# Eating HUMBLE PIE



## marcuscraft (Nov 14, 2012)

Great and thorough review. I was sort of hoping you would say that the thing was awful so that I could quit thinking about it!


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## Roger Clark aka Rex (Dec 30, 2008)

Great review stefang, the Tornek is the epitome of sharpening equipment, with jigs to cover almost any tool sharpening requirements where the finest "edge" can be repeatedly produced.
The price may be a deterrent, but the Tormek is an investment that you won't regret.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Thanks Marcus and Roger, and Rob too who commented on the first version I posted and which got deleted. I can't wait to try out some of the other jigs I bought for it as soon as my wife lets me out of the garden!


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## HillbillyShooter (Feb 15, 2012)

Glad to see you've seen the light and came over to "Dark Side". ;-). Unless you've tried a Tormex, it's hard to convince a lot of people that it's worth the price. I started out with the four grades of Arkansas stones, tried the Japanese water stones, the diamond plates and the graduated grits, but for speed, accuracy of grind and super sharpness, I always come back to and use my Tormex. Mine is green and from the mid-90s, but I've upgraded it with the improvements as they've come out, and acquired just about all the jigs (except the planer/jointer knife jig which I don't need now since I recently converted to Byrd Shelix heads). Mine still runs great because Tormex is absolutely top notch quality! The more you use it, the more you're going to love it. Congratulations on coming over to the Tormex side.


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## superdav721 (Aug 16, 2010)

Mike I have one and hands down when I have a lot to do or a blade to get back into shape, this is the best method. I use stones to get a fresh edge because of te hassle of getting the tormek out. When this one burns up I will get a new one. I am the 3rd woodworker to own the one I have. What does that say about the product?


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Thanks John and Dave for reinforcing faith in my new Tormek. I think Jeff Farris must have won over a lot of folks in the US with his demonstrations in past years. I think for those very few folks who haven't had success with it just haven't learned to use it properly. I am glad that I had learned enough about sharpening /honing before I bought the machine, because now I am more aware of the process and more sensitive to it also. I probably would have ruined it if I had bought one early on in my woodworking days.

One other thing I like about the machine is that it is very easy to hone with a little diamond paste just to tough up a chisel or plane blade or whatever is in use, even though you might not have water in the trough to use the stone wheel.


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## HillbillyShooter (Feb 15, 2012)

I hone with just a piece of horse hide impregnated with green honing compound I got from TFWW http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/TH/item/MS-GREENHN/Green_Micro-fine_Honing_Compound . All it takes are a few strokes before and after on chisels and carving tools, and tools stay sharp for quit awhile between Tormex sessions. Also, I found the Tormex great for changing the contour of carving tools-rough it out with my white grinding wheel and finish with the Tormex and jig.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

Mike,
I've had mine for many years (the original green one). It's still going strong and I love it.

If it has one draw back, it is the setup time- roll it out, get the water, align the jigs, etc. I usually try to do a bunch of stuff during one session.

John, above, has it right. If you need to do a major reshaping, it is faster to remove the bulk of the material with a bench grinder and then finish with the Tormek.

Just my 2¢


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Thanks Lew. I am aware of that. I agree about the setup time, but using the honing wheel freehand shouldn't take much time. I have a dedicated place in the shop for my Tormek. I plan to build a lightweight box to keep it covered for when the sawdust is flying. As far as grinding, I do plan to continue using my bench grinder for shaping/repairing chipped edges, etc. I consider the Tormek a sharpening machine, not a grinder.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

Thank you for the review, sounds like a great and worthy item to buy


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

Very thorough review Mike.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Thanks Roger.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

Hi Mike,
I have a cheap model of the same, and could not live without it.
In combination with my Japanese stones, this is a Tool I coud never imagine to live without.
Congrat.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

I have the T-7 as well, and agree with your comments about its effectiveness. It is a well built grinder that I should be able to pass on to my grandchildren. As others have mentioned though, the time it takes to set it up, align it etc. keeps me from using it, if I'm doing a project and need to sharpen eg. one chisel or plane blade it is quicker to use a different method. Thus, it sits under its cover in a corner of my shop gathering dust. Probably the most useful (and expensive!) tool that I don't use.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

*Mads* Thanks. I never thought I would need or want one, but that changed fast. I'm glad to see you posting again!

