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I'm using a regular chair meant for a dining table, but my work table is set quite low. So that puts the contact point between the blade & grindstone at about eye level.

My T-8 is also positioned quite close to the edge of my work table, and I sit with the grindstone in line with the centre of my body.

I sharpen edge leading while seated, but I stand up while honing and sharpening edge trailing.

I think a key consideration is how you're detecting the burr.

I gently run the edge of the blade across my thumbnail (perpendicular) to "feel" the burr, and I also use a digital microscope for close up inspection.

A knife with a burr will still cut paper. You'll notice that in these YouTube videos, they tend to cut thicker paper, make very quick cuts, and you often don't get to see if the cut paper had a clean or ragged edge. (Got to remember that most of these content creators deal in the currency of attention) I stopped looking to these videos for inspiration or to benchmark my performance, and instead use my digital microscope.

Try the thumbnail method, and maybe get a cheap magnifying glass as a start (like I did)

From my personal experience:

1. When I used the T-8 standing behind it, I used to have the bad habit of resting my hands on the knife, with more pressure on the handle. This often made the blade "see-saw" across the grindstone, as well as applying uneven pressure during sharpening. This would often cause gouges along the blade, and uneven sharpening near the heel/tip of the knife.

2. I also used to speed up moving the blade across the grindstone when starting from the heel and finishing at the tip. This often created slow areas of progress along these two spots.

What I do now:

a. Instead of standing behind my T-8, I sit in front of it with an LED lamp overhead, shining directly onto the grindstone. This broke my habit of resting my hand on the knife handle, and I could see very clearly when the knife began to "see-saw". This also allowed be to monitor the water that gathered in front of the blade, and really helped me start with the heel of the knife fully squared against the grindstone.

But in summation, maybe look closer at how you've been applying pressure as the knife moves across the grindstone, and develop a setup that works best for your work environment and body.

All my scissors are cheap Ikea one. Some normal and some children sized.

I've sharpened a few old and worn Ikea brand scissors recently. The finishing touch was hammering the pivot rivets like they owed me money. If the scissors don't align/mate properly, then no amount of grinding would make them feel sharper.

Unsure how the latest Tormek OEM manual is not convincing, but okay.

I'll stick to referencing my OEM manual printed by Tormek, a company that I can hold accountable.

Hello. Looking to the community for thoughts and comments on using my T1 to start a small knife sharpening table at a local farmer's market. What would you charge per knife? Do you think it worth it. Goal is to keep it small. No interest in growing big. Thank you.

Copied directly from the Tormek T-1 user manual

"Automatic overheat protection
The Tormek T-1 has a recommended maximum operating time of 30 minutes per hour. The motor has an automatic overheat protection system that will shut off the motor if it reaches a certain temperature. Note: If the motor shuts off, always turn off the machine by pressing the power button as the motor will resume operation once it cools down."

I think a key consideration specific to the T-1 is the duration of knife sharpening you plan to conduct at the farmer's market in a workday. I don't personally own a T-1, but I got myself the T-8 largely because of the longer runtimes (on top of its versatility)

You may run into issues if you get a surge of customers and the T-1 keeps shutting down to cool off.

I have a strong hunch that these "titanium cutting boards" are actually titanium nitride coated boards.

Nothing beyond hyperbole and a very stretched reality.

Many purists swear by natural stones claiming that they give a far more robust and sharper edge though much of this is probably perception rather than reality.

I personally find it quite ironic how people can discuss (and argue) about how various types of natural stones need to be used for sharpening a knife.

The same knife that came out of a factory that uses synthetic stones.

I've had knife sellers tell me how only specific brands of stones can be used with knives, and going on and on about this "special technique" that they couldn't describe to save their lives.