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#11
General Tormek Questions / Re: 10 inch honing wheel for T...
Last post by tgbto - March 23, 2026, 04:16:49 PMJust my $.04 :
With regards to removing the leather wheel being a breeze, I agree ... with a caveat : if you need to remove the leather wheel when sharpening, you probably also need to remove the grindstone when honing with a jig, right ? This was the whole reason behind the "hone your knives freehand at an angle" method before the KS-123 was advertised for honing. And when the KS-123 was demonstrated, Sebastian had to remove the grinding wheel.
Well, it doesn't rely (much) on feel for planer blades or drill bits. But knives are an entirely different matter anyway : aside from the occasional Nakiri (and even then... but I digress), I don't know of many knives that are perfect rectangles from blade heel to blade tip. So the protrusion distance varies, and so does the angle when you hold your knife in a jig resting on the USB.
Moreover, due to blade geometry choices discussed at length on this forum and countless others, some knives require just lifting the blade when coming closer to the tip, some require combining this with a clockwise rotation of the blade, some with a counterclokwise rotation. And that even further depends on your choices as a sharpener : constant edge angle, constant bevel width, or something in between.
So even with a 250mm honing wheel you will have removed only one step requiring "feel". One step which, as @WimSpi pointed out, can also be streamlined with the Tormek honing wheel at the expense of using more accessories or even calculators.
There will still be many factors requiring decision-making, feel, skill and experience that no jig will help you with.
Those are much more critical than a couple degrees difference when honing : you won't "negate all the work done in the sharpening stage by a very basic mistake by rolling over the edge" with small, short variations : at worst, you will degrade your initiel BESS score but your overall edge retention should be fine if you're not careless. You *will* mess up a knife by not caring what you do beside the flat part of the blade. Same thing if you don't hone (^^) your skills when it comes to laying down the blade on the grindstone properly, or adjust sharpening pressure, or lateral speed, or ...
And although I hone as much as possible at a controlled angle, I am glad I have spent time honing freehand as it allows me to estimate how efficient my controlled honing step is, using the visual and tactiles cues mentioned by @Herman_Trivilino.
With regards to removing the leather wheel being a breeze, I agree ... with a caveat : if you need to remove the leather wheel when sharpening, you probably also need to remove the grindstone when honing with a jig, right ? This was the whole reason behind the "hone your knives freehand at an angle" method before the KS-123 was advertised for honing. And when the KS-123 was demonstrated, Sebastian had to remove the grinding wheel.
Quote from: Rossy66 on March 23, 2026, 12:19:57 PMI have spoken to a few of my engineer friends and they have the same opinion, a machine that has jigs and is designed and sold as a "precision" sharpening system relies on "feel" for what I have read and watched as possibly the most important sharpening steps in the process.
Well, it doesn't rely (much) on feel for planer blades or drill bits. But knives are an entirely different matter anyway : aside from the occasional Nakiri (and even then... but I digress), I don't know of many knives that are perfect rectangles from blade heel to blade tip. So the protrusion distance varies, and so does the angle when you hold your knife in a jig resting on the USB.
Moreover, due to blade geometry choices discussed at length on this forum and countless others, some knives require just lifting the blade when coming closer to the tip, some require combining this with a clockwise rotation of the blade, some with a counterclokwise rotation. And that even further depends on your choices as a sharpener : constant edge angle, constant bevel width, or something in between.
So even with a 250mm honing wheel you will have removed only one step requiring "feel". One step which, as @WimSpi pointed out, can also be streamlined with the Tormek honing wheel at the expense of using more accessories or even calculators.
There will still be many factors requiring decision-making, feel, skill and experience that no jig will help you with.
Those are much more critical than a couple degrees difference when honing : you won't "negate all the work done in the sharpening stage by a very basic mistake by rolling over the edge" with small, short variations : at worst, you will degrade your initiel BESS score but your overall edge retention should be fine if you're not careless. You *will* mess up a knife by not caring what you do beside the flat part of the blade. Same thing if you don't hone (^^) your skills when it comes to laying down the blade on the grindstone properly, or adjust sharpening pressure, or lateral speed, or ...
