Tormek Tips Tricks and Techniques Beginners Start Here!

[Ken S]

Welcome to the forum, Chris.

If you do a google search for "tormek youtube channel" you will find the Tormek sharpening innovation you tubes. This has most if not all on the DVDwhich came with your T8.

To be perfectly honest, I have not opened the DVD which came with my T8. I have watched the you tubes and the earlier version of the DVD numerous times. I need to watch the new version. I have learned a lot from watching Tormek's videos. If you happen to be a turner, I consider the DVD in the woodturning information kit to be Tormek's best video. Make sure you also watch the friends videos.

See the back flattening topic in our handtool sub forum. We have somewhat differing thoughts on plane backs.

Sorry, I have to pause. It's time to get my grandchildren ready for school.  More soon.

Ken

[Rob]

Apologies if this is going over old ground but i am struggling to get a square edge to chisels and planes. Tried re grinding the stone, checked arm square to stone, tried tightening left to right etc on the jig, but all to no avail. Was wondering if there is a video tutorial or any other way of putting me out of my misery !

Shen, the edge non squarness is a very annoying but quite frequent issue.  To avoid it I align the edge of plane irons and wider chisels to a pencil line drawn on the stone when mounting it into the square edge jig.

It is more precise than an alignment to the jig shoulder which works only for parallel tool sides. The initial edge should be square otherwise you replicate the skew! If the edge is not square make it square before mounting it into the jig. 

Use the marker method and check the sharpening progress frequently!

Good luck!

Jan

There is another method that works really well to keep a square edge too.  If you take a sharpie and a small engineers square and use them to mark the BACK of the chisel.  Do it right up close to the edge.  Once the chisel is mounted (which if you use Jan's method will be square) you can now see your line on the reverse.  As you grind, regularly pull the chisel out of the water interference to examine if your freshly ground edge remains parallel to the sharpie line (or cambered to it depending on the grind you're aiming for).  There is no question that uneven grinding is a common problem and if you think about it, the centre of the blade gets twice as much grinding as the corners if you're sliding it across the stone because with each pass the corners go off the edge of the stone but the middle remains. The net effect over time means the edge will start to describe a concave profile.  The worst of all worlds for a plane blade because you want it either dead square or convex (to stop the corners digging in whilst planing).

So to compensate, one typically leans more heavily or grinds for longer on the high spots ie the corners which in turn starts to throw out the middle.  If you keep that sharpie line on the back you have a visual reference so on pretty much every pass you can keep correcting the high spots until the bevel is complete and the edge describes the profile you're after.

So my recommendation is to combine Jan's line on the wheel with my line on the reverse of the blade (chisel or plane).

[Ken S]

Jan and Rob,

Very good thoughts. I agree.

Ken

[Jan]

Rob, I like your recommendation to mark the back of the blade! 
I will include it in my repertoire soon.

Jan

[RobinW]

In response to ChrisC and the noise between the body and water tray, my T7 now buzzes like and angry bee in a jar. I have tried jamming pieces of shim rubber in various places, which reduced the noise a bit, but I haven't found the root cause of the problem.

[ChrisC]

Thanks Ken, I will definitely look into it. I've just purchased a first 'nice' blade from Hock tools, so I want to make sure I know what I need to do to get the mirror-like finish I've seen in some photos!

Robin - I am glad that I'm not the only one, it means that it wasn't user error in setting something up incorrectly! I've been trying to identify it. I'm going to try some electrical tape between the tray and the body, see if that acts as a sort of insulator / vibration damper.

[Ken S]

Chris and Robin,

I don't recall the buzzing/vibration issue being posted before. I suggest we bring in the cavalry (support@tormek.se). Tormek in Sweden may have encountered this previously. If not, they need to be on board.

Jan,

I like your perpendicular line on the grinding wheel suggestion. The new square edge jig (SE-77) brings both potential benefits and potential problems. Tormek seems to market it primarily for chisels, with plane camber being an also included benefit. I would reverse the order. I think the adjustable and controllable camber capability is the strongest feature of the jig. It is welcome (and long overdue).

The downside risk is that having the ability to adjust the square shoulder more precisely also makes it possible to misalign the square shoulder. This is like being able to swing the headstock of a lathe for taper work. With the SE-77, we have the two witness marks, but no alignment pin or good test procedure, except using a square to check the edge.

I suggest adding a substitute target with the line on the grinding wheel. The target is a piece of plastic or metal. Dimensions are approximate, but a good starting point would be the thickness of the grinding wheel across and perhaps 150mm (6") long. Thickness should be enough to clamp well in the jig and thin enough not to be difficult to see with the line on the grinding wheel.(Sorry, my SE-77 is on loan to a friend, so I can't easily check it.)

The target piece needs to be a regular rectangle with four 90° angles. This simulates a chisel which is accurately parallel and ground square.

Having the target piece the full width of the stone lets us observe any deviation from parallel with the drawn line much more easily and precisely than to could do with a narrower cjisel, especially a very narrow chisel. The target piece is also "known good". Drawing lines along the outside and rotating it end for end, making the lines are aligned checks its accuracy. Unlike using different chisels, the target piece's accuracy is consistent.

Improperly ground Western chisels, or hand forged Japanese chisels will require some fiddling.The target piece checks the accuracy of the square shoulder and the jig.

