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Thread: Sharpener question. Tormek vs Jet

  1. #1

    Sharpener question. Tormek vs Jet

    Hey guys Im posting this here because my main purpose for sharpening is my hand tools. Chisels and plane blades mostly. I have a wetstone and i can put a pretty good edge on my tools with it, but Im limited in my woodworking time as it is and sharpening takes too long. Its time to get a good sharpener...

    Ive read the reviews of both the Tormek and the jet wet sharpener. Most of the comparisons are putting the Jet vs the T-7. Since the t-7 is really out of my price range Im wondering how it compares to the T-3. For $400 which one is better? or should I really save up for the T-7?


    Thanks for the help guys!


    Dale

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
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    I have both. The Jet is EXTREMELY PRONE to breaking down. Even the dealers have told me that many do not work right out of the box. I figured out that mine breaks down because the metal push on connecters that connect wires to the circuit board are literally as thin as aluminum beer can metal(they REALLY ARE!!!!) and they crack when the assemblers push them onto the "U" shaped terminals sticking out of the circuit boards. I went to replace the circuit board in mine and discovered this. It soon broke down again,and I haven't bothered to open it up again,having other means of grinding. I HAD repaired it by soldering the cracked connecter directly to the circuit board. Possibly,another gave way. Terribly SHODDY connecters.

    I was given a Tormek by a friend. It still works fine. It doesn't have variable speed like the Jet,but really doesn't need it. The NEW MODELS have a stainless steel shaft that goes through the wheel. BE SURE you get that feature. If you don';t,the shaft will rust itself to the shaft,and you may not be able to remove the wheel. That big wheel sucks up nearly a QUART of water in operation,and the shaft WILL get wet.

    The Jet was nothing but a copy of the Tormek,and a poorly made one at that. When you call their repair depot.,they boast and brag about how proud they are of their products,and act like you are an idiot. That was my experience,if this helps you.

  3. #3
    Get a used tormek supergrind. Tormek's new prices are high, but the small grinder is disappointingly small and the motor wattage is half.

    If you want to get a small wet grinder, get one cheap from sheppach.

    Like george says, you want one with a stainless shaft. If you can get an old one cheap, though, and the stone comes off the arbor fairly well, you can buy the stainless shaft kit for about $60.

    Tormek should have *given* that kit to every tormek owner for free, because the one absolutely flawed issue with the old tormeks was the plated shaft. As soon as the plating was breeched,the shaft rusts and a stone (that constantly gets wet) fuses to a rusted shaft. You will not curse any other time in your shop like you will when you try to get the stone off of the rusted shaft and either you mash your fingers or the stone breaks. I got one off of mine successfully and switched to a black stone. When I tried to get the black stone off a couple of years later to ship the machine, I broke it in half trying to get it off at the end of an hour ordeal. It's a real downer to break a $200 stone in half because the manufacturer put a non-stainless shaft in a machine, presumably with the assumption that you wouldn't try to get the stone off until it was worn down.

    After switching the wheel the first time, I had purchased the stainless shaft, but didn't have the chance to put it in the machine, but the recipient did so that problem is solved.
    Last edited by David Weaver; 10-01-2012 at 9:05 AM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Austin, TX
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    104
    I've had the Jet for several years now. It is problem free so far, but it has not seen heavy use.

  5. #5
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    When even the dealers (who would like to make a sale!!!) have told me that Jets often don't work right out of the box,consider yourself very lucky if yours is still working.

  6. #6
    Did I say anything about the wheels? When I was shopping around and bought a used tormek, I did consider the Jet, but the consensus at the time was that the tormek wheels are more durable and much longer lasting. I don't know what jet asks for their replacement wheels, but I have yet to find anything as good as the tormek wheels. The sheppach wheels are decent, but they might be a bit wide in the center to fit easily on a tormek or jet arbor.

    there are tons of supergrinds with the original aluminum oxide gray wheel barely used. I think of the two (the black and the gray) I liked the standard wheel better. Fortunately, I broke the black one and not the gray one.

    I don't know if you're supposed to let the tormek wheel stay in water, probably not, but I never had any damage from doing that a few times, which is nice. I did get a cheap replacement wheel from grizzly and while it was already extremely poor quality to start, I accidentally left it in water one time and it literally became like pressed together sand and came totally apart. It would've been better hammered into loose coarse aluminum oxide grit, because as a wheel it was no good for anything, even before damage.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
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    Thanks to my good friend David Weaver,for giving me the Tormek,and saving me from the everlasting nightmare of forever repairing the Jet (O.K.,I exaggerated the last part!!)

  8. #8
    Thanks for the input guys. I'll stay away from the Jet. It's too expensive to be having those kinds of issues.

    Alright, so I'm looking for a used Supergrind 2000 and the two on Ebay are basically as expensive as the t-7. Noone has really said anything about the T-3 except that it has a small motor. Is it too small to be worth looking at?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
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    SoCal
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    Dale, for $200 the Worksharp 3000 might be a good alternative for you. A lot of guys ended up with multiples of these after the BORG blowout and might be willing to sell one cheaper. I have seen them going for about $150.

