New TormekT8

[Gregory Carles]

Well I am looking at the T8 and a set of Naniwa water stones to use in combination with each other. I have never sharpened my chisels beyond the factory edge. Only used some sand paper to try and I emphasize try to hone the edge a little. I want to get a couple of hand planes also. I have strictly been a power tool wood worker with an occasional chisel here and there. I did a lot of research and I found out that just the Tormek T8 will not do the whole job by itself and that you need to final finish the edge on a good set of Waterstones after the Tormek is done grinding.
If I get the tormek I can also sharpen knives as opposed to strictly using a honing guide for chisels / Plane irons.
As for the cost I can spend close to $500$ bucks on a Lie Nielsen honing guide and a quality set of water stones so I thought why not just get the Tormek for a little extra and be done with it.

Any comments welcome.

[Tim Bueler]

I struggled with whether or not to buy a Tormek for years. Just couldn't convince myself it was worth the cost. A few months ago I bought a Work Sharp WS3000 and couldn't be happier. I'm not a sharpening aficionado but it works excellent for me. I also have the Work Sharp WSKTS-KO that I'm very happy with as well. Both are much faster and more accurate than the diamond "stones" I was using (and Arkansas stones before that). I'm not sure I'm wiser in my old age, but I'm certainly lazier.

[andy bessette]

It's easy and fun to blow a bunch of dough on tools and machines. But you can do everything you need using a belt sander and a couple Japanese water stones.

[Andrew Hughes]

I vote for the Tormek it will do tasks the my high speed grinders will not do. I will make a list
Carving tools esp v gouges
Turning tools
Plane blades
Chisels
Knives all types marking knives to kitchen knives
12 inch jointer knives
card scrapers
drill bits
Sometimes I use it shape small metal parts and screws that my high speed grinder will grab and throw who knows where?

[Gregory Carles]

It's easy and fun to blow a bunch of dough on tools and machines. But you can do everything you need using a belt sander and a couple Japanese water stones.

I know - I love spending my kids inheritance..

[casey herring]

I've got the:
T8
worksharp ws3000
sorby pro edge
veritas mk2 honing with shape on stones 300-16000

the works harp is definely the most used, it's just way more convenient than everything else and gets everything scary sharp... up to 2" wide. Then it's just st too inconsistent. That's when I I got the tormek, when I was struggling with wider blades. On top of that tormek does carving tools very well, and, if you have the patience, turning tools.

my current regent looks like this.
chisels: all done on worksharp.
all plane bladesn tormek (most could be done on the worksharp)
finish all plane blades with 16000 shaping stone.
Lapping: all lapping is done on the worksharp, again, it's just so fast.

turning tools all done on sorry pro edge.

to sum it up, the tormek is absolutely the most versatile, the WS is absolutely the best value. Honestly, MOST people would consider my tools strait off of either machine as sharp as anything sharpened on stones up to 8000

hope that helps!
cheers!

[Gregory Carles]

Ordered the newT8 from Tormek.
I hope it is worth the investment.

Never sharpened anything in my life. Always had to have it sent out to get done by professional. There's always the wait period and usually need it sharpened in the middle of the project. So hopefully I will get to learn how to use this thing fairly quickly.

Any tips or hints for a first time sharpener on the Tormek?

[Alex Snyder]

I bought the T8 last week and finally got around to resharpening some of the wife's kitchen knives to get her into it . I can't believe how fast and easy it was to knock out a set of knives!

Before Tormek I used sandpaper and stones, but with a full arsenal of axes, knives (kitchen, survival, etc), sheers, and then some of that you know...woodworking stuff... I was getting tired of the hours it took to sharpen. I used to plan a week of evenings and set everything up in the kitchen to not alienate myself from the family. Now I foresee sharpening happening in the shop where I won't have to cleanup as much and can knock out everything in less than 2 hours.

[Gregory Carles]

Tormek 1.JPGTormek 2.JPGTormek.JPG

Look what showed up this morning..

[Andrew Hughes]

Nice,When my stone wears down more on my Tormek 2000 I'm getting a T8.

[Gregory Carles]

Tormek 3.JPGTormek 4.JPGTormek 6.JPGTormek 5.JPG

Got the Tormek installed to it's new home.
I did get the swivel base and it is very handy.

[Rick Potter]

Andrew,

What advantage is there in moving from the 2000 to the T-8? Just curious.
.

[Andrew Hughes]

Mostly because my 2000 is worn out.This is its second stone and it's completely rusted to the shaft. I thought about rebuilding it because parts are available.The cost of parts would put me more than halfway toward a new T8.

Aj

[Rick Potter]

Thanks,

I have one, hardly used. Can't seem to decide if I want to make room for it. Been thinking about it for years. Don't sharpen much, and just use a diamond plate.

[Charles Bjorgen]

Ordered the newT8 from Tormek.
I hope it is worth the investment.

Any tips or hints for a first time sharpener on the Tormek?

Congratulations on your Tormek purchase, Gregory. Check to see if you received the Tormek diamond truing jig with your purchase. With use the grinding wheel can develop uneven spots that can lead to frustration. You can check this with a small machinists' square as you use the tool. The truing tool will fix this. Also check to see which Square Edge jig you got with your package. If it is the SE-76, you might want to consider upgrading to the SE-77 which offers a few improvements, among them a way of adding camber to Plane blades.

I've had my old Tormek 2000 for nearly 20 years and have added several of the upgrades Tormek has developed.