That all makes sense. And I can see where plane blades would be more difficult on stones - especially by hand. One of the many things I like about the Tormek is that it is very easy to re-establish the exact grinding angle on any given blade. So when you notice it getting dull and you want to hit it with either the leather or the fine stone, it is very easy/quick to get that angle exact. You kinda got me thinking about some things with the Tormek and I've done a bit of reading - pretty much reinforcing some things that I've had an idea of. Reading in many of the forums on woodworking and sharpening I get the clear impression that many hard-core woodworker and/or those with good sharpening skills would not be caught dead using a power sharpener like the Tormek. And I have absolutely no doubt if a skilled sharpener has good equipment and the right skills they get excellent results, perhaps as easy and fast as I. For the experienced woodworker with very good hand/stone sharpening skills, I don't know that the Tormek has huge advantage. I even read that a lot of folks use the Tormek for grinding, but all fine work is on stones. That being said. I KNOW I am NOT a woodworker with good or even adequate hand sharpening skills - nor after significant effort does it seam that I could acquire good sharpening skills in a reasonable amount of time. For me the Tormek lets me put a really, really great edge on anything fast, easy and repeatably. Ahhh yes, priorities. Well, don't ask me for advice on that one, I'm not a golfer....... Now if were talkin' new handlebars or a new seat for my motorcycle........ Terry Farrell On Oct 13, 2010, at 1:21 PM, David Love wrote: > I’ve been using a bench grinder and then water stones. I have a > couple of diamond stones as well which I use for rapid reduction of > material when, for example, I drop a chisel on the cement floor. > The procedure I outlined in an earlier post is pretty much my > system. Bench grinder to create a shallow hollow grind leaving the > last few mm’s untouched (slowly), and then diamond or water stones > to do the final sharpening, car polishing compound on leather, wood > or a buffing wheel to hone. I had much trouble sharpening with > stones without first creating a hollow grind. With the hollow grind > and only a few mm’s to sharpen it is very easy to get the chisel to > rest flat on the two points at either end of the hollow grind. My > main complaint is not for chisels, the stones are fine there, it’s > plane blades. Those are more difficult and time consuming on the > stones. Since I use planes a lot on soundboard work I’d like > something faster and easier there. The other issue is space. I > have a utility sink which half is designated as my sharpening > station and it’s in the way a bit at times. Anyway, it’s not a > pressing issue for me and parting with $600 for a Tormek when I > really want a new set of golf clubs has me assessing my priorities. > > David Love > www.davidlovepianos.com > > From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] > On Behalf Of Terry Farrell > Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 8:14 AM > To: pianotech at ptg.org > Subject: Re: [pianotech] Of Chisels > > My Tormek is a Supergrind 2000. Apparently it predates the T7 and T3 > models. However, reading the specs and features on the three models > it appears clear to me that the T7 is identical or nearly identical > to my machine. The T3 is smaller and has a plastic case - and a bit > smaller motor, smaller wheels, etc. The T7 and T3 use the same jigs. > > It says the T3 is limited to 30 minutes of use each hour. I have to > admit, that except for a few times when I got all my chisels and > plane blades out and just sat down for a few hours and sharpened > everything I had, times are pretty far and few between that I run my > Tormek for more than 30 minutes in an hour. > > I don't know what other differences there may be (quality of > bearings, etc.). My guess is that the smaller one would work well - > but how much difference in power (if you have a lot of steel to > remove and lean into it) and longevity one might observe, I really > don't know, not having used the smaller unit. > > IMHO, a good sharpening system is such a central/important item for > a shop, I would lean toward the T7 - but I'm not saying the T3 > wouldn't do the job. Sorry for a lot of perhaps non-information. :-( > > I'm curious - you've been cuttin' & carvin' wood for some years - > what have you been using as a sharpening system. Are you unhappy > with that system, or just thinking that their might be something > better out there? If you've been using some sort of stones, do you > consider yourself skilled with the stones? > > FWIW, I have zero skills sharpening on stones. I have a couple sets > and rarely if ever had a sharp chisel when I was trying to sharpen > on them (good stones - bad operator). The first time I used my > Tormek and every time since, I've had wonderfully sharp chisels, > plane blades, knives, plane blades, etc., etc. > > Terry Farrell > > > On Oct 13, 2010, at 10:06 AM, David Love wrote: > > > Re the Tormek machine. Has anyone looked into what the functional > difference is between the T7 and T3 (besides $250). > > David Love > www.davidlovepianos.com > > From: Terry Farrell [mailto:mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com] > Sent: Monday, October 11, 2010 10:35 AM > To: davidlovepianos at comcast.net; pianotech at ptg.org > Subject: Re: [pianotech] Of Chisels > > The flat sides of the stone wheel. One side is a coarse grit and the > other is a fine grit. After that the leather lap. Does a real good > job. > > I fully realize there are less expensive ways to sharpen a chisel or > whatever. But for those of us who for whatever reason do not have > the natural skills to sharpen by hand, the Tormek unit really does > provide a great avenue for keeping cutting tools very sharp. > > Terry Farrell > > On Oct 10, 2010, at 11:01 AM, David Love wrote: > > > > I’m curious about those who use the Tormek system, how do you go > about flattening the back of the chisel? > > David Love > www.davidlovepianos.comOn Oct 10, 2010, at 10:16 PM, David Love wrote: > > > > The question was whether the Tormek system had a procedure for > flattening the back of the chisel since after the Tormek investment > it would make sense to try and avoid having to invest in quality > stones as well. > > > David Love > www.davidlovepianos.com > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20101013/8de0fa7d/attachment.htm>
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