  10. #10
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    Just shooting in the air here, way not get the Veritas power sharpening system http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...35&cat=1,43072 ? but not as cheap as the workshop 3000..

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    I don't use a wet grinder anymore, but I did have a Jet. Didn't like it at all - found the motor very weak - so much so that even with moderate pressure, it would slow the machine a great deal. My friend has a Tormek and there is no comparison in my opinion with that grinder being far superior. For me personally though, I just couldn't get my arms around taking it out and setting it up to grind a single blade that needed it. I went with a simple jig and a dry grinder and have never looked back.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
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    I have a tormek and really like it.I havent had any problems with the wheel getting stuck to the shaft.Am currently on my second stone.I not sure if the smaller wheel is such a good idea.When my first wheel wore down it sure made the hollow deep.Seems like a waste of good metal.The LN blades are not cheap.Grinding away all that metal just for a hollow so i can balance the blade on a stone just seems wrong.
    I do like it for my carving chisels.Helps alot. Andrew

  13. #13
    The Jet is very flimsy. I had a Tormek and I loved it for turning tools. I found I never really went to it for hand tools other than to establish a hollow grind to make sharpening easier. These days, I've finally gotten the "feel" of riding a flat bevel, even when sharpening my long, 1/4" paring chisel, so I sold the Tormek. Now I use a Worksharp 3000 to establish my bevel, and then hone on Spyderco ceramic stones and strops. It's a far easier and quicker system than hitting the Tormek.

    That said, if I did any turning (which I don't anymore, I'm afraid, but if I did) I would have SOME sort of sharpening system and the Tormek would be extremely high on my list. A dry grinder with a Wolverine is up there too.

    I was a sharpening junky. I had one of everything, including all sorts of different stones and jigs. Believe me it's no mistake that the more experienced woodworkers tend to get away from the contraptions if they can ever get over the hump of learning to sharpen freehand. It is so much easier and faster, and you'll find yourself honing and sharpening a lot more and always working with a sharp tool. That's why I would probably lean towards the Worksharp 3000, especially if you don't have any blades wider than 2" (and there's an attachment if you do). You can get ridiculously sharp using just the Worksharp, but as your skills progress you will find yourself perhaps using the Worksharp for rough work, and finishing off (and maintenance) by hand. In this sense, the Worksharp is very convenient because it scales with your skill level very seamlessly without ever being cumbersome.

    On the other hand, the Tormek is such a pain in the butt to use that for anything other than turning tools I used it for nothing other than establishing the initial bevel. Just setting it up takes forever. Shoot, just filling it up with water takes forever. The stone just keeps on sucking it up and you have to keep adding it until it's happy. Then you have to set the angle....then you have to dump out the water. What a pain, unless you're doing a long turning session.

    For the price of a T-7 and attachments, you can get a Worksharp, a low speed grinder, a good helping of Wolverine jigs and other goodies! You can do even better if you buy everything used, and that's not a bad idea, actually.

    Just my opinion.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Dale Turner View Post
    Thanks for the input guys. I'll stay away from the Jet. It's too expensive to be having those kinds of issues.

    Alright, so I'm looking for a used Supergrind 2000 and the two on Ebay are basically as expensive as the t-7. Noone has really said anything about the T-3 except that it has a small motor. Is it too small to be worth looking at?
    Craigslist. My supergrind cost me $300 with a wheel that was still 98% there and one or two small accessories (I added to that and used little except the turning tool stuff). Maybe George can wear it out.

    There was one sold in the classifieds here not too long ago, too, for less than that.

    You could put a WTB out there also if you pitch your $6 toward being a contributor, I'd imagine there are people who bought them and either decided HT woodworking wasn't for them, or who for one reason or another decided to use a belt grinder or wheel grinder, some people want funny amounts for them, but I don't think it's unreasonable to shoot for $300-$350. You want that wide wheel and twice the power over the T-3. I never had a T-3, but I did have a sheppach-made 8" grinder, and if you plan on using the thing for a while, then the big one will make you happier.

  15. #15
    Join Date
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    Stick with the waterstones. A Tormek will not save you time over using the stones, except maybe for initial grinding of a new tool. I barely ever use mine any more, because it is just too much of an annoyance and too time consuming for regular sharpening. My waterstones are way faster to set up and use. The exception is turning tools, which get done on the dry grinder. The thing I like the Tormek best for is sharpening gouges and things like that, where the jig is handy. This works best if you sharpen a bunch of tools in a batch instead of just setting up for one tool.

    That said, if you are going to get a Tormek-type grinder, stay away from the Jet model.

    Do NOT leave your Tormek wheel sitting in water when you aren't using it. At least drop the tray down so that the wheel is clear of the water.

    I have the stainless shaft waiting to go into my Tormek. Part of me says hurry up and get it in there before the shaft rusts any more. The other half says don't risk breaking that wheel until it needs to be changed anyway (which may be never at the current rate).

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