Troy Cole
Member
Does anyone here use a Tormek for sharpening gouges? and if so is it difficult to use? are you happy with the results? Thanks for any comments or suggestions.
Tormek For Gouges?
- Thread starter Troy Cole
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Whaler
Member
I have the Jet version and it does a very good job.
chrisk
Member
I have a Tormek with a 250mm wheel, a Tormek 2000 (T7 ancestor). This grinder does a perfect job for all my tools (woodworking chisels, carving tools, woodturning tools...). And it's very easy to obtain kind of professional result with the specific jigs.
For woodturning gouges, Tormek has two dedicated jigs: the gouge jig SVD-185 (for bowl gouges - straight and fingernailed - and a lot of carving tools) and the multijig SVS-50 (for roughing gouges, but also for skew chisels, etc.).
I know, a little pricey but after I bought it, I forgot my oil stones, not to mention a Creusen bench grinder sleeping in its box. I only bought a Japanese water stone 1 year ago for very fine sharpening. I've never used it yet...
For woodturning gouges, Tormek has two dedicated jigs: the gouge jig SVD-185 (for bowl gouges - straight and fingernailed - and a lot of carving tools) and the multijig SVS-50 (for roughing gouges, but also for skew chisels, etc.).
I know, a little pricey but after I bought it, I forgot my oil stones, not to mention a Creusen bench grinder sleeping in its box. I only bought a Japanese water stone 1 year ago for very fine sharpening. I've never used it yet...
avbill
Member
I lov my tormek. There will be two different schools people like myself that love it and then there will be a school that hate it. I bought my tormek even before I owned a lathe. I sharpen all my wife's knives and scissors first. so the sting of the machine was lessened.
mickr
Member
I would use nothing else
stolicky
Member
I have another thread going where I am asking for advice about dry grinder wheels, but do mention that I also have a Tormek. My experience is that it does a great and very easily repeatable job when sharpening all of my turning tools. Its very difficult to grind away lots of metal and lose the shape of the tool. If you have really short tools, the standard turner's jigs will not work very well - I'm talking about the little PSI 1/2" oval skew that I "learned" sharpening on with a dry grinder. It works for all other 'normal' sized tools.
Now with the above said, I have used a combination of the Tormek and dry grinding methods. I love using the Tormek for my oval skews, standard skew, all flat blades (chisels), and my spindle gouges. I also use it for a couple of my bowl gouges - I started sharpening them on the Tormek and keep the grind settings. I have moved towards the dry grinder for a couple of my bowl gouges simple because of speed and convenience. I don't get the same edge, and I don't think its lasts as long, but I don't think its needed for rough work. I also use the dry grinder for my scrapers and parting tools - again, easier tools top sharpen and speed. When I use these latter tools I tend to sharpen quite often. I do like the honing wheels on the Tormek in between sharpening.
One other thing - As far as messes and health hazards go, the Tormek wins hands down. There is very little water than splashes around, and some honing compound that makes its way onto the bench. When dry grinding, there are sparks everywhere in a 'wood shop' and when truing the stones you get fine nasty dust flying everywhere.
It is a great, but pricey tool.
Now with the above said, I have used a combination of the Tormek and dry grinding methods. I love using the Tormek for my oval skews, standard skew, all flat blades (chisels), and my spindle gouges. I also use it for a couple of my bowl gouges - I started sharpening them on the Tormek and keep the grind settings. I have moved towards the dry grinder for a couple of my bowl gouges simple because of speed and convenience. I don't get the same edge, and I don't think its lasts as long, but I don't think its needed for rough work. I also use the dry grinder for my scrapers and parting tools - again, easier tools top sharpen and speed. When I use these latter tools I tend to sharpen quite often. I do like the honing wheels on the Tormek in between sharpening.
One other thing - As far as messes and health hazards go, the Tormek wins hands down. There is very little water than splashes around, and some honing compound that makes its way onto the bench. When dry grinding, there are sparks everywhere in a 'wood shop' and when truing the stones you get fine nasty dust flying everywhere.
It is a great, but pricey tool.
HawksFeather
Member
I think Stolicky has my feeling covered very well. Love it, but like mentioned it is not a rapid metal remover which is normally not needed. I put a completely new angle on a wide skew and that took some time. Normally sharpening of a gouge is a couple of minutes tops.
Jerry
Jerry
Daniel
Member
I personnaly have the Wolverine but have read tons of comments on the Tormek. I am in the habit of not promoting either system over the other in favor of promoting that you get at least one, or a knock of of either. or even home made jigs, or anything else you can concoct that will hold the tool in place. for me that is the real difference. I free handed my tools for several years. adding a system has made more differences than I can list. Tools that work consistantly would be the top item on that list though.
MDEdwards
Member
I like mine for the jigs, along with a felt tip marker give very consistently scarey sharp edges on everthing; except my new Alan Lacer skew. I ruined the Lacer straight and curved shape. He uses dry grinders and told me that Tormek doesn't have a jig that can follow his special grind profile. For now its a curved skew.
Bree
Member
I have the Grizzly 10" equivalent of the Tormek T7. It is actually made by Sheppach of Germany and is the same as their Tiger 2500. I use mostly Tormek jigs which work fine. There are a couple that require some adaptation but nothing real hard.
The Tormek leather profiling wheels have a spindle that needs to be replicated with an 8MM connector instead of the 12 MM connector of the Tormek. I had my gunsmith make me one in exchange for a cigar pen. The planer jig calls for some drilling or just using the Scheppach version which is similar to the Tormek.
The wet grinder is a great way to sharpen gouges and any other tool. I find the hardest one to sharpen is the Lacer radiused skew. But it is definitely doable. Gouges sharpen quite easily and accurately with the Tormek jig. The Tormek or an equivalent will give you a very very sharp and uniform edge which you can repeat over and over.
The Tormek leather profiling wheels have a spindle that needs to be replicated with an 8MM connector instead of the 12 MM connector of the Tormek. I had my gunsmith make me one in exchange for a cigar pen. The planer jig calls for some drilling or just using the Scheppach version which is similar to the Tormek.
The wet grinder is a great way to sharpen gouges and any other tool. I find the hardest one to sharpen is the Lacer radiused skew. But it is definitely doable. Gouges sharpen quite easily and accurately with the Tormek jig. The Tormek or an equivalent will give you a very very sharp and uniform edge which you can repeat over and over.
Manny
Member
I have the 8" version from Grizzly. Only issue I have is getting a real deep sweeping flute like the Ellsworth grind. Buy the 10" it is more expensive but worth it i think.
I use the leather profile wheel on my lathe
Manny
I use the leather profile wheel on my lathe
Manny
Troy Cole
Member
Thanks guys for all the great information. I think I will make this investment in the next month or two. The Tormek is rather pricey but seems like a good investment in the long run. I currently use a bench grinder, and maybe its just me, but I don't get a good sharp edge that I would like to have, even using a jig. This also seems to chew through tools pretty fast, and I know that everyone here knows what woodturning tools cost. Again Thanks for the Info.
Bree
Member
Make sure that you take a look at the Grizzly 10" wet grinder. It costs $170 and that's a LOT less than the Tormek. It does the same thing and you can even use Tormek's jigs.
Check out this thread which has the proof that the Grizzly is indeed the Scheppach Tiger 2500.
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2172&highlight=Scheppach&page=3
Good luck!
:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: