Recent posts

#11

General Tormek Questions / Re: T8 water trough noise

Last post by John_B - Yesterday at 08:46:19 PM

Another thing that can be an annoyance is if you overfill the reservoir by raising the mechanism when it has water in it. If you do this and water is displaced above the line it will overflow and make a mess. Raising the mechanism is only needed when the wheel has become smaller due to truing. 

#12

General Tormek Questions / Re: New Knife Sharpening Kit f...

Last post by Ken S - Yesterday at 07:37:25 PM

I agree that the new kit might be useful for someone setting up to sharpen knives. Like any of the kits, this kit makes more economic sense for someone who does not already have any of the components.

Ken

#13

Hand Tool Woodworking / Re: Why camber plane blades?

Last post by Ken S - Yesterday at 07:17:19 PM

Good post, John. A scrub plane was on my want list, but sadly never made it to the purchased column. Your solution is quite practical. A scrub plane needs to be sharp. Precision edge shape is not so critical. The cambering feature of the SE-77 is a valuable aid with a smoothing plane. I agree with John that the SVD-110 is a very adequate and cost effective tool for sharpening a scrub plane.

Ken

#14

General Tormek Questions / Re: New Knife Sharpening Kit f...

Last post by tgbto - Yesterday at 02:38:07 PM

I think this new kit is a good idea in principle.

Where I live, the kit is roughly equivalent to a free KJ-145 + free storage box + free magnifier. For those who have use of these, it could be worth buying with their initial Tormek purchase.

#15

Gardening Tools / Re: Approach to sharpening law...

Last post by RichColvin - Yesterday at 04:19:10 AM

I bought the SVD-110 Tool Rest and have been using it with the DF 250 to sharpen mower blades and its quick and really precise, no truing and I use the marker method (most blades are coming up between 35° - 40°. 

If the blade is uneven, I use the KJ45 with no problem.

I would love to see a video or pics of this.  It sounds like a great approach. 

#16

Hand Tool Woodworking / Re: Why camber plane blades?

Last post by John Hancock Sr - Yesterday at 02:35:54 AM

Heavy cambering is usually used for rough initial planning.

Good summary Ken. A plane with heavy cambering is called a "Scrub Plane". I have a plane that was purpose built as a scrub plane with the length of a jack plane a narrowish sole and heavy camber with rudimentary settings. It quickly flattens boards ready for the jointing plane. Unfortunately the camber is too heavy for the SE-77 so I use the SVD-110 at the set angle and freehand the camber.

#17

Hand Tool Woodworking / Why camber plane blades?

Last post by Ken S - April 15, 2026, 04:10:50 PM

The Tormek crew has recently released a very informative new video centered around cambering plane blades. Also included is valuable information covering grinding wheel housekeeping (truing, dressing and deburring) and good technique to avoid water trough noise with the T8.

This video also reflects the evolving refinement of the Tormek videos, namely more effective use of close ups. Here is a link:

https://youtu.be/TIicRhEh57E?si=17Si_fg0bImvLdNV

Earlier videos focused primarily on getting a square grind with chisels. While also important, in my opinion, this is a secondary function. Nicking the corners to avoid "plane tracks" is a good starting point, but not "the highest and best use" of a plane blade.

Cambering allows the plane to be tuned to different functions. Heavy cambering is usually used for rough initial planning. This is generally done with a jack plane. Heavy cambering blades are set for a deep cut and a narrow width.


The second function is jointing. The planes of choice for this function are longer. Cambering is set for a cutting depth of approximately .005". This is to joint or level the edge.


The final function is smoothing. These planes are shorter. The blades are set for a cutting depth of around .001. This is preferred over doing a lot of sanding.

In skilled hands, properly cambered plane blades can produce fine woodworking.

Ken

#18

Gardening Tools / Re: Approach to sharpening law...

Last post by Rossy66 - April 15, 2026, 07:27:08 AM

I bought the SVD-110 Tool Rest and have been using it with the DF 250 to sharpen mower blades and its quick and really precise, no truing and I use the marker method (most blades are coming up between 35° - 40°. 

If the blade is uneven, I use the KJ45 with no problem.

#19

Knife Sharpening / Re: some subtle information ab...

Last post by RichColvin - April 15, 2026, 02:58:03 AM

I found that with a dissecting microscope I can see the size and shape of the burr. Years ago I used this method to refine my knife-sharpening skills. I was able to check whether or not a burr went along the full length of the blade. I can see the size and shape of the burr and as others have mentioned it does indeed depend on the type of steel and the grinding direction, but it doesn't matter.

Nowadays I keep a piece of an old bath towel handy and run the surface of the blade across the towel. Moving the knife away from me with the cutting edge facing towards me. The burr will catch fine threads of the towel and with good light and a magnifier I can easily see them, telling me if there's a burr all along the edge. Then of course I sharpen the other side of the edge and do the same. Now I know the knife is sharp and needs only to have the burr removed.

The knife is usually either a kitchen knife or a pocket knife and is now sharp enough for everything that do with it. I know that other techniques can get an edge sharper than that, but I'm of the opinion that that effort is just for show because as soon as the knife is used it will not be any sharper than it is with my technique. I don't have expensive knives and I've never used anything other than the SG grindstone and the honing wheel with the Tormek honing compound.

I use the same technique to sharpen tools, and modify it slightly for a lawn mower blade.

Herman,

That's an interesting idea.  What magnification are you using?

Rich

#20

Knife Sharpening / Re: some subtle information ab...

Last post by John_B - April 14, 2026, 08:36:24 PM

With my knives I have found that with very little effort I can bring the edge back on knives that have declined a bit with use. I use a fine grit (2,000 and 3,000 on one rod) and light passes to bring the edge back. Like with a whetstone it took some practice to get the angle right each time, I also find that speed does not help so I take it slow and try and maintain low pressure.

I rarely see any damage on the edge from use and I individually hand wash and dry all my knives. With this practice I am able to significantly extend the time between trips to the Tormek.