*Rob* I haven't been in the shop much lately, but I did sharpen one chisel and one plane blade so far that I had the opportunity to use last wednesday and Thursday when it rained here. I used the chisel all day( on soft wood). At the end of the day it still seemed very sharp, I've never had an edge last so long. I tested it with the paper test just to see how sharp it really was. It failed the paper test so I touched it up on the stropping wheel. That took just 30 seconds and I didn't need to put water in the trough just to use the leather wheel. I did the paper test again after stropping and it cut the paper beautifully.

With the longevity and the easy and quick restoration of the edge I can't see that it is too time consuming. I do think it's use has to be well thought through because of the need for water and replacing the water often to get rid of the muck. The jigs also take a little time to set up and the sharpening process isn't very speedy, at least the first time. After that it goes pretty quick. That said, I still think it's use can be optimized with good sharpening routines. Of course I'm still new to the machine, so only time will tell. I suppose that the type of work being done in the shop and the type of tools being used might also be a factor. I appreciate your comments Rob and I am looking forward to see how it works for me in my shop.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

I try to find the time, and enjoy every moment. ;-)
Miss you Guys.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

We miss you too Mads. I guess we are all busy with things other than woodworking this summer.We have fantastic weather today (and the whole week) at 27C. My wife has been keeping me busy outdoors and thanks to her enthusiasm and the cat-o-nine-tails we have renovated our whole garden, replanting a huge number of bushes and trees, plus we have painted our house and oiled all the decks. Now I really need a vacation! Stay well and have fun.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

Yes I am really busy. ;-)
Please notice it is a Wood frame kayak.

Miss you too, sounds like wife keeps you from boredom.

Smiles and a happy summer,
Mads


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Wish I was there.


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

I bought the old green almost ten years ago with the jigs I thought I would use over time. Works great, always has, never an issue that was not covered in the book they provide and the results as you have seen are fantastic. It takes some time and effort to get formulas set for each tool but once you do this once and keep the record it makes sharpening a simple task. I did make a water line adapter to run from my sink, (I have running hot and cold water in the shop) and this aids in getting the stone wet and water in the trough. A drain at the bottom of the trough I put in took care of the mess trying to get it out without getting water everywhere.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

I'm getting pretty used to my Tormek now. It has made my woodworking much more pleasurable. I have bought a large plastic water container with a turn spout. I plan to put it on a special made shelf mounted on the wall. That will give me a good water supply. The water trough on my machine is very easy to lower so the stone doesn't sit in water while not being used and it detaches very easy to get rid of waste water. It also has a magnet encased in the trough to gather the steel shavings.


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

I have the green Grizzly version - 2 differences: 1) no tool rest micro-adjust, 2) only $200 vs $700. I use all of the Tormek jigs. While O1 blades grind fine, A2 and HSS plane blades take forever when changing the bevel angle. It sharpens/re-sharpens HSS lathe tools wonderfully, but reshaping is slow. I now use a Tormek BGM-100 with a 6" bench grinder for rough grinding.

While the strop wheel gets blades sharp, they don't stay sharp as long as edges honed with progressively finer abrasives. I use 3 um and 0.3 um lapping film for final honing, and my own testing showed up to twice the edge life. The biggest difference was for smoother blades on twisted gnarly grain. The coarser the cut and the softer the wood the less the difference.


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## Sanderguy777 (Feb 9, 2015)

YOU'RE NOT HELPING!!!! Now I want one!!!

I was thinking about the grizzly but it has a lot of bad reviews so I guess I'll start saving…..

If I got a used one do you guys think it would last as well as a new one? What I mean is, is it worth the extra money for a new one or should I get a used one to save a few hundred? Thanks


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

*Sanderguy* I don't really know anything about the used Tormek market, but I suggest you sign up to to the Tormek Forum here and ask your questions. You can for example buy an older machine and update it with new/better components at reasonable prices that are designed to fit both the older and newer machines. There are some very knowledgeable people on that forum who are friendly and helpful and many of them seem duly obsessed with sharp edges and anything Tormek, so I'm sure you will get helpful answers.

Personally I am a big fan and it has made my woodworking so much more pleasureable. I recently started figure carving and it is so easy to keep my carving tools sharp, if you have to have the right jigs. The Tormek is an excellent value for the money because it is top quality and works really well.


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