After turning on my Harbor Freight 1 x 30 sander and having parts come out of one of the wheels, I'm back to hand sharpening everything. I've made a few realizations since then, and I'm going to share them. These apply mostly to the average knife user, not a knifenut, with regard to blade shape, steel, sharpening, etc.
1. I like choil notches for ease of sharpening. Just a little notch like on my dads old Parker Cutlery trapper makes sharpening a little easier and has not had any detrimental effects on cutting.
2. Large blades should be soft enough to be filed. This applies to machetes, and generally blades 9 inches and over which will see rough use/abuse. Chef's knives are usually ground thin enough that this is not an issue and dont take damage from normal use. If one has a belt sander, then this does not apply, but most people dont. It takes a lot of time to sharpen a large knife after a day of chopping/brush clearing. Of course, harder steels dull more slowly and dent less. This is just a matter of time spent, and I dont have the desire to spend an entire afternoon sharpening a large blade. If you do, have at it.
3. Recurves are out, unless its shallow enough to use on a regular bench stone. I've used a Benchmade 710, Cold Steel Kukri Machete, and Kershaw Vapor 2 and have found no discernable advantage for my uses, so no more recurves as users. Kukri curves are very shallow, and usually can be done with a flat file, but its a case by case basis. Kukris feel a little odd for me anyway.
4. Microbevels are a real time saver when you have a hard steel and want a super sharp edge. Microbevels save a lot of time and wear and tear when it comes to final finishing.
5. Thinner bevels cut better, but they can take a long time to put on by hand, so I've switched over to 22 degrees per side for the kitchen knives. This also saves on damage when they get put in the dishwasher (not by me). My EDC (Parker Cutlery Trapper) has one blade at 12 deg/side and the other at 17 deg/side. These are small and thin enough to maintain by hand, and they dont see the kind of damage the kitchen knives do.
6. Some help with angle control is a huge benefit. I can get a hair whittling edge holding the stone in one hand and the knife in the other and then doing the same with a strop, but I can do it faster and easier if I use my stone angle holders or the Sharpmaker.
7. No more serrated knives. My uses dont give them an advantage, and sharpening them, even with a Sharpmaker, is frustrating and time consuming. I can do it, but what's the point if they dont offer an advantage.
8. After trying a lot of different techniques and gear, its just easier and less frustrating to keep things simple. Straight, plain edges with appropriate steel and edge thickness, and as simple as possible sharpening gear. I may get a new sander next week, but I'll probably stick to this as much as possible.
1. I like choil notches for ease of sharpening. Just a little notch like on my dads old Parker Cutlery trapper makes sharpening a little easier and has not had any detrimental effects on cutting.
2. Large blades should be soft enough to be filed. This applies to machetes, and generally blades 9 inches and over which will see rough use/abuse. Chef's knives are usually ground thin enough that this is not an issue and dont take damage from normal use. If one has a belt sander, then this does not apply, but most people dont. It takes a lot of time to sharpen a large knife after a day of chopping/brush clearing. Of course, harder steels dull more slowly and dent less. This is just a matter of time spent, and I dont have the desire to spend an entire afternoon sharpening a large blade. If you do, have at it.
3. Recurves are out, unless its shallow enough to use on a regular bench stone. I've used a Benchmade 710, Cold Steel Kukri Machete, and Kershaw Vapor 2 and have found no discernable advantage for my uses, so no more recurves as users. Kukri curves are very shallow, and usually can be done with a flat file, but its a case by case basis. Kukris feel a little odd for me anyway.
4. Microbevels are a real time saver when you have a hard steel and want a super sharp edge. Microbevels save a lot of time and wear and tear when it comes to final finishing.
5. Thinner bevels cut better, but they can take a long time to put on by hand, so I've switched over to 22 degrees per side for the kitchen knives. This also saves on damage when they get put in the dishwasher (not by me). My EDC (Parker Cutlery Trapper) has one blade at 12 deg/side and the other at 17 deg/side. These are small and thin enough to maintain by hand, and they dont see the kind of damage the kitchen knives do.
6. Some help with angle control is a huge benefit. I can get a hair whittling edge holding the stone in one hand and the knife in the other and then doing the same with a strop, but I can do it faster and easier if I use my stone angle holders or the Sharpmaker.
7. No more serrated knives. My uses dont give them an advantage, and sharpening them, even with a Sharpmaker, is frustrating and time consuming. I can do it, but what's the point if they dont offer an advantage.
8. After trying a lot of different techniques and gear, its just easier and less frustrating to keep things simple. Straight, plain edges with appropriate steel and edge thickness, and as simple as possible sharpening gear. I may get a new sander next week, but I'll probably stick to this as much as possible.
