormek has set up a subsidiary, Tormec Inc, to be able to work closer to our customers.
For any questions outside what the Forum can answer, mail info@tormek.com and we will help.

When it comes to the cost of making any product I think that most people don't count things in like man-hours behind the product, new tools being made to be able to make new products. Only adding the cost of material will not show the actual cost.

For the US-430 in specific, the cost will be displayed soon, the item has not landed in the US yet and will not do so for the next 4 weeks. As soon as it is on the market, our resellers will ad it to their listings.

The US-430 is a product that only a few users need, in fact maybe only those who have a sharpening business where a knife/cleaver is the main tools being sharpened. Other tools that will work are larger axes. For the majority of users, the standard support bar is doing what the design of most jigs is meant for.

Sincerely,
Stig

Ken,
If it is really stuck, a quick movement is working when I do it. Keep in mind, It happened to me one time which really don't give any real proof of it.
One thing is for sure though, no tool should be needed.

Sincerely,
Stig

Hi,
I think I need to comment on this. I did brake the pins but I did use the wrong technique. As I answered Ken, I could open it up after I broke the pins by using a faster anti-clock-wise move. When I broke them, I slowly applied more pressure instead of using power directly. After that, I have never had an issue opening a Ezy-lock nut. This is years ago and I was still pretty new at Tormek. Stronger possibly too...

Regards,
Stig

Page 122 in the handbook shows how you hone a chisel freehand. I hone my knifes the same way.
I got a new Japanese knife some years ago, known to be sharp "out of the box". 5 days later my wife told me that I had to sharpen it. I honed it and it stayed sharp for weeks.
I told this to my friend who import these knifes and got the answer that all knifes has a little burr when new and honing will get them sharper.
I sharpen my knifes 1-2 times each year but hone them 3-5 times each year depending on quality of steel and angle I've played with.

Some month ago I got in contact with an Australian woodcarver who purchased a Tormek and was not very satisfied with the edge he got.
We had long discussions via Instagram and after a few weeks he really learned and had the time to test and play around so he got the edge he wanted and slightly more. When he purchased the SJ stone, I gave him the tip, same as your wrote, to put an extra degree on the angle-master when he was using the Japanese wheel.
He is a very talented spooncarver, you can follow him on Instagram,  spoon_carving_with _tom where he also share his view of sharpening in a honest way.

Sincerely,
Stig

Ah, OK.  Guess I was trying too hard.

I have seen that Instagram feed.  (Unfortunately, he's another guy who thinks "Instagram Live" is a good idea).    He seems like he's into stropping quite a bit (considering he evens sells strops).... do you recall anything specific on the leather honing wheel (not the SJ stone) that differed from stropping on a regular strop, that was different?

Thanks.

Send a message to him on Insta, he always answers. He is also a new member of the Forum so who knows, he might answer here.

Best,
Stig

Guys, I apologies for my tone in my last post.

I do love Tormek, and trust its quality, like a son trusts his father.
And like when a son finds out his father is not ideal, I had sort of a childish reaction, that I am now ashamed of.

I actually bought 2 new jigs, and one is fine, and works perfectly well, but the other has the skewed adjustable stop that doesn't hold, it is lighter in weight, and dimensions are slightly different.
I therefore think this different jig is either a defective production batch or counterfeit.

Hi,
Happy to read that it was one jig that was faulty.
No one is to blame but us if something is of bad quality. Our quality checks normally prevent this but items can sometimes pass inspection without we notice that it has quality issues. Things like this always make us better.
I have sent you an email and also made our Importer in Australia aware of this so you get a jig that is as it should be.
Sincerely,
Stig

Hello. Stig.

I'm having the same problem. I think there is a problem with the entire jig produced sometime in 2017.

Hi,
Sometimes it takes time to answer some questions. This was one.
As usual, I am going to answer the honest way.
To start with, you are wrong.
We produce thousands of the SVM-45 every year. We have less issues with this model in zink than the previous one in aluminum. 2018, so far, I have a handful of issues, one was operator problems. And this might be jigs that was purchased last year or even 2016. And some jigs that I have got sent to Sweden for inspection had traces of damage after they have been dropped to the floor, most likely from the user. Which sadly, we might find out after we replace a jig.

