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#1

General Tormek Questions / Re: PM-V11 steel grinding

Last post by John Hancock Sr - Today at 04:51:21 AM

There are two schools. Frank Klausz clicks the bevel on the stone to find the angle and just hones in that position so he actually hones the bevel and the heel of the hollow.
Rob Cosman after finding the angle raises the blade a bit and doesn't touch the heel.

Both are experienced and skilled woodworkers and both are good options. Rob is a big proponent of these shortcuts such as the ruler trick and secondary bevel.

The traditional method is to not create a secondary bevel which was what I was taught. Older steels were softer carbon steel and you would take them back to the stone often, no stropping.  You would go back and forth between the bevel and back to remove the burr. It is only in recent years that the plethora of different and more sophisticated techniques has begun to arise. If you look at the older generation they tend to pretty much keep it simple. People such as Frank and Paul Sellars use the more straight forward and simpler methods.

I think that one of the reasons that secondary bevels has become so popular is the modern use of harder steels in chisels and planes where if you work on the primary bevel only it takes much longer.

I don't tend to use secondary bevels that much on the older tools but with the PMV-11, O2 and A2 steels it makes more sense to create a secondary bevel, remembering that it will take that much longer to create the primary bevel when needed. The other advantage of a secondary bevel is that it takes less skill to get a better edge, but of course that is moot when solely using the Tormek.

Having said all of that I do raise the tool rest up a turn or so when finishing on the DE, partly that the DE seems slightly larger than the DC and the DF and partly just to reduce the time to bring the edge to 1000G.

In the end it really is up to you as to which technique you feel most comfortable with. What you are trying to achieve is an intersection of co-planer surfaces and on your chisel with as flat a back as possible. There is a lot to be said for experimenting with different techniques until you find one or more that you are happy with. Also using different techniques for different tools and steels is also an option.

As a final note look up Paul Sellars videos on sharpening. What he does is pretty much how I was taught.

#2

General Tormek Questions / Re: PM-V11 steel grinding

Last post by Haitham - Today at 12:08:37 AM

Thank you very much.

What do you think if, for now, I try to stick with the stone that I have and try and touch up the bevels every now and then just not to make them build a too big secondary bevel?
It seems that if the amount of steel to remove is little I can still use the super-grind stone.

When you touch the bevel with the 5000 (I use an Ohishi 6000 - actually I have to use the 1000 first because if I arrive to the edge and look at it with a jewellers loupe I can see a ragged edge left from the stone - i don't dress it with the stone dresser, I should) do you use the hollow to find the bevel on the stone and just hone the heel and the bevel together?

There are two schools. Frank Klausz clicks the bevel on the stone to find the angle and just hones in that position so he actually hones the bevel and the heel of the hollow.
Rob Cosman after finding the angle raises the blade a bit and doesn't touch the heel.

Regards,
Haitham

#3

General Tormek Questions / Re: PM-V11 steel grinding

Last post by John Hancock Sr - Yesterday at 12:25:10 AM

What kind of diamond wheel do you use? Coarse, fine or extrafine?

Depends really. If you re re-establishing your primary bevel Start with Coarse and go up to whatever grit you prefer. I move through DC to DF add DE then hand hone on a 5000 Shapton before stropping. It only takes a few strokes on the 5000.

#4

General Tormek Questions / Re: PM-V11 steel grinding

Last post by Haitham - November 19, 2024, 10:45:11 PM

Very interesting John Hancock.

What kind of diamond wheel do you use? Coarse, fine or extrafine?

Thank you very much

#5

Knife Sharpening / Re: water trough not catching ...

Last post by Perra - November 19, 2024, 10:38:48 AM

Also try tilting the machine approx. 2 degrees to the left, the same direction as the water container is, through a few spacers under the feet.

#6

General Tormek Questions / Re: Tormek Grinding wheel chea...

Last post by John Hancock Sr - November 19, 2024, 01:35:42 AM

Thank you so much, do you think 10 inch will work with T-4? Or I need to look 8 inch version?

Sorry - I missed that you have the T4. AFAIK all of the knockoffs are 10"

You could look for pre-loved SG 250 stones that are worn down but still in good condition.

#7

General Tormek Questions / Re: Tormek Grinding wheel chea...

Last post by Proluxline - November 18, 2024, 11:16:23 PM

hi, I have Tormek T-4 system, and don't want to use it for junky knives, instead I want to change the wheel and put the cheap alternative ones. Anyone can recommend any brand/model compatible with T-4 system?

thank you,

We might be able to give better answers if you gave us more information. Are you sharpening junky knives as a business or for yourself? How many junky knives are involved?

If you are charging for your sharpening and are worried about the cost of a SG-200, you are not charging enough. Whether you are sharpening for others or for yourself, youwould do everyone a favor to switch to fewer reasonably priced knives of better quality. Victorinox fibrox knives are quite reasonably priced and are of good quality. A chef knife and a smaller knife should cover the needs of a typical home kitchen.

The useful life of any grinding wheel can be extended by frequent honing on the leather wheel. A friend who was a longtime Tormek demonstrator told me that grinding wheels last longer after the learning curve of the first wheel. He also told me that he hones more often than he sharpens.

Ken

Hi Ken,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful response. i am not making money but helping my family and other relatives to sharpen their knives and I really enjoy this job:)
I understood that the factory stone is very durable but anyway, as I just started I want to have a good alternative because I have lots of knifes with chips and severely damage, so need to re-shape the edges, last time it took me a lots of time to do with sg-200, So that's also a reason I want to have more aggressive low grit stone to do the draft job then switch to the sg-200 for finishing.

#8

General Tormek Questions / Re: Tormek Grinding wheel chea...

Last post by Proluxline - November 18, 2024, 11:14:13 PM

There are a number of Tormek knock offs such as Wen. Any of them should be suitable. You may need to pack the bore which is 1/2" = 12.8mm as opposed to 12mm for the Tormek. A layer of blue tape may suffice.

https://wenproducts.com/products/4270-009-10-inch-wet-grinding-wheel

Thank you so much, do you think 10 inch will work with T-4? Or I need to look 8 inch version?

#9

General Tormek Questions / Re: Tormek Grinding wheel chea...

Last post by Proluxline - November 18, 2024, 11:13:23 PM

Hi Ken,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful response. i am not making money but helping my family and other relatives to sharpen their knives and I really enjoy this job:)
I understood that the factory stone is very durable but anyway, as I just started I want to have a good alternative because I have lots of knifes with chips and severely damage, so need to re-shape the edges, last time it took me a lots of time to do with sg-200, So that's also a reason I want to have more aggressive low grit stone to do the draft job then switch to the sg-200 for finishing.

We might be able to give better answers if you gave us more information. Are you sharpening junky knives as a business or for yourself? How many junky knives are involved?

If you are charging for your sharpening and are worried about the cost of a SG-200, you are not charging enough. Whether you are sharpening for others or for yourself, youwould do everyone a favor to switch to fewer reasonably priced knives of better quality. Victorinox fibrox knives are quite reasonably priced and are of good quality. A chef knife and a smaller knife should cover the needs of a typical home kitchen.

The useful life of any grinding wheel can be extended by frequent honing on the leather wheel. A friend who was a longtime Tormek demonstrator told me that grinding wheels last longer after the learning curve of the first wheel. He also told me that he hones more often than he sharpens.

Ken

#10

Knife Sharpening / Re: water trough not catching ...

Last post by John_B - November 18, 2024, 09:47:06 PM

To add to Ken's remark on overfilling I found that you want to keep the trough as low as possible only raising it when the stone decreases in diameter.