Messages

Final it arrived.
Do I need to check or give any oil to the machine before I start please?
Alf

Hi, I have not received my T8 yet, hope by next week it will be here. I wish yo find out if there is a list/book to know what type of knives one can sharpen, for example can I sharpen kitchen stainless steel knives with the SG-250 ?Thanks
Alf

If you look at Rich's chart of steel and what to grind and hone them with you will find that the majority of knives you will come across are in the first category, High Carbon Steel and the SG-250 performs admirably. Knives made from the other steels are very expensive and relatively uncommon. I have not had anyone bring me one of these for sharpening.

Once you become proficient with your new T-8 I would suggest getting this book on deburring by Wootz on this forum. It will take your sharpening to another level.
http://knifegrinders.com.au/11Shop.htm

Thank you for the link.
Alf

Thank you all Guys, most helpfull 
Alf

Hi, I have not received my T8 yet, hope by next week it will be here. I wish yo find out if there is a list/book to know what type of knives one can sharpen, for example can I sharpen kitchen stainless steel knives with the SG-250 ?Thanks
Alf

When I was looking to by a Tormek I went through a similar thought process and after adding up everything I went with the T8. I am pleased with my decision.

In addition to this forum here are some sites  I have bookmarked. I find them invaluable as a reference:

http://knifegrinders.com.au/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrs9DEOG9tHbxAH50CKINqA

http://www.sharpeninghandbook.info/

The DVD supplied with the T8 is a great place to start. You will learn the fundamentals of sharpening from the experts. You can produce an extremely sharp edge with just the standard wheel and leather hone. I would suggest becoming skilled with this combination before adding the extras.

Thank you John for your help and links, which I will look into for sure.

Thank you Ken for youtr advice, inforamation and time to reply.
Alf

Hello.

If you planning to sharpen planer blades, who often are HSS steel, i will highly recomend by the T8 with the SB-250 stone.
I have sharpen a lot og planer blades, and the SG-250/200 stone will wear quickly when sharpening planerblades, and some of them are so hard that you wil need a SB stone.

Regards Even

Thank you for your advise.
Alf

Hi All,
I impressed by the way members contribute and try to help. Thank you all for your feedback.
I try to cover all the issues pointed by those who took time to give their feedback. Portability is not an issue for me, because it is not my intention to travel with the T8, maybe I would move it sometimes in my workshop, which it should be no problem.
The prices of the grindstones; I am hoping that for what I am going to use this machine for, I think the original one that will be provided with the machine will last me for a long time, so probably it will the only grindstone I will owe.  Water trough, it is a good point mentioned by Jeffs, even that if I do not have the option to raise the tank, putting some mass/piece of aluminium  to compensate for the reduction of the stone will rise the water level back to touch the stone, IMO.
The Planer Blade attachment SVH-320 is the main reason I had my doubts on the T4, because since even Tormek do not recommend the use of the T4 for this Jig, it must be so, otherwise I am sure that the T4 would be fine for my needs, especially after all your feedbacks.
Now having said that I also made some calculation to compare the T4 with the T8.  I have added the jigs I would need for my needs to both machines and compared the final price.
Planer Blade Attachment SVH-320
Included with the machine:
SG 250 Super-Grind-Stone
SE-77 Square Edge Jig
TT-50 Truing and Dressing Tool
SP-650 Stone Grader
WM-200 Angle master
Long Knife Jig SVM-140
Tool Rest SVD-110
The blue jigs are standard with the T8 the red ones are what I need to add. Tool Rest is important also because since I do some engineering, both with Lath and milling machine, I though at least I can use it for my metal machines.
and the Planer Blade Attachment because my Emco Star planer blades can be sharpened, I used to that on the sand belt that is part of the Emco Star.
The list for the T4 is different since not so much tools are included with it:
Planer Blade Attachment SVH-320
TT-50 Truing and Dressing Tool
SP-650 stone grader
WM-200 Angle master
SE-77 Square Edge Jig
Long Knife Jig SVM-140
Tool Rest SVD-110
Also the blue are included with the T4 and the red what I need to add, to have the same jigs.
Now when you add the total of both machines, I got a very interesting result :
T4 total cost is :   €553,44
T8 total cost is:   €688,72
Difference of:   €135,28
So, IMO the difference is so small that to buy the T8 is the best option for just a € 135.28.
Now all I need is to convince myself that I need a € 700 sharping machine instead of my usual oil stones and glass paper that I am using now. 😊
Well thank you all for helping me to decide and evaluate my options.
Alf.
PS. Sorry for this long reply.I noticed that fter posating I lost the font colours that I used to indicate the differnt jigs, sorry

