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Another Shepherd

Another Shepherd

Joined
Aug 9, 2021
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I am more likely to cut myself while sharpening a knife than while using it. That's partly because when you get as old as I am, your senses get dull, including your internal senses that tell you where your body parts are. It's also because I get distracted a lot by the cats, dogs, sheep, wife, phone spam, and so on.

So I've got a naked edge clamped in a sharpening device, exposed to any passing body parts or other creatures, ready to draw blood in a fraction of a second. I don't want to take the blade out of the clamp because it would be a nuisance to get it back in just right. So I would like to cover up that edge by something that would prevent it from doing any damage. The cover also needs not to fall off, especially when the cat is rubbing his head on it. The photos show all I could come up with just now. I need better ideas.

Naked Edge.jpg

Feeble attempt at protective covering:

Publix.jpg
 
I might use a piece of rubber hose, split along the length and pressed on over the entire length of the knife. But I already have lots of different sizes of hose (mostly fuel and air line hose for motorcycles), so that would be easy for me.

But it actually looks like you've got a good solution already. I'd just move the big clip over to cover the blade tip instead of using the smaller clip.
 
I used to be pretty paranoid about slicing open my hand, wrist or forearm, when I was still using guided systems (Lansky, Gatco & DMT Aligner) on a countertop. I probably nicked my fingers/knuckles at times (I don't remember), and minimal harm done there. But I was really aware of the risk to my forearm or wrist if or when I would reach past, over or near the clamped blade tip to grab something or whatever. At some point, I made sure anything else I might need to reach for was well away from the clamped blade and NOT behind it. I'd also drape a dish towel or something similar over the rig if I was taking a break and tidying up around the sharpener. Just the visibility of that was enough to make me aware and be careful. If the blade tip is uncovered and the edge is facing you, you're essentially only presented with the thin cross-section of the edge in your field of vision, and it can become almost invisible if you shift your focus (visually and mentally) to some other distraction around or behind the blade. That's when it can bite you before you know what hit you.
 
I like that clip idea.

At work, I refer that as passive guiding.
It's not going to protect you if you bang into it, but it draws your attention to it, so your brain is aware of it.... To Me, that makes it better.


I once had a rotating shaft that would of required a complicated, expensive custom guard... It was in a private non public, restricted area.... I attached a rubber ducky to it..... Everyone saw it. Everyone complained about it....until I reaffirmed that Everyone saw it... It was out of the ordinary, stood out. Unexpected. Your brain notices things out of pattern.

Better than guarding. In a psychological way.
 
killgar said:
I'd just move the big clip over to cover the blade tip instead of using the smaller clip.
Click to expand...
I tried that, but then the big clip would rotate easily. It takes some fiddling to get the big clip into a position where the cat will not knock it off immediately.
 
Crag the Brewer said:
It's not going to protect you if you bang into it, but it draws your attention to it, so your brain is aware of it.... To Me, that makes it better.
Click to expand...
True, except the clip attracts the cat.

Crag the Brewer said:
I once had a rotating shaft that would of required a complicated, expensive custom guard... It was in a private non public, restricted area.... I attached a rubber ducky to it..... Everyone saw it. Everyone complained about it....until I reaffirmed that Everyone saw it... It was out of the ordinary, stood out. Unexpected. Your brain notices things out of pattern.
Click to expand...
The cat would probably try to kill a rubber ducky.
 
Guy McVer said:
I picked up this tip online somewhere. I use a plastic paper keeper as a hand saw guard. I bought a pack of them online and trimmed a couple down to the length of my saw.


The rubber host Idea is probably better because you can contour a hose to a curved knife edge. You could also use this: https://www.instructables.com/Hand-Saw-Guards/
Click to expand...
The plastic report binders are an interesting idea. I will look into that, and see what the hardware store has in the way of hoses and conduits.
 
Nice solution! I once cut the sh*t out of myself on a clamped cleaver. Even if you have decent muscle memory, the muscles aren't used to a clamped blade that's 8" wide!
 
