Questions on using a wet grinder

[Frederick Skelly]

Hi folks,
I got a good price on a Triton wet grinder and bought it. It's yet another Tormek look alike. I've never used one before and there's a bit more to it than I realized. Unfortunately, on those points, the manual is at it's weakest and none of my 3 excellent sharpening books answers them either. Could you please give me a hand if you know the answers here?

1. I need some good instructions on how to balance and dress the wheel. Can you recommend a book or youtube video? This thing comes with a long stone that looks like carborundum to dress it. Using it to try and get the top flat and parallel to the tool rest/bar has been sporty/fun and I don't have it quite right, yet. Hence my question.

2. This grinder lets me sharpen in either direction - with the rotation or against it. Instructions only say that either way is ok for grinding. They don't say which direction I should use when reprofiling a plane iron's bevel. (They do say to only "hone" with the rotatìon.) Can anyone give me the pros and cons of grinding (not honing) in one direction vs the other? For example, grinding against the rotation seems to remove material faster - is it safe?

3. The wheel can be dressed to 220 grit, but nothing more aggressive. I looked for new 10" x2" wheels in a lower grit (like 150) online but didn't find any. Do such things exist?

Thanks for your help!
Fred

[Tom Ewell]

On the Tormek,

A diamond dressing jig that rides the guide rail trues up the stone, take off just enough off the wheel to clean it up.

The wheel should be balanced as shipped, a tad of apparent rotational 'wobble' at the slow speeds of the machine is OK as long as the surface of the wheel is true relative to the guide rails.

Side of wheel can be used to polish the flats before working on the bevels using the jigs, do not dig into the sides of the wheel.

Fill the water reservoir, run the machine and allow the wheel to get fully wet, top off the reservoir before sharpening.

As mentioned prior, this type of sharpening can be slow especially rebuilding and edge.

The long stone changes the functioning grit of the wheel, 'dressing' wheel with the course side of the stone yields a little faster cut, dressing with the fine side puts a keener edge on before polishing.

Use a magic marker to 'blacken' the existing bevel of tool, jig it up and eyeball set the rail. Rest the tool edge on the stone and rotate manually, check the marking if the black is rubbed off the tool bevel completely then the correct setting is established.

Assuming proper setup, typical angles of 25 and 30 degrees plus can go against the rotation, sharp angle kitchen knives usually rotate away.... just use common sense when grinding don't want to dig into the wheel, grind up the jigs or lose control of the tool.

The leather stropping wheel with oil and compound is used for the final polishing of the tool edge (always rotate away from the tool on this one)

Look for Tormek how-to videos online, since these other machines are clones, the setup and use should be the same or very similar or order the Tormek handbook if there is none offered by yours.

Stone wheels should be available, I'm still using the original one that came with mine. I have no idea what grits are available but I've seen several that are finer grit than the 'stock' supplied with the machine.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks very much Tom! This helps!
Fred

[Skip Helms]

I can't speak to all of your questions but I recently got a Grizzly version and have it working after some trial and error. As Tom said, getting the stone evenly wet is a big part of it. When I'm going to use the machine, I fill the tank, let it run for a few minutes and refill it. I used a cheap diamond T-hone on mine which is almost exactly the width of the wheel. I also leave a couple of neodyne magnets in the tank (a former nametag backer) to attract metal particles. It gets pretty fuzzy.

The biggest problem I had was that the 12mm tool rest was slightly out of square. Hard to see but the results were consistently off. Grizzly, to their credit, sent me another immediately. I took it off and checked it with a machinist's square and there was a tell-tale gap. I'd recommend anybody do that and also check it for square against the sides of the wheel for that reference too. A lesser issue is that if you drag a plane blade back and forth, water dribbles on the top of my unit. Some artless silicone caulk beads direct it back towards the reservoir.

