Tormek?

I looked at and researched the Tormek before I bought my wheels. I was going to start a part time business of sharpening knives, and it was what I was going to base my business on. I was on another forum that was based on professional sharpeners, and one of the responders pointed out the expense of replacing the expendables of the tormek system. Sanding disks, buffing disks, etc. Not to mention the cost of the initial device itself. I decided that just starting out, I did not need to spend that kind of money for a part time business. Did more research and decided on the wheels.

The system itself looks to be solid and should turn out excellent results. It can be a bit messy according to reviews I read, which was the main complaint. Grizzly has a model similar to the Tormek but is less expensive. I was drawn to it because of the wet system and its ability to keep the blades cooler with a grinding type sharpener. I think it is more designed for chisels and wood turning tools than knives. You need to add an accessory for sharpening knives I understand. May be wrong on that since it has been a long time since I researched it.

Work sharp has a similar system that is dry based, that you may want to look at. Just musing here. Good luck in your research!

Blessings,

Omar
 
I too like that it's a wet system. I hadn't heard of the Grizzly, I'll check that out.

I've seen the Work Sharp that you're talking about. If it's the one I'm thinking of (glass plate?) I don't think it does knives, or does it?
 
I've used a Tormek for years in conjunction with the paper wheels. I do the rough
grinding on the Tormek, and finish on the wheels. Works super! Scissors on the
Tormek come out beautifully.

I'm not sure what Omar is talking about concerning expendibles. The only thing that
needs regular replacement is the water. The knife accessory is just the clamp, which
comes with the machine. I've had mine for at least ten years and still have the original
wheel. There are no sanding wheels and no buffing discs. The only thing I had to change
was the shaft. Replaced it with the stainless steel upgrade. The old one rusted up.

Expensive? Yup. Effective? You bet. Messy? Only if you spill!

Bill
 
There is the Tormek, Jet, Grizzly and Scheppach that I know of. There may be others. The Tormek is pretty versatile and does many things fairly well. I generally use mine for things it wasn't intended to do. Its a large investment to really be able to use that versatility. The Tormek stone that comes with the unit disappears quickly as you get the hang of things. Not real good for sharpening knives IMHO. Or axes and the like. Better off with a belt sander. To really make a Tormek work for you you would also need the two additional stones that are available. Those are a good chunk of change.
 
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I rarely sharpen a knife on the Tormek, but I do sharpen a lot of scissors, and some other tools, on it. It's a very good, if pricey sharpening system. With the knife jigs the Tormek works well for large knives like carving knives, but the stock Tormek wheel is fairly coarse so finish grinding will need to be done elsewhere. For most knives I usually use diamond stones, or a belt sander if there's a lot of metal to be removed
 
Bill Hoffman said:
I'm not sure what Omar is talking about concerning expendibles. The only thing that
needs regular replacement is the water.
Click to expand...

You are right about the expendables, got the Tormek and the Work Sharp 2000 mixed up in my (mixed up) mind.:confused: If I remember right (doubtful) the replacement stone is about $200 or so. The Tormek is pretty much the standard in the wet stone systems.
Refer to the disclaimer in the sig line. :D

Blessings,

Omar
 
pjwoolw said:
There is the Tormek, Jet, Grizzly and Scheppach that I know of. There may be others. The Tormek is pretty versatile and does many things fairly well. I generally use mine for things it wasn't intended to do. Its a large investment to really be able to use that versatility. The Tormek stone that comes with the unit disappears quickly as you get the hang of things. Not real good for sharpening knives IMHO. Or axes and the like. Better off with a belt sander. To really make a Tormek work for you you would also need the two additional stones that are available. Those are a good chunk of change.
Click to expand...

Kinda finding what you said to be true in my research. Oh and thanks a lot for mentioning all the others. Now I get to research all of those too! :)

Honestly though, the power sharpener that I've seen that interests me most at this point is the Work Sharp woodworking tool sharpener. The 3k model with the metal casing, and upgraded internals looks seriously nice. Thick glass wheels with Norton abrasives, tool ports, "edge vision" wheel (which supposedly works really well), and the knife attachment...

The only problem is the price. It's not out of line, but I really want to go skydiving (of all things!) and can't afford everything I want. :( :p
 
Yup, the replacement stone is expensive, but as I said, I've had mine for at least ten years.
It's worn down to 8 inches and still works fine. However, I don't grade and regrade the stone
frequently, not necessary. I have an 8000 grit Japanese stone, but don't use it much since
I added the paper wheels to the process. I sharpen about a 750-1000 blades, scissors and garden shears
per year, and I wouldn't get rid of the Tormek if I couldn't get another. My wife and I operate a commercial
sharpening business. The Tormek is the foundation of our business. Bulletproof.

