Tormek T-8 Sharpening System

This may sound like a commercial, but I’m not affiliated with the company that designed the Tormek T8 sharpening system.The T8, and all its accessories, are brilliantly designed, made with high-quality materials, and are fun to use. Some people had claimed that the Tormek system is a slow. I found just the opposite. Since sharpening settings are so precise and quickly repeatable, very tiny amounts of metal are removed. So, an edge can be touched up in a minute or two to razor sharpness.However, if you're doing a major regrind (e.g., a nicked edge, a significant angle change), then a "standard" 1750 RPM or 3500 RPM grinder would be much faster. (A Tormek accessory is available for use with such grinders. It handles all the specialized jigs designed for the T8.) ... MoreThis may sound like a commercial, but I’m not affiliated with the company that designed the Tormek T8 sharpening system.The T8, and all its accessories, are brilliantly designed, made with high-quality materials, and are fun to use. Some people had claimed that the Tormek system is a slow. I found just the opposite. Since sharpening settings are so precise and quickly repeatable, very tiny amounts of metal are removed. So, an edge can be touched up in a minute or two to razor sharpness.However, if you're doing a major regrind (e.g., a nicked edge, a significant angle change), then a "standard" 1750 RPM or 3500 RPM grinder would be much faster. (A Tormek accessory is available for use with such grinders. It handles all the specialized jigs designed for the T8.) Of course, you have to be careful not to burn the steel, especially delicate corners and edges. There’s zero chance of overheating a tool with the Tormek water-cooled system.The included manual can also be downloaded as a PDF file. That manual has the most thorough explanations and the clearest illustrations I’ve ever seen. A DVD is also included which shows you how to set up the machine and use all the accessories. Lots of YouTube videos are also available.The only valid criticism I’ve ever heard is that the Tormek T8 and its accessories are pricey. I agree. But in my opinion, it’s an investment that will pay for itself many times over by saving me lots of time and frustration.

Excellent!

I'd been looking at buying a Tormek for a while but the price put me off but I gave in and treated myself sad I know. But what a treat I wish I had brought one years ago so easy to set up and use. Once you get the hang of using it you can produce razor sharp tools. Going back to the price thinking of it, by the time you buy a grinder, oil stones, diamond stones etc that's not cheap and the mistakes you may make from blunt tools in the end its not all that expensive. The jig supplied works very well and it gives you a perfect 90 degree edge and the honing wheel polishes it very well. Bad things none I can think of. I would say to put a mat down as you can get water spill and don't do what I done and stand on the honing compound tube with no lid on as it goes ... MoreI'd been looking at buying a Tormek for a while but the price put me off but I gave in and treated myself sad I know. But what a treat I wish I had brought one years ago so easy to set up and use. Once you get the hang of using it you can produce razor sharp tools. Going back to the price thinking of it, by the time you buy a grinder, oil stones, diamond stones etc that's not cheap and the mistakes you may make from blunt tools in the end its not all that expensive. The jig supplied works very well and it gives you a perfect 90 degree edge and the honing wheel polishes it very well. Bad things none I can think of. I would say to put a mat down as you can get water spill and don't do what I done and stand on the honing compound tube with no lid on as it goes everywhere. It is one of them tools that wont earn you any money as such but can bring many hours of fun and joy watching a old battered up tool being brought back to life again just because you can with such ease on this tool. Or getting that razor sharp edge time after time. Others may agree or disagree with my review bit in my opinion I would highly recommend the Tormek T8

Fantastic for all types of woodworking tools

This thing is really fantastic for plane blades - the right angle jig allows you to set some play in it so you can get PERFECT, repeatable cambers on your irons.It is pretty tough to get completely perfect right angles on your chisels, it's not as easy as they make it appear in demonstrations.Touching up turning tools is very fast and easy, although the wheel it comes with it not meant for fast cutting so re-profiling will take a very long time.Many people show grinding the backs of chisels and plane irons on the side of the stone wheel, but you should never do this as there is no way to true it back to flat. I learned this the hard way. If you want to use the flat side of the wheel, you need to get a diamond or CBN wheel for the Tormek. The only such wheels ... MoreThis thing is really fantastic for plane blades - the right angle jig allows you to set some play in it so you can get PERFECT, repeatable cambers on your irons.It is pretty tough to get completely perfect right angles on your chisels, it's not as easy as they make it appear in demonstrations.Touching up turning tools is very fast and easy, although the wheel it comes with it not meant for fast cutting so re-profiling will take a very long time.Many people show grinding the backs of chisels and plane irons on the side of the stone wheel, but you should never do this as there is no way to true it back to flat. I learned this the hard way. If you want to use the flat side of the wheel, you need to get a diamond or CBN wheel for the Tormek. The only such wheels that are meant for use with water can be purchased from Knife Grinders Australia.You probably know this if you are considering it, but you need to factor in the cost of all the additional jigs - you will probably end up spending an additional ~$500 on extra jigs over time to get the most out of this system.A "must have" is the rotating base - you need to rotate it back and forth constantly and without some kind of rotating platter you will be spilling water all over the place. You could probably build something with a lazy suzan mechanism and a couple pieces of plywood, but regardless keep this in mind.Overall, I definitely recommend it for anyone who sharpens their tools more than a few times a week. It really speeds up the process and makes it enjoyable.

