tormek

[Anonymous]

Been looking at the tormek 2006 antone got one or something similar ? anybody found anything that comes close to the tormek or better ?

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi AP

You've beaten me to it. I'd be very interested in the replies to your question.

Cheers
Neil

 

[trevtheturner]

I complained long enough and loud enough about blunt chisels, etc., and eventually my dear wife bought me one! :twisted:

Pricey, but an excellent piece of kit. You can guarantee grinding to the exact angle you require and replicate the angles easily. The leather honing wheel, used with Tormek 'toothpaste', produces a polished mirror finish and a supersharp cutting edge. Excellent.

I'm now working on complaining about my lack of a table saw, but she seems to think my bandsaw and SMS should be enough - so I'll probably have to buy that one myself. :roll:

Trev.

 

[Aragorn]

Hi AP
I have the Tormek and I'm very pleased with it.
I sharpen my chisels to a mirror finish in just a couple of minutes and they can shave the hairs of the back of my hand with virtually no pressure.
Mind you, my chisels being what they are, they keep the sharp edge for about 10 minutes! I've been looking lustfully at the japanese laminated ones on Axminster.
I also sharpen my planer knives on the Tormek. The accessary isn't cheap, but I've more than made my money back as I need to sharpen my knives several times a month.
Score a few points with H/SWMBO by restoring the kitchen knives every so often and you may be allowed to spend a bit more on the other sharpening jigs!

 

[Chris Knight]

I have the Tormek and rate it highly as a watercooled grindstone. I use it for established the primary bevel on all my handtools, unless I am simply "re-doing" an existing flat bevel that does not need a lot of work - in which case I head for a coarse diamond stone.

I have less success and little inclination these days, to use it as a complete sharpening solution. As mentioned in a thread elsewhere, I favour the Charlesworth method and it is just so quick to take a blade from the Tormek to a stone and put a suitable secondary bevel on it. I find this also produces a better edge than I get with the Tormek. However, I am quite prepared to believe this is lack of practice. I have used the leather stropping wheel to produce a very good edge at times - it is just not so predictable for me as a flat stone. I alos like a "crowned" blade on many of my planes and I think this might be difficult to achieve with the Tormek - although as I haven't tried it, I cannot say for sure.

If I were a turner and had all those fancy tools to sharpen - or a carver for that matter, I suspect I would get a lot more use out of the Tormek. As it stands, it is an expensive way for me to do a rather simple job - but it does it very well!

 

[trevtheturner]

I, too, prefer 'crowned' plane irons. Easy to achieve on the Tormek - just a little extra pressure, alternately, on each side of the iron as you grind achieves, and maintains, this.

Trev.

 

[Aragorn]

I also like a "crowned" blade on many of my planes and I think this might be difficult to achieve with the Tormek - although as I haven't tried it, I cannot say for sure.

Hi Chris
This isn't easy to achieve on the Tormek. I suppose you'de have to change to a gouge jig to even stand a chance and that would be very unpredictable.
I've posted recently in handtools about sharpening as I too am feeling the limitations of the Tormek for sharpening planes with a crowned blade.

 

[Alf]

I complained long enough and loud enough about blunt chisels, etc., and eventually my dear wife bought me one! :twisted:

Your wife bought you a blunt chisel? What a gal, eh? :lol:

Cheers, Alf

 

[trevtheturner]

Sorry about my lack of communication skills, Alf - it was the Tormek that she bought me - what a gal, eh!

Chris & Aragorn,

@Fraid I'm going to have to agree to disagree with you on this one. I assume by 'crowned' blade you mean a slightly convex shape to the cutting edge of the plane iron? (As illustrated in the Tormek handbook) As this requires only the minimal removal of steel at each end of the cutting edge I find it easily achievable, using the straight edge jig, by using just a little extra pressure, with the advantage that the iron remains simultaneously square across the grinding wheel at all times. This shape is retained during polishing on the honing wheel, and for several honings thereafter until a regrind becomes necessary.

(I don't use the Tormek for turning gouges - I do these on a Creusen set up at eye level adjacent to the lathe).

Trev.

 

[Aragorn]

Hi Trev
That's great news! I haven't tried varying the pressure. I'll be giving it a go next time I sharpen up!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanx all i'll let HID know its all your fault for bendin me plastic :lol: many thanks tormek it is then


what model 1206 or 2006 mainly chisels and perhaps PT blades when i get one (nearly at roof level in the new WS 8) )

 

[trevtheturner]

Hi, Aragorn,

Thanks for your reply. Each to his own, of course, and the T. works for me. Would be interested to hear how you get on trying it, in due course.

Cheers, Trev.

 

[Aragorn]

AP
If I remember right the 1206 is rated for 30 minutes use at a time.
That woud annoy the pants off me! Sharpening a set of planer blades can take 45 - 60 mins.

 

[Chris Knight]

Trev,
Thanks for the tip - I haven't read the Tormek manual so had not seen this before. It's what I do on a flat stone but there I am using an eclipse type honing guide with a narrow wheel - just assumed it wouldn't work with the Tormeks wide supporting clamp.

 

[Philly]

Hi All,
Whilst at the Yandles show on the weekend this caught my eye on the Delta stand.
http://www.deltawoodworking.com/index.asp?e=136&p=844

It was priced at £129, and is the biggest wet grinder I have seen. Also has a white wheel high speed grinder too. Was very tempted! :twisted:
regards,
Philly

 

[trevtheturner]

Hi Aragorn,

Yes - the 1206 is rated for 30 minutes at a time. The 2006 is rated for continuous running.

Trev.

 

[desmoengine]

hi
i seem to remember reading a note somehwere that the p/t blade jig does not work on the 1206, only suitable for the larger machine.

found it ; note on rutlands website ,customer feedback under tormek machines.
http://www.rutlands.co.uk/cgi-bin/psPro ... 1,0,0,1|2|

regards
Dave W

 

[Anonymous]

Need to be careful which Tormek you're talking about - the 1206 and 2006 are recent models, only about 6 months old. Prior to that they were 1205 and 2005. I personally don't know what was changed between the models, but I suspect a lot of the comments in this thread are related to the 5 model, not the 6.

 

[Anonymous]

So far the only difference i can see between the 05 n the 06 is the tool rest dewbury wats name is threaded with a collar for "micro adjustment" all the specs look the same .Perhaps they will add a stripe to the next one n call it the 07

 

[trevtheturner]

Yep, that's exactly right AP.
I had the 2005 - Sod's law, within a couple of weeks the 2006 was on the market! :roll: At the same time the new micro-adjuster jig support was available as an accessory - bought that so I now have a 2006! :lol:

Trev.