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After I contacted Affinity Tool, the company handling warranty issues, they got back with me the next day just as they said they would.  They are shipping a replacement wheel, complete with a FedEx pickup ticket for the old one.  The old one will be shipped back to Sweden so manufacturing can check it out.

If with the new wheel I still suffer the same problems and it this turns out that I simply wasn't grading enough, then I shall surely feel to be a real bonehead.

I've got to say that Tormek and it's dealers couldn't have been more responsive or handled it more professionally.  A great product with amazing after the sale support and service.  I really couldn't ask for more.

Thanks too to everyone who participated in this thread! I had no idea it would still be going when I first posted the question.  

Mark

Jeff,

I really hope I'm not just being an bonehead.  Here are a couple of more pics.  It's a little hard to tell from the pics, but these areas are depressions, and it takes a _lot_ of grading to really get them to diminish.  I have resurfaced the wheel a bunch of times with the truing tool and then regraded.  It starts out ok, but then these areas return.

http://www.screencast.com/t/8cXpeUnqC6
http://www.screencast.com/t/hRcYVFC5

Really appreciate your input.  If you are correct then I feel like a goof.

Mark

Herman,  Yup.  and you can't press very hard as the blade flexes at the joint so you'd have to be rather careful.

I've only had my T-7 for a few months, and I'm learning that there is a real art to becoming skilled with it.  I'm getting better, but this does take some practice!  I'm really appreciative of suggestions and instructions.

Why not sharpen into the blade?

Thanks,

Mark

After reading the "Does Tormek take hardware suggestions" thread, I'll bump the pocket knife (and knives with very thin blades) jig request again.

Not trying to blab or beat a dead horse as I know this has been brought up before, but maybe this post will add a new record to a database somewhere.

Maybe it could be something that would grip the handle, or pinch around the heel of the blade?

Occasionally, on very small knives, the knife jig will open wide enough to grab the handle, but most times not.

My freehand sharpening has a lot to be desired!

My wheel has a bunch of areas where the surface decomposition has occured.  A long 4" one on one edge, and a bunch of other elongated patches.  And yup.  They are lighter in color and look like new wheel compound has been exposed.

The weird thing is just how "grabby" these areas are!

Mark

Hi Kb0rvo,

Thanks for the correction!

I checked my T-7 manual.  Yup.  90 rpm not 150 rpm.  I was probably thinking about one of the wanna-be a Tormek  grinders I had looked at.

Makes sense to me:

Using 90 rpm:
30 X 1.5 / 12 = 3.75 fps

Oh no!  Forgot to mention that I've removed maybe 3 mm of my stone with the truing tool!

Cheers,

Mark

So, I contacted Sharpening Supplies, the company where I purchased the machine, (great company to deal with BTW), and they directed me to Affinity Tool Works who is apparently the company handling US Tormek warranty issues.

Affinity was very friendly and helpful and told me that there would probably be no problem in getting a replacement wheel, saying that Tormek stands behind the quality equipment they make, and if there is a problem they will fix it.

Affinity will contact Tormek Sweden as they need to be involved, especially if there is a manufacturing defect they need to be aware of.

Tormek may be a little more expensive than other copy-cat grinders, but then a lot of times you get what you pay for, and that includes after the sale support and service.

Thank you to everybody who contributed to this thread, and to Jeff Farris who does an amazing job with this forum.

The machine is not modified, and I seem to remember 150 rpm is its rated speed.  So yes, I assume so.

150 rpm seems relatively slow in comparison to some other drilling equipment like a 30K rpm Dremel, but you have to consider, if math serves me correctly, (I could be wrong), that would still be 2.5 rpm / second.  A 10" wheel would be about 30" of wheel surface per revolution, or about 75" or 6.2 wheel surface/feet per second.  (Hey math people, please correct me if I'm wrong).

Add to that the fact that the T-7 is a  beautiful, powerful grinder.  I imagine it would take a lot to bog it down, let alone jam it to a stop.  So, yes.  If you jam something against the wheel surface and utilize the control bar as a fulcrum, from my experience it has considerable torque, and "things" can happen surprisingly quickly.

Does anything in life come with no issues?  Even $300 things? 

Apparently RJM's and my experiences are not the norm.  Hopefully Tormek will address the problem.

RJM,

Thank you for your post!  Very useful to know I'm not the only one with this issue.

It's amazing how "sticky" and dangerous these surface aberrations are! 

One time I was sharpening a large kitchen knife to about 20 degrees.  One of these spots grabbed the blade and, yanking the jig from my hands, pitched the whole thing under the control bar. It was sudden and freightening.

I threw my hands in the air and jumped back from the machine to avoid having the now razor sharp pointy knife impale my foot as it bounced off the bench and fell to the floor. 

As my heartbeat returned to normal, my first thoght was that I might have suffered a serious  wound, but luckily I was undamaged and had not sprung any leaks!

This incident has now made me feel somewhat afraid and intimidated by the machine.  This feeling, in itself, is not necessarily a bad thing around any power equipment as it is a reminder to be attentive and careful, never getting sloppy and taking the environment and equipment for granted.  I am now considering chainmail butchers gloves and steel tipped boots.

These stone surface issues are obviously a safety concern.

Here is a picture of one of the breaks in the grinding wheel surface.  These breaks are very "sticky" and will actually jerk on the stone grader or a blade during sharpening.

http://tinyurl.com/b2md6x5

Thanks Jeff,

MI, USA.  That's a good idea Jeff, as I'm not sure if it's the same places all of the time.

I'm glad to know that it's not normal, and that maybe customer service may address the problem.  It makes careful sharpening difficult when the wheel grabs at the blade each time around.

Thanks again for your assistance Jeff!

Mark

Thank you for the reply Jeff.

The problem has been happening since the unit was new.  I've removed at least 3mm of the wheel already with the truing attachment.  The areas vary in length from just spots to 3 cm to 4 cm long, and and up to 1 cm wide.  It's like the surface of the stone "breaks" in patches, exposing unconditioned grindstone just under the surface.  It looks almost like a thin layer of paint has chipped off a surface.

Is there anyway to attach an image file?  It's obvious when you see a photo of it.

Thanks,  Mark

Yes.  Sort of.    I'm not doing the sliding back/forth sideways because I found that it tends to round the edged of the stone where it makes with the wheel.  In the long run this seemed to cause rounding of the edges of the grinding wheel.  I saw some post here by Jeff saying to avoid this.

The stone does resurface the wheel.  It's not that some area of the wheel surface is not getting touched by the stone.

Thanks for the reply!

I am a happy T-7 owner.  One issue I have noticed is that the surface of the standard grinding wheel quickly develops rough spots that have more friction than the rest of the wheel.  It's as if the entire wheel is glazed, with areas where the glaze has broken through.  (The wheel is not glazed, it cuts fine, I'm just using that for illustration.)

Using the stone grader I can feel it grab each time one of these areas passes beneath it.  When sharpening blades, it jerks the knife with each pass.  Grading helps, but does not totally remove the problem areas as they very quickly redevelop.  Resurfacing the wheel removes them for a shot while.

Is this just normal, or could I possibly have a funky wheel?

Thanks!

I find that mine turns when flipping the knife over to sharpen the other side.  It bugs me a bit everytime I use it.