I just may purchase a Tormek to see what all of the fuss is about. Do these (T8?) ever go on sale?
[OP]
Contributor
I just may purchase a Tormek to see what all of the fuss is about. Do these (T8?) ever go on sale?
Contributor
I don’t think they even go on sale new. Used ones for sure.
If you do buy new consider picking one up in person. I ordered one online from Rockler ups lost then found it. I refused delivery because the Box was so badly damaged. Parts were missing inside including the stone.
It took a while to get everything straightened out.
When I got my credit back I bought it person.
Thats why I recommend find one near you.
Good Luck
Aj
Moderator
You can use camelcamelcamel.com to get an idea of the possible price variation on anything that Amazon carries. Find the item in Amazon and copy the URL at the top. Paste this into the field at the top of camelcamelcamel.com. I looked at the T-8 and the camel site gave me this: https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B01FHLUMSQ showing how the price dipped on occasion. (Check both the Amazon and the 3rd Party New graphs)Originally Posted by Steve Mathews
If you are patient and/or lucky, you can set a watch in the camel web site and they will notify you when the price drops. Using this I once bought something for less than $50 that normally sells for $250 or so.
Note that some people love the Tormek and some people hate it. Some of the dislike may be due to a misunderstanding on how best to use it. It is not very useful for shaping tools. I would not use it to reshape a big skew chisel. I do use one a lot to sharpen gouges with a "fingernail" grind.
I have two Tormeks, one I bought new and one used. I used one a lot with the standard wheel but things got simpler and quicker to set up when I installed CBN wheels (since the wheel never needs dressing and doesn't change size with use). The jigs you use make a big difference sharpening some tools. Note that like the machine, the jigs are also not cheap. I really like the leather honing/stropping wheels, both the flat and the contoured.
Your best price may be to buy one used from someone who bought one and discovered he didn't like it. Be cautious of deals that include a lot of jigs. Since they are expensive a pile of jigs may jack the price up considerably but you may get jigs you will never use. There are also Tormek clones for considerably less than the Tormek. I've read reports from some people who like these and some who say the quality is lower than the Tormek.
If you know anyone who has one, perhaps you can try before you buy.
JKJ
Contributor
I think they dropped in price for awhile last year, but there wasn't much of a rhyme or reason to it. One avenue to consider is finding a discount code on eBay and buying one new from there. Sometimes you can find a deal on an item that normally doesn't go on sale using that approach.
I'm curious about the T8 too. I'm awful anlt free hand sharpening knifes and scissors, so I've considered a tormek. To date, however, there have always been tools that interest me more.
Contributor
I crouched in the tall grass for months watching prices before I bought a T-8, and from time to time glanced at prices after my purchase. Unless I blinked, I came away with the impression that Tormek guards its price points as well as it designs and builds machines. For all the effort you put into waiting for $50 off, you can have one now.
I bought mine from Highland Woodworking. They shipped it to me in California free, and they did not charge me tax. Not sure if the no-tax condition still applies, but free shipping does. Mine arrived in less than a week. It's a keeper for a lifetime.
Contributor
Can you wait until November? Any sale deals always appear near Christmas. I just about completely stop buying tools until November now. Especially anything cordless. No idea how sales will be this year. There are lower cost options too. Jet and Grizzly both sell knockoffs. I added a CBN wheel to my Jet. Love that I no longer need the water and dressing tools.
Last edited by Richard Coers; 07-27-2020 at 4:08 PM.
Member
They were 'on sale' back in February, so to speak... They offered a Free "Lifetime" grinder wheel replacement (max of 3 wheels), when the old one was used up. I purchased the machine, the hand tool kit and a lot of other items, including the 1200 diamond grit wheel. I now have very sharp tools in my shop and kitchen!
Contributor
I did get the camber jig for plane blades with the purchase of the T8. I like it a lot works great the rest of the jigs I already have leftover from my first Tormek the 2000 super grind.
Tormek has a black stone that I would like try.
All of my kitchen knives are sharp and too.
Aj
[OP]
Contributor
Based on camelcamelcamel I'll wait for one of the steep drops in price. I don't need to dive into another sharpening system but would eventually like to give a try.
Contributor
I don't know much about Tormek discounts, but when I wanted one, I eventually bought the Grizzly knockoff for about 1/3 the price, then bought the Tormek holding accessories I needed. The Tormek jigs really are head and shoulders better than the knock-off versions, but modulo some of the usual fit and finish gremlins you expect from Chinese manufactured goods - which are easily repaired if your're craftsman enough to need a Tormek in the first place - the Grizzly is a completely adequate core appliance.
Stones, are of course, the other big expense where quality absolutely matters. I recommend a Boron Nitride replacement for either the Tormek or Grizzly.
Last edited by Steve Demuth; 07-30-2020 at 12:50 PM.
Moderator
Just to be clear, do you mean cubic boron nitride, as in CBN?
CBN is what I use but since the Tormek turns so slowly a diamond wheel, which shouldn't be used on a bench grinder, might be better.
JKJ
[OP]
Contributor
I'm confused, how so?
Moderator
Diamond is harder than CBN and might be better cut better. However, diamond should not be used to grind carbon steels at high speeds since at high temperatures the carbon in the diamond can dissolve and be absorbed into the iron. There is lot of information about grinding with diamond wheels on the internet, for example this about the problem with steel:
https://www.quora.com/Why-are-diamon...rinding-steels
CBN doesn't have that problem at high speeds and since it is almost as hard as diamond, CBN wheels are widely used on bench grinders to sharpen lathe and other steel tools. The Tormek runs at such a low speed a diamond wheel doesn't reach high enough temperatures to degrade the diamond. Tormek offers diamond wheels: https://www.tormek.com/international...el-sharpening/ Like those made with CBN, these wheels are made of solid metal with a thin layer of diamond bonded to the surface.
Diamond wheels are great for carbide and various ceramics, even at higher speeds. Contrary to popular belief you can grind at least some carbides with CBN but diamond is preferred.
CBN also has certain limitations, for example if you grind the softer mild steel or non-hardened tool steel the wheel can "load up" with steel particles which need to be removed. Also not good for other soft non-ferrous metals. CBN is fantastic for lathe tools made from HSS and hardened tool steels, although grinding the latter required care to avoid heating the edge enough to "blue" the edge and which anneals and softens the edge. When the price came down enough I ditched the aluminum oxide wheels on my bench grinders and went with CBN. I mentioned earlier I currently use 60 and 600 grit CBN on bench grinders and 1200 grit CBN on a Tormek. So far I've bought all the CBN wheels from Woodturners Wonders. If Ken Rizza had offered diamond wheels for the Tormek I would have bought one instead of CBN.
JKJ
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote