>Anyone have any opinions on the various aftermarket stones available for the Tormek system?
I have seen a manufactured Japanese waterstone in Woodcraft's catalog, and I just got a carver's catalog with a diamond wheel (set) for Tormek.
I assume the Japanese stone will wear more quickly than the standard Tormek. The diamond wheels are purported to "never wear", and there are a set of three (very pricey).
My Tormek wheel is under 8", and I'm thinking about just getting the same stone, but wondering...
>I tried the Japanese Waterstone on my Tormek; it is way too slow. I looked at other options and finally decided to just retire the thing....I just don't think $135 per stone can be justified easily. If you sharpen flat tools and gouges on a Tormek you will be dressing the stone frequently and it really doesn't take long to use up a stone. I think my tools cut just as well when sharpened on an 80 grit wheel on the 8" Delta 1800 rpm grinder.TD
>I'll second TD's recomendadtion, even though I've never had a Tormek. Simply absurd pricing for the thing - I bought a 6" grinder to get started on, and now it's just a shop grinder with a wire wheel on it. Then I bought a Slow-Speed Grizzly; it took forever, and had no power - so, just the other night I bought the new Delta VS Grinder. It seems like a great deal: $129 for an 8" Variable Speed grinder, with a white friable 1" wide wheel, buffing wheel, and diamond dresser included. After watching Mike Mahoney's video, and seeing him sharpen on a high speed grinder, I totally threw out the idea of slow speed grinding.
>If it were me, I'd just go with the replacement Tormek stone. I find the 220/1000 gradabilty to be about perfect for maintaining the existing geometry on gouges and the like.
I've flirted with the though of the diamond rims, but I like the 10 inch diameter of the Tormek (all the diamand rims I have seen have been only 8 inches) and I've had very short life out of diamond flat stones (mosty DMT) so I"m leary of the life of a diamond rim band.
Unlike Terry, I get very good life out of the Tormek stone, but then I'm not in a production situation. Indeed, I've had my Tormek for about 5 years now and still don't need to replace mine. Given the life I've gotten from the Tormek stone, and the life I feel its added to my turning tools, I am not bothered with its cost at all (though I'm sure that if it came from almost anywhere but Sweden it could be offered for a whole lot less).
I have the smaller Tormek 1206 model and have found it a waz bit of kit, great for touching up the tools during turning sessions. All the jigs just make my life so much easier (I am ruddy awful at freehand grinding, (I have spent ages and ages trying to improve to no avail) I have learnt however that if I want a new profile on a gouge then I am not too proud to get an engineer friend to sort it for me or even pay for it to be reground. Trying to do that on the Tormek would use too much wheel and you had better pull up an armchair and a lot of coffee 'cos you are going to be there for so long its beyond belief.
So for me, I would not be (could not be) without my Tormek. The cost ... well ... (over here in the UK the 2006 is �289.96 thats about $520 based on �1 = $1.79) The expense of a replacement wheel is just part of the whole process.So I just grin and bear it.
>From posts in this group, the stones makde by the J.A. Pan company do wear faster than the Tormek stones. I like the 10" diameter of the Tormek and will replace mine when it get down to 8". Mine is currently about 9 3/4", but I plan on buying a "backup" at the next woodworking show in Feb or March. I look at the time it takes me to go through a dry grind wheel and the time it takes to go through the Tormek and the price isn't that outrageous. If you compare it to the blue norton that C.S. sells, there isn't that much difference.
>My Tormek and I have worked well for the past several years. I managed to get my hands on a Peter Child "pink" replacement stone about a year ago and am very satisfied with it. However, I was able to have Child ship it to me in Ireland and bring it home with me, or the shipping alone would have added 50% to the price. Next time out (unless I am in the UK or Ireland again when I need a new stone) I will simply go with the Tormek standard replacement stone.
As far as the machine goes, I have both the Tormek and the Wolverine jig on a slow-speed 8" grinder. I find that the combination of the two is wonderful, with the Wolverine for rough work and the Tormek for final sharpening and touch-up.
I am not a production turner and, as a result, the wheel last me a good long while (four to five years or so). The white 1" stones on the slow-speed grinder last about 1/2 as long and cost about 1/3 as much, so they are clearly cheaper, but they do different things and both do their respective jobs well. I expect to spend $100 on two white stones in the coming five years and $140 on one Tormek stone. Over the five years I envision, the cost differential is only seven bucks or so a year.
If I had to choose I suspect I would stay with the Tormek, but, fortunately I have a generous wife and Christmas has been good the past few years! Thus this is a choice I am not forced to make.
