Anyone Own the Tormek T-8?

[Rich Riddle]

Having multiple places, I have found some sharpening tools (as well as other tools) migrating from one homestead to the other. It seems all the sharpening tools/stones now live at the farm. Instead of replacing them with similar ones, I am looking at the new Tormek T-8. It's an expensive pill to swallow, but might be worth it depending on what folks think. What do you folks who own one or have used on think? There are very few reviews online.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

If nobody replies, contact Dennis Peacock by PM here. IIRC, he has one.

[Rich Riddle]

If nobody replies, contact Dennis Peacock by PM here. IIRC, he has one.Ken, thank you. Dennis seems to own quite a few tools I would like to own. He must have an enormous shop.

[Mike Henderson]

I haven't owned one but I used one quite a bit when I was taking woodworking classes at school. I'm not a big fan of Tormek for chisels and plane blades.

The first thing is that the Tormek is a wet system and it tends to get water around the tool when you use it - so you really have to have a dedicated space for it.

Second, it's very expensive and the jigs that you buy for it are expensive. It's very easy to have more than $1,000 invested in a machine and jigs which is an awful lot of money for sharpening. In fact, this Tormek package (https://www.amazon.com/Tormek-T-8-Ultimate-Plus-Package/dp/B01FWIDQJG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1471272102&sr=8-2&keywords=tormek+t-8) on Amazon is $1,700.

For chisels and plane blades, I wound up with a WorkSharp 3000. I use the WorkSharp to set the primary bevel at 25 degrees and then go to water stones to put the final bevel on. The final bevel will be greater than 25 degrees so it's a microbevel. I use a diamond plate on the WorkSharp (about $12) instead of sandpaper. Here's (http://www.mikes-woodwork.com/SharpeningChisels.htm)a discussion on my web site about how I sharpen.

The WorkSharp is not perfect - I find it somewhat underpowered - but it does the job for me. And it's only $200. (https://www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-WS3000-Wood-Sharpener/dp/B000PVHIMW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471272207&sr=8-1&keywords=worksharp+3000)

And if you buy a Tormek, you still need some stones to flatten or hone the back of the chisel or plane blade. Some people will try to tell you that you can flatten the back of a chisel on the side of the Tormek stone but I, and other people I know who have tried that, found that it did not work well.

And the Tormek wheel is generally coarse enough that you need to take it to a fine stone to finish sharpening. If the Tormek stone was fine enough for a finish, it would be very slow. They offer a leather wheel for honing but my experience is that there's too much of a jump from the wheel to the leather hone. I needed a stone to go to before going to the honing wheel.

Of course, if you plan to use it for something other than chisels and plane blades, none of the above may be useful to you.

Mike

[Rich Riddle]

I have a Worksharp 3000, but it's at the farm. As you indicated, it's primarily for plane blades and chisels. It has the "caddy" that Stumpy Nubbs advocated but he didn't indicate anything about diamond disks that you discuss. Where did you purchase such disks? I have no problem getting another Worksharp 3000 and making another caddy.

[Sam Beagle]

I am a new owner of the tormek system, don't worry about the wet issue. I have seen zero reason to be concerned about that. Not even a splash of water.
I also own the worksharp 3000. They both have there places, however I LOVE the tormek system.. I mean really like using it. I got lucky and won a complete system with all the jigs for cheap, and it's worth every dollar of the asking price. The only thing I do not like is flattening the back of chisels and plane irons. I use a DMT stone or the worksharp for that.

[Martin Wasner]

I freaking love mine. I got it for free, but I had to replace all the accessories, jigs, etc.

I'm ticked at myself for not getting one sooner.

[Frederick Skelly]

Rich, I think it depends on what you intend to use it for. I dont know if it helps, but I wish Id known the following before I bought a Tormek clone a while back. The Tormek clone was good for sharpening, but waaaaaaaay too slow for setting the primary bevel angle; eg, going from 30* to 25*, etc.