Great Tormek - unsealed box

This is not my first purchase from USTF, bought more than couple items in the past.External box damaged, official security seal was broken. Nothing appear to be missing but it did not feel like new(actually it was packed extremely well, so box damage was not transit damage. They know what they were shipping). For someone ordering 50yr anniversary, disappointed that I did not get a brand new unit to have options to save my box.I did not call and invest my time for hassle of return and such, my time is more valuable at the moment. Last time I get a long winded story, so this is a pattern as far as I am concerned. If you buying a tool such as this one and care about details, may not be the right place.

Just buy it already 😁

Simplicity right out of the box! I ordered a Tormek T8 with dust cover and six piece jig set and I am very happy with this purchase so far. My first attempt at sharpening I tried a Meula survival knife with a recurve and it turned out phenomenal considering I have never sharpened a knife in my life 😆. My second knife was a double Henckel chef that was super dull and now it cuts like new. If you're thinking about buying a T8 stop thinking and proceed to checkout. Customer support is above and beyond. Thanks axeman.ca for making this a very easy purchase. I'm hooked and I need more jigs and stuff 🔪🔪🔪🔪

Sharp, but not simply

There are so many fixtures and jigs for this system, you would think it is basically doing the job for you. Of course, that's not the case. Its most basic functionality is excellent, but once you get away from sharpening your plane blades you quickly find the limitations of the fixtures.For instance, the Knife Jig -- this is very useful for a limited subset of knives -- basically, chef's knives or similar with very simple profiles and deep blades. If you have a shallower blade and want a fine edge, you'll end up sharpening the jig (as it hits the stone before the blade edge does). For those, there's yet another jig... or you can just opt to go free-hand, using the tool rest.Anyway, this system isn't junky, and it is fast, but it does take quite a bit of practice ... MoreThere are so many fixtures and jigs for this system, you would think it is basically doing the job for you. Of course, that's not the case. Its most basic functionality is excellent, but once you get away from sharpening your plane blades you quickly find the limitations of the fixtures.For instance, the Knife Jig -- this is very useful for a limited subset of knives -- basically, chef's knives or similar with very simple profiles and deep blades. If you have a shallower blade and want a fine edge, you'll end up sharpening the jig (as it hits the stone before the blade edge does). For those, there's yet another jig... or you can just opt to go free-hand, using the tool rest.Anyway, this system isn't junky, and it is fast, but it does take quite a bit of practice to truly master, and the jigs are really only going to provide just a bit of help. Do be prepared with a couple junky blades you can mangle (or "re-profile") so you're not tearing up expensive knives. No worries, you'll get to your goal.

Tormek T-8 + Axeman.ca = Safe/Smart purchasing!

The Tormek T-8 is an incredible sharpening system. For the most part it is well thought out in terms of its overall design. The more you use it the more you become familiar with the different processes and it just gets better from there. Practice makes perfect! The T-8 made sense for me over the T-4 as it can run for longer periods of time and it comes with a lot of tools that the T-4 doesn't come with. I've had it for a few weeks now and I'm beyond impressed. My kitchen knives are razor sharp. Moving onto my hunting knives, scissors and axes next. I recommend checking out as many Youtube videos as possible. Subscribe to the channels. Tormek has an excellent channel. Check out Knife Grinders Australia, woodworking vids by Jonas Als, and many more channels when you ... MoreThe Tormek T-8 is an incredible sharpening system. For the most part it is well thought out in terms of its overall design. The more you use it the more you become familiar with the different processes and it just gets better from there. Practice makes perfect! The T-8 made sense for me over the T-4 as it can run for longer periods of time and it comes with a lot of tools that the T-4 doesn't come with. I've had it for a few weeks now and I'm beyond impressed. My kitchen knives are razor sharp. Moving onto my hunting knives, scissors and axes next. I recommend checking out as many Youtube videos as possible. Subscribe to the channels. Tormek has an excellent channel. Check out Knife Grinders Australia, woodworking vids by Jonas Als, and many more channels when you search Tormek through Youtube. The Japanese water stone and the rotating base are must haves. If you're sharpening regularly I would suggest picking up more honing paste for the leather honing wheel upon initial purchase. You may want to pick up the rubber mat to keep your work area clean as it does get a little messy from water drips and honing wheel fragments, etc. Overall though it's very clean to work with. I use mine at my kitchen table. 29 inch high table. I'm 5'10". Reasonably comfortable height for me, although I will play around with the heights for comfort. Jeremy from Axeman.ca answered all my questions, called me back, etc. He is a great guy to deal with. He's very knowledgeable, and while he's suggestive in his selling, he's not a pushy salesman. He's very passionate about all his products that he sells and carries top quality tools and equipment. My multiple orders arrived from B.C. to Ottawa ON. in a matter of days. Max 3-4 business days from what I can recall. His site is legit! I chose axeman.ca over Lee Valley or any other resellers as they had a wide variety of products that other resellers didn't have. Axeman.ca rocks! I'll definitely be purchasing a ton of more supplies and Tormek additions over the years from them! They have cool stickers, too! No regrets!Andrew Burgess

