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#1
General Tormek Questions / Re: Is there a way to prevent ...
Last post by Ken S - Today at 09:10:54 AMI have been closely following this forum since 2009. This posting is the first I have noticed on this issue in that time. The spacer has not changed. The shaft was changed to stainless steel many years ago., as was the conversion to the EZYlock.
Anyone who has experienced a frozen EXYlock (which includes me) would consider a sliding spacer as a minor nuisance. Noticing occasional frozen EZYlock posts over the years, I sent an email to support requesting advice. Support really went the extra mile. They ran tests and discovered that they could get the EZYlock to fail, IF there was no grease on the face of the spacer facing away from the grinding wheel. Putting a thin coating of grease on this face eliminated the failure. Problem solved.
How big of a problem is a sliding spacer? For the majority of Tormek's fifty years, there was only the SG wheel. Even today, with several wheels available, many users still choose to use only the SG, which remains the most versatile wheel. The wheels could be redesigned to incorporate built in spacers. That might solve the problem, but would increase the cost per wheel. How many users would be willing to pay the extra cost?
Ken
Anyone who has experienced a frozen EXYlock (which includes me) would consider a sliding spacer as a minor nuisance. Noticing occasional frozen EZYlock posts over the years, I sent an email to support requesting advice. Support really went the extra mile. They ran tests and discovered that they could get the EZYlock to fail, IF there was no grease on the face of the spacer facing away from the grinding wheel. Putting a thin coating of grease on this face eliminated the failure. Problem solved.
How big of a problem is a sliding spacer? For the majority of Tormek's fifty years, there was only the SG wheel. Even today, with several wheels available, many users still choose to use only the SG, which remains the most versatile wheel. The wheels could be redesigned to incorporate built in spacers. That might solve the problem, but would increase the cost per wheel. How many users would be willing to pay the extra cost?
Ken
#2
Knife Sharpening / Re: New angle jig KS-123
Last post by MARC LAVINA - Yesterday at 10:06:37 PMHello everyone, I am new to the forum. I have been using T8 since 2020 with standard, CBN and diamond wheels, mostly on 8" kitchen knives and a little less on my folder collection. I was so happy when KS-123 came out because of the time economy compared to the Edding/sharpie method. I check my angles before and after sharpening with a laser goniometer. I experienced a consistent difference of 1 degree that the KS-123 is below the reading of my laser instrument. Can anybody in this forum confirm that difference by his own experience?
#3
General Tormek Questions / Re: Is there a way to prevent ...
Last post by MARC LAVINA - Yesterday at 09:39:07 PMSame problem here
#4
Knife Sharpening / Re: Knife restoration - Puma 8...
Last post by GeoBoy - Yesterday at 03:14:43 PMAbsolutely beautiful.
#5
Knife Sharpening / Re: Knife restoration - Puma 8...
Last post by kwakster - Yesterday at 11:54:33 AMWhen it's time to put the washers back on the tang in the correct order i apply a good quality thixotropic glue between them and then tighten the pommel.
The pressure causes this type of glue to temporarily become more fluid which helps to penetrate the leather & fiber better, after which the stack is allowed to dry (still under pressure) into a solid block.
The gluing makes sure that the washers will not shift anymore when the knife is ever put into use again.
When thoroughly dried the still uneven surface is then sanded smooth using homemade "sanding linen" (actually fine wet & dry SiC paper reinforced with packing tape, and then cut to strips)
This allows me much more choice in finer grits then with real sanding linen, as my goal is to remove as little from the stack surface as needed to smoothen things out.
When this is done i apply several coats of Granger's wax, using an old hair dryer between each coat to make the wax penetrate the leather as deep as possible.
When everything is cooled down again i clamp the knife blade and use strips of an old towel to seal the handle surface and give it a bit of a gloss.
The aluminium pommel is polished separately in a two-step process after sanding the stack & pommel itself.
Best to use different strips of reinforced wet & dry SiC paper for the leather & fiber and for the aluminium pommel, otherwise you risk contaminating especially the fiber washers next to the pommel with fine aluminium powder & sanding particles
This can dramatically alter their color and thus the appearance of the knife.
The pressure causes this type of glue to temporarily become more fluid which helps to penetrate the leather & fiber better, after which the stack is allowed to dry (still under pressure) into a solid block.
The gluing makes sure that the washers will not shift anymore when the knife is ever put into use again.
When thoroughly dried the still uneven surface is then sanded smooth using homemade "sanding linen" (actually fine wet & dry SiC paper reinforced with packing tape, and then cut to strips)
This allows me much more choice in finer grits then with real sanding linen, as my goal is to remove as little from the stack surface as needed to smoothen things out.
When this is done i apply several coats of Granger's wax, using an old hair dryer between each coat to make the wax penetrate the leather as deep as possible.
