Tormek Knife Sharpener

[linuxwrangler]

Wow, just found this thread - seems to have started before I joined the forum.

I've been "sharp obsessed" for a long, long time. I read the Razors Edge book and bought the gear. Good stuff for manual sharpening. http://www.razoredgesystems.com/

Also read the Veritas book. Thanks for the U of Iowa link. I'll have to read that one, too.

I make sure to flatten all my new chisels and plane-irons on a kanaban before even starting to work on the edge.

After the oil-hones, diamond stones, and Razors Edge stuff, I bought the Tormek about 15 years ago and use it almost exclusively, now, though I sometimes polish blades out with rouge and a cloth wheel on the grinder. I'm popular with neighbors and my friends who run a coffee shop around the corner. Of course some people can't handle a sharp knife. One kid who works at the shop promptly cut off the tip of his finger after I sharpened the knives. When I need to get the machine out, I usually tell my neighbors so they can bring out their knives.

I usually use a stick of green rouge instead of the Tormek stuff-in-a-tube on the leather wheel - it is easier to apply and doesn't glob up.

If you have a Tormek and don't think you have spent enough money already, you can always get aftermarket 800 grit and 4000 grit Japanese waterstones:

http://japanwoodworker.com/product.asp? ... t_id=13267

http://japanwoodworker.com/product.asp? ... t_id=13267

While you are there, look at the lap-sharp machine - it looks pretty sweet as well:

http://japanwoodworker.com/product.asp? ... t_id=13107

If you ever make it to their store in Alameda, you can see even more sharpening stuff as well as some really nice knives. If you want to be safe, "forget" your wallet at home before you go - I think I've managed to drop a grand there in the last year.

[Saucier]

Friends

Yeah, its funny how many instant friends you can have when you have a Tolrmek machine.

Anyone using the 800 or 4k wheels? If so, how do you like them??

[Breech]

I have heard very good comments about this

http://www.accusharp.com/index.asp

[Syzygies]

Synthetic 1000/4000 Combination Waterstone

I have tried many sharpening systems, and I have a strong preference for waterstones. Starting with a usable kitchen knife, there is no point to starting coarser than 1000 grit. Alas, the finer natural grits can be too soft, gouging easily. Except in expert hands, grits 6000 and above generally do little beyond humiliating the good-intentioned user.

Reading the PDF sharpening study made me cringe, because the grit sequences involved made no sense to me for kitchen knives, it was like reading about someone who stick shifts their car from reverse into third.

I own many waterstones, but by far my favorite choice is this synthetic combo stone. It is the right two grits for casual use that will nevertheless outsharpen pretty much any other home method:

08M01.02 Norton 1000/4000 Combo $54.50

I haven't tried a Tormek Knife Sharpener, they do cost more and take up more space. I admire the obsessed who can nevertheless make room for a Tormek in their lives. I prefer hand tools, and I'm trying to help everyone else.

I find it easiest to rest the stone on a Thai mortar in the sink, with the faucet dribbling onto the stone. Waterstones need to be flattened after extended use. I have tools for this exact purpose, but a piece of fine wet/dry sandpaper taped to a flat surface does the trick nicely.

The biggest objection to waterstones is difficulty maintaining a proper angle. I find that the sound and the feel provides good feedback, like playing a musical instrument, and my knives get sharp. So I'd say this fear is generally overstated.

It is a bit bizarre, the unquestioned ideal that everyone aims for in sharpening doesn't explain the bread knife, patron saint of all serrated knives sold on late-night TV. Yes, one always wants to remove the burr when sharpening. For push cuts like chopping, planing, or shaving, the unquestioned ideal is spot-on. (12,000 grit? Bring it on, baby!) For slicing, a bit of variation in the edge, serration at a small scale as obtained by sharpening just with a 1000 grit, is actually a good thing. Don't believe me? Try the experiment yourself, slicing tomatoes.

[ThreeDJ16]

Syz, if you like water stones and want an easy angle holding solution, you cannot go wrong with the Edge Pro system ( http://www.edgeproinc.com/ ). Stores in a small case, takes up little room and does a fantastic job. I have had mine over a year now and would not trade it for any other sharpening system.

http://www.komodokamado.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=928

-=Jasen=-

[linuxwrangler]

Syz, your comments on serrations are corroborated in a number of other places. Perhaps it was the Veritas book - don't recall right now - that, recommended a very fine sanding belt for making quick work of kitchen knives. I have tried this a couple times but it's not my usual method. Unlike the Tormek or hand-grinding, you do have to be careful or you will burn the edge. I can't recall at the moment which belts I have but they go down to at least 15 microns - maybe finer. And it is exactly because the edge is finely serrated that they slice through tomatoes so well.

Way, way back I bought one of the kits from Razor's Edge Systems (http://www.razoredgesystems.com/) and they have a nice guide for holding the angle when hand-grinding.

Saucier, I still have the standard stone on the Tormek but am thinking about getting one or both of the others at some point. They are softer than the original stone with all that implies. Though finer, I hear they cut pretty well because they clog less and wear to a new surface faster (though I think it is pretty rare for anyone to actually wear out any of them). I will also assume that they will be easier to flatten when worn. And for uses other than grinding out really badly dinged tools, the 800 should be plenty coarse.

[U2PLT]

Tormek

I have had a Tormek for over 10 years now. It is great especially for repeat grinding on different woodturning tools. A wood turner invented a diamond coated wheel that fits the Tormek. It is coated with 30 micron synthetic industrial diamonds, www.t-jtools.co.uk.

Grizzly Industries has just come out with their version of the Tormek called the T10010 and is made in Germany for them. It sells for $169.95 and has three accessory kits for different tool grinding. www.grizzly.com or 1-800-523-4777. They have been selected as Best Buy in several types of woodworking tools.

[Fast Freddie]

Here is one I have seen for a long time, but I never found anyone who owns one.

http://www.cuisineclassique.com/tru_hone_knife_sharpeners.htm

[linuxwrangler]

I have never used on but I see one potential design issue.

Given that you draw the knife past the wheels, it will take a great deal of skill to avoid having much more pressure on the handle-end of the blade than the tip.

I've seen plenty of knives that have been sharpened on other devices with that characteristic and they all eventually ended up getting overground toward the handle.

[gerard]

Here is one I have seen for a long time, but I never found anyone who owns one.

http://www.cuisineclassique.com/tru_hone_knife_sharpeners.htm

I've used the Tru Hone many times. It's made for sharpening several hundred to several thousand $6 knives per day in a packing house and does it very very well. It takes lots of steel off quickly and after a few months the knives can look like ice picks. Doesn't matter on cheap knives but I don't think anyone here would want to use it on their yuppie Japanese knives.

But what do I know? I use an electric knife courtesy of the local Kmart.

[Fast Freddie]

Thanks for the answer. I think I will go with the Edge Pro.

http://www.edgeproinc.com/

[Firemonkey]

But what do I know? I use an electric knife courtesy of the local Kmart.

Now that is funny.

The only one of us who can even remotely be qualified as a surgeon uses the kitchen equivalent of a sawzall!