Bill
 
Bill Hoffman said:
Yup, the replacement stone is expensive, but as I said, I've had mine for at least ten years.
It's worn down to 8 inches and still works fine. However, I don't grade and regrade the stone
frequently, not necessary. I have an 8000 grit Japanese stone, but don't use it much since
I added the paper wheels to the process. I sharpen about a 750-1000 blades, scissors and garden shears
per year, and I wouldn't get rid of the Tormek if I couldn't get another. My wife and I operate a commercial
sharpening business. The Tormek is the foundation of our business. Bulletproof.

Bill
Click to expand...

True story- I had to look to see where you are because I know a Bill Hoffman that sharpens knives locally. I don't think he has a business doing it, but then I don't know him all that well.

Do you or anyone else have any experience with the Work Sharp 3k?

This is the 3k with the knife attachment.

3478_3515_popup.jpg
 
The Tormek T7 fitted with an SB-250 Black Silicon stone is the heart of my system, refining & semi-polishing is done with Rubber Wheels, and i use a pair of modified Paper Wheels with diamond compound for ceramic knives.
I'm specialized in middle class kitchen knives (Wüsthof, J.A. Henckels, Kai Shun, Tojiro, etc), EDC knives from Spyderco's to Striders to CRK's to Hinderers etc, standard wood chisels and scissors (home use as well as fashion studio's)
Anything particular you want to know about the Tormek (or the rest of my set-up) ?
 
That black silicon stone is something I really need for mine. Would be a good addition. Oh well. Some day.
 
The Tormek T-7 is hard to beat. I originally picked mine up for the woodworking tools - chisels and plane blades. Even though the system is based on jigs and steady rests, there is still a learning curve. It took me awhile to get it dialed to do perfect 90 grinds on the wider plane blades - and even longer to learn how to do a nice even bevel on longer knives; however the results are worth it. I took the plunge and reground my Hinderer XM-18 and although most of the Hinderer guys swear by the Wicked Edge, I would still recommend the Tormek T-7. You get so much more tool. I also like the fact that it still requires some skill and co-ordination in order to achieve what you want. For those who have enough extra dough, you can pick up the polishing wheel and get that mirror finish too. I'm really enjoying my XM now that it is sharper than the factory edge. The Tormek warranty support is also amazing - my local retailer replaced a cracked drive wheel for free.
 
I happen to run across a "Logosol" edition Tormek T7 that comes equipped with the SB-250 stone.
 
I posted this earlier on several knife forums as an example of what you can do with a Tormek.

"A few days ago i gave this framelock Strider GB from a Dutch forum member a new edge on my Tormek T7 wetgrinder fitted with a black silicon stone.
The factory edge had a wide angle and was also quite irregular, so there was room for some improvement.
As you can see i didn't refine the scratch pattern on purpose (as i think it looks good on a knife like this), only removed the burr on the Tormek leather honing wheel, followed by some stropping on a leather handstrop coated with 6 micron diamond paste to create a slightly convex microbevel.
The straight part of the edge now measures around 25 degrees inclusive while the slanted part is about 30 degrees inclusive."



 
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Strigamort said:
Did you buy it? Inquiring minds and all that. :)

I haven't seen this setup. I'm guessing that running the tormek with oil would be a VERY bad idea!
Click to expand...

No I did not buy it. Just happen to run across it looking for a Logosol chain vise / holder. Yeah an oil bath would get ugly for sure!
 
I hated the Tormek. It was messy. Water everywhere. Not all knives clamp into the thing, and I ruined a couple of knives. Redressing the stone from coarse to fine is kind of ridiculous. Tormek's customer service was a nightmare to deal with too. They basically gave me the "How dare you think that this is not the best sharpening system in the world!?" attitude. I fought for a week to get them to give me a refund.

I admit a bit of user error, but I've been making knives and sharpening for a long time. I kinda know my way around this stuff. The machine isn't worth the money, the mess, or the hassle of fooling with all those crazy attachments.

A small 1x42 belt grinder with some cheap belts in varying grits, and a 1x42 leather belt for power stropping would be a cheaper and better option IMO.
 
a buddy has a tormek that he uses to sharpen his wood chisels. i showed him some of my knives done on the paper wheels one day and he was amazed at how much sharper the edge was compared to his chisels. he asked me if i could touch up his chisels which i did. he was amazed at how much sharper the edges were after a few passes on the slotted wheel.

i talked to him a few weeks later and he said the chisels lasted a lot longer and cut much better.

i have never seen a knife done on a tormek but i think the wheels (and the way i use them) can easily beat the edge done on a tormek from what i have seen.

if i had the choice between a free tormek or a free wheel setup, i would choose the wheels.
 
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