I found these at the Kershaw factory sale a few years ago.
ADCreHepZsyMImCV9216ANi41Q4Uj3FjL_K-0TovSH3zBfUlM8bPK0amBli-9zrwpXBcwGB1WKlU1pJCpgpiDPmohYlYECl73JSIRLQvrXhBWH92DDiCKQGz6Q4YM6U5YSbgyBwn5fQhiJs1uxVgrOswzTSq=w400-h890-s-no
ADCreHcxFk0_VqRSXKT77kDpXmzVv5-f24Emn5q8Nj92_dzFHafI_tpDf0bcmCPxOmJ1ALjzHavP-uCzf8ShH04tjxKA5sZeYVIZCYnWzK9VAmNVediYRTp9KjX58JyH-J7b_d7jZWYsqqPNHf7WLOrEXrTQ=w400-h890-s-no

I see they have something similar on the Shun, and KIA housewares section of their website, but the current version comes with a strap. You might could slip one over the edge of your blade when it is in the clamps, the strap would make it more secure. Although mine have a decent grip on the blade without the strap. They are easy to put on and take off, but will not fall of on their own. That is a 10 inch chefs knife in the second picture.

O.B.
 
"Where shopping is a pleasure..."

How about covering the entire assembly with a milk crate? Seems like it would easily fit.

Otherwise, isolate it somehow from suicide cat. Put it on a high shelf? Inside a cabinet? Close the door to your sharpening area?

Brian.
 
Another Shepherd said:
I am more likely to cut myself while sharpening a knife than while using it. That's partly because when you get as old as I am, your senses get dull, including your internal senses that tell you where your body parts are. It's also because I get distracted a lot by the cats, dogs, sheep, wife, phone spam, and so on.

So I've got a naked edge clamped in a sharpening device, exposed to any passing body parts or other creatures, ready to draw blood in a fraction of a second. I don't want to take the blade out of the clamp because it would be a nuisance to get it back in just right. So I would like to cover up that edge by something that would prevent it from doing any damage. The cover also needs not to fall off, especially when the cat is rubbing his head on it. The photos show all I could come up with just now. I need better ideas.

View attachment 2402485

Feeble attempt at protective covering:

View attachment 2402486
Click to expand...
Move whole setup in safe space ?
 
bgentry said:
How about covering the entire assembly with a milk crate? Seems like it would easily fit.
Click to expand...

The simplest ideas are often the best. I like this but I see two problems. Cat paws fit through holes, and the hard plastic can be bumped into the knife edge which would damage it.

How about a humble cardboard box instead? They come in all sizes and they're free at most stores. Just ask and they'll let you have as many as you want as long they haven't crushed them yet. You can even get those wax coated boxes from the produce section of a grocery store (for extra durability).
 
Guy McVer said:
and the hard plastic can be bumped into the knife edge which would damage it.
Click to expand...
Hmmm,...??? .... huh..... 🤔
I heard somewhere (probably from someone in a pub) those $1 store plastic boxes could be up to 62HRc or higher..... a serious threat to knives edges. 🙄
 
TheOne45 said:
Hmmm,...??? .... huh..... 🤔
I heard somewhere (probably from someone in a pub) those $1 store plastic boxes could be up to 62HRc or higher..... a serious threat to knifes edge. 🙄
Click to expand...
Not so much the hardness of the plastic crate, but the angle that you're hitting it at. Think of it this way: running an edge along a stone at the proper angle = sharpening, but running an edge along a stone perpendicularly (90 degrees) = dulling it. If you impact an edge straight on or roughly straight then you'll do some damage in that spot and you'll have spend more time sharpening it in order to fix it. It also depends on the edge geometry. a 40-50 degree edge (20-25 degrees per side) will hold up to an impact better than a 28 degree edge (14 degrees per side). The wider edge angle will also handle lateral (sideways) twisting forces better.
 
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