Tormek Sharpening System Review

by Garrett Lambert

I bought the complete Tormek package about 6 months ago.

Before describing this machine and its jigs, it's important to acknowledge that:

There are many remarkably different routes to achieve the same sharp tools.
For a large number of people, sharpening approaches a Zen experience, while for a few it's just a necessary evil. Either way, it begets very strong opinions.
While no system sharpens every kind of tool equally well, the Tormek comes closest to being a universal sharpening panacaea.

The excellent:

The muscle is the motor base with its very slow speed and a double-ended spindle that permits a 10"x 3" composite wheel on one side and a set of leather honing wheels on the other. The latest models offer both vertical (original) and horizontal tool rest positions. (The horizontal option just above the label in the photo is available as a retrofit for earlier models.) Depending on the tool and the jig to be used, sharpening is done either away from or into the rotation of the stone, and the change is managed by the simple expedient of turning the motor base 180°. It's simple, well built, and quite convenient. Adjusting the angle of the tool to the stone is also quite simple with the very ingenious gauge (#5 in the photo) that is part of the kit. It also compensates for the wear the stone will see over time.

The system's remarkable universality comes from its many jigs which will sharpen everything from an axe to a scalpel precisely to OEM specifications, or whatever else you might prefer. In either case, repeatability is exact. It will even put fingernail grinds on turning gouges.

Finally, delicacy is delivered by the stone which can be quickly and easily "adjusted" for either coarse or fine grit with a hand-held grading stone and the honing wheels which will put a mirror finish on any tool.

The okay:

The video is good, as is the book, but a separate plasticized table for angles etc. would be a great help.

Several of the Tormek jigs take a bit of time to set up and require practice to use properly, but they do what they are supposed to do, something no other system duplicates to the extent of the Tormek.

To achieve repeatability requires careful bookkeeping of several set-up factors. Some of this chore can be alleviated with some simple home-made wooden jigs.

The not-so-good:

The stone is softer than I expected, and uneven wear is a real factor. While it can be trued, the very small and coars diamond jig accecssory makes doing so somewhat laborious, and, of course, takes the stone down. (Watch the edges. They are sharp and should be slightly ground down with the grading stone.)

Despite the stone's having 2 effective grits, sharpening is not nearly so fast as advertised. Interestingly, a British company is now offering an aftermarket diamond wheel in 2 different grits as a replacement. It's expensive, but early reports are very favorable.

Honing is the system's weak point. The leather wheels do work, but they are slower and less effective than my home-made arbor with impregnated rubber honing wheels, and I find that their smaller diameter makes the jigs much more awkward to use with them. One small trick to get the honing paste to adhere is to work mineral oil into the leather beforehand.

The water is messy, and the stone slurry left in the water tray cannot be disposed of in the household plumbing system. It's so dense and heavy it will soon clog the traps and pipes. I pour the water off into a jug, and scrape the residue into the shop garbage pail.

The bottom line:

Would I buy it again? Yes, but with the knowledge that it doesn't replace the other elements in my sharpening inventory. I still touch up my turning tools while at the lathe on a high speed grinder with its own jigs - in fact I just bought a second high speed grinder - because they don't need the quality of edge a Tormek produces. However, I use only the Tormek for all other edges. So long as you know that the Tormek does its job exceedingly well but slowly, and that it complements rather than replaces the grinder, it's an excellent, if expensive, piece of equipment.