Professional

[Scattergun2570]

If I was to become very serious about sharpening..maybe doing it professionally..what type of system would I be using? Do pros use these Edge Pro`s,KME`s,Gatco,Lansky..? Do they use belt sanders? I don`t see anyone around my neck of the woods who offers a sharpening service,so I have no one to ask.

 

[Bob6794]

Depends on who it is, there are several way to getting a knife sharp the question is which road will you take?

I've heard of people using belt sanders, paper wheels, sharpening stones, guided setups in a professional capacity. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, though you should worry about being able to do it fast and do it right if you want to make a business out of this.

Just don't expect to make a killing off of opening a sharpening business. In fact the first one I ever heard of was the one by Richard J when I joined this forum, and I considered myself a knife enthusiast before joining. That should show you how popular such services are, I doubt any of my friends have heard of such a thing either.

 

[Scattergun2570]

Depends on who it is, there are several way to getting a knife sharp the question is which road will you take?

I've heard of people using belt sanders, paper wheels, sharpening stones, guided setups in a professional capacity. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, though you should worry about being able to do it fast and do it right if you want to make a business out of this.

Just don't expect to make a killing off of opening a sharpening business. In fact the first one I ever heard of was the one by Richard J when I joined this forum, and I considered myself a knife enthusiast before joining. That should show you how popular such services are, I doubt any of my friends have heard of such a thing either.

There used to be a guy who came to my neighborhood who drove up and down the blocks in a truck,ringing a bell. He had a sander inside that truck. People would bring out their knives,and he did them for $6 per knife. I haven`t seen that truck in 10 years..so I guess he`s either out of business,or just doesn't come to this neck of the woods any longer. I feel like there is kind of a market for this..I don`t need to make a killing,,just a decent side business.

 

[Bob6794]

I've never seen or heard of anything like that being done before. But I imagine in my neighborhood that guy make more money selling burritos than knife sharpening services by a very large margin.

I have heard of people had a stores permission to setup shop right outside of their store and do this before and tried to make it a regular thing in an attempt to generate repeat business though. Never seen it in person either so I can't comment too much about it.

Though before you get too far into wanting to make this into a business you should focus on getting good at sharpening, as I just came back from your other thread. It's easy to make a knife sharp enough by most standards, but it's a bit different to be able to make it "professionally" sharp and understand what's going on. Learn the skill and in doing so you will probably figure out what type of system will work best for you in the process. At the end of the day these are going to be your tools your going to be using quite extensively, don't assume that just because some of us said "X" system is what you want for this that it will be the best for you because quite frankly were not you and can only speculate.

You could wind up being dang good at using paperwheel or a belt sander, or that could be a complete disaster for you. But on the other hand you can use a simple bench stone like the best of them, who knows. So pick a system, practice and learn whats going on while your sharpening and try to master it before moving on. You take that knowledge with you when you move onto the next thing if you want to experiment more.

 

[gadgetgeek]

If there were a bunch of restaurants around that needed sharpening services, you might be able to make a go of it. Butchers tend to do their own work, but there are other ares to look. in that case its all about speed and accuracy, so probably powered whet stones.

 

[Kai Winters]

Pick a system you enjoy using and become very good at sharpening knives...start with a few free knife sharpenings for hunters, etc. and hope the work spreads.
Honestly, based on the number of hunters I work with...everyone I work with hunts and most ice fish, most people that use a knife for hunting, fishing, etc. are perfectly content with a half arsed sharpening they do with whatever stone/s they have handy.
Also, spread the word before hunting/fishing season starts...no one wants to be without their favorite knife during the season.

 

[cbwx34]

If I was to become very serious about sharpening..maybe doing it professionally..what type of system would I be using? Do pros use these Edge Pro`s,KME`s,Gatco,Lansky..? Do they use belt sanders? I don`t see anyone around my neck of the woods who offers a sharpening service,so I have no one to ask.