Thank you Rich.
It seems that the shaft is mounted in a way that all that heavy load will not effect it.
Alf

Thank You Ken
Alf.

Hi All,
Thank you All for time and advice. Much appreciated.
I do not wish to sound a pain in the head, but recent visit to Tormek home site ( link found at the top of this Form ) I found some interesting and worrying information, at least to me, maybe due to my inexperience in this matter/Subject. This copy and paste of the wording.
" The T-4 is ideal for grinding chisels, knives and smaller tools, such as: B. carving tools. It can also be used for turning tools and drills, but for planing knives and profilers we recommend one of the larger Tormek machine models. Note that due to the Tormek T-4's compact size, some forms of lathe tools can not be removed with the SVD-186 on the leather puller. These tools can be deducted freehand.
The engine is designed for 30 minutes of uninterrupted operation. This is usually more than enough for home use, but if your sanding needs are higher you should consider purchasing one of the larger Tormek models as they are designed for continuous operation."
Now, it is not my intention to spend most of my time in the workshop sharping my tools, far from that, and the 30 min time limit does not bother me, especially after the clear explanation why it has the time limit for continuous use. and that is why I was interested in the T4 because the T8 is overkill for me, not to mention the cost.
But since I have the Emco Star woodworking machine with its' planner I was hoping that at least with this investment I can sharpen my planner knives too, along my chisels and hand planner blades, which it seems that I may have some problems with the T4 to do that.
With that statement I got worried that the motor is is modest to the T8 motor.
As Jeff said "You can use less of more but you cannot make more of less", that I learned the hard way from past experience. That is why I am seeking your advice here.
I am sure that all my worries are due to lack of experience regarding this machine, so, I should not be misunderstood that I am carping the Tormek. 
If anybody has any experience with Planer Blade Attachment SVH-320 on the T4, I will appreciate very much your feedback.
Again thank you for your help.
Alf

Reading this post I was wondering if I have only one stone, the one that was with the machine, do I have to remove it (the stone) during the time that I do not use the machine, or I can leave it on the machine ready to be used when the need arise.
Thanks
Alf

Hi,
Thank you for adding me to this forum.
I am considering buying the Tormek T4, because the T8 is a bit expensive for me, considering I am just doing some woodworking for a hobby.
Having said that, on the other side, I do not wish that after some time using the T4,  I will regrade that I didn't bought the latest model, T8, considering that the T4 is a more older model, probably soon the be replaced.
There are some issues that I wish to get advice upon please:
Is the size of the grinding wheel (200 x40mm) a drawback compared with the T8 250x 50mm
Also the dealer, from whom I am thinking of buying, has this (part of ) description
SG 200 Super-Grind-Stone 200 x 40 mm
Genuine leather honing wheel 145 x 26 mm
Motor 230 V, 120 W (input)
Duty max. 30 min(hour)
Running speed 120 rpm (idling)
Now, can anybody explain the underline sentence what does it means. My impressions is that the T4 can't be used more than 30 min constantly, so if this is what I think it is, then the motor is not so heavy-duty, as much as I wish it to be. 
I also made some searching for an alternative model, just to compare  and I found the RECORD POWER WG250 wet grinding machine for €299, with 5 years guarantee close to the T8 in specs, 250x50mm wheel, and with variable speed/stepless speed, but not refined as the T8, IMO.
Before I decide I wish that I get some good advice from those who have experience in this machines.
Thank You for your help.
Alf.