I thought the problem was because the clone had a cheaper stone. (Its a clone after all, not a real Tormek.) But after reading alot about Tormeks online (Tormek forum and others), I realized my experience was not uncommon when using the "stock" stone. So I bought the wrong machine for my intended use - grinding the bevel. I felt pretty foolish, and if the clone hadnt had other issues that warranted a return, Id have "eaten" the cost and just put it on the shelf as a reminder to do more homework next time. After all, it WAS my mistake.

I will say that I REALLY liked the Tormek-like tool holder - I felt completely in control of the tool while sharpening straight blades and got very sharp, every time.

Maybe you already knew all this, but I thought Id mention it in case you wanted to use it the way I did.

Hope it helps.
Fred

[Orlyn Gaddis]

I was faced with the same dilemma years ago because of the high cost of the Tormek. I could never get satisfactory results free-hand or with the various jigs I wasted money on for honing. My conventional grinder could definitely form the bevel quickly but at the expense of a very blue color on the edge. Sharpening was always something I put off as long as possible because it was such an unpleasant process and unsatisfactory result. Working with anything less than razor sharp tools is a real chore. So I bit the bullet several years ago and bought a Tormek T8 and a bunch of jigs and kicked myself for not buying one sooner. The water bath is simply not a problem for me and eliminates the overheating of the edge. It does take a while to re-establish a bevel but once you've got it all you need to do is touch up the edge periodically. My tools are razor sharp all the time now and there is no hesitancy to take a moment to freshen the edge on the leather stropping wheel. The edges are basically a mirror polish. I've sharpened plane irons, chisels, turning chisels, turning gouges, carving chisels, 12" jointer knives, and 20" planer knives in my woodworking shop. I also do leather work, (shoe-making particularly) and use the Tormek for sharpening 8" splitter blades, skiver blades (which are just an injector razor blade), French edgers, rounding edgers, and needles for an ancient Junker and Ruh sole stitcher. Needles are usually considered throw-away but they are no longer made for the J&R machine and cost around $10 each. It takes less than a minute to touch up the edge of the needles on the leather strop wheel. The key is to not let your tools get dull but to keep them razor sharp at all times. It takes no time at all and you have the pleasure of always working with sharp tools.

[John K Jordan]

Having multiple places, I have found some sharpening tools (as well as other tools) migrating from one homestead to the other. It seems all the sharpening tools/stones now live at the farm. Instead of replacing them with similar ones, I am looking at the new Tormek T-8. It's an expensive pill to swallow, but might be worth it depending on what folks think. What do you folks who own one or have used on think? There are very few reviews online.


Rich, It must be rough to have two shops. I know another guy who has two shops in different states and although he has a lot of duplication sometimes what he needs is far away. If I had a similar situation I think I would want identical tools at each place, assuming I used both shops about the same.

I don't have the T-8 Tormek but I have had the older T-7 for a bunch of years with all the jigs. It looks much the same but with steel instead of zinc casting, same size stone, etc.

I use the Tormek mostly for woodturning tools and occasionally for chisels. I like the finish the wheel puts on turning tools but it is very slow to reshape any tool. About 10 years ago I made an adapter to use the Tormek jigs on my 1/2 speed bench grinder. That is MUCH quicker for regrinding a tool to a new angle or profile. Then I move it to the Tormek to sharpen. Once the tool is sharpened the first time, all other times only take a few seconds.

The jigs are excellent. I like the leather honing wheel for polishing and edge although I often just use a flat leather strop with a little of the Tormek honing compound. I have used all the jigs except for the one for jointer knives.

A year or so ago I replaced the Tormek stone with a 600 grit CBN wheel (from Ken Rizza at Woodturners Wonders). This makes it even easier to use since it never needs flattening and I don't have to mess with the water. (The Tormek turns so slowly heat on the edge is never a problem.) I put CBN wheels on my grinders too for re-profiling and for sharpening certain tools. Having the CBN wheel on it also makes it easier to take places and set up quickly.

