# sharpening with tormek or tormekoid systems.



## realcowtown_eric (Feb 4, 2013)

I recently acquired ,ost of the tormek sharpening jigs at a GS. and they do slide on a 12mm shaft. Despite canada being a metric country, none of my regular suppliers stock 12mm shafting.

Why do I look for this? Lee Valley sells the methodology to adapt it to one grinder, but it's around 90 bucks to cobble it up for one grinding wheel, maybe two if dimensions work out.

So my difficulty is this….I use expandable rubber drums on a lot of my grinders, and the belts dont take kindly to regular grinder/tool rotations, so you have to use the "away from the edge" configuration. I don't want the tormek grinder, nor a cheaper clone, just want to use y existing grinders and wheels economicallyand efficiently

So what yu may ask, but if yu have three or four grindersand need both grinding methodologies, well buying off the shelf tormek supports becomes suddenly bizarrely expensive.

So I went looking for "tormekoid" hacks and really found a lot of outdated posts raving about how it did everything, ....nothing current. No "hacks" at all, something that I found a little bit unfathomable…..and I think I am missing something, some clever search term, some "dark-web" sharpening thread whatever that I haven't discovered yet.

Any sharpening afficianados got any pointers as to where to look for tormekoid hacks?

inquiring minds want to know?

Eric in Calgary


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Well, this won't be the answer you want (probably) but it is a little cheaper. Buy one of these for each grinding position you want to use the jigs on, and one tool rest. You mount the XB100 like I did in the photo, and use the tool rest where ever it's needed. Just to mention, when you buy into anything Tormek, it gets expensive fast. But you could sell some of the jigs you got to fund the changes you need. I'm not sure what you are looking for with the "hacks" part, but I suspect the posts you saw are older because the furor over the Tormek has died down some. I think a lot of that is due to the introduction of the Work Sharp….but that's just a guess.


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## rad457 (Jun 15, 2013)

This is my old system, I have since upgraded to a new wheel and larger grinder! 
So when did they get power grinders? LOL!


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## realcowtown_eric (Feb 4, 2013)

Andre,

you are a possibly a true neanderthal, but I betcha if I came and visited you I would see some 'lectron burning grinders hidden away.

And Fred, thanks for that tip. Amazon has some on their site for 30ish us$, some with free shipping which typically doesn't apply to Canada. so with the exchange rate at roughly 30% amd the extra shipping, even this simple thing could be quite costly for several installations, Far cheaper to buy some 1" thick aluminimum stock and fabricate my own.

But I still suspect I'm not the only one with the concept of mounting tormek/tormekoid jugs on myltiple grinders, so I'm still looking for people who have done "tormekoid hacks" just so I can cogitate and not "re-invenet the wheel"

And as a drive by gloat I picked up another two cratex grinding wheels yesterday. and a bunch of other shop supplies for the princely sum if 7CDN$ ( about 4,50 us$)

Eric


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I have a Tormek the super grind 2000 with just about all the jigs for sharpening except the drill bit one.I don't think it's a good idea.The jigs do work but the plastic grommets that slide on the arms wear out and become very sloppy.
I've gotten used to it.The one jig I've modified is the plane blade holder it's nothing to brag about.If I had machines for working metal I would make my own.


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## rad457 (Jun 15, 2013)

*Andre,

you are a possibly a true neanderthal, but I betcha if I came and visited you I would see some 'lectron burning grinders hidden away*

You're welcome anytime, if you are in the area. Better during the day as the candles/torches in the shop at night cast eerie shadows at night. I actually do most of my sharpening with these hand grinders!


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## Markmh1 (Mar 9, 2017)

Andre

I have been looking at the hand operated grinders on flea-bay. IMO, these should work well because of the slower speed. The issue I'm finding is a higher speed gets things hot and will change the temper in the steel.

I'll probably go with a Makita though, low speed and coolant, because I haven't figured how I'm gonna hold the work in only one hand and crank with the other.

In my life, I've seen solutions overlooked by not applying old technology.

Mark


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## rad457 (Jun 15, 2013)

> Andre
> 
> I have been looking at the hand operated grinders on flea-bay. IMO, these should work well because of the slower speed. The issue I m finding is a higher speed gets things hot and will change the temper in the steel.
> 
> ...


The problem with most hand grinders is they are too small, my 3rd one that I found actually will take a new 6" wheel.
You still have to be careful as even by hand and with a white cool stone the tips of the blades can still go blue and there goes your temper!


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## realcowtown_eric (Feb 4, 2013)

fred's reply was as close to my request for "Tormek hacks" as a I could hope for. but if any one wants to show how they modified that jig to a drill press I'd be glad to see it.

Why….because Iin my old shop I used tio mont the various wheels I have on the drill press just for the quick-change capability. I've got my cratex wheels so mounted, same for deburring tools…for example here's a vido of rehabbing a plane with a deburring wheel mounted on a 1/2 shaft


__
https://flic.kr/p/21020891220

I think I've posted it here before, but lemme tell you it don't end thee, EG… there's the cratex wheels for sharpening the carving tools, the diamond wheels that get chucked in the lathe for the drill doctor, The grinder count is totally off the what, and some of them have expandable wheels like this


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## realcowtown_eric (Feb 4, 2013)

continuation….that was freed from the clutches of he lapidary folks….seems my uplaod capacity has been breached

Regards one and all


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