I like Rob's idea of the Sharpie line. I do suggest checking the line with the square from both sides of the chisel blade. I believe using the line and substitute target might achieve the same square grind with less metal removal.

I think the new SE-77 jig is a genuine step forward, however, like a fine musical instrument, reaching its potential depends on keeping it in tune.

Ken

ps to Chris:

Replacement Hock blades have been on my wish list. I hope yours works very well for you. If you do not already have it, I highly recommend Ron's sharpening book, The Perfect Edge. Do post your thoughts on your new Hock blade in handtools.

[ChrisC]

Thanks Ken - next time I make it into my workshop I will take a quick video with the buzzing and forward it over to them.

I need to do more looking into confirming a perpendicular grind. I also need to true-up my cheapo home depot square - I don't think it is actually true. A starret 6" square is on my wish list, so I have one nice one that I know is true.

I received my Hock blade - I would say I'm cautiously optimistic. The blade itself looks great, I'm very excited to clean it up and get it into my #7, however the chipbreaker doesn't marry up very well to the blade. I don't have any experience with this style of chip-breaker yet, where it doesn't have the curve, so I'm not entirely sure how to go about cleaning that edge up. I've sent an email off to their 'contact us' email and hope to get an answer back shortly.

[Ken S]

Chris,

I used to collect machinist tools and love Starrett squares. However, before condemning the cheapo square, I would check it for squareness. This is easily done. Place a piece of paper cardboard on a solid surface. Make sure the edge of the paper is straight. Place the square against the middle of the edge of the paper. Draw a line with a sharp pencil.  Flip the square over and draw another line almost on top of the original line. These two lines should be parallel. If not, your square is not reading true.

If you buy a Starrett square and treat it well, it will easily last your lifetime, and probably your children's lifetimes. I think at least one Starrett square is essential. Accept no substitutes!

I would be quite surprised if Ron Hock's customer service was anything but stellar. Original chipbreakers can usually be tuned. You also have the option of a Hock chipbreaker.

Keep us posted.

Ken

[ChrisC]

Thanks Ken, I will be doing this as soon as I hit the workshop.

It's actually a set - hock plane blade and cap iron - hence my confusion at the mis-match. I have no doubt he'll clear up any problems I have.

[wanderingwhittler]

Ken, what do you think about adding something to the first post in this topic about initial honing wheel conditioning and what to expect in normal use? Things like cautioning about over-oiling, whether to expect a bit of compound to flake off in use, whether you need to scrape off old compound. This doesn't seem to be well covered in the handbook and I think beginners would appreciate having that info from the get go.

[Erivan]

Hello everybody,

I've been sharpening knives (mainly) and tools for some years already, mostly on fixed angle sharpening devices and freehand.

Now a real newbee with Tormek. I received the machine but still didn't ""dare"" to go and unpack it. I keep watching tutorials before I lay my hands on it...

Some things look most familiar, when watching the vids. Some not that much.

But anyway, i's great to read there's a forum available to users, especially for greenhorns 

Hope I will improve and contribute soon !

Best regards.

[John_B]

Hello everybody,

I've been sharpening knives (mainly) and tools for some years already, mostly on fixed angle sharpening devices and freehand.

Now a real newbee with Tormek. I received the machine but still didn't ""dare"" to go and unpack it. I keep watching tutorials before I lay my hands on it...

Some things look most familiar, when watching the vids. Some not that much.

But anyway, i's great to read there's a forum available to users, especially for greenhorns 

Hope I will improve and contribute soon !

Best regards.

No time like today! Unpack it and set it up (takes a few minutes) and sharpen some knives that you do not have any attachment to. You will be amazed how straight forward it is. Take your time and follow the Tormek video's advice especially when you near the tip of a blade where it curves. I also recommend that you double check your jig setup before turning on the wheel. It seems that we all set it wrong early on and grind the jig a bit. Another bit of advice; don't raise the water tray all the way; it will result in a wet workbench. The Tormek is fun to use and it does not take long to feel right at home with it.

[Erivan]

@ Ken S - your message dated March 11, 2013.
I am really happy I read this.
As a good wine, it gets better with time 
Your post is so straight to the point I can't believe it.
It took me some hours (not days or weeks...) to understand how to use my brand new T8.
At first, I was hopeless and thought I would never manage it.
And then, I went back to watch video tutorials, read posts, again and again...
Well, it worked quite nicely.
Yesterday, I put my favourite chef knife on the machine. And this is to evidence how confident I was, as I would never put that blade at risk.
I now have a big smile on my face when I use the blade.
In about 5 to 7 minutes, the blade was sharp. With  my previous system, it would have taken about an hour.
Still, I went the extra mile and buffed the blade on my good old MDF wheel, with CR203 compound.
A very nice result, indeed.

Thanks for you messages, Ken S.

[Ken S]

¡Bravo, Erivan!

Your experience with your chef's knife reminds me of when I removed the training wheels from my grandson's bicycle. My wife and I were worried that he would fall and hurt himself. He did wobble somewhat, but was soon riding like an old pro and loving it. Like you, I believe in the value of study. When studying is combined with actual use, one soon learn to filter out the mediocre sources (which are many) and focus on the valuable sources.

Keep sharpening with your Tormek. Keep studying. Keep posting; there are many who can be encouraged and benefit from your experiences.

Ken