I like the CBN wheel but the 600 grit doesn't put quite the same edge on the tools as the water wheel. CBN wheels do take a while to "break in" so maybe I'm just impatient. I may eventually get a 1000 grit wheel and try that.

I'm still looking for a second Tormek if anyone has one they don't use.

JKJ

[Mike Henderson]

I have a Worksharp 3000, but it's at the farm. As you indicated, it's primarily for plane blades and chisels. It has the "caddy" that Stumpy Nubbs advocated but he didn't indicate anything about diamond disks that you discuss. Where did you purchase such disks? I have no problem getting another Worksharp 3000 and making another caddy.
I'll try to find the exact disk I bought but try this link at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_20?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=6+inch+diamond+wheel&sprefix=6+inch+diamond+wheel%2Caps%2C207) to see some options.

A number of other people have purchased the diamond disks for the Worksharp and maybe they'll chime in.

Mike

[Ah, here's the ones I bought (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BB13W52/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I bought several different grits. This is just one of the grits I purchased. They've held up well in use.]

[Rick Fisher]

I have the T-7 .. I'm sure the T-8 has something better. The T-7 is an amazingly simple sharpener. If you can stomach the cost, you wont regret it .

I'm just finishing a new shop and as Cary said, put in a dedicated sharpening center with water.

[johnny means]

I've got an older one that I won in an auction. It's well made, performs well, and I get good results. But... I don't think it's a good value. It's a very simple machine and other companies make comparable units at a fraction of the cost. If I had to buy new I would look towards Grizzly or Jet.

[Martin Wasner]

I've got an older one that I won in an auction. It's well made, performs well, and I get good results. But... I don't think it's a good value. It's a very simple machine and other companies make comparable units at a fraction of the cost. If I had to buy new I would look towards Grizzly or Jet.


They are kinda Festoolian in a way. Very nice, very expansive. You pay a lot more, for not much more value.

Knowing what I know now, if mine vaporized I'd buy a new one or patiently wait for one to pop up on Craigslist. I got mine for free and I'm not sure I would've pony'd up the cash for one initially. It is stupid how simple it is to get a decent and consistent grind though.

[mark mcfarlane]

It seems like the Tormek T-4 would be more than adequate for a home shop, but I don't see many discussions about it.

[Stew Hagerty]

I have one on order.
I looked at a lot of different things. Yes, they are expensive. However, in my particular situation, I think it will be of great value.
As many of you know, I am disabled. I'm a wheelchair woodworker. I have no where near the strength & stamina I had before I got sick. Sharpening for me is a real chore. I used to have a Worksharp, but was not at all satisfied with the results. So I switched to stones, and I really love the results, but it wears me out to sharpen that way. So, after much research, I decided to order the T-8. Even if I have to take a few swipes across my Dan's Hard Black to get the final results I want, it should take a real load off of me so I can spend more time on the fun stuff. Granted, my situation is unique. But, I think it would work for anyone who wants to spend less time & effort sharpening.

[Reinis Kanders]

Get a grinder with 180 CBN wheel instead and add tormek tool rest for grinders. Very fast setup and you can grind right to the edge.

[Jeff Qualmann]

They are kinda Festoolian in a way. Very nice, very expansive.

"Festoolian"... I like it!... only this crowd would immediately have an image come to mind.

[John K Jordan]

"Festoolian"... I like it!... only this crowd would immediately have an image come to mind.

When I visited a friend in northern Italy he showed me a wall of ceiling-high shelves full of Festools. "Fesstool, only Festool!" He showed me specialized Festools I've never seen advertised or even heard of. Maybe some are available only in Europe. He says he buys Festools on sale and somehow gets good discounts. These tools are not hobby but the foundation for his remodeling business.

