Tormek/Grizzly Compatable?

[Jim Glock]

Just curious...I'm looking at a grizzly catalog and notice they have a 'copycat' wetgrinder. Will the griz woodturning sharpening kit fit on my old Tormek? jg

[Bernie Weishapl]

Jim I am not sure. The neighbor bought one and we didn't get a chance to try it as he sent his Grizz back with problems. He hasn't made up his mind if he will get the Tormek or the Jet.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

No comments?

Try a search for grizzly + tormek. I THINK there were a couple posts that said the Tormek parts don't fit the Griz and was entirely too hard to make work. So, I would assume that the Griz stuff won't fit the Tormek.

Since you already own the Tormek, why not just buy what jigs you need? They are not that expensive. You already own the most expensive part. Jet jigs fit the Tormek, but the Tormek gouge jig is the best.

[Tim Cleveland]

Jim I am not sure. The neighbor bought one and we didn't get a chance to try it as he sent his Grizz back with problems. He hasn't made up his mind if he will get the Tormek or the Jet.
Bernie, regarding your friend looking at the Jet or the Tormek, I have read that the shaft that the grinding wheel goes onto on the Jet isn't stainless steel and people have had alot of problems with it rusting and not being able to remove the wheel without breaking the wheel (and those wheels are really expensive). The shafts on the Tormek are stainless steel.

Tim

[Gordon Seto]

+1

IMO, the best part about the Tormek jig on turning tools is the TTS-100. I don't think that is available for copy cats yet.
http://www.tormek.com/en/accessories/tts100/
That is what makes the Tormek jig set up fast and accurate; there is no peeking through the side of the wheel or Sharpie method to match up the nose angle.
Buy the Tormek and reward the innovation. If no company is doing the research and development, there won't be better mouse traps!

[Alan Trout]

I have had my Jet for over 2 years and have had not problems with the shaft. I just use a little grease on it when I clean it and it has been fine. Mine works really well. I use the Tormek jigs on mine which I love. In particular the TTS100. I use the dog out of mine. I have heard people being able to stall the Jet however I have put a ton of pressure on mine and never been able to get it to even slow down.

I picked mine up on a Amazon deal a couple of years ago. I think I paid like $165 with free shipping had the 2 drawer base and a cover. It was some of the best money I have ever spent.

Nothing against the Tormek they are very nice. Just the deal I got on mine I could not pass it up.

Good Luck

Alan

[Tim Cleveland]

For $165 I would go with a Jet too, stainless shaft or not. Nice to know that they aren't necesarily as bad as I have heard.

Tim

[Bernie Weishapl]

Bernie, regarding your friend looking at the Jet or the Tormek, I have read that the shaft that the grinding wheel goes onto on the Jet isn't stainless steel and people have had alot of problems with it rusting and not being able to remove the wheel without breaking the wheel (and those wheels are really expensive). The shafts on the Tormek are stainless steel.

Tim


Thanks Tim. I will be sure to give him a ring and let him know. I heard the same thing. I love my Tormek.

[Tom Hintz]

Bernie, regarding your friend looking at the Jet or the Tormek, I have read that the shaft that the grinding wheel goes onto on the Jet isn't stainless steel and people have had alot of problems with it rusting and not being able to remove the wheel without breaking the wheel (and those wheels are really expensive). The shafts on the Tormek are stainless steel.

Tim

I have had the JET for a few years and have not had a problem with the shaft nor removing the wheel. (I just went out and removed the JET wheel just to be sure...and current)
Keep in mind that for most of its life, the Tormek shaft was also not made from stainless and they said it worked fine as well. I believe they went to stainless shafts less than five years ago.

[Bob Haverstock]

I don't have a wet grinder, but I do have a question. Has anyone used antifreeze as a coolant on their wet grinders? Does it retard the rust? You guys are giving me tool fever. I still use some high carbon tools.

I may be the first kid on the block that tries to mate his Wolverine to a Grizzly.

