I’m curious to see the time difference between the Tormek and bench stones when applied to a well-maintained but used cutting tool. I fully expect that a power sharpener like the Tormek is going to be quicker than bench stones when doing an initial flattening and sharpen, or when redoing the bevel on abused tools. But for most of us, we aren’t having to recover from broken edges or reflattening backs.
Thanks Steve good honest video. I bought the same version T4 about 5 years ago and after going through the learning curve and trials and many tribulations; I came up with with similar conclusions as you. I will still use the Tormek; but now I have diamond stones and Shapton stones. I'll do as you say and finish up with the 8000 and 16000 stones and either buff or strop to get a razor sharp edge.
Hi, I bought a used tormek 4 and once I apply pressure, the grinding wheel stalls; again I remove the blade that I am sharpening the grinding continues to spin. can you advise me on what is the problem. thanks
A T8 with all the accessories plus the new KS-123 angle setter for knives is the go. I like to use the T8 in conjunction with a fixed angle (adjustable) knife sharpener I built many years ago.
I like the walk through on the Tormex T4 you did Steve it is better than Tormexs own videos . I got a t4 yesterday and ready to use it correctly with your help. Thanks Steve J.>-W-> Old Hang town Ca (Placerville )
Bloody brilliant job mate, very well done indeed. I just got a T4 and didn't want to start using it incorrectly, you're excellent instructional video has been an invaluable help, so thanks so very much. Cheers
I love my T-7. Quick and easy to use. Bought it with HTK-706 kit and I'm thinking of buying DBS-22 for drill bits (I have a lot of dull bits with different sizes and to my calculations it will break even around ~90 bits with sharpening versus buying). The initial investment was quite steep, but as it's industrial quality, I hope it will be worth it. Haven't had my knives, chisels and other tools so sharp since .. never :)
A good appraisal of this type of machine and how to get the best out of it. I'd recommend the T7 over the T4, it includes the square edge jig and truing tool so they end up costing about the same, especially if you hold off until there is a sale on.
Steve,Nice job....I have owned the Tormek T-7 since it was first introduced in the USA 20 plus years ago and its a fine machine..of course I have did a number of upgrades over the years,improving the machine as they became avaliable. The jigs are not cheap but work well...The diamond grader is a must for the machine.Again nice demo job on a great vertical water cooled machine.Bob Lindh,Western Pa.
Robert Lindh Isn't it great when a company plans/helps you keep their equipment up-to-date by providing upgrades? Unlike computer/phone companies that make you throw away their technology! When people question the price of a machine, it is always wise to add "how long will it last?" to the price/value determination. Thanks for your comment!
Speed/ease of sharpening on a Tormek and then use a super fine stone or leather strop is probably the best combo. I would assume that the leather wheel would give it that extra oomph. Otherwise, there is the 4000 grit stone.
With 40 plus years in machine vibration measurement and correction, it always amazed me that some mechanics would place their finger or hand on a machine and say "That's about 5 mils". Physically, it would be impossible for them to either quantify the max pressure or the pressure variation and also determine frequency on their skin, calculate these acceleration or velocity values, then integrate or double integrate mentally to come up with a displacement value . When the instrument measurement showed they were off by multiples, they would say the instrument was inaccurate or just blow it off as if it weren't realistic. After I had balanced the reciprocating and rotating masses to lower the vibration, they would invariably comment that I hadn't improved the machine that much and they could have done better with their hand. Here, I see that mechanic claiming his hand work is better than a solid, mechanically controlled angle for sharpening, even reverting to it instead of using the tool, casually tossing the evidence for comparison aside, only to finish by saying it was a fine machine. I'm sure his years of holding an angle has made him better than most at that task, it is understandable why a machine replacement for his hand work would warrant a back handed swipe, but time to get realistic. i'm sure he's got some negative comments about tool rests, too.
The veritas blades are dead flat, I only put a back bevel on water stones using the ruler trick. I do this on the 12k grit stone, I spend 30 seconds. Tormek is just an expensive grinder made out of recycled sewer pipe plastic. The stone is not coarse enough to put a primary bevel and not fine enough to put a micro bevel either. The diamond stones are not available for t4. I returned mine.
