Finally got some balsa wood. Now I just need to add the compound.

Squashfan said:
Don't think I am losing interest because I am not posting frequently. I just don't have time to type up replies.
Ok, thanks for the help and I appreciate your honesty with me. It is my turn to be honest with you. When I first started sharpening, the angles I heard where 40 degrees inclusive so I just kind of stuck to it. I am curious why you settled on around 30 inclusive. Wouldn't that quite a bit trade edge holding for sharpness? Or does it cut longer because of the lower angle? I think I am going to start an thread asking what angles the sharpeners on here use, just out of curiosity.
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Trial and error I found broader edges didn't seem to last any longer, and they just didn't cut as well in my experience. When I started lowering the angles on my machetes and hatchets and they didn't chip, roll, deform etc at 30 that was enough testing for me. You'll have to see what the answers are and how many folks made their edges larger than that for durability reasons (more acute were actually failing vs doing it based on prevailing wisdom). Most freehand sharpeners from what I can tell, seem to have settled on a more acute edge. In all reality one should use the most acute edge possible for a given steel and task. Until it becomes a problem, it will only improve performance - very easy to make an edge a tiny bit more obtuse.
 
HeavyHanded said:
Trial and error I found broader edges didn't seem to last any longer, and they just didn't cut as well in my experience. When I started lowering the angles on my machetes and hatchets and they didn't chip, roll, deform etc at 30 that was enough testing for me. You'll have to see what the answers are and how many folks made their edges larger than that for durability reasons (more acute were actually failing vs doing it based on prevailing wisdom). Most freehand sharpeners from what I can tell, seem to have settled on a more acute edge. In all reality one should use the most acute edge possible for a given steel and task. Until it becomes a problem, it will only improve performance - very easy to make an edge a tiny bit more obtuse.
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What you said is true. It just hit me, if the steel fails to preform well with a 30 degree inclusive angle, I could just add a microbevel at 40 degrees inclusive.

I made, or maybe I should say prototyped, a angle block last night and I have one more question. (Man, I am starting to sound like Columbo.) When you are checking the angle, where do you put the knife in relation to the block? I would think the bevel needs to go where the lines start. Thanks a bunch for the idea, Martin.
 
Squashfan said:
What you said is true. It just hit me, if the steel fails to preform well with a 30 degree inclusive angle, I could just add a microbevel at 40 degrees inclusive.

I made, or maybe I should say prototyped, a angle block last night and I have one more question. (Man, I am starting to sound like Columbo.) When you are checking the angle, where do you put the knife in relation to the block? I would think the bevel needs to go where the lines start. Thanks a bunch for the idea, Martin.
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Keep those questions coming!
Normally I use it just like the picture, ID the bevel angle on the stone and carefully move it off the end of the stone and down to the base where the lines converge - sight along the spine and you've got a good idea. Can also just move the edge on the board and see where it starts to catch and that will also give you an idea but is dependent on the edge being reasonably sharp. Its just something to check against, not intended as a "guide".
 
I think I may get it. You place the knife on the edge of the block so that you can draw an (imaginary) line off of the block through the spine. Is that correct? I was trying to visualize placing the knife in front of the block, not on top of it.
 
Squashfan said:
I think I may get it. You place the knife on the edge of the block so that you can draw an (imaginary) line off of the block through the spine. Is that correct? I was trying to visualize placing the knife in front of the block, not on top of it.
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That's it. There's a margin of error as you move the tool from stone to block, that's why I try to make the edge at or a bit lower than my marked angle. Even with a bit of freehand convexing it should fall within the target angle.


Martin
 
On my prototype block, I put the lines end point at the corners and I discovered last night that I can't quite get the knife in the right place because I run out of block. Well, I am glad it was just the prototype.
 
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