Looking for best tutorials/tips to help with learning freehand sharpening

[maximus83]

Ok, so I have a Sharpmaker that works well, and thanks to advice from the forum, I ordered a DMT coarse/extra-course 10" stone for aggressive cutting/reprofiling blades that need it before finishing on the Sharpmaker. Also ordered a 2-sided leather strop to use. Finally, for field sharpening I also got a DMT Fine 2" x 3" flat pocket stone. So I think I have the tools to create awesome edges for now (I want to sharpen by hand, it's a conscious choice at this point although I have no problem with more elaborate "systems" like Edge Pro, Wicked Edge, or even belt sanders, etc).

Here are the things I really want to know about freehand sharpening:

1. What are the best "getting started" tutorials out there? I know there are a ton of Youtube videos and stuff out there, but not all advice is equal quality. What I especially need is just basic tutorials on techniques for freehand sharpening, tips for keeping the blade at the same angle while learning, stuff like that. If there is a consensus as to what are the best, most authoritative guides to freehand sharpening, or certain folks on the forum I should just contact directly, or a certain book I should read that's better than all the rest, this is what I want to find out.

2. When starting with freehand, what are good ways to keep my angles consistent? I've seen the idea of taping a coin to your blade. I've also seen the idea of just lining up the bench stones against the rods on my Sharpmaker (this latter tip may not work for me, as I got pretty large DMT bench stones, and anyway, this won't help for sharpening with the 2"x3" field sharpener). I can also imagine making my own custom "jigs" (for a specified angle and a specific blade) to help me hold a specific angle, but that sounds like a pain. Are there similar or better tips for holding a steady angle, until I can truly do it 100% freehand?

 

[richard j]

when i used to freehand sharpen i would use my fingers as a guide to hold my angle and all it took was practice. heavyhanded would be a good person to talk to about freehand sharpening or david martin and both members are on the foum. you can do a search for steve bortoff and check him out. i could give you some tips but its a lot easier for me to talk rather than type. send me an email. rje196021@gmail.com

 

[bgentry]

I'm not a great freehand sharpener, but I'm improving. For a tutorial on basic sharpening, I like Chad Ward's Tutorial. It's long but it's good and teaches the basics: Angle, Abrasive, and Burr. All sharpening comes back to the basics.

Another good one, and shorter, is Steve Bottorff's book/tutorial. I got something from reading both. Chad recommends folding up a paper wedge to use as a guide. Fold the 90 degree edge of a piece of paper over until it touches and you've got 45 degrees. To it again and you've got 22.5. If you're really slick, you can take the 45 degree wedge and fold it in thirds to get about 15 degrees.

I did that and it helped me to have a reference. Later I had the guys at work cut me some wedges out of MDF about 4 inches long at various angles: 15, 20, 22.5, etc. The wooden wedges are MUCH easier to use than paper and are a good reference, at least for me. I'm not sure how anyone else would make these kinds of wedges, but we're lucky to have a CNC router table. Laying them out in CAD and then letting the robot do the work ensured they were very precise.

I wish I had discovered the concept of a "sharpening ramp" years ago. As it is, I just discovered this device, home made by our member here named "Unit" on his youtube page. It's brilliant and I definitely recommend checking it out. Here are his two videos on it: Video 1 Video 2.

I've built a ramp inspired by his, but not exactly the same. I think it's going to be a great tool for sharpening. It's already taught me a few things. I'm really stoked about it actually.

Good luck to you. The people here have an amazing amount of knowledge and seem willing to help.

Brian.

 

[maximus83]

Thanks for the replies.

Richard: I've seen your posts in other sharpening threads, and appreciate the insights. Email sent.

Brian: Good starter tutorials, and I will check out at least 1 of those books. Since both of you mentioned Steve Bottorff, maybe I'll start with his. On your sharpening ramp, what you describe is exactly what I had in mind, though I haven't made one yet. I assumed there had to be a few folks out there who had tried this idea. Maybe you could add another post in this thread, and show a pic of your sharpening ramp being used in place with a knife on a stone. Are you making an adjustable ramp just like the one in the video?

 

[bgentry]

Maybe you could add another post in this thread, and show a pic of your sharpening ramp being used in place with a knife on a stone. Are you making an adjustable ramp just like the one in the video?

My ramp is adjustable and is very very similar to the one Unit made, but not the same. Mine uses only wood, some glue, and a metal hinge, and a small strip of sandpaper. No rods or L brackets like Unit's model. His is very good. Mine was an attempt to do something a little different, but still achieve the same goal. It's a work in progress.

Using the wedge is straight forward, but there are some subtleties. Here's Unit using his and showing the "magic marker technique": Video link

Basically, you hold the knife parallel to the table or surface you have the wedge sitting on and stroke it up the stone.

BTW, the marker technique that Unit shows turns out to be a fantastic aid in sharpening. I've foolishly overlooked this technique for years; I wish I had used it more often in the past. About an hour ago, using the wedge and a sharpie I had a sharpening breakthrough and I'm really psyched out it. It took several hours across several days, but it was totally worth the time I invested.

Thanks,

Brian.