Commercial Knife Sharpening Business...need suggestions!!

C

Cookin808

Joined
May 4, 2008
Messages
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Hello..this is my first post and I am really looking forward to getting some great advice from the members here. I currently live in Hawaii and work in the culinary industry. I am interested in starting up a mobile knife sharpening system here as there is none servicing the restaurants and hotels on the island. I am very familiar with traditional knife sharpening techniques using a 3 sided whetstone and steel but am unfamiliar with what is out there in terms of belt driven grinders/sharpeners. I am wanting to get as much information on this topic as well as pick the brains of all the knife enthusiasts out there. Is there any one systems that people prefer or is the traditional techniques still the way to go. All advice on this subject is greatly appreciated.

Aloha...Cookin808
 
You are going to want to get yourself a 2x72 grinder, 2x72 is the belt size in inches. the most amount of different grits are available for that size than any other belt. You will be changing often, you will only need a 1HP version, the KMG would be the best option and would pay for itself quite quickly. Many up and running businesses talk cash, cheaper the better you will never make your money spending half an hour to an hour hand sharpening a blade, when it would take less than 5 minutes to put a razor polished stropped edge on a blade with a grinder.
 
check out the cardboard wheels if you plan on sharpening a lot of knives. i have a link at my website. you can average 30 knives in about 45 minutes or less depending on how bad the edge is to begin with. forum members can get them at a discount through me.
 
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richard j said:
check out the cardboard wheels if you plan on sharpening a lot of knives. i have a link at my website. you can average 30 knives in about 45 minutes or less depending on how bad the edge is to begin with. forum members can get them at a discount through me.
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Best solution for commercial sharpening.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
be sure to practice on some crap knives first using a power sander can ruin a knife in the blink of an eye. good luck
 
the best thing i found when learning how to use the wheels were old hack saw blades. when i could go all the way around the end and have it shaving sharp then i would switch over to a cheap kitchen knife. i have been sharpening knives with the wheels going on 17 years and i wouldnt trade them for anything. there is a wax supplied to coat the abrasive wheel that helps prevent heat buildup and it works very well.
 
I use an EdgePro Pro with a 1*30 belt grinder for backup,but I can only do 50-60 knives a day,gets a great edge going.My business is part time so I can afford to go slow.For full time you will have to see what fits better in a van . You will probably need some kind of combination of belt,stone and paper grinders leaving the Pro for quality customers. I use the Edge Pro in the kitchens, great for customer relations, Good Luck
 
I visited my local power tool store to inquire about what would work best for this business venture and they recommended investigating the Delta Sharpening Center that uses a horizontal rotary wet stone at a 1000 grit rating. Any thoughts on this piece of equipment. I believe it is used primarily for sharpening shaving tools for wood working. Thanks for all the suggestions so far.
 
I have seen people using the Tormek and large F.Dick machines either will work well but you will also need a belt sander +a large van+a power supply as these are heavy and need room to work with,
 
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