JKJ

[Charles Bjorgen]

Hey Stew -- I have my 16-year-old green 2000 Tormek set up so I tend to work more over it. Don't know if that's possible in a wheel chair but I've found it easier to focus the pressure more on the wheel. Congratulations on the new machine. I have upgraded mine with many of the new jigs, including the new SE-77 Square Edge Jig which is a major improvement over previous models. In addition to its ability to camber plane blades, it reduces the problem of of uneven tightening of the hold down screws for chisels and plane blades. Your new T-8 should come with this jig. I'd also strongly recommend getting the diamond truing tool if you do not get one with your package. I generally use my Tormek for establishing a hollow ground bevel on vintage plane blades (usually needed) but then go to my stones for finishing a micro bevel. Yup, it's expensive but I hope it works out for you.


I have one on order.
I looked at a lot of different things. Yes, they are expensive. However, in my particular situation, I think it will be of great value.
As many of you know, I am disabled. I'm a wheelchair woodworker. I have no where near the strength & stamina I had before I got sick. Sharpening for me is a real chore. I used to have a Worksharp, but was not at all satisfied with the results. So I switched to stones, and I really love the results, but it wears me out to sharpen that way. So, after much research, I decided to order the T-8. Even if I have to take a few swipes across my Dan's Hard Black to get the final results I want, it should take a real load off of me so I can spend more time on the fun stuff. Granted, my situation is unique. But, I think it would work for anyone who wants to spend less time & effort sharpening.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I owned a WorkSharp 3000. It worked, but I was not super happy with it.
I bought a Tormek T7 and Loved it.

The T8 is essentially a T7 with some improvements, I won't list the improvements here, but they are very close to the same machine.

I cannot flatten the back on my Tormek. I am told that you can flatten the back on the side of the stone, but I have not had luck with that. Did not have much luck with that on the WorkSharp either, so it could just be me.

When I really need to remove a bunch of material, I use my regular grinder, but I need to be careful about heat. With appropriate rests, which I do NOT have my regular grinder, I might be able to get most of the way there using the regular grinder, but I would need to be more careful than i am with the Tormek since it is much slower in action.

One of the major advantages of the Tormek is the tool rests and jigs. You can probably set some of those for use in another grinder, but I do not know the cost to do that. I expect that the cheaper T4 would have most of the same advantages, but:



Smaller wheel so it wears out faster (not sure it matters, depending on how much you sharpen), but it will then also leave a deeper curve on the blade.
Not meant for continuous use.
A few build differences
I think it does not come with some of the jigs, so you need to buy them separately. You still need to buy some jigs with the T7/T8.


If you make it up to Columbus Ohio, stop in and give mine a test.

[Choo Chiaw Ting]

I have experience sharpening 6" planer knife by hand using jig for about 1 year. t-8 is my first sharpening system.

When using jig on cheap water stone (USD 3 each) coarse and fine, the blade cuts ironwood with "chip chip" sound, and last for about 4 hours non stop planning (when the sound gone bla bla bla). The sharpening process takes about 2 minutes

However when i use Tormek t-8, it takes more than 3 hours to sharpen the same blade. Not as sharp as manual sharpening. It looks great for the first 2 minutes, no "chip" sound and dull after 2 minutes use on hardwood.

The black wheel is almost useless for noob like me to use, it dull the sharp edge after each use. It cannot be use with the tormek jig, unless you have very wide planer knife. Even some video shows the possible to use the SVH320 on the black wheel, it is almost impossible for most of the case. When using hand, you turn sharp edge to dull edge.

Tormek only shows the sharpness with Chipsel, tear the paper with its sharpness. May be the hardness of the steel is not as hard as planer knife. When it comes to planer knife, it is a very painful experience for me. I think the cheap China made is much faster and really sharp. Furthermore, the surface of knife is hollow, and it seems like has less support on edge for hardwood, compared to manual sharpening or cheap china made sharpener.

