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.