Tormek 2000 and Sharpening
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I’d like to know your opinion of the Tormek sharpening system. I never hear of hand tool woodworkers using a grinding wheel such as a Tormek in their sharpening practice. I have some one willing to give me a green Tormek 2000 and I’d like to know if and how you think I may find it useful in the shop. One use that occurs to me is that I may like it to help with initial grinding of a new edge as well as very helpful with sharpening shaped gouges. I am aware of the hollow grind that results from sharpening straight on the wheel.
Thank you in advance as this group is always a wealth of excellent information.
26 February 2014 at 4:03 pm #28342Hi Denise,
Wow nice gift. I have the same machine for 10 years now and Love it, I use it primarily to establish my bevels on plane irons, chisels etc. and it does a fantastic job. It is a “water’ cooled and slow running machine so no chance of blueing or losing the temper of the tools.
I also use the side or face of the wheel when I flatten a plane iron or chisel, which I am sure you know it isn’t necessary to flatten the whole back. There is a slight learning curve like anything but it doesn’t take long to figure it out.
I don’t know what accessory jigs you will be getting with it but I have just the basic including the leather strop wheel. Be careful with the wheel and make sure it is spinning away from you, it is easy to round over a edge if you are not careful. Hopefully it will come with manuel if not I would buy it and the CD is helpful as well.
Now having said this,for some people this is all they use to sharpen with. I still use my Sigma Power Water Stones and a “HorseButt” strop for honing.
Good Luck and enjoy, if I can help you anymore don’t hesitate to ask.
Steve
26 February 2014 at 4:07 pm #28343I would not buy it, but if I can get it for free..why not. I sharpen by hand but sometimes there is a need for a grinding wheel. I have a simple dry grinder where heat can be a problem. A Tormek is a wet grinder if I am right and that makes it less prone to heat problems. If you have the space it won’t hurt you. If one day you need a lot of metal to remove, you will be glad to have that Tormek. Especially if you have A2 steel.
BTW I use a grinder when I need to lower an angle of a chisel for example or when there is severe damage.
Hi Steve, Thanks for the useful ideas and the tip to locate a user manual if one is not with the machine. It comes with a whole host of accessories, so I’ll have some learning to do for sure. I never thought of using the side of the wheel for flattening.
Of course I’ll still have my bench stones and strop. Currently I sharpen with a combination of diamond and waterstones. Extra course and coarse DMT duosharp plate for rough shaping and flattening and a 1000/8000 Norton waterstone for refining the edge. While this system works it is not the system I’d chose today. When my waterstone is used up, I’ll switch to all diamond stones. Flattening is messy and time consuming and all that water is a mess.
I think the Tormek will find a nice place and good use in my shop. I’ve recently inherited a ton of carving and turning gouges and for those I may use the Tormek exclusively.
26 February 2014 at 5:36 pm #28350Hi Denise,
Bob Settich, a cabinetmaker I met at the Woodworking Shows recently in Somerset, gives an explanation of its uses and operation in a youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3eiQk908yg#t=0
The part where he discusses the Tormek starts at 2:30 in the video.
Carlos
27 February 2014 at 12:45 pm #28393I like using my Tormek T7 .
I prefer hollow primary ground bevel with a secondary bevel which I do on diamond plates or stones.
You can achieve the same bevel each time .
If you are a wood turner or carver with the right jigs you can replicate the same bevel time after time on some very difficult types of chisels.
Also being water cooled never lose temper.
The biggest downfall is the cost but you are buying quality equipment.Nice gift! I have one and I am happy with it. It is a quality product and you get razor sharp edges. But, I have shifted to using Paul’s method for regular chisels and plane plades for two reasons; I have come to love the convex bevel (it’s brilliant on chisels), and Paul’s method if faster (less set up time). I still use the Tormek for more complex shapes, but I am intent on mastering gauge sharpening by hand because again i think the convex bevel would be better. I hear the Tormek excells at sharpening turning gauges I have no personal experience.
3 March 2014 at 6:41 pm #28569As I mentioned I have had a Tormek for 10 years or so now and I would never be without one if i could help it. I primarily use it for establishing bevels and help with some of the flattening.
They are expensive to buy, but in my opinion you get what you pay for and it is worth every penny.
I use water stones and a strop for my everyday honing and do it mostly freehand like Paul shows. I just bought the EZE – Lap 81SF ( 1200 grit ) and the 81F ( 600 grit ) diamond plates. I am anxious to give these a try and when I travel it will be easier to take along and use as opposed to my Sigma Stones.
Steve
3 March 2014 at 8:28 pm #28573I use a Tormek in the school where I teach woodworking to children (up to grade 9) to get planes and chisels back on the battlefield quickly after having suffered the daily insults and injuries of children. I guess I use it as more of a jack plane type appliance than a smoother.
Several years ago I made the terrible mistake of buying the Scheppach imitation flavored Tormek machine. The Scheppach is a travesty of poor engineering and manufacture – completely useless with its grossly out of square stamped steel blade holder and out of round axle.
3 March 2014 at 8:33 pm #28574The Tormek system has one flaw – if you use their blade holder and grind to a set angle (e.g. 25 degrees), you have to be very careful to adjust the bevel angle guide for the diameter of the wheel (as it wears down with use). Othewise, you can end up grinding a lot of metal away to establish a new (slightly off) bevel.
Well, I’ve taken the Tormek home and I can tell you that I am already convinced of it’s value to my shop. It will never touch my plane blades nor likely my good chisels. But it is already a great help in conditioning old and abused edges. In the future I also hope to do some relief carving and maybe some turning. I think I’ll like it even more for gouges and carving chisels.
Thank you all for the feedback, the video references and your experiences.
I’ve never used a Tormek, but I would imagine it excels at repairing geometry on a bench chisel or iron if things wander too far off square…
I personally use a hand crank grinder because my gym membership expired long ago and I needed some way to keep at least one arm in shape. 😉
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