Sharpening a Saber Grind???

[Timblade]

I just received an LT Wright Saber Grind GNS. I was torn between the Saber Grind and the Scandi Grand, but LT suggested the Saber since I was looking for an all-purpose knife instead of a dedicated word-working knife. I also like that the Saber is a bit stronger and I understand that it is a more versatile grind, however, I'm not quite sure what the best way is to sharpen it. The grind is really, really tiny compared to the scandi and convex grinds that I'm used to and I'm worried about screwing up the angle of the bevel. I'm trying to figure out the best way to sharpen it at home and touch it up in the field.

I have to admit that it didn't come as sharp out of the box as I had expected. Any suggestions on the best way to sharpen this type of grind would be appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

What sharpening methods have you used on your other knives, up to now? Depending on what you've already been doing, some of your methods might be more easily adapted to sharpening these narrower bevels, as opposed to trying something completely new.

The edge on a saber grind is normally just a V-edge, abeit with much narrower bevels than what you see on the Scandi grind. In principle, sharpening it is no different than would be a Scandi, aside from the bevel's width. In other words, maintaining flush contact to the bevel is key. You could also microbevel the edge on something like a Sharpmaker or other V-crock sharpener; that'd likely be the easiest way to do light touch-ups and regular maintenance on it, in the near-term. Over the longer term, practicing honing on this more typical type of edge bevel, using other knives for doing so (kitchen knives, etc), would help you develop the feel for maintaining flush contact on the narrower bevels.

In practicing, it helps to darken the existing bevels with a Sharpie, and then watch where the ink comes off after each pass on the hone. That'll tell you if your bevel contact isn't flush; ink comes off the shoulders of the bevels when the angle is too low, leaving the ink near the apex, OR the ink comes off only near the apex, and stays put near the shoulders, when the angle is too high. When flush, you should see the ink come off cleanly across the full width of the bevel, from apex to shoulder.


David