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#1
General Tormek Questions / Re: Sharpening a curved herb k...
Last post by Rossy66 - Today at 01:06:57 AMI received one from a customer and spent nearly 3 hours trying every jig I have, and I have nearly all of them but was unable to sharpen it with the Tormek. I ended up using my Worksharp Ken Onion which sharpened it it in about 6 minutes. I wish these type of mezzaluna had screw in handles, like some of the old ones did.
#2
Tormek T4 and T4 Bushcraft / Re: T4 Water Trough Improvemen...
Last post by Rossy66 - Today at 01:01:51 AMFantastic, is this available for the T8?
#3
Knife Sharpening / Re: Paper Wheels
Last post by Rossy66 - Today at 12:25:02 AMI have been interested in adding a paper wheel to my deburring part of my sharpening business and your thread is pushing me even further into it. I have a couple of questions if you don't mind...
1. how long do you think it typically take you to get a finish your happy with (deburring only)
2. Is the a lot of dust particles flying around during use?
I ask these questions because I am a mobile knife sharpener and picked the Tormek so I don't have to wear PPE in the van while sharpening.
Your images, by the way, are amazing and the video with the grape was an eye opener.
Thanks
1. how long do you think it typically take you to get a finish your happy with (deburring only)
2. Is the a lot of dust particles flying around during use?
I ask these questions because I am a mobile knife sharpener and picked the Tormek so I don't have to wear PPE in the van while sharpening.
Your images, by the way, are amazing and the video with the grape was an eye opener.
Thanks
#4
Knife Sharpening / Re: Choosing a default angle
Last post by Rossy66 - Today at 12:09:53 AMQuote from: BPalv on July 15, 2026, 02:48:57 PMIn regards to the original post. I have sharpened for customers at 20, 17 and 15 degrees primarily. I now sharpen pretty much any decent kitchen knife to 15 degrees... They always come back to me needing sharpened. That's to say, I can't tell if one angle held up better or not.Great that this thread grew, It has been just over a month since I decided on 15 degrees and its serving me well. I am fully mobile with 2 T8's one with a 200 grit CBN and one with a 1000 grit CBN. Unless a customer asks for a specific angle, 15 degrees it is and up to now, no complaints. I also have a microscope I use to check some knives for chips as my eyesight, even with glasses is not too good.
All but the cheapest steel should be stable at 15%. Wootz or Larin showed the sharper the knife is, the longer it stays sharp. The geometry allows a sharper edge at 15°.
In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter. 90% of your customers won't know or care what angle they are sharpened to.
The KS 123 has been invaluable as I am sharpening up to 50 knives at the farmers market (8am-1pm) and during an 8 hour day up to 70-75 knives (not every day obviously
) I try to get my customers on an email list and check in every 3-4 weeks for feedback, not one complaint up to now and lots of compliments on edge retention. I tried a test with the KS123 by sharpening a knife, unclamping it, re-clamping it and setting the angle back to 15 degrees and before sharpening, do the sharpie test and scrape the blade as if recreating the edge for a customer, it was super close to the previous sharpening angle of 15 degrees, just a hair off, and I tested it under the microscope which made me happy.The freely offered knowledge here has helped my start and maintain a successful mobile sharpening business and to that I an eternally thankful, I find real world findings always trump armchair opinions (no disrespect intended) and I am getting ready to add a 3rd T8 to my arsenal to speed things up a bit quicker because as the old saying goes, "time is money"
#5
Knife Sharpening / Re: Choosing a default angle
Last post by Dan - Yesterday at 11:02:15 PMQuote from: John_B on Yesterday at 08:24:47 PMThe only people that have discussed sharpening angles with me sharpen their own knives.
#6
Knife Sharpening / Re: Choosing a default angle
Last post by John_B - Yesterday at 08:24:47 PMThe only people that have discussed sharpening angles with me sharpen their own knives.
#7
Knife Sharpening / Re: Paper Wheels
Last post by kwakster - Yesterday at 07:18:27 PMA while ago i reprofiled & sharpened this Ontario Afghan Bush in (probably) 5160 steel for a Dutch forum member, who when he received it tested it quite rigorously to see how the the knife would hold up with it's new edge.
The pictures show the knife with it's new edge measuring 35 degrees inclusive, a 15 micron diamond compound Paper Wheel finish, and a treetopping sharpness.
This was the mail i got from him when he was done testing:
(translated from Dutch)
Hereby i send you the results of the batonning test: my arm hurts and the knife just laughs at me.
I started with batonning through some standard firewood, which didn't cause any problems.
Then i proceeded to baton right through a hardwood pole with a big burl (?) in it (with a lot of effort from my side)
I then replaced the baton with a hard rubber hammer for a bit more comfort and hitting power, and with this i managed to drive the edge about half an inch crossgrain into another piece of tropical hardwood.
After this i cleaned the knife, and the edge would still pushcut through paper.
I almost forgot to mention that i also put the knife sideways with the point on a wooden block and gave it about 20 hard whacks with the rubber hammer on both sides of the knife.
Then i tested the point strength by stabbing it into hardwood and breaking it free sideways.
I think the knife already has endured more than it will ever have to in real life.
After all this i could still shave the hair on my leg on skin level, and after a bit of stropping it could treetop again.
The pictures show the knife with it's new edge measuring 35 degrees inclusive, a 15 micron diamond compound Paper Wheel finish, and a treetopping sharpness.
This was the mail i got from him when he was done testing:
(translated from Dutch)
Hereby i send you the results of the batonning test: my arm hurts and the knife just laughs at me.
I started with batonning through some standard firewood, which didn't cause any problems.
