Tormek Question - why only one grit?

[Aaron Buys]

I was lusting around in Woodcraft this afternoon looking at grinders....(cause I just figured out my new lathe tools didn't come from the store with a sharp edge) and one of the guys there was showing me the Tormek grinder. I didn't realize that one side was a grinding wheel and the other is leather until I saw one in person. The employee there told me the leather wheel wasn't used for lathe tools. I always thought that you needed two different grits to properly sharpen a tool. Is this only when doing highspeed grinding? Was the employee incorrect? Also, for those of you that do have Tormek's...do you use the wolverine jig system or the Tormek specific jigs?

[Brian McInturff]

Aaron,
Actually the wheel is 2 different grits. It comes with a grading stone you use to change it from 1 grit to the other. I use both the Tormek and the Wolverine, just depends on what I'm doing. Also I use the leather wheel to hone my turning tools with. I think the employee is lacking either information or training. Probably both. Go to Sharptoolsusa. com and you can see vids on how the Tormek is used. If I've gone through a bunch of tools and they all need some sharpening or touched up then I set the Tormek up and go through and sharpen and hone everything. If I'm turning and just need to touch up the tool then the Wolverine is setup for that. I also use it to change profiles on the tools if that's needed.
Brian

[Leo Pashea]

I think you would be better served with an 8" bench grinder with good quality wheels and the Oneway Wolverine sharpening system for sharpening your lathe tools. (You will need a grinder anyway, for changing and tweaking factory profiles of various tools, and it is much faster to sharpen using the grinder/wolverine setup.)

I own a Tormek and all the various jigs, and IMO, it is not the best application for lathe-specific tool shaping/sharpening.

[Mike Vickery]

I never sharpen my tools with more than one grit. Most people I know have 2 different grit wheels on their grinder one to sharpen and a really coarse wheel to profile tools. I personally have an 80 and a 120 the 80 I do most sharpening on and the 120 I just use to raise a burr on scrapers (mostly because I am to lazy to swith the platform to the other side.)
I was really wishing I had a coarser grit wheel when I was changeing a 1/2 inch Crown pm bowl gouge to a fingernail grind.

[Brian McInturff]

I wil agree with Leo partly. You need a grinder and the Tormek isn't best suited for shaping. But, I think the edge I put on with the Tormek last much longer than the grinder. Probably due to the honing process. Best of both worlds is if you can spring for both setups.
Brian

[Aaron Buys]

Are there different models of the Tormek or are all of them "SuperGrind 2000's?"

[Rich Souchek]

Aaron,
I got a Tormek about 12 years ago in flat work and use it now for turning tools 'cause I'm too cheap now to buy a $100 grinder. The Tormek can work, but don't lust after it. It ain't worth it.
An 8" grinder will do just fine, for probably about 1/3 the cost complete.
Really, the important thing is to obtain a sharpening system of some sort , then to use it, and then to learn how to use it better.
Doesn't matter if it is a high speed grinder, a wet slow speed grinder , or by hand, just go do it and learn about it.
Rich S.

[Dennis Peacock]

I wil agree with Leo partly. You need a grinder and the Tormek isn't best suited for shaping. But, I think the edge I put on with the Tormek last much longer than the grinder. Probably due to the honing process. Best of both worlds is if you can spring for both setups.
Brian

I have to agree with you here Brian. My turning edge off the grinder doesn't last as long as the edge off the Tormek. Don't ask me to 'splain it...as I only know from trying it myself and noticed the difference right away. Some say no, and some say maybe.....but I say Sure as it did make a difference and enough for this old boy to notice it...and I don't notice much, just ask the LOML. :o ;)

[George Tokarev]

You actually have a large amount of "grits" available by adjusting tool pressure. Down to the screen dimension on the average grit particle. The dressing stone creates a finer possible cut by fracturing rather than refreshing the surface grit like a star wheel or diamond dresser. One of the reasons AlOx is used as a grit for sandpaper is that it fractures and renews itself with sharp edges, though smaller, as it's used.

You have to decide yourself whether you want standing water in a woodshop. I don't. Diamond stones provide as much edge tuning as I need, and no spills, mess or fuss. When I used oilstones, I used mounted stones with a quick cover, which is what I'd do with the Tormek if I had one. Of course, for 99% of my turning, having a little "tooth" to the edge is an advantage on the poke, and not a factor on the stroke. If you want polished edges, get a felt wheel and some Chromium oxide and strop. Makes a beautiful edge, though under power conditions, hardly necessary.

[Wilbur Pan]

I have a Tormek that I got specifically for lathe tools. Before, when I was just sharpening plane blades and chisels, I used waterstones. I use the Tormek jigs for this, including the profiled leather wheel which allows you to get to the inside of a bowl or spindle gouge.

The main reason I went with a Tormek instead of a grinder is that I didn't want sparks and grinder wheel/metal dust in my shop. I like to not have to deal with fire or lung disease.

I also think I have more control over the turning tool sharpening process. It does take longer to alter a profile than with a grinding wheel, but usually that's a one time process for a new tool. I find that it takes about 10 minutes to convert a regular profile to a fingernail grind on a HSS bowl gouge. But once I had that profile established, resharpening that gouge was very fast.

The water issue is minimal -- no more problems than with my waterstones. I dump the Tormek water between uses.

[Mark Pruitt]

Aaron, IMHO a Tormek for sharpening lathe chisels is overkill. I haven't used one so I'm not about to question any of the positive comments made here by Tormek users, but to me the question was, what was the best solution both from a perspective of speed (how quickly can I sharpen and get back to turning) and the best dollar for dollar value. From both angles, the best solution seemed to be the WC Slow Speed Grinder and a Wolverine setup. A single sharpening of a 1/2" bowl gouge (my most-used tool by far) will get me through 2 or 3 turning projects on average, though that will vary significantly by species or project size. I can lengthen the time between sharpenings even more by using a diamond hone.

This may not answer your specific original question but I hope it is helpful.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi, I use a 1" belt grinder with a 120 grit belt for sharpening lathe tools.

If I want a really sharp edge, I then use a 1000 grit belt on the grinder.

My wife uses a leather belt with green compound afterwards for carving tools, however I've never found that necessary for turning tools.

Regards, Rod.

[Dennis Peacock]

I can lengthen the time between sharpenings even more by using a diamond hone.


Howdy Mark....looks like you're running a manual Tormek there. The diamond hone basically is doing the same exact thing. Refinning the cutting edge. :p :D

But you are correct sir....The best overall method is the SS grinder with a wolverine setup for the default standard. Some are good at freehanding it.....but not me. ;)