Sharpening System

[Dale_O]

Has anyone every used or own this Koch system?

http://www.koch.de/en/html/body_grinding_systems.html

I am thinking about the HT 2000. I do use a Tormek now but I am considering offering a sharpening service for carvers in my area and would like to have the best system availible.
Is this one it?

Dale

[mdallensr]

Re:  Sharpening System

I'm not familiar with the system, but it looks interesting. I also have the Tormek and am sold on it, so I'm not likely to look to change. I don't see any fixtures or holders with the new system, and they're really the key to getting good results with the Tormek. I never knew how bad some of my tools were until I reshaped them and sharpened them with my Tormek. After that, I got after all of them and made my carving life a lot easier.

[Dale_O]

Re:  Sharpening System

I forgot to mention that you can see the Koch wheel being used at Nora Hall's site. www.norahall.com
It is listed under tools and supplies if I remember right. The Tormek is a great machine and I would still use it for grinding profiles and removing deep chips. The Koch system seems interesting though.

Dale

[woodenleg]

[Dale_O]

Re:  Sharpening System

The Tormek will take you from start to finish and leave a mirrored edge. If there is anyone in your area that sells the Tormek have them give you a demo. I am looking into the Koch system because it looks as if it will give you an edge quicker. I also like the idea of the tool remaing cool. Altough I have never got my tools hot using the Tormek either. If a decide to give this machine a try I will post back after giving it a fair trial time and see how it compares to using the Tormek.

Dale

[mdallensr]

Re:  Sharpening System

The Tormek has a 2-stage, low-speed grinding wheel, which can be changed from a medium to a fine grit with a special grading stone. You use this wheel and fixtures to shape the gouge, bringing the edge to a fine 'wire' burr. The other side is a leather strop charged with Tormek's honing compound, which will bring the gouge to a mirror finish. The neat feature is leaving the gouge in the fixture when you move from the grinding wheel to the strop, which keeps the bevel angle the same. I added a profiled leather wheel outboard to the leather strop, and it gets the inside surface of gouges, veiners and v-tools. It's a slick system, even if you don't need to re-shape your tools much. The leather strop, fixtures, and support rod, and the angle checker allow you to maintain a constant bevel and re-create the same angle later. I've worked on palm tools and full size carving tools, as well as regular chisels and plane irons. The whole system gets to be a lot of money, but it's supposed to last forever and over the years it works out to be pretty cheap for the job it does.

If I got into making knives as the Cap'n does, I'd make better use of the Tormek, since it's ideal for everything but the roughing. The 'line of light' that others have mentioned is a big part of the instruction and technique for sharpening with the Tormek. A good lamp and magnifier help with the process, as does the dreaded 'P' word, patience. When you use a slow-speed grinder, to avoid over-heating your tools, the going can be slow with a big gouge or chisel that needs a lot of work. The good news is that Woodcraft sells these machines, use them to sharpen tools on site, and are happy to give you a demonstration. My Woodcraft teaches a class on the Tormek a couple of times each year. I call it 'my' Woodcraft since I feel as though I've invested a fair amount of money in it.