kennspens
Member
Has anyone used the new smaller tormek grinder, the t-3 i think. It's 200 bucks cheaper and on the border of my price range.
Has anyone used the new smaller tormek grinder, the t-3 i think. It's 200 bucks cheaper and on the border of my price range.
Chip states ... "And, as with any water based sharpening system, it can be messy. Also, it does not do any wide bladed tools well. Actually, it sucks at planes and wide chisels."
I use my Tormek each and every time I go to turn ... religiously. The time spent is well worth the end results which quite often is a lot of time saved in finish work.
As for 'messy' due to the use of water ... maybe so. I just keep a towel nearby and dry my tools following the sharpening and polishing I just gave them. A second advantage is that NO dust and metal filings are to be found all over the counter top or elsewhere. No sparks and thus no chance of fire too!
Also, a magnet epoxied to the inside of the water tank under the water and right in front of where the wheel enters the water will catch all the metal filings that are removed. This keeps the rusty water from developing. I put a small piece of clear baggie over the front (water side) of the magnet and grab this baggie from underneath the water, pull it off the magnet, and wad it up and throw it away when I am finished using the Tormek.
Now all I have to do is change the water ever so often to eliminate the remains of the wheel grit that is normal while sharpening.
One more word of caution ... NEVER put soap or anything but water into the water trough. This is because the wheel is glued together when made and it can and probably will dissolve if one adds oil/soap/etc. and not water. The stones are not cheap either, so why chance it.
For anyone using a grinder, have you ever compared the difference in the edges of a blade that is done by your grinder against one that has been sharpened and POLISHED by the Tormek? This difference is passed along to your finished wood. A small jewelers lupe will show what I am referring to. Grinding produces a jagged edge in comparison ... but if that is what you are using and you are happy, then I am NOT looking for any argument or discussion as to who is right vs wrong!
I had the Tormek T-7 Ultimate for a year. It eventually does put a very nice edge on tools, but it is extremely slow. This is NOT a machine that will put a quick edge on a skew or gouge in the midst of turning something. This is the type of system you gather all of your dull tools together and spend an hour or two sharpening them. And, as with any water based sharpening system, it can be messy. Also, it does not do any wide bladed tools well. Actually, it sucks at planes and wide chisels. And if you don't empty out and clean the basin with regularity, it really looks ugly and gets encrusted with 'stuff.'
With the T-3 you will also spend some good $$$ on getting the add-ons and accessories you need for wood turning. Plan that in your purchase too.
Grizzly sells a comparable system, as does Jet. You should look at those as well.
I ended up selling it and getting the Wolverine system, and getting the Tormek skew attachment for a bench grinder. I still gets scary sharp but it does it in about 10% of the time it took with the Tormek.
I have also heard good reviews of the Worksharp 3000.
My .02 worth.