For those of you who have them…does the Tormek accomplish the same lower angle the Low Angle Adapter does?
Josh has the Tormek jig mounted in the LAA. Crazy low angle!
Wicked Edge (WEPS) at the lowest possible angle:
http://youtu.be/rkMAo2eztpY
[quote quote=“KnifeKnerdAtX” post=21781]Josh has the Tormek jig mounted in the LAA. Crazy low angle!
Wicked Edge (WEPS) at the lowest possible angle:
http://youtu.be/rkMAo2eztpY[/quote]
Yea…I’ve seen that. I was wondering…one or the other.
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Well ups finally delivered my canceled order of both. And my reorder of both… so now I have 2 of each.
Josh is using the Tormek SVM-00, which is technically a ‘small knife holder’ The longer the blade, the trickier that guy is for low angles because more and more flex get’s introduced because you’re holding it by the handle (true whether using it on either Tormek or WE). So that jig has it’s limitations.
Ideally you’d want both, but the WE LAA would come first, then pick up the Tormek.
and…
The Tormek jig is trickier to clamp up the knife. The Tormek jig can definitely get much better angles.
The Tormek jig is not meant for longer blades as the flex introduced will compound (handle design, clamping pressure, blade length, blade flexibility)
It has it’s place though, just secondary to the LAA, imo.
While the tomek is technically a small knife holder, I have used mine for a spyderco endura and a para 2 with excellent results in part because there is no issue of dealing with the issues of clamping a FFG while attempting a low angle.
What I did is make a vertical mark on the top clamp of the tormek, then align the blade to it. Easy & repeatable. B)
What Montana says is also true, the tormek does “flex” around a bit and I find myself sharpening 1 handed(especially the tip are).
Also I believe the flex could be greatly reduced simple by replacing the current straight bar with something a little stiffer. Easy mod.
Finally I think the #1 thing(besides low angles) that sold me on this arrangement(LAA + Tormek), with longer rods, is that the ARC is larger…This means a larger sweet spot matching the blade profile better and allowing for a uniform edge bevel… :huh:
It is nice to know about other variables when used as a combination.
Could someone answer OP’s original question first?
I am also interested as pertain to individual stand alone use comparison!
TIA!
Well, he asked two questions on two separate posts and both were answered., and the post title was considered too.
Q. “For those of you who have them…does the Tormek accomplish the same lower angle the Low Angle Adapter does?”
Answered “The Tormek jig can definitely get much better angles.”
Q. “I was wondering…one or the other.”
Answered "Ideally you’d want both, but the WE LAA would come first, then pick up the Tormek.
It is not really a yes/no answer, thus the wandering detailed answers.
If someone is trying to pick between one of these tools to add to their toolbox, you can’t just say the Tormek jig gets lower angles and leave it at that, because the Tormek jig has limitations that make it impractical to try to use it for a super low angle on the WE or the Tormek. For instance, an average sized thin flexible fillet knife would be miserable using the Tormek small knife jig.
So, we get the wordy answers trying to help a guy get the big picture… and sometimes the answer gets buried in the mix.
Speaking of wordy: the answer to the original question is “the Tormek jig can definitely get much better angles” (than the LAA) and that hasn’t changed.
apples and oranges though.
and in case what you are saying is that you want someone to compare the systems:
the Tormek small knife jig used on the Tormek
against
the LAA used on the WE:
The Tormek small knife jig used on a Tormek will win for low angle capability.
Won’t be as refined an edge as a WE edge.
I am having problem opening your underlined comparisons.
And appreciated you taking the time for the replies!
Sorry about that… here you go with no underlines. Let me know if I am on the right track with what you’re asking.
and in case what you are saying is that you want someone to compare the systems:
the Tormek small knife jig used on the Tormek
against
the LAA used on the WE:
The Tormek small knife jig used on a Tormek will win for low angle capability.
Won’t be as refined an edge as a WE edge.
