Tormek T-7
- Thread starter Tom D
- Start date
I have a Tormek 2000. The T-7 appears to be the same unit with a few minor improvements.
If I had to do it over, I would not buy a Tormek. Although it does what it says, it is just too much trouble to use. Messing with water and finding and figuring out how to use the jigs is more hassle than I need.
I've found it just as effective and far faster to use a grinder (slow speed) for turning tools or stones for blades.
If you need the level of precision sharpening the Tormek will deliver, it's a good machine, but for speed, convenience, and price, it is overkill. I'll bet it has been over a year since I found the need to fire it up.
HTH
If I had to do it over, I would not buy a Tormek. Although it does what it says, it is just too much trouble to use. Messing with water and finding and figuring out how to use the jigs is more hassle than I need.
I've found it just as effective and far faster to use a grinder (slow speed) for turning tools or stones for blades.
If you need the level of precision sharpening the Tormek will deliver, it's a good machine, but for speed, convenience, and price, it is overkill. I'll bet it has been over a year since I found the need to fire it up.
HTH
richard.selwyn
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 635
I have the Tormek and confirm that whilst it works very well if you can master it, it is not the easiest of things to use and set up. I fancy getting something like the worksharp, but am worried that when I watch the videos I can see the platter "bending" upwards. I'd be interested to know if anyone has noticed that this is a problem. Doesn't convince me I would get things square (which I have had a lot of difficulty doing with the Tormek.) I note that the new version has a modified tool holder for chisels which would, I believe, alleviate this problem. The Tormek does a have an attachment to sharpen my shaper blades which I have recently bought but not yet used.
I can see that the slotted wheels would deflect relatively easily if you push very hard at all, but I haven't used one yet. I have used the glass plates for sharpening chisels and and have had no problems squaring them up and sharpening to a razor's edge. I'm sharpening challenged and very frequently have actually managed to make a knife or chisel duller when trying to sharpen with stones. With the worksharp I can put an edge sharp enough to shave with on a chisel in a couple minutes.
Fred
Fred
I recently purchased the worksharp and used it to sharpen and strop my carving tools. I do them all on top and takes me maybe five minutes a tool. I use the tormek small tool attachment on the top and that allows me o get a consistant angle much quicker than stones.
JJ
JJ
I think it should be mentioned at this time that Jerry did a detailed review of the Worksharp under manuals @ http://www.jerrywork.com/.
butzla
Member
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2008
- Messages
- 1,233
richard.selwyn said:
Rich, the slotted wheels are for sharpening small turning tools like gouges. Use the glass platins for chisels and planer blades. I was always frustrated trying to sharpen my tools. I contemplated the Tormec but the cheap scotsman in me prohibited the purchase. I tried the Worksharp instead with no regrets. The very first try I got prefect results. Plan on spending more than $200 though. Get an extra glass platen ($25) to accommodate all the grits you use. You use both sides by the way. So by the time you're done with all the extra sandpaper, you're into it for ~ $300. My only complaint is the expensive sandpaper. But again....the cheap Scotsman.
Sorry to hijack your thread, Tom.
richard.selwyn said:
Richard,
Try the tips found in this document, regarding square edges with the older Tormek jig. I think it will help.
http://www.sharptoolsusa.com/squareedgeweb.pdf
Tom,
Since I make my living selling Tormek, my opinion may be seen as jaded, however, that has never stopped me from sharing it. [big grin]
First, I would suggest you take a look at the videos I have on YouTube. Follow this link to go directly to the library for all of them. Three document the three steps of sharpening a chisel or plane iron. Then there's one on knives and one on scissors. Jeff's Tormek Videos
While there are many effective ways to sharpen a tool, here's what you get with a Tormek that I don't think you get from most other options. Flexibility. The Tormek can sharpen your woodworking tools, woodturning tools, kitchen cutlery, pocket knives, hunting knives, gardening tools, carving tools...you get the idea. You can use as many or as few of the jigs as you see fit. Without a jig, I think it is the easiest tool to use for freehand sharpening that has ever been around. In fact, that's the video that I am working on right now, how to use the Tormek without jigs at all. Safety For both your tool and you. Low speed, water bath means that there is no danger whatsoever of drawing the temper from a tool. The water bath is catching all the dross, both steel and stone. With a dry grinder that goes into the air to settle on everything in the shop, including your lungs. Start to Finish If you watch the videos I linked you'll see me bash the end of a chisel with a hatchet, then remove the nicks in real time -- no edits. Then I refine the finish on the bevel and in the last step I polish both the bevel and the back to a mirror finish. Most other systems struggle with one end or the other of that spectrum. They're either really good at getting the nicks out or really good at putting on the final finish, but rarely both.
Hope this helps.
Jeff,
I don't disagree with any of your comments. From my research, the Tormek (and the Jet clone) are by far the most flexible and capable machines on the market. The number of jigs available is truly impressive. It is definitely on my wish list, and will keep you in mind when the time comes to make my purchase.
While the Worksharp can do a lot of different things, it excels at sharpening chisels and small plane irons/blades. Since you are using a bed, rather than a jig, you can sharpen a lot of chisels very quickly with the WS. With the Tormek, you almost have to go through the entire process for each chisel - setup the jig, grind, grade stone, grind, hone. It would take a long time to sharpen a set of chisels. With the WS, you can do it in about 15 minutes.
I don't disagree with any of your comments. From my research, the Tormek (and the Jet clone) are by far the most flexible and capable machines on the market. The number of jigs available is truly impressive. It is definitely on my wish list, and will keep you in mind when the time comes to make my purchase.