Then i proceeded to baton right through a hardwood pole with a big burl (?) in it (with a lot of effort from my side)
I then replaced the baton with a hard rubber hammer for a bit more comfort and hitting power, and with this i managed to drive the edge about half an inch crossgrain into another piece of tropical hardwood.
After this i cleaned the knife, and the edge would still pushcut through paper.
I almost forgot to mention that i also put the knife sideways with the point on a wooden block and gave it about 20 hard whacks with the rubber hammer on both sides of the knife.
Then i tested the point strength by stabbing it into hardwood and breaking it free sideways.
I think the knife already has endured more than it will ever have to in real life.
After all this i could still shave the hair on my leg on skin level, and after a bit of stropping it could treetop again.
#8
General Tormek Questions / Radial and lateral play msk-25...
Last post by rescwood - Yesterday at 06:40:13 PMI'm restoring an SA-250 found in a garage sale. I replace the old axe by the msk-250.
The original new composite bushings had about 0.25 mm radial play, even when new, which caused vibration.
I replaced the original composite bushings on my Tormek with 16×22×16 bronze bushings (3 mm flange).
The bronze bushings eliminate radial play, but I still have about 1 mm axial play.(new hole 4mm from shouder drilled).
Geometry of the shaft:
Wheel bore: 12 mm
Shaft: 12 mm → 16 mm shoulder
Wheel is fully clamped against the 12→16 mm shoulder
The 16 mm part of the shaft passes through the bronze bushing
Between the shaft shoulder and the bushing flange, there is a 1 mm gap
This gap allows the shaft to move axially until the shoulder touches the flange.
On the original composite bushings, the 12 mm washers rubbed slightly against the composite flange, so the flange acted as a thrust surface.
With bronze bushings, the flange is harder and not designed for axial thrust, so I cannot use it as a thrust face.
Has anyone addressed this axial play when upgrading from composite to bronze bushings?
What can be considered as normal play, axially and lateraly ?
The original new composite bushings had about 0.25 mm radial play, even when new, which caused vibration.
I replaced the original composite bushings on my Tormek with 16×22×16 bronze bushings (3 mm flange).
The bronze bushings eliminate radial play, but I still have about 1 mm axial play.(new hole 4mm from shouder drilled).
Geometry of the shaft:
Wheel bore: 12 mm
Shaft: 12 mm → 16 mm shoulder
Wheel is fully clamped against the 12→16 mm shoulder
The 16 mm part of the shaft passes through the bronze bushing
Between the shaft shoulder and the bushing flange, there is a 1 mm gap
This gap allows the shaft to move axially until the shoulder touches the flange.
On the original composite bushings, the 12 mm washers rubbed slightly against the composite flange, so the flange acted as a thrust surface.
With bronze bushings, the flange is harder and not designed for axial thrust, so I cannot use it as a thrust face.
Has anyone addressed this axial play when upgrading from composite to bronze bushings?
What can be considered as normal play, axially and lateraly ?
#9
Knife Sharpening / Re: Paper Wheels
Last post by kwakster - Yesterday at 01:14:03 PMAn older one, a user custom Jens Anso from a Dutch knifeforum member after a tune-up by a Dutch knifemaker.
Part of the tune-up was a two-step stonewash treatment of the RWL34 blade, which unavoidably also removed the original edge.
Before sharpening:
After sharpening.
I put on a new edge using a standard Paper Wheel with silicon carbide grit, refined it with a second Paper Wheel coated with 15 micron diamond paste, and finally removed the very small burr on the Tormek leather wheel with some 1 micron diamond compound
This leaves an edge that looks almost polished, but has more bite than when finished with the polishing Paper Wheel using standard aluminum oxide.
Part of the tune-up was a two-step stonewash treatment of the RWL34 blade, which unavoidably also removed the original edge.
Before sharpening:
After sharpening.
I put on a new edge using a standard Paper Wheel with silicon carbide grit, refined it with a second Paper Wheel coated with 15 micron diamond paste, and finally removed the very small burr on the Tormek leather wheel with some 1 micron diamond compound
This leaves an edge that looks almost polished, but has more bite than when finished with the polishing Paper Wheel using standard aluminum oxide.
#10
Knife Sharpening / Re: Paper Wheels
Last post by kwakster - Yesterday at 01:10:39 PMA Chinese Ganzo 704 as i received it from Hong Kong:
A very nice knife for the money (i paid about 17 US dollars including shipping from Hong Kong to the Netherlands), but with quite an obtuse edge angle of about 35-40 (ish) degrees inclusive and also a bit blunt not a very good cutter.
On the blade it says 440C stainless steel, but it's more than likely it's Chinese cousin 9Cr13MoV.
Reprofiled with a standard Paper Wheel with silicon carbide grit to 30 degrees inclusive, refined it just a bit with a second Paper Wheel coated with 15 micron diamond compound, and finally removed the tiny burr with a third Paper Wheel coated with 1 micron diamond compound.
It cuts hair above the back of my hand and can slice single layer toilet paper.
A very nice knife for the money (i paid about 17 US dollars including shipping from Hong Kong to the Netherlands), but with quite an obtuse edge angle of about 35-40 (ish) degrees inclusive and also a bit blunt not a very good cutter.
On the blade it says 440C stainless steel, but it's more than likely it's Chinese cousin 9Cr13MoV.
Reprofiled with a standard Paper Wheel with silicon carbide grit to 30 degrees inclusive, refined it just a bit with a second Paper Wheel coated with 15 micron diamond compound, and finally removed the tiny burr with a third Paper Wheel coated with 1 micron diamond compound.
It cuts hair above the back of my hand and can slice single layer toilet paper.