[quote quote=“MontanaEdge” post=21801]and in case what you are saying is that you want someone to compare the systems:
the Tormek small knife jig used on the Tormek
against the LAA used on the WE:
The Tormek small knife jig used on a Tormek will win for low angle capability.
Won’t be as refined an edge as a WE edge.[/quote]
It seems to me like what people are wanting to know is what can get lower angles when used w/ the Wicked Edge, the tormek jig or the LAA. I personally have not tested them side by side, but I agree with you that the Tormek jig does have its limitations w/ longer bladed knives. It is more of a solution for smaller bladed knives say 4" or less. The LAA also has limitations if you are wanting to do small pocket knives w/ thin blades, like the SAK. you also can only put the knife to the limited depth, nothing like the original vise. so tilting the knife in the LAA is pretty much out of the question.
So my answer would be to ask what kind of knives will they be needing to use this on? then we can give the best advise 
[quote]It seems to me like what people are wanting to know is what can get lower angles when used w/ the Wicked Edge, the tormek jig or the LAA[/quote]
That’s how I took it too.
Bravo!
I bought the Tormek not really interested on how acute an angle I can get but rather, using it for small knives. Especially for a few with FFGs and a few shorter than 3" lg x 3/4" blade width.
Since OP’s question also pertains to me, it is also good for me to have the resource and understand the limitations from experts here on the forum.
TIA!
Here’s another one! Do you need extended arms to use the WEPS LAA with the upgraded arms and riser? I was thinking with the extra height from the riser and the LAA…you will need em
Hey sorry if I offended, you’re not getting any guff from me victorf !- input from others here is what we’re all after. The written word can be a fickle beast me thinks :blink:
I love both my Tormek and WE and they have their place, but if I can get a small knife to work on the small knife jig clamped into the WE - that’s where the game ends.
I even scabbed together a temporary WE setup so that I could do Ulus on it, and another temporary setup to successfully but a WE edge on a Fiskar hatchet (crazy crazy sharp) - when I get time that one will be redone as a permanent jig. If I can figure out a way to strap it into the WE- that’s where it goes.
I’ve done everything on the LAA with Gen.2 arms. so I’m not sure beyond that. But one of these days I’ll make extended arms for better travel. Since you’re trying to get a feel for the LAA, let me drift a bit please…
The one thing I learned (through fire) about the LAA is that you expose knives to scratching of the primary bevel if you bring the top of the stone too low (below the plane of the secondary edge) and by accident brush it against the primary or thinned part of the blade… this can’t happen with the normal vice, only the LAA vice. It happened once and I threw a full-on brush fit when I finished the job and noticed the scratches and realized what had happened… had to start all over by first polishing out all the scratches and than redoing the edge. Luckily this particular custom knife was screaming for a nice 100% polished blade.
What I do now when using the LAA is slide one plastic bushing down each arm, sometimes two bushings depending on the knife, then slide on the stones. The bushings act as stoppers so that stones can’t go too low on the arms. They’re my failsafe.
With the bushings in place it is impossible to lower the handles too far and scratch the blades in the primary area.
I suppose maybe this has already been thought up and is buried in a previous post somewhere - not sure.
Hear’s a pic of two bushings slid down as stoppers for a taller knife
.
Attachments:
Iwaller, I use the 12in rods and it’s a good fit for me, but I’m also using an extra riser as well…
Here’s a couple photos with measurements. You should be able to determine for yourself with this but keep in mind the extra inch I’ve added at the bottom with the double riser:
Attachments:
Montana you aint the only one brother! I may have seen it mentioned before, but it bares repeating as you have that the longer rods and higher you go, the stones CAN scratch down the face without a bushing or travel stop of some sort in place at the bottom like you’ve shown!
Its now the FIRST thing I do when clamping a new knife, even before I set the angle is make sure the paddles wont slide down to far! Great tip!!!