While the Worksharp can do a lot of different things, it excels at sharpening chisels and small plane irons/blades. Since you are using a bed, rather than a jig, you can sharpen a lot of chisels very quickly with the WS. With the Tormek, you almost have to go through the entire process for each chisel - setup the jig, grind, grade stone, grind, hone. It would take a long time to sharpen a set of chisels. With the WS, you can do it in about 15 minutes.
It has always been my perception that the Tormek, or any grinding system which uses the periphery of the wheel, works best at creating the concave surfaces that facilitate a rapid final edge prep with a fine flat stone. I understand that one is certainly capable of doing most everything within the Tormek system but there is no reason a user cannot combine systems in a manner that utilizes each for that at which it is best. Or, at least for that at which the user can do the best. I learned to sharpen high speed tool bits for use on a metal lathe using a 10 inch pedestal grinder followed by a flat oscillating diamond face wheel at slow speed (think Worksharp turned 90 degrees). I would have loved a Tormek style machine back then as it would have avoided a lot of edge burning. In the woodworking world the Tormek may be more ideally suited for turners and I think it is more difficult for plane and chisel guys to appreciate what it offers. One has to set aside most of what he learns in the Rob Cosman and David Charlesworth videos and embrace the use of a peripherally based sharpening system. It is a very versatile system but probably not for everyone, but if you turn in addition to using planes and chisels, IMO, the Tormek is really a good place to start.
Greg,
There's no reason not to flat hone after using a Tormek. In fact, I'm not sure anything could do a better job of preparing a blade for flat honing. That said, when you have a Tormek you have an alternative to flat honing that is fast and in my opinion, easier to learn. Nothing that Rob Cosman or David Charlesworth teach is contradictory to sharpening on a Tormek. It is just a question of how one chooses to do the last step.
There's no reason not to flat hone after using a Tormek. In fact, I'm not sure anything could do a better job of preparing a blade for flat honing. That said, when you have a Tormek you have an alternative to flat honing that is fast and in my opinion, easier to learn. Nothing that Rob Cosman or David Charlesworth teach is contradictory to sharpening on a Tormek. It is just a question of how one chooses to do the last step.
Ive had the Tormek 2000 for a few years and I have to agree that it is a very versatile machine. Versatility, though is not necessarily a virtue. Like being a jack of all trades yet master of none.
Going from fine grading of the stone (1000 grit) to the 6000 grit honing compound on the leather wheel is too much of a jump to get a fine edge on anything. You get a sharp edge but one with very fine micro scratches still in the edge. Ive ended up going from the tormek stone to my flat waterstones 4000 and 8000 and skipping the leather wheel all together. All in all I have to say it is too slow and way too much hassle for way too much money especially when there are cheaper clones and less expensive alternatives that work better for woodworkers.
who's going to bring there kitchen knives and scissors to the shop anyway! I certainly am not. I go there to work wood! WE need to sharpen chisels, plane irons, gouges and other woodworking tools
Going from fine grading of the stone (1000 grit) to the 6000 grit honing compound on the leather wheel is too much of a jump to get a fine edge on anything. You get a sharp edge but one with very fine micro scratches still in the edge. Ive ended up going from the tormek stone to my flat waterstones 4000 and 8000 and skipping the leather wheel all together. All in all I have to say it is too slow and way too much hassle for way too much money especially when there are cheaper clones and less expensive alternatives that work better for woodworkers.
who's going to bring there kitchen knives and scissors to the shop anyway! I certainly am not. I go there to work wood! WE need to sharpen chisels, plane irons, gouges and other woodworking tools
I have the Tormek & love it. It is my second one & wouldn't be without it. It is just so versatile but you will have to spend a bit of money on all the attachments. Like Eiji said, going from the stone to the leather wheel is to big a step. I use the "scary sharp" with the 3 different grits on the glass & get fantastic results from this. But i can always go back to the Tormec to do shaper blade, gouges, knifes ect ect.
Woodguy.
Woodguy.
I have the Tormek 2000 and have no complaints. The Hollow grind on a 10" wheel is almost negligible, and with the new quick release arbor, changing wheels should be a 30 second job. Jet do have a couple of accessories which extend the capabilities of the Tormek, and I'd check them out. Tallow tree also have some useful accessories. I don't have any experience of flat sandpaper grinders like the Veritas or Worksharp, but I seem to get square edges and scary sharp tools which work just fine, so I have no reason to change. Woodcraft used to make a conversion kit for a Delta grinder which allows it to use the Tormek accessories. These are sometimes available on the aftermarket if price is an issue. I'm not in a position to run out and buy the T-7, but the 2000 was worth every penny. And it is, I think, the easiest to learn to use freehand.
David
David
Eiji Fuller said:
ME! [big grin]
I've had a T-7 for over a year and consider it one of the most useful machines I have. I bought it with every fixture available at the time, and use it regularly for not only my woodworking tools, but also my kitchen knives, garden shears, hatchets, and my lawn mower blade.
For really fine sharpening I have a full set of Shaptons, but that's another story.
jeffinsgf said:
We are in agreement that these systems can be complementary. I don't believe a single poster has mentioned turning and I think that is interesting as anyone who turns should appreciate the Tormek even more. Alas, for some of us the world is flat. ;D
greg mann said:
There's a reason for that. Once you enter the vortex, there's no escape. Most people who start turning rarely if ever go back to the flat world. It's taken me 7 or 8 years to get back to the point of even thinking about building with rectangles in my shop again (except for a few necessary shop projects which were completed with the utmost haste). [big grin]
I have had the T-7 for two years and love it on all shop tools, especially lathe tools. Could never sucessfully sharpen on 6 or 8 inch grinders. Always got a different edge or angle each time. Now the same every time. A little of a learning curve and expensive, but one of the best investments I have made in my shop. Lige
