Sharpening jig?

Z

z537z

Joined
Apr 14, 2004
Messages
336
Anybody found a quick-n-dirty, or cheap-n-easy way to make a device to keep a blade at a certain angle on a flat stone? I've seen the things with rollers on them that are great for chisels, but that doesn't help me.

Or are any commercially available? I've already got stones, not looking to spend the cash on an EdgePro or similar system. And I want something I can bear down on. Like, a wedge with a clamp on top and wheels on the bottom.

Thanks for any help

_z
 
The Spyderco sharpmaker 204. You may set the angle to 30 or 40° with this one.
 
For freehanding, cut yourself some wedges out of wood at your desired angle and get a feel for the angle.
 
Bulldog Clips. They come in all sizes etc. Find the one or ones that create the angle you want and attach to the back of the blade - they work like the Razor Edge or Buck Guides but are inexpensive. If you want to maintain your blade in a pristine manner use masking tape before attaching the clip. Make sure you get the strongest clips available.

Another tip is wood wedges esp., good on a large stone (8") attach with 2 sided tape or Blutack at either end. You can make up different ones for different angles.
 
i used a circular miter saw to cut an old 4x4 piece of wood to the angle i wanted, then screwed it to a base. i just lean the stone against the 4x4 wood post and its at the angle i want.
 
Here's a jig I made several years ago to hold DMT stones at the same angle as my Sharpmaker. I sold it here when I got an Edgepro but can't remember who got it.

I made it from an alternative wood material made from recycled plastic so it would be resistant to water and milled the inset using a router.

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Don Luis had a simple suggestion for controlling the angle on a bench hone. You simply prop up one end of the hone with a spacer like a piece of wood. This tilts the hone away from level. For example if you had an 8-inch long hone you would tilt the surface to 15-degrees from horizontal with a 2" block. The formula is H = (L)sin(angle).

Then just hold the blade horizontal as you hone.
 
Thanks to all for the input.

That Lee Valley item looks most promising. I recently redid my edge, and it's razor (literally, shaving) sharp but the metal bulldog-like clip I used got ground down a lot by the DMT red grit. That's why I want something with wheels/ball bearings, or something that won't wear down on the diamond stone (like the Razor Edge stuff).

I got the edge to perfect sharp on the red, but that's not enough for me (and shouldn't be, for anybody IMHO) and you could still easily see the grit striations on the edge. The green stuff is great for removing the burr and honing it right in to razor sharp, but you need an exact angle maintained, which I can do over 1 stroke, but not over several (ending up with a rounded, semi-sharp edge), so the Sharpmaker or similiar "hold it vertical/horizontal" methods don't work so well for me, or at least I like to do better than that method would achieve for me.

Thanks for all the input, and keep it coming!

_z

P.S. Don't worry about me and angle geometry, I'm a senior in an engineering college and my brain WORKS in trig :p. Just don't trust leaving any human error in my sharpening/re-edging practices.
 
PS. You don't need to hold a precise angle. You do need to be careful to not roll the spine of your knife away from the hone at the completion of your stroke. You may be focusing on the wrong "problem" if you think the solution is to more tightly control your honing angle. I think that you need a finer abrasive for your finishing step. The Sharpmaker would work fine. If you have problems with your honing technique that should take care of it adequately. If you want an extremely fine edge you also want to buy a set of ultra-fine rods for it. I hone at under 15-degrees per side if I want a shaving edge. I put one of the rods under the center of my Sharpmaker so that I can tilt it back and forth to reduce the 15-degree angle to under 10. Then I finish by alternately puting the rod under one end or the other of the Sharpmaker base to allow me to finish jwith a few strokes on the ultra fine rods at around 12 degrees per side.
 
I agree with the finer grit final step. I can still see striations in the edge from the Fine DMT grit.
I'll pick something up sometime...Spydie stones or sticks come in what grits? And how do they compare to #1200 mesh (9micron)? I guess I'd be looking for 2000 or 2500 grit stuff.

I don't want to spend a lot... Will make a trip to knife shop soon, I think.

Thanks

_z
 
Jeez that's super fine. I'll see what I find that's reasonably cheap.

There's a really cool (although small) knife shop in the Providence mall, which I've been meaning to go to. I'll check them out.

_z
 
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