And although I hone as much as possible at a controlled angle, I am glad I have spent time honing freehand as it allows me to estimate how efficient my controlled honing step is, using the visual and tactiles cues mentioned by @Herman_Trivilino.
#12
Knife Sharpening / Re: Free disposable blade prot...
Last post by smcinco - March 23, 2026, 04:12:01 PMSorry these have been claimed locally
#13
General Tormek Questions / Re: 10 inch honing wheel for T...
Last post by WimSpi - March 23, 2026, 01:46:50 PMThere are two options. The first involves using the Tormek leather wheel, which has a slightly smaller diameter. In this case, you need to adjust the angle slightly with the KS-123, as the wheel diameter is smaller.
If you don't want to do this, you can use the 250 mm leather wheel, as mentioned here. That's the one I use too. When sharpening a long knife, you'll need to take it off for a moment. No problem, it's back on in a jiffy. With my 250 mm leather wheel, there's also a margin when you buy it, meaning the diameter can be a millimetre larger or smaller. So the KS-123 comes in handy again.
But there are also situations with my 250 mm leather wheel where I need to adjust the angle slightly, because the type of steel needs to be honed at a slightly larger angle (example: sharpening at 15 degrees and honing at 16 degrees). So the KS-123 comes into play again.
I think it's a utopian-dream to assume that there's ever a situation where both the grinding wheel and the leather wheel always use the same grinding angle and where the leather wheel can always remain on the Tormek.
If you don't want to do this, you can use the 250 mm leather wheel, as mentioned here. That's the one I use too. When sharpening a long knife, you'll need to take it off for a moment. No problem, it's back on in a jiffy. With my 250 mm leather wheel, there's also a margin when you buy it, meaning the diameter can be a millimetre larger or smaller. So the KS-123 comes in handy again.
But there are also situations with my 250 mm leather wheel where I need to adjust the angle slightly, because the type of steel needs to be honed at a slightly larger angle (example: sharpening at 15 degrees and honing at 16 degrees). So the KS-123 comes into play again.
I think it's a utopian-dream to assume that there's ever a situation where both the grinding wheel and the leather wheel always use the same grinding angle and where the leather wheel can always remain on the Tormek.
#14
General Tormek Questions / Re: 10 inch honing wheel for T...
Last post by Rossy66 - March 23, 2026, 12:19:57 PMI hope this doesn't come off as arrogant or disrespectful but I am very surprised at a lot of the replies to this question. I have spoken to a few of my engineer friends and they have the same opinion, a machine that has jigs and is designed and sold as a "precision" sharpening system relies on "feel" for what I have read and watched as possibly the most important sharpening steps in the process. The KS-123 is sold as "KS-123 Knife Angle Setter, Set the exact sharpening angle for any type of knife" that's from Tomek's web site and the micro adjust on the US for precision and all the machines, this from the T8 page, "Exact repeatability– sharpen your tools with unbeatable precision"
So with all of this "precision" why leave the honing, which is probably the most important part of sharpening, to be done by hand? surely you would want this as controlled as possible, especially since you can negate all the work done in the sharpening stage by a very basic mistake by rolling over the edge and having to start all over again. As a certified Professional Plant Based Chef who now is trying to start a sharpening business, I sharpened my Japanese knives on stones and although I felt like I did a pretty good job at sharpening them, the finish and edge consistency I get from my T8 is nothing short of spectacular and my knives keep a sharp edge way longer than when I free hand.
As I said in the beginning, my goal is not to offend or disrespect anyone and maybe I shouldn't have asked the same question multiple times as I have gotten some great information from this forum but, I feel a controlled honing system would out perform a freehand one, the guy's at Tormek even say so in their videos.
I hope this post is taken in the spirit of education on my part and as mentioned in my previous posts, a 250mm honing wheel would negate the need to remove the grinding wheel when using the KS-123 to set the same angle when honing using the US, this may only work with the diamond wheels as the do not change in diameter, not sure how that would work on the stone wheels as they get smaller. Thanks.
