Bottom Line:
Caution! If you are going to buy a Tormek, make sure you get the 2006 model and not the 2005 or earlier. There is a critical adjustment feature on the 2006 that is not on earlier models. You will hate yourself for not getting this upgrade.
Ok, $800 later and I’ve used every attachment and sharpened every tool in my shop and everything in kitchen—it is worth it and I would do it again. $800 is a very big deal to me. I’m not rich. With that said, here are some observations.
Learning curve:
It takes time and practice to become proficient with each attachment. Hand and body positions, stance, pressure, and a smooth motion all affect the edge dramatically. You will not sharpen like the person at the show until you have as many hours behind the machine as he/she does.
Water problem:
Any tool with a cutting edge longer than about 4 inches will cause water to run from the stone onto the tool and off onto the floor. No variation in position or technique will solve this problem. Sharpening a planer blade will empty a pint of water from the reservoir onto the floor in about 10 minutes. I had to fashion 2 sheet metal gutters (one for each side of the stone) in order to minimize the mess. Tormek should have solved this problem—it isn’t brain surgery.
Stone truer:
Keeping the stone absolutely flat and parallel to the tool holder is critical. Tormek provides a stone truer for this purpose. The truer is too small and difficult to use. It cuts a pinhead size groove and must be moved across the stone face like a needle moves across a record’s surface. You will spend an hour getting the stone flat each time you use the truer and all the while you will be seeing your $135 stone being cut smaller and smaller in diameter. Rarely do you see Tormek advertising replacement stones, but one or more will be necessary in your sharpening future.
Online Ordering:
My advice is do not do it for the following reasons. Most online websites are not sophisticated enough to interface with the inventory system. As a result, backorders and out-of-stock situations can drive you crazy. My “complete” package was missing the 2 most necessary and two most expensive attachments. A full $200 worth of parts was not sent with my $800 package and my credit card was billed immediately because the supplier said, “well it’s a package deal”. Forty-five days later, I finally got everything. It was then that I discovered that my model 2005 was not the latest product and was significantly different that a model 2006. This fact is not apparent from the advertising unless you are very familiar with the Tormek product. Verify everything with a live human who work at the suppliers place of business and not in Bangladesh.
Overall:
The machine and it’ attachments are heavy duty, high quality and well engineered. 99% of us will not be able to sharpen all our tools so well any other way. A few die hards with lots of time and superior skill will be able to do as well with some other method. These are the same talented soles who can hand cut compound angle dovetails with perfect precision-I cannot.
Replies
What is the 2006 modification????? I have the one from last November, and love. Got it at a show, from the fellow out of Cleveland. Seemed an honorable family (his wife was at the show and took care of the payment, mortgage, etc.). Is the 2006 modification a beefier horiz. bar, more reliably parallel to the shone? This is the only issue I have encountered, but I don't have near the set of attachments you do.
Thx.
Alan
The 2006 has a threaded tool bar instead of sliding up and down in the holder. It appears to be similar to the planer/jointer jig setup which has threaded bars not sliding. As you probably know, it requires 3 hands and a rubber neck to set the height of the tool bar.
The September 2003 Woodcraft catalog has the 2006. The only reference to the upgrade in the description is "features a micro adjustable universal tool support for fingertip control".
If you look at the picture with a magnifying glass, you can see that the support holder closest to the stone has a knurl nut instead of the set screw. The other holder on the left still has the standard set screw.
I don't think suppliers want to push the 2006 until all others are out of thier inventories. If Tormek eventually offers an upgrade, I'll bet it won't cheap. The price difference between the 2005 and Woodcraft's 2006 it about $10. I'll bet nobody will be able to buy an upgrade kit for $10 so be sure to buy only the 2006. This is an important new feature.
Alan:
I have had that problem also. I drilled and tapped a hole for a thumbscrew in the other post holder. The material is a little thin, but a 1/4-20 worked well. Here's a link to Tormek's site. The News link will show the recent upgrades and have the most recent manual for download. From what website says, the micro-adjust is available as an upgrade.
I have an earlier model and just bought the replacement guide rest which has the notched bar for micro adjustments. I think it was $29.00.
Pam
Pam,
Are you happy with the upgrade? Does is make adjusting the tool bar height easier.
I'd like to think that Tormek used something similar to the planer/jointer jig height adjustment mechanism. It sure would help eliminate having to 1. hold the bar, 2. hold the tool, 3. sight the angle at the stone, 4. tighten the 2 set screws, and do all of this simultaneously without moving anything! If you are using the Pro-Anglemaster, then you must add #5, holding onto it, to the above procedure.
It would be worth $29 to me if it solves the problem.
When I set up my Tormek, I do it somewhat different than how the directions say. I set tool/jig on the rest and move the rest "close" to the desired setting and lightly lock it down. Instead of setting the angle on the anglemaster thingy, I loosen it's thumbscrew and use it to measure the angle of the tool. That tells me if i need to move the rest in or out. The micro-adjust will help to zero-in to the desired angle. I bought the upgrade yesterday. However, I didn't buy for the micro-adjust. I consider that a "nice thing to have" (and that's a stretch) not a necessity. What convinced me to buy it is the nickle plating. Jigs and tools slide over the rest. Alleviating what I thought to be one of the machines biggest short-comings.
Scott
I haven't used it yet. I bought it because I had a 10% off coupon for Woodcraft. I was responding to the post warning not to get the older version of the Tormek and just wanted to let people know that there was an upgrade. The tool rest bar is notched on one side and has a screw mechanism that allows you to fine tune the height of the bar in infinently small increments. I imagine that this will make the set up easier and solve the awkwardness that you describe.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled