Thank you for your response. I'm trying to figure out why you would clamp a knife in the scissors attachment. I KNOW there must be a very good reason. I'm taking a guess here, but is it because of the angle?
Is it true that a serrated knife is only sharpened from one side? While I'm at it, do the scissors sit at 90 degrees (square) to the table when clamped in place? The pics I've seen seem to indicate otherwise. Does the scissors fixture have a fixed angle in relationship to the plate?
There are many ways to sharpen a serrated knife. You can just sharpen the flat side with a stone and knock the burr off the other side with a felt pad, leather wheels, wire wheel on a grinder, etc.
Eventually though if you don't sharpen the serrations and just sharpening the flat side the serrations will disappear. This is covered in that link I gave you. Have you read it?
Yes, clamping a knife into the scissors attachment allows you to control the angle. You can change the scissors attachment angle in relationship to the bed by tilting it as well as change the stones angle by raising the pivot arm.
By the way, great idea with that wooden dowel thingie. What grits do you use?
I use different grits depending on how dull or damaged the knife is just like when using stones or sandpaper freehand. My serrated knives are bread knives and don't usually get damaged or very dull for that matter. To keep them razor sharp so they don't make crumbs I usually just touch them up with 1200 on the serrated side and remove the burr free hand on the flat side with the same grit or a fine stone of about the same grit just to avoid additional set up.
Ben Dale of EP says just sharpen the flat side at a slightly higher angle the flat. This works but like I said eventually you loose the serrations. This would probably take a life time for me but this is the way I do it.
On another note, I was a surface grinder in a tool and die shop for many years (retired now, no jobs available, am now a teacher). I had 320 grit norton stone on my machine for years. Whenever it developed a pocket from wear, I'd slap it up on the machine and take off a couple thousandths of an inch with a 220 grit diamond wheel (I normally used these 7 dia x 1/4 wide wheels to grind carbide). Amazing how flat and how sharp that stone got. The actual process took about 30 seconds. Big difference in how well it could cut steel after "dressing" it. And talk about FLAT. But then again, for knife sharpening, there's no need for absolutely flat stones, at least not to that same degree of flatness. Sure do miss that surface grinder, not to mention the other equipment in that shop. I would have made an edge pro if I'd seen a picture. The machining would be a piece of cake compared to most of the stuff we made in that place. But oh well, those days are gone. Once upon a time, I could make things, but now I get to buy them. Oh well, such is life.
You are probably correct about not needing to be as flat as a surface grinding wheel, but I sharpen free hand too with Japanese water stones. Those, and the stones on the EP, need to be pretty flat. By the way the stones on the EP are water stones too. With my Shapton Glass stones I mark the stones with a pencil and cross hatch grid marks, I final lap them to each other untill all the marks are gone and they are probably flat to less then .001". I also have a set of Norton water stones for free hand that need flattening periodically.
I lap other stones and the EP stones on a DMT diamond plate, but that cost about $80 and to save money, I was recommending you get some carborundum grit or silicon dioxide grit from Ben Dale with the EP to lap them and keep them flat.
But back to my dilemma, I still have to make a decision here. Guess I wish there wasn't such a huge difference between the cost of an apex and the pro with the scissors attachment. Wish the attachment could be mounted to the apex. Wonder if anyone has ever done so? Thanx for putting up with my ramblings...
I don't think the scissors attachment would mount easily on the Apex. The base of the Pro is a little stronger and more stable as well to carry the attachment. You could always get the pro without the attachment and get it later if you wanted to.
There isn't much difference between the two. The pro is a little more stable and adjustable for better ergonomics as to angle on the bench or table. The stone holder has a slightly better (faster) quick release on the Pro as well. Otherwise they both get the same job done. The Apex packs a little smaller and is lighter.
I don't think you would go wrong with either one and like someone said you probably don't need the scissors attachment. You will get good results with either one.
If you are like me though you will want to try them all. I have a set of Norton stones, Shapton glass stones, some DMT's, two belt grinders (with micron belts, leather belts with different compounds on them, as well as a bare leather belt). a Hand American leather bench strop with metal base, a couple of leather field strops on paint sticks that I carry in my pack with some sheets of wet or dry sand paper, and the EP.
Gary
I also recommend you get at least 2 of the 120grit stones and the grit Ben sells to level the stones. I have the Apex model and it's sturdy. I've not had any problems with leveling or sliding around. I just built a base for it and now leave it in my room. You can't go wrong with either Apex or Pro versions. Save up those nickels and get one. I think you'll be happy.