So with all of this "precision" why leave the honing, which is probably the most important part of sharpening, to be done by hand? surely you would want this as controlled as possible, especially since you can negate all the work done in the sharpening stage by a very basic mistake by rolling over the edge and having to start all over again. As a certified Professional Plant Based Chef who now is trying to start a sharpening business, I sharpened my Japanese knives on stones and although I felt like I did a pretty good job at sharpening them, the finish and edge consistency I get from my T8 is nothing short of spectacular and my knives keep a sharp edge way longer than when I free hand.
As I said in the beginning, my goal is not to offend or disrespect anyone and maybe I shouldn't have asked the same question multiple times as I have gotten some great information from this forum but, I feel a controlled honing system would out perform a freehand one, the guy's at Tormek even say so in their videos.
I hope this post is taken in the spirit of education on my part and as mentioned in my previous posts, a 250mm honing wheel would negate the need to remove the grinding wheel when using the KS-123 to set the same angle when honing using the US, this may only work with the diamond wheels as the do not change in diameter, not sure how that would work on the stone wheels as they get smaller. Thanks.
#15
Knife Sharpening / Re: Free disposable blade prot...
Last post by Rossy66 - March 23, 2026, 11:42:22 AMI am interested but don't know how to PM you.
#16
General Tormek Questions / Re: Hollow ground messes up sw...
Last post by rolsen - March 23, 2026, 09:52:07 AMYou cannot match the grind, because the diameters of the wheel are different. Just put a secondary bevel on the chisel with the japanese stone, that's what I do.
#17
General Tormek Questions / Hollow ground messes up switch...
Last post by Kemrot - March 23, 2026, 04:24:28 AMI recently bought the Japanese waterstone for my T4. I tried it on a chisel after using the SG-200 stone and can't get the entire sharpened surface to shine. My SG-200 is older and a lesser diameter than the new Japanese stone and I'm guessing the difference in the radius between the two stones is allowing each stone to touch a different part of my chisel.
Right now I'm resigned to maybe only being able to use the Japanese waterstone on the tip of my chisel.
I also have a nice chisel sharpening kit that I can use with my various other abrasives, but that gives my the typical flat grind that also does not get fully polished with the Japanese waterstone.
Any ideas on how to match up the grinding on the two different stones? Thanks!
Right now I'm resigned to maybe only being able to use the Japanese waterstone on the tip of my chisel.
I also have a nice chisel sharpening kit that I can use with my various other abrasives, but that gives my the typical flat grind that also does not get fully polished with the Japanese waterstone.
Any ideas on how to match up the grinding on the two different stones? Thanks!
#18
Knife Sharpening / ****CLAIMED**** Free disposabl...
Last post by smcinco - March 21, 2026, 07:11:50 PMHoping this is ok to post in the forums, if not mod(s) pls delete:
*x-posted*
These came with a T-8 I purchased. I shelved them thinking maybe I could use but I'd rather let them go to use for one of the sharpeners here if anyone can use. They have stickers on them, can just put a new sticker over them.
PM me and we can figure out how to get them to you...
*x-posted*
These came with a T-8 I purchased. I shelved them thinking maybe I could use but I'd rather let them go to use for one of the sharpeners here if anyone can use. They have stickers on them, can just put a new sticker over them.
PM me and we can figure out how to get them to you...
#19
General Tormek Questions / Re: 10 inch honing wheel for T...
Last post by Herman Trivilino - March 21, 2026, 02:41:46 AMQuote from: Rossy66 on February 20, 2026, 02:31:03 PMit gets frustrating to sharpen a knife with a great edge and then mess it up on the honing side.
What do you mean by "mess it up"? What's happening that makes you think it's messed up?
It really is quite easy, with a bit of practice, to hone free hand. I suggest you try it on something that has a wide beveled edge, such as a wood chisel. Be aware that if you hone at too small of an angle the edge won't make contact with the wheel so you can't mess anything up. As you gradually increase the angle you can feel and hear it when you've got the entire length of the bevel in contact with the surface of the wheel. Go too far and you not only start to round over the edge, you can hear and feel that difference. I suggest you practice with some cheap chisels and knives.
#20
Knife Sharpening / Re: 3D printed pre USB setup
Last post by tgbto - March 18, 2026, 08:22:09 AMJust so I understand the whole picture, how will you be setting up grinding angle beforehand ?