I came across this site through an Internet search engine looking for info on the Tormek T-7 Sharpener. I watched your video on sharpening as well as others. Have you every used your Tormek to sharpen jointer / plainer knives? Guys around here charge $1 an inch for this kind of sharpening. After watching the Tormek videos on the subject it looks pretty easy but then again it’s a video. Any experience or feedback from others with this kind of sharpening?

Thanks and thanks for sharing with us some of your talents.

Al

hey al... welcome to the forum.....you know i have not sharpened those knives on the tormek...i just send them out to be sharpened....a buck an inch seems pretty good...i think it would be tough ....trust me ..there was a learning curve on that thing ...just for chisels and plane irons...i messed up more than 1 edge.....but once i got it down....i love it...i still reach for the water stones mostly....but when the edge needs to be reshaped...i think the toemek cant be beat!.....thanks for watching and if you have any suggestions for the show....let us know.....

Thanks for the quick response Thomas. From what I have read on the Tormek’s discussion board, they agree that sharpening a knife can be a challenge at first. A few claim that once you get the hang of it, it works quite well... as good or better than a service. Most of the posts are old so maybe the system has improved a little in the newer models. At a buck an inch, it’s cheaper for me to buy new jointer knives (6”) and about break even with the planer (13”). The Tormek, if I could get the hang of it, could keep a sharper edge on those things. The moderator of Tormek’s board says it takes about 15 minutes a knife. Thanks again for your feedback and great podcasts. I’ll be back.

Al

The Tormek can be used to sharpen P/J knives, but there are other considerations for the cost/benefit analysis. The jig that is recommended is about $100. There is the learning curve to consider. And finally the knives need to be balanced to each other by weight so you would need an accurate enough scale. A commercial sharpening shop rate of about $1/inch is reasonable considered the quality of the job and the shop should balance the knives as well. A hobbyist like myself can't really justify the jig investment considering how few times in my LIFETIME my jointer knives will need sharpening. It might be a different result in the cost anlaysis for a commercial shop. For me I saved the $100 and still have $82 in my pocket for future sharpening.

great advice...... I never thought of the weight and balance.... And 100 bucks is allot ..... Somethings are just not worth the time and effort....