I own several different brands & styles of high quality oil & water sharpening stones along with owning the Tormek T-7 water wheel sharpening system. The Tormek T-7 water wheel sharpening system is without a doubt the very best quality electric powered sharpening system available today out of all the different brands of electric powered sharpening systems available today. Especially when it come to sharpening & maintaining the crazy sharp edge on the following CURVED cutting edges, knives, chisels, gouges & wood turning tools. Along with being able to do a quick & excellent job of re-sharpening the cutting edges & touching up the bevel on all of the different styles of carbide blade inserts used in the Easy Woodturning Tools. One can use a 1200 grit or any finer flat sharpening stone to give the Tormek water wheel an extra fine grit. Needles to say one should have the grit /smoothness of the Tormek water stone wheel as close as possible to the next finer grit when attempting to make the surface of the Tormek water wheel become extra fine.PS; Once one is use to using & setting up the various jigs used with the Tormek water wheel sharpening system it take very little time to adjust & use the precision edge creating jigs. The Tormek water wheel sharpening system continuously does something that 99% of the folks using free hand sharpening technique can not do. That is continuously create a crazy sharp cutting edge that also have one continuous precise bevel across & or along the entire length of the cutting edge on any hand tools blade. In peace, Joe
knowing this is from 2 years ago, is the 4000 grit stone worth it? just ordered the t4 and was wondering i should get that in the future. kind regards Gerard
I have the T7. I’ve had it for 10 years or so. It works but takes time, especially if I’m not using a secondary bevel. I have found that Waterstones do a better job, period. I also have a leather drum on my drill press that when used with sharpening compound, always gives me a razor sharp edge in just 10-15 seconds. In conclusion...The Tormek is OK. But there is always a curved bevel on a flat chisel, which I never liked. In the end, I prefer messy Waterstones. The Tormek is way over priced, but there is a system built around the basic device. To some extent, the Tormek is a gimmick. It does not get me a razor sharp edge in any less time than Waterstones.
That was 8 minutes of sharpening time. All set up time was not included. To get a really good edge you had to go to the stones. After the initial flattening of chisel and plane iron backs, I can "resharpen" chisels and plane irons in about a minute. I think ill keep several hundred dollars in my pocket and save lots of time resharpening my woodworking blades.
No it's not. A very well made machine that lasts for years and years. Compared to all the consumables with over systems it pays for itself. By the time you've bought a set of quality stones there's little difference in outlay, and it will do a lot more tools than flat stones. In my experience the people who shout 'rip off!' are those who couldn't afford it anyway.
One of the best reviews I’ve seen on the Tormek.
I’m curious to see the time difference between the Tormek and bench stones when applied to a well-maintained but used cutting tool. I fully expect that a power sharpener like the Tormek is going to be quicker than bench stones when doing an initial flattening and sharpen, or when redoing the bevel on abused tools. But for most of us, we aren’t having to recover from broken edges or reflattening backs.
Thanks Steve good honest video. I bought the same version T4 about 5 years ago and after going through the learning curve and trials and many tribulations; I came up with with similar conclusions as you. I will still use the Tormek; but now I have diamond stones and Shapton stones. I'll do as you say and finish up with the 8000 and 16000 stones and either buff or strop to get a razor sharp edge.
Hi, I bought a used tormek 4 and once I apply pressure, the grinding wheel stalls; again I remove the blade that I am sharpening the grinding continues to spin. can you advise me on what is the problem. thanks
A T8 with all the accessories plus the new KS-123 angle setter for knives is the go. I like to use the T8 in conjunction with a fixed angle (adjustable) knife sharpener I built many years ago.
I like the walk through on the Tormex T4 you did Steve it is better than Tormexs own videos . I got a t4 yesterday and ready to use it correctly with your help. Thanks Steve J.>-W-> Old Hang town Ca (Placerville )
Bloody brilliant job mate, very well done indeed. I just got a T4 and didn't want to start using it incorrectly, you're excellent instructional video has been an invaluable help, so thanks so very much. Cheers
Hi Steve, I just bought my first Tormek T4 today. It should arrive on monday and I'm very curious to see how it performs. Thanks for the great video !
Great video. Answered all the questions I had about the t4. Thank you for making this video.
What a fantastic honest review. So we’ll put forward. Subscribed right now😊
Great job and great video. Thanks Highland!
I am looking to buy one and needed that final convincing. Great video!
I love my T-7. Quick and easy to use. Bought it with HTK-706 kit and I'm thinking of buying DBS-22 for drill bits (I have a lot of dull bits with different sizes and to my calculations it will break even around ~90 bits with sharpening versus buying). The initial investment was quite steep, but as it's industrial quality, I hope it will be worth it. Haven't had my knives, chisels and other tools so sharp since .. never :)
A good appraisal of this type of machine and how to get the best out of it. I'd recommend the T7 over the T4, it includes the square edge jig and truing tool so they end up costing about the same, especially if you hold off until there is a sale on.
The Tormek is a great system.
I like this guy and this is an excellent video in my opinion.
Steve,Nice job....I have owned the Tormek T-7 since it was first introduced in the USA 20 plus years ago and its a fine machine..of course I have did a number of upgrades over the years,improving the machine as they became avaliable. The jigs are not cheap but work well...The diamond grader is a must for the machine.Again nice demo job on a great vertical water cooled machine.Bob Lindh,Western Pa.
Robert Lindh Isn't it great when a company plans/helps you keep their equipment up-to-date by providing upgrades? Unlike computer/phone companies that make you throw away their technology! When people question the price of a machine, it is always wise to add "how long will it last?" to the price/value determination. Thanks for your comment!
downtoearthwoodworks I fully agree...I have made a lot of mods. over the years....The machine was worth the cost.
