Need help sharpening machete!!!

[Mossyhorn]

I've used Norton compound wheels with similar results on a Baldor buffer.

 

[me2]

spoken more like somone someoen which hasnt drank the stupid coolaid adn knwos what he is talking about. it sucks and you do too if you think its an end all for sharpnening, esepically for sharpning somethign like a machete!!! its not even a starting point! I'd love to see your edges cuz if all your using is a sharp maker, they are pathetic!

So you have trouble using the Sharpmaker? I have used the 204 for resharpening my kukri, barong, and panga machetes. If used for resharpening it will work fine. It will not set a bevel, or remove damage. Once the bevels are set and meet, it will put the final hairpopping edge on and maintain it. The trick with the 204 is setting a bevel lower than the intended beve with the 204 and then using a very small, slightly higher angle microbevel. It can be used with the supplied slots or freehand. Just because you can't do it doesn't mean it can't be done.

 

[bobgill]

A friend used a Wart Hog on his machete and the results were great.

 

[me2]

Havent seen those around in a while. Are the still available?

 

[Bastid]

Enough of the insults. Go to a playground if that is the way you prefer to gain more knowledge. They will not be tolerated here.

 

[eccvets]

So you have trouble using the Sharpmaker? I have used the 204 for resharpening my kukri, barong, and panga machetes. If used for resharpening it will work fine. It will not set a bevel, or remove damage. Once the bevels are set and meet, it will put the final hairpopping edge on and maintain it. The trick with the 204 is setting a bevel lower than the intended beve with the 204 and then using a very small, slightly higher angle microbevel. It can be used with the supplied slots or freehand. Just because you can't do it doesn't mean it can't be done.

its not that i have trouble using it, it just does work well at all to sharpen a knife of any lenght up to my standards nor is it fast or really pratical.

for hte price, its a waste of time and I dont see why so many people think its an end all or a great starter for newbie where are so many other methods and tools out there just as cheap if not cheaper then it is which work so much better! I think it really will fustrate a newbie and if your edge isnt already set exactly to their specs and angles, good luck reprofiling any type of knife. nobody should accept mediocrity and thats exactly the type of edge you get with this system. for some mediocrity is their standard but ignorance is bliss.

 

[me2]

It's odd how different users get opposite impressions of the same tool. The 204 does have several shortcomings. It is unsuited for rebeveling or removal of damage. It's just not coarse enough for either of those. It's certainly not coarse enough for setting bevels on machetes. For a machete that comes sharp, the rods will work for edge maintenance and resharpening, but will likely have to be used free hand. IMO, even the 400 grit diamond stones are not coarse enough. I have rebeveled pocket knives with mine using the stock brown stones, but it took an awful long time. It will round the tips of knives if you're not careful. If your knives have higher angles than the 15 and 20 degree per side slots, then it is an excercise in frustration if you don't realize or can't tell that's what is happening. This is another flaw of the 204. Very few knives come with the edges set for use on the stock slot angles. Only my Benchmade Ares and TSEK replacement blades have had angles that allowed the use of the 20 degree slots without rebeveling first. None of my Spydercos (2 Delicas) have come with an angle that would match the 204.

Where it works very well is if you use an angle lower than the slots you want to use. I currently have my trapper slip joint set to use the 15 degree per side (dps) slots on the clip blade and the 20 dps slots on the spey blade. Each blade was rebeveled to 12 dps and 17 dps for the clip and spey blades respectively. I did the same thing with my Barong and Kukri machetes. The bevels are less than the 20 dps slots on the 204, so I can maintain the edge with the 20 degree slots. There is a very narrow line along the very edge where the 204 stones do their work. This line is less than 1/64" wide. The same thing worked on my Panga, but I free hand sharpened it with a 220/1000 grit water stone, then increased the angle a few degrees and free hand sharpened with one of the 204 rods. This was while my belt sander was broken. I use it now. If an edge is just dull, a dozen or so swipes on the 204 and it is back to shaving sharp. This takes a couple of minutes at most. The grit in the ceramic stones will put a hair whittling edge on a knife, BUT you have to have all the angle issues worked out first, AND the 204 has to have a coarse stone, or file for machetes, to go with it. It must also have risen in price considerably lately. I've had mine for 10 years or more, and paid about $40 for it. At the time I also had some serrated knives that it worked very well on. Anyone who asks me gets the same answer: the 204 will not do all your sharpening. It must have a coarse stone or something to go with it. It is an edge maintenance and final honing tool.

 

[ConBon]

I just touch up my machete with a Norton India stone I picked up at the flea market sprayed with wd-40, and use an agressive angle to get a haiir popping edge in about a minute.