Review of the Tormek TS-740 Sharpening Station

[Ken S]

please note first and second amendments at the bottom of this post.

Before I get into this review, I would like to mention two things which effect anyone purchasing a Tormek TS-740 Sharpening Station:

First: The TS-740 is the only Tormek product I know of where it can pay to do comparison shopping with several authorized dealers. The problem is the present consumer craze for "free shipping". At the time of this writing, the official retail price for the TS-740 is $699. This price does not include shipping, and the shipping weight is 93 pounds. Living in Ohio, I found shipping costs ranging from $38 to $74 US. I have found dealer prices as high as $849 with "free shipping". I suggest getting several prices with and without "free shipping". As always, my first choice would be my local Tormek dealer.

Second: The TS-740 is shipped in a double box with some styrofoam padding. Under normal shipping conditions, this is probably adequate. In my case, I happened to order during the height of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday insanity. I noticed one side of the bottom of the box was slightly crunched. When I opened the box in my basement, I noticed that one corner of the top was slightly dented in. Three minutes work with a pry bar, hammer and round metal tool straightened the situation, leaving only slightly damaged paint. For me, this was not enough of a problem to warrant the hassle of returning it. However, if you are more particular, do not accept a damaged shipping box.

Now, for my impressions of the Sharpening Station. Be sure to watch Alan Holtham's video review. I found Alan's review well done. I like the size of the Sharpening Station. It is large enough to get the job done and at the same time does have a very small footprint. It fits very nicely in a corner of my workshop near my bench. My original plan was to place the TS-740 far enough out to allow me to work on all four sides. For the present, I altered that plan by placing the TS-740 nearer the wall and relying on the Rotating Base. Time will tell which arrangement I prefer.

I believe the storage size is a good compromise. I have a lot of Tormek "stuff", including several grinding wheels. Included are several duplicate jigs as well as jigs and set up tools I have made. Not all of my stuff fits in the six drawers of the TS-740. This would not be a problem for most users. In fact, it is not a problem for me. There is plenty of storage for both the things I use regularly and the things I use only occasionally.

The planer jig, which I have never used, did not make the cut. I keep it on a nearby shelf.

At first, I did not like the idea of storing the grinding wheels "outboard". This preference changed when I began using the extra grinding wheels more. The problem is that the grinding wheels stay damp for several days. The hooks work well for allowing the damp wheels to dry.

I have not decided if I will store the wheels on the hooks once dry, or whether I will continue to keep them in their boxes on the same shelf as the planer jig.

My unit came with the Rubber Work Mat instead of the Composite Surface. I don't know which is now standard. (my unit also came with a Tormek hat, so it may have originally been part of a promotion). I already have a Tormek rubber mat, which I like very much, so I have no complaints about receiving the rubber mat instead of the composite surface. The Sharpening Station and Rubber Work Mat are nicely sized together. As I stated earlier, the combination is large enough to get the job done, but has a minimal footprint.

I think incorporating the foam tool holder inserts is a clever design feature. I will begin working with them in place. In my case, I suspect at some point I will probably remove them. This reflects my personal work preferences rather than being a comment about the foam inserts.

I like the combination of having the two top drawers shallower and the four lower drawers deeper. That seems like practical design to me. Following the "foam plan", the second shallow drawer holds the basic (included with the T7) Tormek jigs and accessories. This leaves the very important top drawer for my necessities (bevel and regular markers; metric Allen wrenches; ¾" (19mm) wrench; kenjigs and other set up tools, and a lot of etc.

I have recycled the box which originally held my spare 105 Universal Support Bar into "Tormek parts". This box holds the two spare micro adjust rings I purchased for an idea which did not prove successful. The original nut for the T4 leather honing wheel is here. I replaced it with a T7 wrenchless nut. I made up several spacer pieces of plastic pipe to hold the shaft in place while transporting a Tormek with the grinding wheel removed. They reside here. The smaller shaped leather honing rings are here, also.Either the parts box or the planer jig was the last thing to make the cut. I chose the parts box.

In front of the parts box I keep some very rarely used jigs. I purchased an earlier version of the square edge jig for mortise chisels. I have a spare TT-50 and a spare scissors jig (a someday project to become one of Herman's HK-50 jigs).

The bottom drawer holds the DBS-22 drill bit jig in the back. In the front is my original water trough. The trough presently holds my compounds: spare Tormek honing compound; valve grinding compound; and lithium grease.

In general, I have been quite satisfied with the design and build quality of the Sharpening Station. If I were assigning a star rating to it, I would give a solid four stars, perhaps four and a half stars. Having a slightly dented corner (which I repaired) from inadequate packaging caused me to deduct some points. Also, one of the screw in feet would only screw in halfway before jamming. The screw in feet look solid and well made. The problem appears to be in the female thread. This was only an annoyance for me, as I am five feet ten inches tall and did not need the lowest range of the height adjustment.