Speed/ease of sharpening on a Tormek and then use a super fine stone or leather strop is probably the best combo. I would assume that the leather wheel would give it that extra oomph. Otherwise, there is the 4000 grit stone.
Good Video....What stones do you recommend for knife sharpening. Thanks
Instead of hand polishing you could also use the japanese stone on the tormek
do you need the leather wheel step? or can you sharpen your chisle and start working?
The stropping is the most important part.
Nice video and prob that was a complementary system for you but $400 sharpening stone is little steep.
With 40 plus years in machine vibration measurement and correction, it always amazed me that some mechanics would place their finger or hand on a machine and say "That's about 5 mils". Physically, it would be impossible for them to either quantify the max pressure or the pressure variation and also determine frequency on their skin, calculate these acceleration or velocity values, then integrate or double integrate mentally to come up with a displacement value . When the instrument measurement showed they were off by multiples, they would say the instrument was inaccurate or just blow it off as if it weren't realistic. After I had balanced the reciprocating and rotating masses to lower the vibration, they would invariably comment that I hadn't improved the machine that much and they could have done better with their hand. Here, I see that mechanic claiming his hand work is better than a solid, mechanically controlled angle for sharpening, even reverting to it instead of using the tool, casually tossing the evidence for comparison aside, only to finish by saying it was a fine machine. I'm sure his years of holding an angle has made him better than most at that task, it is understandable why a machine replacement for his hand work would warrant a back handed swipe, but time to get realistic. i'm sure he's got some negative comments about tool rests, too.
The veritas blades are dead flat, I only put a back bevel on water stones using the ruler trick. I do this on the 12k grit stone, I spend 30 seconds. Tormek is just an expensive grinder made out of recycled sewer pipe plastic. The stone is not coarse enough to put a primary bevel and not fine enough to put a micro bevel either. The diamond stones are not available for t4. I returned mine.
They are available now.
your voice tho. lol its great for these videos. nice work!
I own several different brands & styles of high quality oil & water sharpening stones along with owning the Tormek T-7 water wheel sharpening system. The Tormek T-7 water wheel sharpening system is without a doubt the very best quality electric powered sharpening system available today out of all the different brands of electric powered sharpening systems available today. Especially when it come to sharpening & maintaining the crazy sharp edge on the following CURVED cutting edges, knives, chisels, gouges & wood turning tools. Along with being able to do a quick & excellent job of re-sharpening the cutting edges & touching up the bevel on all of the different styles of carbide blade inserts used in the Easy Woodturning Tools. One can use a 1200 grit or any finer flat sharpening stone to give the Tormek water wheel an extra fine grit. Needles to say one should have the grit /smoothness of the Tormek water stone wheel as close as possible to the next finer grit when attempting to make the surface of the Tormek water wheel become extra fine.PS; Once one is use to using & setting up the various jigs used with the Tormek water wheel sharpening system it take very little time to adjust & use the precision edge creating jigs. The Tormek water wheel sharpening system continuously does something that 99% of the folks using free hand sharpening technique can not do. That is continuously create a crazy sharp cutting edge that also have one continuous precise bevel across & or along the entire length of the cutting edge on any hand tools blade. In peace, Joe
Excellent vid, I'm going to hate reading that instruction book though
or just buy a 4000 Japanese water stone for your Tormek like me and that's that!
knowing this is from 2 years ago, is the 4000 grit stone worth it? just ordered the t4 and was wondering i should get that in the future.
kind regards
Gerard
I have the T7. I’ve had it for 10 years or so. It works but takes time, especially if I’m not using a secondary bevel. I have found that Waterstones do a better job, period. I also have a leather drum on my drill press that when used with sharpening compound, always gives me a razor sharp edge in just 10-15 seconds. In conclusion...The Tormek is OK. But there is always a curved bevel on a flat chisel, which I never liked. In the end, I prefer messy Waterstones. The Tormek is way over priced, but there is a system built around the basic device. To some extent, the Tormek is a gimmick. It does not get me a razor sharp edge in any less time than Waterstones.
Do more video big fan
Ok. Give me your address. I will send you all my stuff for sharpening.
That was 8 minutes of sharpening time. All set up time was not included. To get a really good edge you had to go to the stones. After the initial flattening of chisel and plane iron backs, I can "resharpen" chisels and plane irons in about a minute. I think ill keep several hundred dollars in my pocket and save lots of time resharpening my woodworking blades.
+jaxplane Couldn't agree more. Lots of bucks for what I do with a piece of plate glass and a few sizes of combination paper
Better to make your bed in the corner of your attic than to sleep next to a contentious wife. Just a verse from Solomon I thought was appropriate...
When I listen to this man I feel like my IQ is 65 and not 135. Good video though.
its a rip off
No it's not. A very well made machine that lasts for years and years. Compared to all the consumables with over systems it pays for itself. By the time you've bought a set of quality stones there's little difference in outlay, and it will do a lot more tools than flat stones.
In my experience the people who shout 'rip off!' are those who couldn't afford it anyway.