I try with kitchen knife with the jig (SVH320) that I have, it produces very pleasant sharp edges. I think it is because of the soft steel. If you are going for planer knives, then i think you need to buy another whitestone for it, so it cuts faster.

Last but not least, you cannot turn the planer knife 180 degree for finer sharpening or for secondary bevel. That's too bad... At least I don't like it. No Jig also for black wheel.. ;(

That's my experience.

[Choo Chiaw Ting]

the stone has gone 50mm diameter after 2 weeks use, and becomes uneven after a few days, You need to flatten the stone with the jig provided. With almost the same cost, you could buy industrial planer knife sharpener with water coolen, 4 planer knives at same time, just takes less than 1 minutes. But the china sharpener weigh more than 1500 kgs.... I see the shop is using, and I love the sharp edges it produces, and the time saved. And, all 4 knives weigh exactly the same, not even 1g different on scale. Tormek produces different weight from my noob's hand.

[Rich Riddle]

Thanks to everyone for the updated information. It proves interesting reading.

[Allan Dozier]

I have a T8 along with a bit of everything else. I have a drawer full of water stones, diamond, and Arkansas stones. I also have two grinders (4 wheels in other words) and a extra Tormek tool holder for one of the grinders. I love using the Tormek and would never go back. The regular Tormek stone is rather coarse but the dressing stone thing that they claimed converts it from coarse to fine and back actually works to my surprise. And I am a skeptic by nature. I still wanted a finer edge on a few things so I then invested in the Tormek Japanese water stone wheel. As you would expect it is slow but still much faster than by hand.

[Rich Riddle]

It seems there are far more positive reviews than negative reviews. One supplier has Tormek jibs on sale 10% off for the month of September. I might take the plunge.

[Andrew Hughes]

I like my Tormek I have the super grind 2000 older one. I also have bench grinder.
You just don't realize all the uses with a tormek till you have one.
Wayyy more than a bench grinder.

Aj

[Martin Wasner]

You just don't realize all the uses with a tormek till you have one.

They need a lawn mower blade attachment, nothing like ludicrously sharp lawn mower blades. :D

[Rick Potter]

I have an older one I got when I bought out a small cabinet shop(old enough, the video is VHS). It was hardly used, and still is. It came with at least a dozen unused jigs.

I have only used it once, when I wanted to do a little carving detail on some cabinetry. It worked great for sharpening carving tools. I have always meant to get around to trying it on other things, but haven't.

I guess I should check to see if there are any you tube videos on it.

EDIT: Someone mentioned the price of jigs. He's right. When I first got it, I checked Amazon, and I had over $800 worth of accessories, not counting the machine.

[Thomas Pratt]

I've got an older Super Grind 2000 and I love it. Especially for plane irons, chisels and lathe tools.

[Ken Schroeder]

I would like to submit another opinion about the Tormek T4. I would especially like to bring this to the attention of any members using wheelchairs.

I have used a T4 since soon after it was introduced. I have also used a T7 since 2009, and a T8. I like the T4. It is a much better machine than commonly believed by those who have not actually used one. I like it because of its compact size and lighter weight. It does not come with a straight edge jig or diamond dressing tool. Therefore, I have never factored lower cost in with my T4 opinion.

I also do not factor in the nonsense about the 50% duty of the motor. The overheating issue with the older T3 was caused by the all plastic housing. It retained the motor heat and caused overheating problems. Tormek corrected the problem with the machined zinc top of the T4 housing. The zinc top acts like a radiator. I have run my T4 for several hours and never noticed a heat problem. The T4 carries a solid seven year warranty.

The T4 weighs half of what the larger Tormeks weigh. My mind tells me the smaller diameter grinding wheel produces more hollow grind, but my eyes don't notice a difference. Incidentally, the T4's wheel, 200mm or 8", is the same diameter as the better dry grinders, with a wider grinding surface. All of the Tormek jigs work with the T4. The handbook is the same, as are most of the parts. The shaft is slightly shirter, but shares the same 12mm diameter.

