Any Tormek owners? Looking for advice.

[Gottagofishn]

I have a T-8 with three CBN wheels (160, 400, 1000 grit) and a Frontal Vertical Base (FVB) for honing. I mainly use a leather wheel with one-micron diamond spray for honing. I pretty much use it exclusively for knife sharpening (mine or friend’s; I’m a hobbyist). I get results I could never achieve free-hand. I typically get edges between about 80-110 BESS. The CBN wheels make short work of super steels. They’re a huge time saver.

I got my Tormek when I retired and added accessories over time as I could afford them. I probably have quite a bit invested in it now, but it’s a pleasure to use. It’s also fairly quiet for a powered machine so you can set it up inside. I use mine on a dedicated table in my office. Hope this helps.

I’ve been shopping for a couple wheels. Do you use yours with water? Would you recommend them?
Any information would help,
Thanks

 

[Gottagofishn]

You can make your own with some parts from Tormek (plus odds and ends) and a little elbow grease. The late Wootz described how here: http://knifegrinders.com.au/11Shop_PWsupport.htm

Another option would be to use parts from Wood Turners Wonders' Kodiak sharpening system. I believe it requires the grinder base plus the Kodiak Tormek-Style Adapter Jig. Total cost is around $150.

Thanks, working on it this week. I have seen this… just needed to get motivated.
Wondering if you would recommend your wheels? I’ve been looking for wheels that can run in liquid.
Thanks for your help.

 

[Blade Lab]

Thanks, working on it this week. I have seen this… just needed to get motivated.
Wondering if you would recommend your wheels? I’ve been looking for wheels that can run in liquid.
Thanks for your help.

I have both types of CBN wheels: all aluminum which can run wet with no concerns, and the plastic-hub wheels which are not recommended for wet grinding. I run both of them in untreated water, but I'm careful to dry the plastic-hub wheels after each use. I've been using it for about 14 months and so far there have been no problems. The caveat is that I'm not running a professional sharpening service, so my use tends to be 10-20 minutes at a time. I suspect the plastic-hub wheels would rust if you left them wet for most of the day in untreated water.

Of course you can use these wheels dry with no concern about heat. The reason I don't is because I want to control dust, and I also like the visual feedback the water provides.

So, I can recommend both types of wheel, as long as you understand the limitations. The benefit of the plastic-hub wheels is that they're cheaper and lighter.

 

[Gottagofishn]

I have both types of CBN wheels: all aluminum which can run wet with no concerns, and the plastic-hub wheels which are not recommended for wet grinding. I run both of them in untreated water, but I'm careful to dry the plastic-hub wheels after each use. I've been using it for about 14 months and so far there have been no problems. The caveat is that I'm not running a professional sharpening service, so my use tends to be 10-20 minutes at a time. I suspect the plastic-hub wheels would rust if you left them wet for most of the day in untreated water.

Of course you can use these wheels dry with no concern about heat. The reason I don't is because I want to control dust, and I also like the visual feedback the water provides.

So, I can recommend both types of wheel, as long as you understand the limitations. The benefit of the plastic-hub wheels is that they're cheaper and lighter.

I found a 160, 400 and 1000 grit aluminum wheels, no 600 though. Did you get yours from Knifegrinders or somewhere else?
Thank you,
Al

 

[Blade Lab]

I found a 160, 400 and 1000 grit aluminum wheels, no 600 though. Did you get yours from Knifegrinders or somewhere else?
Thank you,
Al

The 600 is a plastic hub wheel from Wood Turners Wonders, but I think you can get the same wheel for a little less on Amazon.

 

[Gottagofishn]

The 600 is a plastic hub wheel from Wood Turners Wonders, but I think you can get the same wheel for a little less on Amazon.

I just ordered a 600 grit radiused wheels listed from forever-Superabrasives.com. If you look at the “ generic” 10” CBN wheels on Amazon and look at the logo you will see they are made by forever-superabrasives.com. The company charges $30 less than Amazon but the delivery time is two weeks. Don’t know if they’re any good yet. I’ll post after a test run.

 

[Gottagofishn]

You can make your own with some parts from Tormek (plus odds and ends) and a little elbow grease. The late Wootz described how here: http://knifegrinders.com.au/11Shop_PWsupport.htm

Another option would be to use parts from Wood Turners Wonders' Kodiak sharpening system. I believe it requires the grinder base plus the Kodiak Tormek-Style Adapter Jig. Total cost is around $150.

Finishing setup on the FVB. My brother in law has a milling machine and helped set it up. Can’t wait to use it.
Do you put oil on the paper wheels before adding paste? Any particular kind? I did and used a light machine oil.

 

[Maximumbob54]

Not sure if this is widely known yet, but Tormek recently released a Knife Angle Setter jig, to take the guesswork and calulations out of setting the correct angle. Mine arrives tomorrow, I'm looking forward to give it a test drive.

KS-123 Knife Angle Setter

With the KS-123 Knife Angle Setter you can set the exact sharpening angle on any type of knife in three easy steps, regardless of blade taper.

tormek.com

Ordering one now. That eliminates the one and only serious complaint I have with the Tormek system. Thank you for pointing this out!!!

 

[Gottagofishn]

Ordering one now. That eliminates the one and only serious complaint I have with the Tormek system. Thank you for pointing this out!!!

I’ve been using mine for a month or so… love it! Makes getting that perfect 15 degree angle a breeze. Short learning curve.

Edit:
I have been using paper wheels to finish knife edges ground on the Tormek or Wen with decent results. If you need to set up multiple machines with the exact same angle I find it not as easy. Seems like you really need to fiddle to get it to show the angle you are attempting to create. Like if you are going from the Tormek to a 10” slotted wheel. If I set it to, say 15degrees on one machine and set the next machine, unless I double and triple check the angle may end up slightly off on the second machine. If you’re trying to duplicate techniques in the “Knife Deburring” you really need to carefully check that angle several times through the whole process. In theory, you should be able to push the two pegs onto the wheel and your angle is set. In reality I have to push the pegs to contact the wheel and then jiggle the angle finder and the FVB bar to get it to read correctly. Multiple times.
I don’t think it’s any harder than using the calculator but I guess I thought it would be easier.
The good part of the device is if you get two or three machines set up you can confirm the angle setting by looking at the angle indicator. If you measure incorrectly using the calc. your stuck with it unless you re-grind.