We stopped making the adjustable handle with a screw to lock it. The treads in the nylon got worn out as most users used to much force when they tightened it. The solution with the o-ring made even the adjustment easier.

Sadly, whatever I answer, it sounds like an defensive speech. If someone has an issue, contacting us on support@tormek.se is easier and faster to get help than to post things here. Luckily, Ken S does inform me when I need to check the Forum If I have been absent for a while.

Sharpco, I will send an email to our Korean importer to help you so you get jigs that you can accept. We don't want unhappy customers.

Sincerely,
Stig

"
I'm missing the point of p.122 (or maybe I'm trying too hard)... do you "prehone" all the manufacturer scratches out of a knife?

I think a knife can be deburred on a wheel without further honing... light pressure (as you stated) combined with a higher angle, will often do it.  (Or at least deburred enough that it's hard to detect in use).  Probably also depends on the level of sharpness one is trying to achieve.  On the Tormek it can be harder.. one reason I'd like to see the finer diamond wheel."

Page 122 in the handbook shows how you hone a chisel freehand. I hone my knifes the same way.
I got a new Japanese knife some years ago, known to be sharp "out of the box". 5 days later my wife told me that I had to sharpen it. I honed it and it stayed sharp for weeks.
I told this to my friend who import these knifes and got the answer that all knifes has a little burr when new and honing will get them sharper.
I sharpen my knifes 1-2 times each year but hone them 3-5 times each year depending on quality of steel and angle I've played with.

Some month ago I got in contact with an Australian woodcarver who purchased a Tormek and was not very satisfied with the edge he got.
We had long discussions via Instagram and after a few weeks he really learned and had the time to test and play around so he got the edge he wanted and slightly more. When he purchased the SJ stone, I gave him the tip, same as your wrote, to put an extra degree on the angle-master when he was using the Japanese wheel.
He is a very talented spooncarver, you can follow him on Instagram,  spoon_carving_with _tom where he also share his view of sharpening in a honest way.

Sincerely,
Stig

Guys, I apologies for my tone in my last post.

I do love Tormek, and trust its quality, like a son trusts his father.
And like when a son finds out his father is not ideal, I had sort of a childish reaction, that I am now ashamed of.

I actually bought 2 new jigs, and one is fine, and works perfectly well, but the other has the skewed adjustable stop that doesn't hold, it is lighter in weight, and dimensions are slightly different.
I therefore think this different jig is either a defective production batch or counterfeit.

Hi,
Happy to read that it was one jig that was faulty.
No one is to blame but us if something is of bad quality. Our quality checks normally prevent this but items can sometimes pass inspection without we notice that it has quality issues. Things like this always make us better.
I have sent you an email and also made our Importer in Australia aware of this so you get a jig that is as it should be.
Sincerely,
Stig

[/quote]

True... but are you saying that an edge can't be "de-burred" on the DE-250 (or other) stone?

My experience, (and I've posted it before), is that you'll get a better edge if it's as burr free as possible, prior to any type of honing.
[/quote]

Good question and I would like to use more time answering it, but I am a bit "on the clock" so a short answer which I hope will do for today.

There will be burr left on an edge with the DE-250 wheel which you likely would remove.
You can, by using light pressure the last passes over the wheel, get less burr butt it will still be in need of honing .
The closest to a "de-burred" edge is on the SJ stones.
Personally, I hone all tools but the only thing I would not hone is regular scissors, as they should have burr left. Well, I don't hone drillbits either to be honest.
This needs practice especially on chisels/plane blades but easily described in the handbook (p.122 on the latest edition) but when you get the feel for it it's pretty interesting to feel the difference on those tools. I hone knifes the same way.
I do understand why you have your opinion regarding this, as honing might round the edge a little.
Using a stone with it's hard surface, will keep the edge on a tool more "straight" than on a more soft leather-wheel. But with experience, honing will get close to the same sharpness as the SJ stones.

According to a support request I sent this morning: Using the Sj-250 after DWE-250 will still make a better edge than only the DWE wheel.

Ken

I would say "more refined" edge... not a "better" edge. 

The reason... depending on how the knife/tool is used, a 1200g finish off the DE-250 might perform better than a 4000g edge off the SJ wheel.

I know that some prefers to have some "burr" left on the edge. A honed edge stays sharp longer than an edge with some burr left on it.
Also something to take into consideration.


Stig