In a large shop with a permanent sharpening station, the larger, heavier Tormek is king. In a smaller shop, where a Tormek may be moved, a mobile shop, or for an older user, the lightweight, compact T4 is a joy to use. Yes, the grinding wheel may have a shorter life, but the cost is just over half the cost of a larger wheel for replacement. Tormek recently redesigned the turning gouge jig. Among other improvements, it works better with the T4.

I recently purchased a D-Way 180 grit CBN wheel for my T4. It makes a fine sharpening machine into a respectable reshaping machine.

I like and use both the T7 and T8. However, my favorite Tormek is my T4.

Ken

[Marty Schlosser]

Mike,

Are you sure you're talking of the T-8 version, as it's only been around for a very short time? I think you're confusing it with the T-7 or perhaps the cheaper version, the T-4.

It's obvious you didn't know how to use the Tormek to properly use the side of the wheel to flatten the back of chisels or plane irons. What's wrong with perfect flatness?

As regards the jigs, I couldn't agree more with your comment about their expense. However, for what I do, I only needed to get the SVD-186 Gouge Jig for my turning tools, and that was it. Period. The jigs that came with my T-7 (and which also come with the new T-8) included: a terrific one for sharpening regular and tapered chisels and plane blades up to 3" wide and 3/8" thick; a gauge for measuring and setting bevel angles; a stone grader; and, a 70g tube of 3-micron honing compound. Aditionally, their 58-minute DVD and 164-page manual - both of which are extremely well edited, provide complete instructions for sharpening an array of tools, as well as maintenance advice and other tips. Why anyone would need anything else for sharpening chisels, plane irons, or bowl gouges and other turning tools is beyond me.

You're certainly right about the machine being an expensive item. To my way of thinking, it's "the cost of doing business", even though I'm no longer doing this for a living. I enjoy using high quality tools, and my Tormek is one of them.

Incidentally, a friend of mine purchased the same WorkSharp as your and his comments paralleled yours: it works, but it's not terrific. Me, I like terrific, hence the Tormek.



I haven't owned one but I used one quite a bit when I was taking woodworking classes at school. I'm not a big fan of Tormek for chisels and plane blades.

The first thing is that the Tormek is a wet system and it tends to get water around the tool when you use it - so you really have to have a dedicated space for it.

Second, it's very expensive and the jigs that you buy for it are expensive. It's very easy to have more than $1,000 invested in a machine and jigs which is an awful lot of money for sharpening. In fact, this Tormek package (https://www.amazon.com/Tormek-T-8-Ultimate-Plus-Package/dp/B01FWIDQJG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1471272102&sr=8-2&keywords=tormek+t-8) on Amazon is $1,700.

For chisels and plane blades, I wound up with a WorkSharp 3000. I use the WorkSharp to set the primary bevel at 25 degrees and then go to water stones to put the final bevel on. The final bevel will be greater than 25 degrees so it's a microbevel. I use a diamond plate on the WorkSharp (about $12) instead of sandpaper. Here's (http://www.mikes-woodwork.com/SharpeningChisels.htm)a discussion on my web site about how I sharpen.

The WorkSharp is not perfect - I find it somewhat underpowered - but it does the job for me. And it's only $200. (https://www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-WS3000-Wood-Sharpener/dp/B000PVHIMW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471272207&sr=8-1&keywords=worksharp+3000)

And if you buy a Tormek, you still need some stones to flatten or hone the back of the chisel or plane blade. Some people will try to tell you that you can flatten the back of a chisel on the side of the Tormek stone but I, and other people I know who have tried that, found that it did not work well.

