Tormek Retrofit Updates & Tips

This blog post captures updates regarding the retrofit for the tormek knife jig I design and manufacture. 

Oct. 25, 2025

Version 3 is here (CURRENTLY SHIPPING)! I manufactured 100 sets and am already down to less than 70 due to back orders... there are some great improvements:
Video overview

• Offset lower jaw by 1.5 mm, while this is great and works REALLY well for even bevels on most knives (~3mm thickness) we neglected to adjust the angle slightly to maintain a perfect fit in the jaw slot, next version we'll correct that - no performance impact though. 
• Manufactured grove for o-ring.
• Added a 6mm machined nut at the end of the shaft to allow tightening.
• The knob now has a thumb cup - as requested by several customers. 
• A few customers have complained about play even with the o-ring - I now have a solution add a locking nut behind the knob to secure the position and remove any play - this works REALLY well - v4 will have a pretty version, for now I'm including an M8 1.5 nut, and have a couple of other temporary solutions I'll be shipping once they arrive. Here's a video that shows this solution.
  

May 09, 2025

• All retrofits currently ship with the friction ring mod. 
• For v. 3 I am trying to identify a new manufacturer - no success yet, finding a short-run, high quality, affordable, manufacturer in the US is nearly impossible  - unfortunately, current tariffs will make this product unaffordable based on my current relationships. I have roughly 25 v. 2 left to sell. 

Feb. 05, 2025

A few customers have expressed concern about the free spinning knob. I understand the concern and have come up with a solution. I'm milling a groove in the shaft and have identified an o-ring that fits perfectly to add friction so the knob will not free-spin. I'm very pleased with how this is working and all new orders will ship with this enhancement; which I believe is a significant step forward. 

V3 Updates (Fall 2025)
I've also been working with my engineer on the design for a few other enhancements for V3 of the jig:

1. Adding the grove for the friction gasket to the shaft (so I don't have to machine it post-produciton)
2. Adding a cutout for a thumb slot to the knob (customer request)
3. Adding a nut end to the shaft so it can be tightened with a wrench.
4. Bumping the lower jaw away from the axis to reduce centering issue, a 3mm thick blade will be perfectly centered. 

V2 Updates (Spring 2025)
I have a production run (50 sets) of V2 that has two major enhancements:

1. Added a slot to the jaw attachment to allow it to spread into the available space in the jaw of the jig when the screw is tightened, this guarantees a tight fit regardless of any variation in Tormek's manufacturing process (which some customers have reported).
2. Made the width of the stem consistent to allow consistent positioning on the tool-rest on smaller knives. 
3. The threads extend further down the shaft by 10mm allowing for even larger knives to be accommodated without changes to the tool-rest height, now works with blades from 1/2 inch up to about 3.5 inches (most kitchen knives). 

Version 1 is the original design, version 2 is currently for sale.

Setup Tips

1. Use lock-tite (blue or red) on the threads for the shaft and jaw assembly.
   
2. It is not recommended to remove the jaw pieces after installation they are made to form to the jaw and it can be difficult to remove them without bending them.
3. A drop of oil on the friction ring will make it smooth as butter... 
   
4. I ship an extra o-ring in the bag - don't lose it, it's a very specific ring. 
5. Assembly Video: