Cradle for Water Pump used with Tormek T8 Sharpening Machine

I have a Tormek T8 sharpening machine and use it to sharpen a multitude of edge tools for the home and workshop. I have the three diamond wheels (coarse, fine and extra fine), the standard synthetic stone wheel and the Japanese polishing wheel, as well as a load of Tormek jigs for various tools. I love this machine, but there was one thing that was starting to bug me.

When I sharpen my wood carving tools, I want a flat bevel on them, which means I have to sharpen them on the side of the diamond wheels. The problem is that using the standard water trough, you can't raise it high enough to wet all of the diamonds on the side of the wheel. Only about half of them get wet and the rest stay dry. Well I've paid for all those diamonds and I damn well want to use all those diamonds, LOL. Since I have around 180 carving tools, I needed to find a solution. My preference would be for Tormek to produce a water tray specifically for use with the diamond wheels that solved this issue, but currently they don't make one.

Obviously, my solution needed to recycle the water in the trough and after much searching, I bought a micro USB rechargeable water pump from ND Tackle who produce equipment for anglers. This water pump would typically be used by throwing the filter containing ceramic glass beads into the river or lake (it comes with 9m of hose) and drawing water to keep the fish wet or mix up some bait. You can even get a shower attachment for the pump to have a cold shower if you are out in the wilderness for a few days. The pump comes with a spring clip (that I removed) to allow you to attach it to things and a male thread that allows it to be mounted on a bank stick. Neither of those fixing methods were any use to me, so I made this cradle out of some mahogany offcuts to hold the pump at approximately 50 degrees to the horizontal. The goose neck spout can then be angled as desired to direct the water onto the wheel where needed. As you can see in the photo below, all of the diamonds are now lubricated with water and I can sharpen anywhere on the side of the wheel. I did wonder if the pump would suck up the metal particles before the built-in magnet in the tray attracted them, but I haven't found this to be the case.

I fashioned a metal clip out of some aluminium strip to hold the filter and hose beneath the water in the trough so there is no chance they could touch the diamond wheels in use.

Using this system, you don't need to raise the water trough at all, so the wheel is not running through the water. The pump ensures the wheel is kept wet. You can even sharpen on the outside of the diamond wheel while the pump is in use, since the water finds it's way onto the edge of the wheel also. Obviously, I only use this system when sharpening tools that need a flat bevel, the rest of the time I use the outside of the wheel like everyone else.

Made using 100% hand tools.

Here is a short video showing the water pump in action:

Thanks for looking!