I would purchase this unit again, however, I would watch the package condition closely. I unloaded and set it up myself, with the help of an appliance dolly.  Ideally, I would recommend it be a two person job.

I will update this post from time to time as I settle in to using the TS-740 Sharpening Station.

Ken

First amendment: Following a suggestion from Stig, I found that the obstruction of the one foot screw thread was just a minor blockage. (maybe just some paint or plastic) In fact, if I had used a wrench and some force, I might have broken through it. I initially used just my fingers. Instead, I ran a 5/8" NC thread tap through it which quite easily dislodged the blockage. The blockage is still unTormeklike in my opinion, but I have downgraded it to a minor nuisance.

Second amendment: Having to repair the thread turned out to be a positive learning experience. I was surprised how easy working with the Sharpening Station turned out to be. Removing everything from the drawers took only a couple minutes. I locked the empty drawers and tipped the chest on to the front. The original cardboard box protected the paint. For a heavy object, it is not clumsy to work with.

I noticed that the drawers have ball bearings to help absorb the load. Kennedy chests have these, too, but only in the premium chests. The ball bearings are a bit of overkill in the Tormek chest, however, they are indicative of not skipping on quality. My 4.8 star rating has become 4.8. The 5/8" thread is also a nice bit of over kill.

Another nice feature, not fully expounded in Alan Hotham's review is the drawer liners. There is a full pack of six included, not just three. Nice touch, Tormek.

[Herman Trivilino]

How's the height, Ken? My issue (other than the price) is there's only 8 cm (just over 3 inches) of range there. People's heights vary by a lot more than that. Being a tall fellow myself, my bench is at a height of about 33 inches, purposely made to match the maximum height of the TS-740.

[Ken S]

Good question, Herman.

As a starting point, I have the height at 31". I essentially started at about the mid point, and will adjust as I go along. It seems OK to me. Coincidentally, the taller position of my B&D Workmate happens to be 31". That was the last place I used the Tormek.

I think it would be useful to experiment with the height adjustment. My grandchildren are awake. More later.

Ken

[Ken S]

Herman, you raise an interesting topic.

We live in a (supposedly) "one size fits all" culture. Most of our kitchen counters are too low. Most of our woodworking workbenches are designed for joinery work rather than planing. I do not know the planet and species most of our living room furniture is designed for; I do know that it is not for "Terrans" (borrowing a Star Trek term). Considering the size variations in drivers, our automobile seats have a very limited range of adjustability.

The Shakers made and sold chairs in many different sizes. A new Shaker would be measured for a chair, and that chair would remain with that person for life. I believe Shaker best sizes were also individualized. That is too rare in our mass produced world today.

To its credit,Tormek designed the height adjustment of the Tormek Work Station to fit a considerable number of homo sapiens. For those "wild weeds" (borrowing Frank Lloyd Wright's term for tall people), I can think of two solutions: 1) Placing blocks under the legs. I believe this is the most practical. 2) replacing the adjustment rods with longer sections of 5/8" x 11 tpi threaded rod. This should not be a complicated or expensive option. I prefer the first choice; it is what I did with my photographic darkroom sink. It served my purpose very well.

Ken

[stevebot]

Biting the feeding hand here, but I looked at the price of a Tormek workstation and settled on a Husky 27" tool chest base instead, on sale at Home Depot for $99. A baking tray protects the top from water. Two Tormek trays fit side by side in the second drawer, small supplies like honing compound and stone grader in the top drawer, three more drawers below for big stuff. I am thinking of drying racks in one of them for storing wheels. If I need the Tormek higher I will build a riser.
The Tormek workstation joins a fine Swedish workbench, a Hasselblad, a Tesla and Sophia Loren on my dream list.

[Ken S]

My dream workbench would be the Danish bench designed by Tag Frid in Fine Woodworking. The two vices are the most practical design I have ever seen for cabinetmaking. It does not have built in storage, which seems much more usable.

I used to dream of a Hasselblad, but ended up with a Leica M3, a couple Nikon F cameras, and a Wista DXII 4x5 before switching to digital. I missed the middle size negative. I am content with digital now, although I do miss the versatility of the view camera..

Cars are transportation to me.

I met Karsh, the photographer who had a photo of Sophia Loren on the cover of one of his books. Karsh was a true gentleman. He treated every woman as if she was as beautiful as Sophia Loren. He has always been one of my heroes.

Being given the choice, I make do with my Chevy Equinox and enjoy the Tormek Work Station.

A good backup is my twenty year old Workmate. It has two different heights, which is good with the Tormek. Vertical grinding seems to like a lower height setting and horizontal a higher height.

Did you mean a Hasselblad film or digital camera? My dream Hasselblad would have been the 500CM, the old traditional workhorse.

Ken

[grepper]

Ken, considering you are making do with your Equinox, may there will be a new H5D-200c under your tree this year? 

[Ken S]

Nice thought, Mark (Grepper)

I must confess that I am usually the one in the camera conversations who is completely ignorant of the newer models. I was perfectly content using my 1958 vintage Leica and 73/74 vintage Nikons. Even with digital cameras, i never felt I went beyond my original (2004) Nikon D70. With good technique, those 6mp were more than capable of making an 8x10 print which knocked my socks off. The thing I like most about the Nikon D610 I bought a year ago (second digital camera) is how well I can see with it. I have worn eyeglasses since 1959. The D610 is the most eye friendly camera I have ever used.

I should read up on the newer Hasselblad models. My favorite 500CM is a bit long in the tooth (50+ years). Knowing about the latest models will help me keep up with the rest of the forum.

Ken

[grepper]

Ken, I saw this and thought of you.   

I know!  This has nothing to do with sharpening or Tormek so I debated posting it, but its cool enough and is slightly relevant to this thread so, right or wrong, I deem it worthy.  It's mostly about photography, but contains the origins of other technology too, such as the first video tape recorder sold and the first copier.  And that's just in the 1950's. 

Pick a year any year.  Amazing how much technology has changed!  I wonder if 50 or 60 years from now our current "wow" technology will appear as primitive then as this does today.

Hopefully anyone who enjoys almost any technology will enjoy this great site.

http://www.digicamhistory.com/1950s.html

Anyone have a prediction what the Tormek will look like in 50 years?

[Ken S]

Mark (Grepper)

Great site! Thanks for posting it. Looking at the lead photo for the 1950s of the Brownie camera and flashbulbs, one might not realize that it was also the era of the Leica M3 and the Nikon F, imho the two most outstanding 35mm cameras. (The M3 had actually been developed in the late 1930s, but production was delayed due to the war.)

I do not believe that the sharp edges we produce with our Tormeks today are any sharper than a craftsman could produce a century ago. However, we are able to produce them with considerably less labor, time and with a much lower skill level. That is truly remarkable.

One prediction for future Tormeks: I believe the grinding wheels will be different. They will not wear down or need truing. I believe we will see these in much fewer than fifty years. I also believe that sharp edges of today which are carefully crafted will continue to considered sharp. A few of my sharpening stones are older than I am and are still quite capable of good work.

Thanks again, Mark

Ken

[SharpenADullWitt]

Anyone have a prediction what the Tormek will look like in 50 years?

Well, look at the stone wheels that were used for a LONG time.  I doubt that will change, but what might is as computers and tech become smaller and AI starts, we could have some kind of automation eventually happening in the Tormek (with human oversite for testing).  Think of it as touch the screen for the item sharpening, and put the jig on whatever is operating it.

Who knows though.  I remember the old tv special Connections, with James Burke, and how advances are normally from something else entirely, interacting.   Between that, and how we thought about robots, verses how we are using them now (production, floor vacuums, lawn mowers), idea's change.

[stevebot]

50 years from now our Tormeks will have diamond or CBN wheels that never need truing and will use lasers to aid angle and depth of cut, stopping when you develop a burr. An optional inspection station will examine the edge along its full length and give a sharpness rating that includes angle symmetry, remaining burr and edge radius if present. The same edge radius measurement can be made on customers knives and combined with the length and thickness to determine the sharpening charge.

I do not disagree with Ken that we are probably not getting our edges any sharper, but we are more consistent, and material development in knife steels make our edges last much longer. Future blades will include diamond or ceramic "edge" material less than a micron thick, either centered in the blade for double bevel blades or on one side for single bevel edges. They will be self sharpening under normal usage. We will return to free abrasive sharpening ala the Kent sharpeners of old for their initial sharpening or if they ever need resharpening.

[SharpenADullWitt]

I would be interested in seeing how they use a CBN wheel, and get multiple grits out of it. (current tech, the stone wins in that regard)

But the stand question, made me think of an old post, AND of getting old or having health issues:
http://forum.tormek.com/index.php?topic=172.0

[Ken S]

Interesting and disturbing post, SADW. I have no clue about CBN wheels, however, back in 2005, the forum clearly  let down the poster with "the bum knee". I hope that the same post would receive more and better answers today.

Ken

[Ken S]

I wanted to update my thoughts on the foam inserts. This is entirely my opinion based on what works for me. Others will probably think differently.

When I first wrote the review, I stated that I decided to start using the foam inserts, and that I might decide at a later date to remove them. At this later date, I have removed them. They provide nice looking, organized storage, however, just placing the jigs and accessories in the drawers works better for me. For example, the foam insert holds the two standard knife jigs. For most users this is fine. I presently use three knife jigs with the kenjig, and may add another knife jig or two.

I was not sure if I would use the grinding wheel hooks or store the wheels in the cardboard boxes. At present, both hooks are in use, and I plan to add a couple more.

That's my update for now.

Ken