This device fits in the middle of my sharpening regimen. For rough work I use a grinder and dip the work frequently. That means you can't have a jig that you can't remove fast. The water wheel is next for the primary bevel and it's a hollow grind which helps for subsequent sharpenings. It's too coarse for honing and even if the stone were much finer, probably too unforgiving for my technique. I finish off with diamond and water stones by hand.

For a plane blade; let's say I put a 25 degree bevel on with the 10" wheel. Then I have a medium/fine DMT diamond stone that I use with a jig to put a hair more bevel on. Next to that space on the rack is a 8000 grit water stone that is about 2.5mm lower than the diamond stone for another hair more bevel.

I've attached a JPG of my angle checker. I just drew a circle to match the wheel on a piece of tile board, calculated the bevel angles of several typical grind profiles and drew a line (circle and line in black). Then I just sawed out the brown section, wrote the degree and it's ready to go. Some Sharpie marks cut down on remeasuring each time. I have another set of gauges with flat sides for the stones.

I don't know how much this helps but sometimes you find one useful idea from sifting through other peoples' experience. sh

332929

[Frederick Skelly]

Thank you Skip. This helps too.
(I'm going to try your jig.)
Fred

[William C Rogers]

I have the Jet clone of the Tormek. All of the Tormek jigs fit the Jet, I bought the Tormek jigs. Tormek has a book that shows how to use every jig the sell. I think I bought the book from Rockler. I don't know how close yours is to the Tormek, but book has been very helpful to me.

[Frederick Skelly]

I have the Jet clone of the Tormek. All of the Tormek jigs fit the Jet, I bought the Tormek jigs. Tormek has a book that shows how to use every jig the sell. I think I bought the book from Rockler. I don't know how close yours is to the Tormek, but book has been very helpful to me.

William,
Yes, I can use Tormek jigs too.

Thanks very much for mentioning that book! It's an enormous help! I found a .pdf copy on the Tormek website under the "handbook" button. I downloaded it and have been looking it over for the last half hour. Anyone who is new to wet grinding and is using a Tormek clone should get either that .pdf or buy a hardcopy (google Tormek handbook" and it comes up). What a great book!

Thanks again.
Fred

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Perform your first tests on "test blades". I found that I was NOT able to flatten backs on the side of the stone. I have seen it done, but I gouged the back of the chisel I tried this with (the one time I tried it years ago). I rarely hear it stated that it was done. Does not mean that you cannot do it, just that you should not start with your expensive blade.

Congratulations on your purchase. For me, the Tormek was the easiest, most foolproof method of sharpening. Part of that may have been the experience I had leading up to use the Tormek, and some of it may be related to some physical failings on my part, but, I love my Tormek.

[John K Jordan]

Been using a Tormek for a long time, went through two stone wheels. I use the rotation away for almost everything. Rotation towards the tool is safe - just like a standard bench grinder. (always strop away, of course!) I found the Tormek too darn slow to shape the tools so I made a fixture to hold a spare Tormek jig bar on a bench grinder - I shape there then move to the Tormek for final and subsequent sharpening. BTW, I sharpen mostly turning tools and an occasional chisel.

A copy of the Tormek manual might be helpful. I don't know if it is available on-line but I did see it for sale by Tormek dealers.

I recently swapped the bench grinder wheels for CBN wheels. I hope I never have to go back!

I replaced the Tormek wheel with a 600 grit CBN wheel. Wow. It eliminates the effort to set up the water, never needs truing, and cuts well. The problem is it does not give me as clean of edge as the water wheel. I think the rotation away draws more of a wire edge than the water wheel But I don't like using the Tormek in the other position. I'm looking into reversing the rotation of the motor for this Tormek.

Or maybe the 600 grit is too coarse. (CBN does tend to get smoother after the initial break-in.) I'm also looking for a second Tormek - I'd like to try the 1200 grit CBM or go back to the water wheel on this one.

JKJ

[Frederick Skelly]

John, Andrew - thanks for your advice and experiences!
Fred