If you already have a Tormek I can't see any need at all to use another method. It will give you a lovely razor sharp edge quickly and easily - that's all you need!
Just to put in my rather late 2 cents regarding the plane so as to confuse the issue
I agree with Karl. If it was me I would get a decent no 7.
Many of the old time English furniture makers only owned a no 7 and a block plane. A no 7 can cope with timber up to any size, and with (minimal) practice can work work perfectly well on pieces down to 6" or so in length. It smooths surfaces unbelievably more quickly and accurately than shorter planes due to the length riding over the bumps. Paradoxically the weight makes hogging off a lot of timber a lot
less work so long as you slide the plane back at the end of each stroke rather than lifting it.
If you got a spare iron and ground a big camber on the edge you would have a monstrous and hugely effective scrub plane - infinitely faster than those silly little dedicated scrub planes you can buy, and, again, it works fine even on timber that is much shorter than the sole.
Word of warning though, the Clifton no 7 is very heavy at almost 10 lbs, the old stanleys and records, and the lie nielson are about 8 lbs, which is just that bit more manageable, but still gives you loads of heft.
Cheers
Marcus
