Hello everyone.

[sharps]

Hi, I've just joined the forum in the anticipation of needing the experience of its forumites, and who knows, I may be of use to someone else in the future, once I've learned a bit about the Tormek. I am currently awaiting delivery of what looks like quite a tidy Supergrind 2000, an eBay bargain at £120- or at least I hope so! The wheel looks fairly new, but I've invested in a TT-50 truing tool, and the US -105 universal support. The machine has a couple of jigs (se-77 and a unidentified piece), but I also found  the knife,axe and scissors jigs for £55 on Gumtree. Either I'm very lucky, or there's a lot of Tormeks out there, but I've also bought a really heavy duty steel Tormek pedestal stand from a closed engineering works near me, another bargain at £30.
So, I've got all the gear (assuming the machine works!) but no skills, though if the YouTube videos are true it won't take me too long to get acceptable working edges. Up until now I've used a Lansky system to re-bevel my blades, a bit time consuming, even with the diamond stones.Once I've got an even bevel I go on my waterstones to really refine the edge, and I like to think things have 'clicked' finally- I can feel, and hear, what's going on, and really enjoy using them. However, if presented with a seriously damaged edge I would struggle to reprofile the blade to my satisfaction on the stones, which is where the Tormek comes in. I thought of it as something of a safety net, even if I muck up an edge I'm thinking I can quickly sort it out on the machine. I also inherited my father's wood carving tools, and years after his death I'm feeling guilty they're boxed up, unused, so I'd like to have a go myself. As a retired builder I have plenty of woodworking tools demanding attention too, so I'm thinking the Tormek will be very useful. If it's sitting there,on its pedestal, I've no excuses!
I'm not too sure I'll be up to achieving the precision grinding I've read about here, I'm a builder,not an engineer- and it shows! However, if I can get good edges, reasonably quickly, I'll be really pleased. There's something innately satisfying about sharpening, even as a kid I loved rubbing up my cheap pen knife on a kerbstone so I could make spear points and arrows.
No doubt I'll be back here once I'm up and running, needing advice. I'm hoping you lot don't start recommending expensive additions, because I'm a sucker for tools 
Richard

[jeffs55]

So, you will put your Tormek on a pedestal? I think that is a proper place for it owing to its usefulness. There is a rather long learning curve but only because its utility in sharpening is rather long as well. I would urge you to try to obtain your skills on the simplest items such as knives and chisels first before becoming frustrated on more difficult items. When it comes to extra tools/accessories I would suggest you think about whether or not you really need them before you buy. Unless of course you just have a lot of money to play with. Then, if we only bought "needs" instead of "wants" it would be a dull world. Good luck to you.

[sharps]

Thanks, I've taken on board your advice, I'll start with some standard chisels, then try my kitchen knives, which are only Wusthof's steel. My outdoor knives are fairly ordinary too, I have deliberately avoided recurves etc, but one of my folders is s30v- will the standard 250 wheel do that, given time?
I will also heed your advice to think about what I need, rather than want, in terms of accessories. I'm the worse for getting carried away, and I'm not made of money! I'm also acutely aware that those with the right skills seem to be able to sharpen edges with the minimum of gear, though I don't listen to all those tales of how grandpa could sharpen anything on a cinderblock/sidewalk.

[John_B]

Welcome to the forum. With just a little practice you will have knives and tools that are razor sharp and that maintain their edge very well. Do not hesitate to ask questions. There are also some great videos by Jeff Farris that are worth watching before you start.

https://www.youtube.com/user/SharpToolsUSA

[sharps]

Thanks for the link, somehow I managed to miss his videos, amongst the mass that are out there. Having briefly watched the knife sharpening episode I've subscribed. My biggest problem will be my impatience, so I'm going to watch a few of his videos before I even unpack my machine, which is on its way.

[Ken S]

Welcome to the forum, sharps. While you are waiting for your SuperGrind to arrive, I suggest you register your Tormek online (tormek.com) The older Tormeks did not have serial numbers, so you can register it now. There is no warranty time remaining, however registering will allow you to access and download the latest version of the handbook. The handbook is essentially unchanged since SuperGrind days. It is well written and will give you much valuable information.

Enjoy!

Ken

[John_B]

Welcome to the forum, sharps. While you are waiting for your SuperGrind to arrive, I suggest you register your Tormek online (tormek.com) The older Tormeks did not have serial numbers, so you can register it now. There is no warranty time remaining, however registering will allow you to access and download the latest version of the handbook. The handbook is essentially unchanged since SuperGrind days. It is well written and will give you much valuable information.

Enjoy!

Ken

I have an iPad and when I tried woodworking tools for the first time I watched the videos in segments right before I tried something right in the shop. It was like having an instructor (almost).

There are some recent innovations in equipment and technique that take sharpening to another level. The standard Tormek methods for knife sharpening will result in very sharp knives and every sharpener I have seen locally using Tormek uses them. True razor edge and even beyond can be had if that is what you are after. Threads here and online resources are available if you want once you have mastered the basics.

[sharps]

Thanks Ken , I have done as you suggest, and registered my machine, and downloaded the handbook.

That's a good idea John,it's surprisingly easy to miss a key part of technique, such as what direction to lift the handle as you approach the tip. Having the video right there will enable me to ensure I'm using the angle finder tool correctly, for instance.

According to Parcelforce I should get my machine tomorrow, but I won't get a chance to use it until Sunday. Meantime I'll read and watch