Keeping your stone flat and round extends it's life considerably. (Photo courtesy of Tormek) Click image to enlarge

Tormek ADV-50D Diamond Truing Tool

Keeping It Round

Text and Photos by Tom Hintz

    The heart of the Tormek SuperGrind is the man made stone wheel, a unique blend of aluminum oxide granules in a ceramic binder. This low-speed grinding wheel is both effective and long lasting. You can extend the life of these characteristics by keeping it flat and round.
   Dips and grooves develop naturally while grinding tools. Their growth is slow but if left uncorrected will accelerate the wear of the stone and reduce the quality of the edges sharpened on it.
   As dips form in the surface of the stone, the angle of the tool changes slightly as it enters that part of the wheel, reducing the contact area with the stone. The smaller contact area concentrates the force you are

Tiny diamond chips actually do the cutting. They also last a long time. Click image to enlarge

applying on a very small area, increasing wear on the stone and the grinding effect on the tool. Each time that happens the dip is made a little worse and the wheel continues to go out of round at an increasing rate. Using the Tormek ADV-50D Diamond Truing Tool to keep the wheel flat and round keeps the rate of wear at its lowest, extending the life of the grinding wheel considerably.

Right Tool for the Job

   We hear this phrase all the time but when it comes to truing the grinding wheel, the Tormek ADV-50D is just that, the best tool for the job.
   Designed specifically for truing the Tormek stone, the ADV-50D mounts on the Universal Support bar to accurately flatten the stone across the width and true the circumference in one operation.
   The cutting tip of the Tormek ADV-50D has diamond chips imbedded, arranged in a column that reveals new chips as the old ones wear off. I'd like to tell you how long those chips last but so far, despite repeated

(Top) With high point of the stone at the Support bar, space it's bottom edge 3/8" above the stone. (Bottom) Using a common feeler gauge is an easy way to control how much material will be removed. Click image to enlarge

truing of my Tormek stone wheel, I have yet to notice any wear of the cutting tip on my Tormek ADV-50D . Suffice it to say the life span appears considerable at even abnormally high usage rates.

Set Up

   Install the Universal Support arm in the vertical mounting sleeves and lower it against the stone. Rotate the stone by hand and identify the highest point. Raise the Universal Support arm until it's lower edge is 3/8" above the stone and lock in place. Slide the Tormek ADV-50D assembly onto the Support arm, centering the stop bar on the stone. Turn the wheel by hand, to locate the high spot on the stone. Stop the stone with the high spot under the Tormek ADV-50D cutting tip and lock up the U shaped stop.   

The Tormek instruction manual specifies 0.6mm (0.024") as the maximum cutting depth. I have found that 0.4mm (0.016") is adequate to remove most defects, cuts easily and further extends the life of the stone. If the defect of the wheel were deeper than 0.4mm, I'd rather make two lighter cuts rather than try to true the wheel in one operation.

After making the chip-preventing cut on the right edge, I began the final cut from the right, applying just enough pressure to keep the cutter engaged. Click image to enlarge

   With the tip of the Tormek ADV-50D on the high spot of the stone, insert a 4mm (0.016") feeler gauge leaf between the cutter handle and the stop bar. With the feeler gauge in place, tighten the knobs on the stop bar. Remove the feeler gauge and the cutting tip will now remove 4mm (0.016") from the high point of the stone, less around the rest of the surface.

Making the Cut

   Make sure the water tank is full and the stone saturated before starting the cut. The water bath is necessary to flush debris from the stone while cutting. When you have finished truing the wheel, empty the tank and flush the cutting debris out of it before refilling with clean water.
   The Tormek instruction manual advises making the truing cut from both sides of the wheel to prevent

Using the rough side of the Grading Stone (Left) smoothes away the cutting marks and leaves a perfectly flat, true surface. (Right) Click images to enlarge

creating a thin edge near the completion of the cut that could break out, damaging the edge of the stone wheel. Cutting in 1/4" to 3/8" on the right side of the wheel is adequate to prevent chip-out. After making that short cut, move to the left side of the wheel to cut the rest of the surface.
   It is important to let the cutter work at it's own pace. Trying to force the cutter into or along the stone wheel can produce an uneven surface and could damage the wheel or cutter. Enough pressure to keep the cutting bar against the stop and the cutter engaged in the stone as it moves along the surface is all that is necessary. You should allow a full 2 minutes for each pass over the surface.
   After truing with the Tormek ADV-50D , there will be fine lines in the surface, left by the diamond chips. Use the coarse side of the SP-650 Grading Stone to smooth out those lines to complete truing the grinding stone.
   The Tormek ADV-50D Diamond Truing Tool is a "must-have" accessory for your Tormek SuperGrind that will pay dividends for years in longer grinding stone life and finer cutting edges. Like all of the Tormek jigs, the ADV-50D is built to last many years, making the cost-per-use very small.

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