Bob


I have had my Jet for over 2 years and have had not problems with the shaft. I just use a little grease on it when I clean it and it has been fine. Mine works really well. I use the Tormek jigs on mine which I love. In particular the TTS100. I use the dog out of mine. I have heard people being able to stall the Jet however I have put a ton of pressure on mine and never been able to get it to even slow down.

I picked mine up on a Amazon deal a couple of years ago. I think I paid like $165 with free shipping had the 2 drawer base and a cover. It was some of the best money I have ever spent.

Nothing against the Tormek they are very nice. Just the deal I got on mine I could not pass it up.

Good Luck

Alan

[Paul Andrews]

I purchased my Jet wet sharpener two years ago and it preformed well. Recently it seized, the motor still turned but the whell would not. I took the machine to an authorized Jet repair facility and they were unable to take it apart due to corrosion. When they contacted Jet technical support they were advised that corrison was not covered by the warranty.

I reviewed my warranty and could not find any statement regarding corrosion so I contacted Jet technical support. They asked what type of water I used in the machine (tap water) and suggested that in the future I should use distilled water. They have authorized the repair facility to use whatever force is required to disassemble the machine for repair. I am waiting for the repairs to be completed and hopefully they will replace the shaft with a stainless steel replacement.

[Burt Alcantara]

I originally bought the Grizzly T10010 with the expectation that I would buy Tormek jigs. Well, that didn't work out. The T10010 had a lot of wobble, the strop wheel was warped beyound usefullness and fitting the smaller strop wheels required some modifications to the shaft. All in all, not things that were showstoppers in themselves but the fit and finish were pretty bad.

I sent it back, took a restocking fee hit, and as luck would have it my local Woodcraft was having a sale. I picked up the Tormek T7 and never looked back.

My reasoning for going with the Tormek was having the ability to sharpen my kitchen knives and wife's gardening tools. I tried a few different systems to sharpen these particular tools but none gave the results I was looking for.

My kitchen knives (Global & Wustoff) are as sharp as new and I recently found out that I can get them substantially sharper.

If you are interested in the Tormek join the group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tormekusers/ and ask questions. They are very helpful and very experienced.

I'm still frustratingly slow with the turning tools but I find my cuts are smoother and my turnings come out with a much finer finish.

Unfortunately, the Tormek is very expensive compared to the Wolverine and the impending Nova sharpener but for my purposes it serves me very well.

I don't miss wheel and tool dust and the foot print is considerable smaller although one must allow for access front and back.

Burt

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I sharpen my tools while watching TV. Since the Tormek makes no dust, and just a little noise, I can do it indoors. Closer to the kitchen knives too. That way I really waste very little time. I'm not a pro turner, so I don't have to re-sharpen while turning. I do use a diamond flat sharpener and rod to hone up while turning. If the tools do get dull. Actually I'm pretty much a novice turner, seeing all the great stuff you guys turn. I'm nowhere near the level of the pics that gets posted here.

[Gordon Seto]

Since the Tormek makes no dust, and just a little noise,....

That's the problem. In the winter, I took the Tormek from the unheated garage to the basement to prevent the water from freezing. It was so quiet, I didn't know I left the motor running for almost 2 whole days. The motor was not even warm when I turned it off. I should have tied the Tormek to a light switch.

[Phillip Bogle]

I bought the Grizzly when it first came out. Got one of the first. The grinding wheel would not stay on. Seems the threads were not set to keep the wheel on, just unscrewed its self off once the stone was wet. The tools were so cheezy they would not work right and there are no -- ZERO -- directions on how to even use them. I asked Bernie how he liked his Tormek and with his and the input of others I switched to a Tormek and have never regretted the change. BTW, I use the Tormek in a sharpening business environment daily.

NOTE: I have other Grizzly tools and even though they are a mixed bag at times, the company has always done right by me. Their lathes are not as good as others, but most of the other pieces of equipment, like my saws are absolutely wonderful. The wet sharpener was just not one of the better items this company has sold. Plus it is the only piece of equipment that I have ever had to send back.

[Burt Alcantara]

Just for the record, Grizzly does not manufacture the T10010. It is a re-labeled Scheppach (sp?).

I also own a number of Grizzly tools which I am very happy with. As stated, their tech support is first class.

Burt