You probably won't get very far professionally sharpening using sharpeners at the Gatco/Lansky/KME level (unless you're thinking very small volume?). Guided freehand (non-powered) I'd look at the EdgePro (Pro model if you can swing it), or Wicked Edge. Most pros that do any volume work look at powered sharpeners... belt sander, paper wheels, Tormek, etc. Of course there's freehand using regular stones, although some of these sharpeners use a powered device of some sort for major work. But, as many in this forum have shown, it can be done quite successfully.

The website Sharpening Made Easy has some good info on pro sharpening... even if you don't want to get into the setup he uses... it has a bit of info on various equipment, as well as some ideas for setting up a business... mostly related to sharpening at a farmer's market type venue.

If you're thinking of a mobile business, or looking at restaurants... you also might want to find out if there's a "knife rental" setup in your area... they're pretty tough to compete with price wise.

 

[stitchawl]

There's a fellow who came around my neighborhood when I was living in Japan with a large tub mounted on the back of his bike (first years was a bicycle, then he bought a motor scooter.) He used large water stones and only freehanded. He'd ring his bell and all the housewives would bring their knives downstairs, stand around gossiping while he sharpened their knives. When he'd finish, he'd move to the next building and repeat the process. Volume was the key to his business, so having large apartment houses made his money for him. Set-up and break-down for one or two knives would take too long. At one building he might get 10-20 knives at once.


Stitchawl

 

[Cereal_killer]

I converse with several "professionals" around here, they either use a paper wheel setup or a belt sander (or both).

 

[Scattergun2570]

I've never seen or heard of anything like that being done before. But I imagine in my neighborhood that guy make more money selling burritos than knife sharpening services by a very large margin.

I have heard of people had a stores permission to setup shop right outside of their store and do this before and tried to make it a regular thing in an attempt to generate repeat business though. Never seen it in person either so I can't comment too much about it.

Though before you get too far into wanting to make this into a business you should focus on getting good at sharpening, as I just came back from your other thread. It's easy to make a knife sharp enough by most standards, but it's a bit different to be able to make it "professionally" sharp and understand what's going on. Learn the skill and in doing so you will probably figure out what type of system will work best for you in the process. At the end of the day these are going to be your tools your going to be using quite extensively, don't assume that just because some of us said "X" system is what you want for this that it will be the best for you because quite frankly were not you and can only speculate.

You could wind up being dang good at using paperwheel or a belt sander, or that could be a complete disaster for you. But on the other hand you can use a simple bench stone like the best of them, who knows. So pick a system, practice and learn whats going on while your sharpening and try to master it before moving on. You take that knowledge with you when you move onto the next thing if you want to experiment more.

Well of course.. I had no intentions of doing something like that unless I was highly skilled.

 

[Scattergun2570]

You probably won't get very far professionally sharpening using sharpeners at the Gatco/Lansky/KME level (unless you're thinking very small volume?). Guided freehand (non-powered) I'd look at the EdgePro (Pro model if you can swing it), or Wicked Edge. Most pros that do any volume work look at powered sharpeners... belt sander, paper wheels, Tormek, etc. Of course there's freehand using regular stones, although some of these sharpeners use a powered device of some sort for major work. But, as many in this forum have shown, it can be done quite successfully.

The website Sharpening Made Easy has some good info on pro sharpening... even if you don't want to get into the setup he uses... it has a bit of info on various equipment, as well as some ideas for setting up a business... mostly related to sharpening at a farmer's market type venue.

If you're thinking of a mobile business, or looking at restaurants... you also might want to find out if there's a "knife rental" setup in your area... they're pretty tough to compete with price wise.

Appreciate the link,thanks.

 

[Ben Dover]

Remember that to make money, you must create an edge that is razor sharp and attractive.

Hand systems like EP, WE or bench stones are pretty much out of the question.

You could start with something like a Kalamazoo 1X42 belt sander and a variety of belts. Most of the belt sander people that I correspond with have switched from "sandpaper" belts to linen belts with CBN or diamond compound.

A setup like this could be had for $500-$750 depending upon your desire for sophistication.

Once you become conversant with this system, you should be able to put professional edges on 8-10 knives per hour. Perhaps more if the majority are kitchen knives. These edges will be attractive as well as functional.