And the Tormek wheel is generally coarse enough that you need to take it to a fine stone to finish sharpening. If the Tormek stone was fine enough for a finish, it would be very slow. They offer a leather wheel for honing but my experience is that there's too much of a jump from the wheel to the leather hone. I needed a stone to go to before going to the honing wheel.

Of course, if you plan to use it for something other than chisels and plane blades, none of the above may be useful to you.

Mike

[Harry Hall]

I have an old but barely used Super Grind 2000 I got off craigslist with a FULL set of attachments for about 25% of new. I absolutely love it.I sharpen turning tools, knives , axes, chisels, plane blades.
I eventually purshaces the BGM100 Bench Grinder Tool Rest Mount Kit , it is essential for initial shaping --i buy a lot of abused tools and rehab them starting on thr high-speed grinder , then tansfer to the tormek with the same jig setings
the thing that saves me the most time is the instant repeatability to get the same grind with the jigs. i also have 2 waterstones and 3 diamond plates for things that you do not want to hollow grind (for instance just rehabbed 2 antique axes with convex grind)....
Now that i have had the old one for 3 years i would not hesitate to buy new if I had too. If you are going to use it, it is not much money 'cause they last forever. They are surely well built.
my 2 cents
Ed

[Marty Schlosser]

Most of the serious turners I know have taken that same approach and are very happy with the results.


Get a grinder with 180 CBN wheel instead and add tormek tool rest for grinders. Very fast setup and you can grind right to the edge.

[Russell Smallwood]

Have an ancient super grind (?). Use it instead of my grinder to shape and put a new hollow grind on chisels and plane irons before taking a few quick freehand swipes on the water stones. Then I keep touching up with the stones until the hollow grind is mostly gone, then back to the tormek. I also used to use it to sharpen my planer blades before getting a PM with a helical head which was worth the price of the machine for me by itself more from a time standpoint than anything else.

As many have stated, it is slow. The dressing stone is your friend.

If you are going to get an older model, be aware that there are some significant improvements with the new T8. One in particular is the ability to keep a consistent angle between the stone and the polishing wheel via jig placement. Since I touch up everything on the water stones (and then strop), this is not a big deal for me, but I often wonder if that feature upgrade alone would eliminate the need for touching up by hand.

[Edwin Santos]

I've been very happy with the Tormek T-7 and would buy it again. In addition to setting bevel angles on plane irons and chisels, I use it for gouges and household tasks like knives and scissors, pruning shears. It's a pleasure to use sharp scissors. It even does a nice job with small kids scissors. The repeatability is a big plus. Can't say how it compares to other sharpening systems though because this is the only one I've owned.

Many of the jigs seem incredibly overpriced. For example the drill bit jig. I've been meaning to make my own simple jig to use on the Tormek for twist bits. It seems like it should be no more complicated that cutting a v groove in a piece of plywood at 59 degrees.

[Ken Schroeder]

I get tired of all of the chatter about Tormeks being so expensive. Compared with what? The Tormek is the premier wet grinder and system. It is the Baldor of wet grinders. Compared with a Baldor grinder, the same level of quality, the price is similar. And, with the jigs designed and manufactured by Tormek, it can be equally or more versatile than the Baldor.

No one uses clone jigs with the Tormek. Most of these jigs have been cloned from older Tormek jigs. Tormek has been the leader in wet grinding innovation. How many ten or fifteen year old clones are still in operation? How many clones have stainless steel shafts, standard with Tormek since 2006.

Using the magnum package price for a reference is rediculous. The package includes several jigs most userd will never use. Even buying ahead is questionable. Many of the jigs I purchased seven years ago have been redesigned and improved.

Granted, like all top of the line tools, Tormeks are priced accordingly. Let's be fair and compare Tormek with its peers, like Baldor.

[Rick Potter]

I agree with Ken.

If it had a Festool sticker, it would be even more. I have an older one and it is built like a tank.

[Edwin Santos]

I shouldn't have said that many of the Tormek jigs are overpriced.