When everything is cooled down again i clamp the knife blade and use strips of an old towel to seal the handle surface and give it a bit of a gloss.
The aluminium pommel is polished separately in a two-step process after sanding the stack & pommel itself.
Best to use different strips of reinforced wet & dry SiC paper for the leather & fiber and for the aluminium pommel, otherwise you risk contaminating especially the fiber washers next to the pommel with fine aluminium powder & sanding particles
This can dramatically alter their color and thus the appearance of the knife.
#6
General Tormek Questions / Re: Upgrading a T2000
Last post by John Hancock Sr - Yesterday at 08:23:34 AMQuote from: JohnG on August 24, 2026, 07:32:29 PMperhaps I used too much of the Tormek supplied oil.Tormek recommend that you use half of the supplied oil on the leather. If you use too much it just becomes oily. Not sure where the stickiness comes in but if you are only using the oils and honing compound you should be fine. I would not worry about it. It will settle in.
Quote from: JohnG on August 24, 2026, 07:32:29 PMthere is a bit of side to side wobbleAgain, I would not worry. The hole is very slightly larger than the shaft. Tormek recommend that you tighten the nut label right side up so that it is always in the same position on the shaft but in any case there are few instances where it really matters. Knives and woodworking hand tools really makes no difference. There may be an obstruction in the bore so I would check for that.
As a reminder make sure that you lubricate the shaft where it passes through the bearings. Tormek recommend white lithium grease. It is particularly sticky and resists washing away with the water. I got a small tub from my local automotive store for a few $$.
#7
Hand Tool Woodworking / optimized workflow and growing...
Last post by jimmyboy - August 24, 2026, 11:34:50 PMhi all,
I recently started working with a t-8 and ran into a number growing paints. I'm also very curious what people have found is the most optimal workflow when sharpening multiple tools. My interest is primarily for hand tools, but I plan on sharpening other things like my kitchen knives as well. I foresee usually working in batches so I'm especially keen on finding an efficient workflow.
Since I just got the t-8 I wanted to setup all of my and tools with it, which amounted to about 24 chisels and plane blades. It ended up taking me most of the day. I figured it would be inefficient to regrade the wheel for each tool, so I grouped my tools by bevel angle, then set the machine up for the first tool, used a stop block to set a reference for the projection, worked through each tool at the 220 grit, using the stop block for each new tool, then graded the wheel for 1000 grit, and finally worked back through the tools.
My first issue was it took a really long time to re-profile all the tools, despite repeatedly regrading the SG-250 to 220 grit. Some of the larger tools like 1"+ chisels felt like they were taking 15-20 minutes to grind the hollow bevel. Later in the process I suspected I needed to re-true my wheel, which I did, after which it cut A LOT faster. So lesson learned there: use the truing tool to coarse grade the wheel for more rapid material removal.
Second issue is I tried to minimize regrading time by grinding all of my tools at the first grit, before proceeding to the second grit. As a result I ran into a fair amount of trouble trying to set the machine up to the same conditions. Even with the stop blocks and precisely measuring the height of the universal support, the tools bevel was never in exactly the same place when I went back to grind the second grit. This was exacerbated with some of my Japanese chisels where the sides aren't quite square to the blade, or even parallel to eachother. At any rate I ended up with a lot of setup fiddling. I'm not sure what the solve is here. I suspect even if I had tried to grind the second grit before proceeding to the next bevel group, I wouldn't get the tool back in the jig exactly the same. Ideally you would leave the tool in the jig the whole time, but having to regrade for each tool seems like the wrong approach.
The last issue I ran into was with the honing. Because of my workflow, and already experience issues getting the tools back in the jig exactly the same, I didn't have confidence in using the jig to hone the bevel side. I also couldn't find or come up with a great way to hone the flat side. I ended up free handing both sides and just carefully sighting down the side to ensure I was contacting the blade where I wanted to. This ended up working out fine, as I was able to deburr and had some shiny and wicked sharp tools at the end. Still I felt there must be a better way. Has someone designed a jig that lets you easily reference the flat side exactly tangential to the honing wheel? Feels like a simple enough design, just having a flat platform tangential to the honing wheel, with a positive stop block that references the universal support to fix the angle.
Kind of a long post I know. If you got this far thanks for reading. Overall still very impressed with the T-8. Had a lot of fun working with it, and I know keeping everything sharp from here on out will be a breeze.
I recently started working with a t-8 and ran into a number growing paints. I'm also very curious what people have found is the most optimal workflow when sharpening multiple tools. My interest is primarily for hand tools, but I plan on sharpening other things like my kitchen knives as well. I foresee usually working in batches so I'm especially keen on finding an efficient workflow.
