Tormek's TT-50: A Better Mousetrap?

James H. Atkinson was a British inventor who, in 1897, invented the classic snapping mousetrap that we are all familiar with that has the small flat wooden base and the spring-loaded wire trap. The "Little Nipper" slammed shut in 38,000th of a second and that record has never been beaten. This is the design that still prevails to date.

The U.S. Patent Office has issued over 4400 mousetrap patents, however, only about 20 of those ever made money, and the original still reigns king.

So what does the "Little Nipper" have to do with truing jigs?

Sometimes products come along that many times are simple in design yet so effective, surpassing it's ability is extremely difficult. Such a product is Tormek's ADV-50D Truing Tool. Not all users may immediately agree because the tool is very difficult to use as sold. It requires the user to push the diamond across the wheel using finger pressure, after which there's the need to use the stone grader to try to smooth out the rough spots.

Now, the action of wheel truing has been made much easier with the introduction of Tormek's TT-50 Truing Tool. But, before you rush to trade-in your ADV-50D on the new mousetrap, consider what you will lose with the TT-50.

Wheel Dress PRECISION

As in any wheel truing operation, on any grinder, the diamond dresser must have zero play (side-to-side and up/down movement) to insure you have an absolutely smooth wheel surface with no defects along the surface. This is where the ADV-50D will consistently out perform the TT-50 hands down. The incredible design of the ADV-50D keeps constant pressure between the diamond and the wheel with absolutely no play. It's only weakness was that it required being pushed by hand. Our Truing Tool Advancer (#TTA-1) was introduced in early 2006 and designed exclusively to address that. Since using the #TTA-1 and the ADV-50D together, users worldwide are now enjoying absolute truing perfection with the utmost comfort and ease. Having a perfectly dressed grinding wheel is a must for any sharpening professional, and the ADV-50D enhanced with the #TTA-1 delivers just that every time. This is the original mousetrap.

So what about the TT-50? It does exactly what it was designed to do: eliminate the hand feeding action of the diamond tool. And that is what it does. However, the TT-50 is a tool designed for convenience more than results, as the following excerpt from testing performed by an independent, 30 year Grinding Engineer at the Dana Corporation and avid Tormek user, indicates from his test results:
(reprinted with permission)

"...It is very disappointing to hear the contact noise fluctuate with the TT-50 knowing it is not making a straight cut and is moving up and down due to play in the TT-50’s components. The surface of the wheel was definitely not of the quality I am used to with my ADV-50D and the Truing Advancer. Using the TT-50 there were spots on the wheel where the tool marks from the diamond were very deep and spots where the tool marks almost disappeared. When the TT-50 “experimenting” was complete is was necessary to redress the wheel with the ADV-50D to get back to a perfectly straight and uniformly dressed wheel (like I am use to).
I attached three images of how I tested the TT-50 for play. I clamped one of my universal tool bars in a vice and attached the TT-50 as it would be if mounted on a Tormek. I then set up a magnetic base with indicator and 90° attachment. Side to side play of the diamond holder was .012” and vertical play was a whopping .018”. I now see why I was getting the oscillation in contact noise between the wheel and diamond since there is .018” vertical play between the TT-50’s components. Also, with .012” end play I know why the tool marks in the wheel were at irregular widths..."

Recently, the highly respected Tom Hintz of NewWoodworker.com reviewed the TT-50 and he makes a similar observation:
"I suspect that the small amount of vertical play along with an equally small amount of lateral play in the cutting tip holder contribute to vibrations heard and felt in some truing situations. The instructions packed with the Tormek TT-50 Truing Tool warn about these vibrations when moving the cutter too slowly across the stone. The differential between the slow feed rate the Tormek TT-50 Truing Tool was designed for and too slow is small but relatively easy to distinguish, primarily because of the vibration. It appears that turning the feed dials too slowly reduces the load on the cutter and allows it to vibrate. This vibration was especially noticeable when the cutter alternated from a full depth cut to a shallower one while truing a grinding wheel with even a minor out-of-round condition."

Just like the "Little Nipper", using Tormek's ADV-50D or Jet's DT-1 along with the #TTA-1 is one tough combination to beat. If you're greatest concerned is quality work for your craft or customers, then upgrading your present ADV-50D (or JET DT-1) with TallowTree's Truing Tool Advancer is a smart move.


Tormek's ADV-50D w/ TallowTree's #TTA-1 Advancer

Excerpt from NORTON ABRASIVES "Dressed For Success: Preparing grinding wheels to be at their cutting best" (pdf file) Located near bottom of page under "VIBRATION IS THE ENEMY"

"..steps to take in reducing vibration include being sure that the tool is tight in its holder and rigidly supported. Also, overhang should be kept to a minimum. A loosely held diamond tool will produce vibrations leading to chatter, gouging and tool damage. It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of properly truing and dressing grinding wheels. In fact, a wheel that is not trued and dressed well should not be allowed to touch a workpiece. The quality of a company’s finished products is at stake"

Read the entire review of the TT-50
by Tom Hintz of NewWoodworker.com LLC.