Very pleased and with room to grow.

So far have only used it for kitchen knives and drill bits. I am very pleased with the quality of the machine and the clearly written instructions. Just a little but of a learning curve but not too bad. I bought the drill bit sharpening jig and do glad I did. It is a bit intimidating to look at but the instructions walked me through its set up and use. It is awesome. First 1/4” bit sharpened was very easy and very pleased with result. I will never be frustrated again with all those dull bits just laying around. Now, whenever I spring for that lathe, I’ll be all set.Very happy with purchase and it arrived very quickly. I do recommend.

Works great, needs a carrying case.

Comes with the Tormek T-8. I wasn't aware of that and accidentally purchased another one... My bad! Holds tools and supplies firmly in place. Wish it came with an actual Tormek carrying case.Side note: The Tormek T-8 also comes with the extended drip tray for longer knives. Don't purchase separately. Unfortunately Tormek doesn't show good pictures of what all comes included with the Tormek T-8. Some things that are included with the T-8 are not shown in the photos they supply...

a lot of money for not a lot of quality conrol

The Tormek T-8 is versatile once one purchases a number of extra pieces, the jigs that I purchased are good to high quality fit and finish and capable of doing what Tormek claims they are able to do. The standard SG 250 stone has no visible run out in the horizontal or vertical axis. it does grade out to a finer or coarser behavior as promised.The included truing tool works well and the universal support is easy to adjust to get the angle one desires to grind a tool to. The included Angle Master set up tool works reasonably well but there are times a third hand would be useful in setting up to grind.Those are the positives.The drive wheel had about 1/4 inch lateral run out at the outer edge new out of the box. it can be fitted in two position 180 degrees apart, ... MoreThe Tormek T-8 is versatile once one purchases a number of extra pieces, the jigs that I purchased are good to high quality fit and finish and capable of doing what Tormek claims they are able to do. The standard SG 250 stone has no visible run out in the horizontal or vertical axis. it does grade out to a finer or coarser behavior as promised.The included truing tool works well and the universal support is easy to adjust to get the angle one desires to grind a tool to. The included Angle Master set up tool works reasonably well but there are times a third hand would be useful in setting up to grind.Those are the positives.The drive wheel had about 1/4 inch lateral run out at the outer edge new out of the box. it can be fitted in two position 180 degrees apart, the run out is the same in both positions; when I mount the honing wheel to the drive wheel the run out increases (the honing wheel has a greater outside diameter so this isn't surprising) The honing wheel can be mounted in three different positions due to the three attachment points 120 degrees apart. none of the three positions improves the run out. I have shimmed the drive wheel hub at the shoulder of the shaft but cannot eliminate the run out in the drive wheel through shims. I have stacked shims under the honing wheel mounting screws in various combinations and have reduced the run out at the honing leather edge to perhaps an eighth of inch which is usable but not ideal.I contacted Rockler customer service when I first set the T-8 up before using it thinking they might send a replacement drive wheel and was told that the run out is normal;'they all do that' was the comment. Having watched a few Tormek produced videos it is clear the ones they use in the videos do not have any visible run out at the honing wheel so maybe some of them 'Don't do that" or maybe a Tormek technician shims those units up before the video starts.My take away is an $800 plus precision sharpening system should not require the purchaser to shim anything upon receipt.I ordered it online and it was delivered to my shop. If I have any advice to offer, it would be to buy in person and don't leave the store until the you observe the drive wheel and honing wheel in operation.Would I buy it again? Yes but not online. I have sharpened several plane irons, too many kitchen knives to count, most of my wood chisels and a couple hatchets and draw knives and am pleased with the consistently sharp edge I achieve without much trouble, way quicker than my efforts with bench grinder and bench stones.