Sharpening angle

[Painterdude]

How can I tell which angle to use when sharpening my knives? I can't seem to find the correct angle from various manufactures. Most seem to be 15 or 20 degrees.
Thanks , Painterdude

 

[matt321]

Well, you can go at least 2 routes. You can sharpen to the same bevel angle that the knife came with. Alternatively, you can pick your own custom bevel angle based on the blade steel and the intended use. There is more that can be said about either strategy, but first you should pick one.

 

[SanShou]

To find the original angle use a magic marker and make a couple of light strokes with your sharpener to check the angle are you sharpening at and how far it is from the original factory edge.

There's no one angle for all the companys, each use differente angles for their knives...

 

[gud4u]

I'd suggest that you:
- Define your toughest likely cutting task (slicing hardwood, chopping, etc.).
- Test your blade to determine the most acute bevels possible to accomplish your cutting tasks without edge damage - by actual test.

For slicing wood, 15 degree bevels (30 degrees inclusive angle) is likely just fine. For chopping, 20 degree bevels (40 degrees inclusive bevels) will probably be required to prevent impact damage to the edge. If your blade steel is soft or extremely brittle, 40 degrees inclusive is the safer bet for edge stability.

For my own blades (toughest task is slicing hardwoods), I usually apply 10 degree main bevels and add more obtuse microbevels as required to strengthen the cutting edge, testing by actually slicing hardwood and inspecting for edge damage. For a steel such as S30V, BG42 or D2, my blades have final edge bevels (microbevels) of 15 degrees per bevel.

Hope this helps!

 

[EdgePal]

If you like to know the angle there is on your knife, use a scissor. Put the knife in the scissor in the same way you put a paper in it to cut the paper, the edge first. When the scissors edges is perfect on the knifes edge on both sides. Lock the scissor in that position. Lay the scissor down on a paper, draw with a pencil the couture of the scissors “V” form. Measure the angle on the paper with the “thing” you use in school. (I do nor know the name in English).

Now you have the angle on the edge off your knife. (It is a simple but functional way to find out the sharpening angle).

Here in Scandinavia we use, for us, normal angles on knifes, they are lower then yours. Here a normal knife is 20 degrees total sharpening angle. If you shall use your knife to slice wood, and if you were a Swede, I recommend 19 degrees sharpening angle for soft wood and about 22-23 degrees for harder wood. For woodwork, just one bevel – no secondary bevel.

If you use your knife as a all round knife (EDC belt knife), I recommend 23 degrees total sharpening angle and then 2-3 degrees more on each side in a secondary bevel. The secondary bevel shall be 2-3 tenth of a mm wide 0,2 –0,3 That means that when you, with your eye, can se this bevel, it is finish. It is the secondary bevel you later hone to get sharpness on the edge.

This secondary bevel grows a little every time you hone the edge. When it have grown to about 0,6 –0,7 mm wide, your knife feels dull what ever you do with it, then it is time to grind the first edge until that the secondary edge is 0,2-0,3 mm wide, then your knife is sharp again.

This is how we do it and it has work for us in some thousands of years and it still works for us.
Try it – I think you will like it.

Thomas

 

[DirkDiggler]

Measure the angle on the paper with the “thing” you use in school. (I do nor know the name in English).

EdgePal,, the English name is protractor.

Good idea by the way. I never thought of using a scissors to gage the bevel angle.

-DD

 

[EdgePal]

DirkDiggker, thanks!

It is very frustrating when I like to say something – and I miss the word for it. Protraktor in Swedish is: gradskiva. Degree = grad in Swedish.

Thomas