I recently asked if Paul or anyone had made a thickness compensator for the Tsprov KO2 yet, and I was quickly responded to by other members and the designer Paul (Tsprof), that this machine does not need a thickness compensator and that the analog gauge on the side is all you need.
Well...
First things first, I have been using the analog gauge on the side of the arm (AG) and paying attention to it in comparison to my angle cube and the AG is always off... I could not trust it in anyways for a precision edge, which after all is why you are most likely getting this system, so you can maximize the sharpness of whatever you are sharpening.
So then, after being met with the certainty and assurance that this system did not need nor could benefit from a thickness compensator, I set out to find out one way or another, because I had serious doubts but only speculation until today.
I went to the local hardware store and picked up a pack of nuts threaded at M10x1.5 and a thumb screw four just over 2 dollars. I proceeded to drill and tap one of these nuts to make a thickness compensator/stop collar depending on what you want to call it.
Then I installed the thickness compensator (TC) into the KO2 and assembled everything.
Then I clamped down an ESEE Laserstrike I had previously sharpened to 18.5 degrees per side (DPS). I choose the 18.5 degrees for a reason.
My first speculation for the AG was how can you tell with any precision that the sharpener is at a .5 DPS increment??? The answer is you can't you can only get close with the AG. You have a few methods to ensure you are at the right angle at this point, an angle cube, the sharpie test, or a protractor, or your stick with your best guess with the AG.
This is where I started conducting my test. I took 3 stones that were all different thickness to run the test. They are all three different colors for easy tracking. I bought some cheap stones from China while I wait for all my strops and finishing products from Paul on the next shipment in March. The stones from China cost 22 dollars and range from 80 grit to 3k but they are all a different thickness. All 3 stones are designed to work in the Edge Pro like systems.
Note the 3 stones in the picture below. The grey diamond stone is my base stone.
First, to establish a baseline I inserted the diamond stone and measured out everything to the correct angle with an angle cube on the blade. Then I took the diamond stone out of the stone holder and used it set the thickness of the stone on the angle adjusting arm using my home made thickness compensator. I left the thickness compensator alone at this point.
Notice the correct base line measurement of 18.5 DPS with the thin grey stone.
Next: I conducted the sharpie test to ensure I had the right angle which I did and all the sharpie was removed beautifully.
Before test:
After Test:
Next: I adjusted the arm on the AG to read as close as I could tell, to 18.5 DPS as I could.
Next, I put in the red stone and tried to adjust to 18.5 DPS with my eye using the AG.
Then I measured the stone with the angle cube, notice the red stone in the picture. At 17.90 the AG is off and I am no longer very close at all to my 18.5 DPS
Then I conducted the sharpie test which confirmed the angle is off.
Then I inserted the white stone and tried to line up with the AG to 18.5 DPS. Note in the picture the angle looks a little more off than the others but its hard to line up and take pictures on my phone while trying to get everything to focus.
Then I put the angle cube on the white stone for a readout. 18.15 DPS
Then another sharpie test. Once again it is off but not as much this time, but when you look at the sharpie test you can still see it makes a big difference.
Now, this is where things get really fun for me. This is where I was told this machine does not need a thickness compensator because of the AG already installed. I would also like to point out that from this point forward on the thickness compensator test, this is ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY THE FIRST TIME I TRIED THIS, and in the second and so on pics I got better, faster, and more precise with this tool. With that said even my first time trying it, I was off but way closer than the AG.
So the first test I, took the red stone and stuck it underneath my homemade TC and on top of the brass locking nut to get the correct thickness. Then I inserted the stone in the arm and measured with an angle cube. Notice the red stone in the pic and the read out is 18.4 DPS which is way more accurate than the previous 17.9 DPS.
Next, I did a sharpie test, The test did not work out as well as it should have for being so close but I think it really had more to do with variances over the length of the cheap 1 dollar stones from China than the angle itself. But either way the sharpie test results the stone would have still sharpened well, the imperfection would have been on the back side of the bevel.
Then I took a picture of the read out of the red stone at 18.5 DPS with the AG.
Next, I did the same with the white stone and took a picture of the TC portion (forgot that pic on the red stone)
Then I took the angle cube measurement with a read out of 18.5 DPS!!! Getting better on my second try! Notice the white stone in the picture.
Next, I did another sharpie test and it worked perfectly! Also, note on most of the sharpie test I left half the sharpie still on the blade to the right and used the portion on the left to conduct the test.
Then I took a pic of what the AG read out. To the eye, it appears to be close to 18.5 DPS but then again so have all the others...
Then I did the gray diamond stone in the TC but forgot to take a picture again. But I did take a picture of the angle cube read out after and it was spot on again at 18.5 DPS! Notice the gray stone in the picture.
Then another sharpie test which worked out amazingly again!
Here is the last pic with the thinnest stone sitting on top of the brass locking nut with the difference from the top of the stone to the bottom of the thickness compensator to illustrate the difference in stone thickness we were dealing with and how it affected the sharpening angle.
Conclusion: Yes this system needs a thickness compensator and for such a cheap addition it significantly outperforms the built in angle gauge which only gets you close...
Is the angle gauge that is built into the machine accurate? To an extent, it is kind of maybe accurate. It will get you close but there is too much degree of variation to be relied upon for precision sharpening.
In my opinion for me and me only, if I am spending over 600 dollars and more for a machine like this, the accuracy that the AG provides me with is not acceptable and does not provide a precise enough measurement to achieve the hair popping edges for a machine like this.
Is the AG close enough to be used with the sharpie test to feel things out and then feel out the correct angle? Yes, but it will be cumbersome and time-consuming and truthfully not worth your time.
Is my home made thickness compensator more accurate than the AG??? I think the proof is in the pudding from the pics that for two dollars you can achieve far more precision using a thickness compensator than the angle gauge provided, and for TWO dollars it should be a no brainer!!!
Cold hard truth: My thickness compensator worked very well and after a couple of tries I got pretty quick at it and felt the precision from it can only be bested by an angle cube, with that said the angle cube which I already have is more precise but takes a tad longer to use in the long run, whereas the TC takes some getting use to but is an extremely cheap addition that dramatically increases accuracy over the provided angle gauge.
Right now my TC is a nice addition but it can easily be improved upon.
If my TC had a larger shoulder or if Tsprof included a second brass lock nut with nylon thumb screws so you don't to worry about damaging threads etc.
This will provide to be an outstanding budget friendly tool and an excellent back up to the angle cube for when the batteries fail. I see myself using both but for now until I get quicker and more efficient with the TC my angle cube will still be used first.