Since I just got the t-8 I wanted to setup all of my and tools with it, which amounted to about 24 chisels and plane blades. It ended up taking me most of the day. I figured it would be inefficient to regrade the wheel for each tool, so I grouped my tools by bevel angle, then set the machine up for the first tool, used a stop block to set a reference for the projection, worked through each tool at the 220 grit, using the stop block for each new tool, then graded the wheel for 1000 grit, and finally worked back through the tools.
My first issue was it took a really long time to re-profile all the tools, despite repeatedly regrading the SG-250 to 220 grit. Some of the larger tools like 1"+ chisels felt like they were taking 15-20 minutes to grind the hollow bevel. Later in the process I suspected I needed to re-true my wheel, which I did, after which it cut A LOT faster. So lesson learned there: use the truing tool to coarse grade the wheel for more rapid material removal.
Second issue is I tried to minimize regrading time by grinding all of my tools at the first grit, before proceeding to the second grit. As a result I ran into a fair amount of trouble trying to set the machine up to the same conditions. Even with the stop blocks and precisely measuring the height of the universal support, the tools bevel was never in exactly the same place when I went back to grind the second grit. This was exacerbated with some of my Japanese chisels where the sides aren't quite square to the blade, or even parallel to eachother. At any rate I ended up with a lot of setup fiddling. I'm not sure what the solve is here. I suspect even if I had tried to grind the second grit before proceeding to the next bevel group, I wouldn't get the tool back in the jig exactly the same. Ideally you would leave the tool in the jig the whole time, but having to regrade for each tool seems like the wrong approach.
The last issue I ran into was with the honing. Because of my workflow, and already experience issues getting the tools back in the jig exactly the same, I didn't have confidence in using the jig to hone the bevel side. I also couldn't find or come up with a great way to hone the flat side. I ended up free handing both sides and just carefully sighting down the side to ensure I was contacting the blade where I wanted to. This ended up working out fine, as I was able to deburr and had some shiny and wicked sharp tools at the end. Still I felt there must be a better way. Has someone designed a jig that lets you easily reference the flat side exactly tangential to the honing wheel? Feels like a simple enough design, just having a flat platform tangential to the honing wheel, with a positive stop block that references the universal support to fix the angle.
Kind of a long post I know. If you got this far thanks for reading. Overall still very impressed with the T-8. Had a lot of fun working with it, and I know keeping everything sharp from here on out will be a breeze.
#8
General Tormek Questions / Upgrading a T2000
Last post by JohnG - August 24, 2026, 07:32:29 PMI bought a t2000 about 20 years ago and I decided that I would do some upgrades as I was struggling to get consistent results. The general appearance of the machine was poor as the paint was peeling off and the steel chassis was rusting underneath. I started with a strip down and treated the rust and repainted with dark green smooth Hamerite as there is no RAL number available for the original green . The nylon bearings were good with no play but the drive shaft was a bit rusty so I invested in a stainless steel easy lock replacement . Considering the price of the original machine I am surprised that it did not come with a stainless steel shaft as a steel one was always going to rust with a whetstone! The original wheel was a little down in diameter -21 cm so I treated myself to a new wheel . The old honing wheel was still in place but beginning to crack and the drive wheel was also the original plastic and again cracked. A new leather honing wheel was fitted and a metal drive wheel. I had often struggled to get my plane blades and chisels to grind straight in the past so I went for the new improved chisel and plane blade Tormek guide and a new "f" arm with micro adjustment. I followed the instructions of oiling the leather honing wheel but I am not really happy with its performance in that it is very sticky - perhaps I used too much of the Tormek supplied oil. As to the grind wheel - there is a bit of side to side wobble but the grind surface is running true and barely needed any trueing up with the diamond trueing attachment . I don't really understand why a new wheel has a slight wobble unless the centre hole is not exactly perpendicular to the flat side. My reading on the subject says that a slight wobble is acceptable but not if you want to use the flat side of the wheel! So all put together and ready to sharpen all my plane irons and chisels( about 30 in all). Mostly ok but one or two of the chisels and plane irons still ground to an angle despite using the new guide and following the instructions to the letter and watching the YouTube videos. I was really hopeful with all the time and expense(not inconsiderable) that I would have ended up with a machine which would perform like new but I still have some niggles. In retrospect I think I should have just gone for a new T8 - but then the wheel may still have wobbled and the honing wheel would still be sticky!
#9
General Tormek Questions / Re: Is there a way to prevent ...
Last post by BPalv - August 23, 2026, 05:52:04 PMSame as above... forget to every now and again... still annoying.
#10
General Tormek Questions / Re: Is there a way to prevent ...
Last post by John Hancock Sr - August 22, 2026, 03:25:15 PMQuote from: RickKrung on August 21, 2026, 03:08:32 PMYeah, annoying. When I remember to, which is often not, I move the wheel out enough to reach in and touch the spacer to separate it from the wheel and then finish removing the wheel.
Same.