Instead, let me say the user would need to make his/her own personal decision about how often they might use a particular jig and thus whether it is worth it for them to buy that particular jig. For example, the planer blade jig is $192 on Amazon. Let's say you have a DeWalt lunchbox planer, which costs about $400 for the whole machine, and replacement planer knives for it are about $25.00, and getting them resharpened locally is about $10, and in your situation you need to replace or resharpen them maybe once per year, I would have a hard time justifying a $192 jig no matter how good it is. In a different situation it might be absolutely justifiable. This was the point I was trying to make.

I'm a Tormek fan and would buy one again in a heartbeat if mine disappeared.

I will also say if you're inclined to make jigs in your woodworking at all, the Tormek is a great system to apply your ingenuity to do things with it beyond the Tormek branded jigs that can yield good results.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I use the Tormek and it's an excellent tool. This comes from a picky sharpener who owns tons of Japanese Waterstones, oil stones, and diamond stones. I sharpen knives for money and I use the Tormek for that. I also use it for gouges, planer blades, and all sorts of other stuff, including a guillotine. Yes- a guillotine... but it's for cutting flower stems. I trade the florist sharpening for flowers.

There was one for sale on the classifieds for a real song. I believe it was $800. It had every accessory you could ever want. I would buy that in a heartbeat if I were you. In fact, I almost bought it so I could have one set up with the standard wheel and one with the 4000 grit waterstone wheel, but I need to maintain my marriage.

[Ken Schroeder]

I shouldn't have said that many of the Tormek jigs are overpriced.

Instead, let me say the user would need to make his/her own personal decision about how often they might use a particular jig and thus whether it is worth it for them to buy that particular jig. For example, the planer blade jig is $192 on Amazon. Let's say you have a DeWalt lunchbox planer, which costs about $400 for the whole machine, and replacement planer knives for it are about $25.00, and getting them resharpened locally is about $10, and in your situation you need to replace or resharpen them maybe once per year, I would have a hard time justifying a $192 jig no matter how good it is. In a different situation it might be absolutely justifiable. This was the point I was trying to make.

I'm a Tormek fan and would buy one again in a heartbeat if mine disappeared.

I will also say if you're inclined to make jigs in your woodworking at all, the Tormek is a great system to apply your ingenuity to do things with it beyond the Tormek branded jigs that can yield good results.

Edwin,

I agree. I have long felt the Tormek is capable of doing a lot more than is efficiently done by the available manufactured jigs. On the Tormek forum (www.tormek.com/forum) several members have devised several ingenious jigs and setting tools. We have several variations on a platform jig for sharpening very small knives (which also has worked with a machete!); we have several variations on setting tools for setting planes, knives, and chisels; we have a very simple, but effective drill bit jig. In all cases, I do not believe we have reached the full potential for the jigs and tools.

I feel like you do about the planer jig. I bought one used, and have never actually used it. I think it is a good and useful tool for someone who sharpens blades for more than one planer and jointer. In my case, I also have a four inch jointer and a Lion trimmer. The other reason to do it yourself is that you can do a better job, removing very little steel, adding a back bevel, and, for the very particular, finishing with the SJ 4000 grit wheel.

Likewise, the DBS-22 drill bit jig is pricey. No question there, however it also does a marvelous job with much versatility. I love the four facet grind.

I see tools as long term investments. Many of my tools are older than I am, some much older. The Tormek is an investment. It is more useful to me now than when I first purchased it in 2009. In my inexperience, I bought most of the jigs, some of which, like the planer jig, I have never used. If I was starting over, I would purchase a Tormek with only the jigs I would use immediately. I would add only as needed.

I would add that it is important to know the manufacturer's list price. Presently, anyone paying mire than $699 with free shipping in the continental US is being overcharged. I have seen too many examples of blatent overcharging under the guise of "free shipping". The worst offenders are online sellers. The safest place is a local dealer.

Ken