Messages

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Also, it is very repeatable. I can do the same knives one month later and find the bevel angle is very, very close to the previous sharpening. I usually use the marker anyway just so I see how close it is to previous session sharpening and it is pretty much spot on.

Exactly that. I don't have statistical-grade data on this, but my gut feeling is that if any time is lost (in measuring/setting projection distance or adjusting USB height) compared to adjusting the KS-123 while controlling backlash is more that made up for in strokes saved to get a burr.

snip ...
once you make the leap to ... the new Tormek angle tool, you will realise just how simple and efficient they are to use ...

Correct! The software period for setting the grinding angle was an era that could be concluded with the KS-123, which improved the setting of the grinding angle in a faster way.

@Dutchman, if I may, that is a cheeky way of quoting @Sir_Amwell, who included "calcapp or such" in the list of faster tools for setting the angle...

Shun Fuji have a SG2 core, which can be tempered to a high hardness. If they are severely damaged, starting with a coarse diamond wheel or SB wheel may speed up the process. They will still sharpen fine, albeit a bit slowly, on the SG wheel. I would also recommend a longer honing with a lighter touch.

I'm no Tormek specialist or historian, but isn't the item circled in red a part of the SVD-185 that was supposed to allow for sharpening of cutter heads or whatnot ?

The online classes teach that using the leather honing wheel with PA-70 after the SJ will remove the tiny burr created by the SJ. Without getting too deep into the weeds, that seems like a logical step to me.

Ken

That's probably why they changed their recommendation when they revamped their website. They went from :

Since the surface left by the Japanese Waterstone is so fine, we do not recommend honing afterwards on the leather honing wheel.

to :

You usually don't need to hone on the leather honing wheel afterwards because the SJ-250 Japanese Waterstone leaves such a fine finish.

Which, granted, is still a bit of a stretch from what Wolfgang acknowledges in the video. Which from a marketing standpoint is a nice stunt : it will give the (rich) reader (or "beginner" as Ken put it) the impression that  the honing step can replace the SJ step, with the little caveat that if you read closely, it may not.

Though I might not view these feet as as much of a breakthrough as automatic transmission, power steering or penicillin  the very fact that they made the STL file available is in itself a very nice addition.

As they mention they don't provide recommended settings I would add a few tips :
 - As PPS is probably out of the question (and might make it cheaper to just purchase the feet altogether), PC is your best choice for filament if your printer can handle it. If not, PETG is still a safe choice. PLA *will* creep, so it won't clip to the USB for long.
 - Print standing on one of the shorter, u-shaped ends, with the Tormek "label" vertical. Other orientations will add inter-layer stress.
 - If you have bridging issues, or just want a more robust print, fill the "label" with a cuboid that sits flush with the surface.
 - While they recommend avoiding low-quality settings, increasing layer height might not be a bad thing. Gyroid infill with 3 walls worked a charm for me.

After a discussion on the latest video from Tormek (yet to see) I have been rethinking my answer. In it they state that no honing is required after the SJ since it leaves little to no burr.

John, if we're talking about the latest Tormek video as of today, my understanding is the exact opposite : they state that honing after SJ polishing clearly improves the cutting performance by removing the tiny foil-like burr left by the grinding process.

John, that's what I thought too, and you have much more experience and grinding time than I do so it's probably a skills issue.

Yet I tried this with different (pretty much standard) kitchen knives and was either left with a tiny foil burr if grinding edge trailing, or an invisible edge of soft metal if sharpening edge leading. In both cases, BESS tests showed significant improvement after PA-70 honing on the leather wheel.

I appreciate the fact that they mention (contrary to previous videos or the manual) that honing on the leather with the PA compound changes the end result.

The manual still states :

The surface left by the Japanese Waterstone is so fine that the tool should not be honed on the leather honing wheel.

But to quote Wolfgang in this video :

There is really no burr there, and if you want to get rid of it...

and

You will have a totally different performance when you cut

Which is what my short experience and BESS tests have clearly confirmed : the burr might not be visible after the SJ grinding/polishing, but there is one.

Also, I think the manual still shows the SP grader being used flat against the stone where Wolfgang advises to use the edge, but doing it freehand seems to make the stone go out of round/out of true faster. Grading with diamond plates is a better alternative, and not a very expensive one.

Although I concur with @Dutchman wrt the tool's clumsiness, the AngleMaster should be well suited to setting/measuring an angle on chisels. A systematic 5° difference is especially intriguing.

Can you maybe post a picture of :
- How you set your angle using the WM 200, taken from the side so we can see the markings on the WM-200, where the plastic contact the wheel and if there is any gap between tool and the back of the chisel ?
- How you measure your angle ?

Cheers,

Nick.

Hello everyone, I have the following question.

I have a Tormek SJ-250 Japanese water stone (4000 grit) and Tormek - PA70 polishing paste (3000 grit, if I'm not mistaken). Does it make sense to use a coarser polishing paste after using the water stone with 4000 grit?

My take on this is "Yes, it does". The SJ leaves a burr that you'll have to remove, and the PA-70 does a really good job of it. In my experience it will not unpolish the edge left by the SJ. Plus you probably want to hone at +1/+2 dps compared to your grinding angle, so that won't show much.

That, exactly. And IMO the result after going DF -> DE -> SJ is underwhelming. The diamonds leave a rather sparse scratch pattern that's hard to get rid of entirely.

So if you really want to start with the DF, i would recommend DF->SG ungraded -> SG graded fine -> SJ.

I would second what Ken said, and maybe put it in a slightly different light : unless constrained by space or portability restrictions, go for the T8 : you'll get more mileage out of a stone (overall and in between truing sessions), grind profiles will be closer to a flat grind, and the wheel is 25% wider, resulting in more consistent results (less dishing) on wide blades.

Wow, this is so nice !!!!

For those of you who could be interested in this system, there is a baseplate variant called Clickfinity ReFined that allows for containers that click in place and won't budge without using magnets. Just don't print in PLA because it will creep. Thank you for the models !

I've never ground plane blades, but wouldn't the square trick help as well ?

That is, tracing a line on the top of the wheel, perpendicular to the side, and check that the plane blade is on the line and stays on it when moving the jig ? As shown by Wolfgang in this video....