Sharpening System Help

S

sinjans

Joined
Jul 6, 2010
Messages
463
Hi Folks,

I've decided to jump in to a more advanced sharpening system. From stones to sharpmakers steels and diamond ive decided to go the motorized route. Ive been looking at some Tormeks, kings and others but would love to see what the forum has to say. There is no one in my capital city (St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada) who is sharpening for money so I may dip into that as well. Money is somewhat of an issue and I guess I'll need a some other accessories and finishing products. I am willing to hear all of what this great society has to offer. I love the wicked edge setup and may get it some day for my own lust but I am assuming that the grinding wheel is the way to start.

Let er rip boys and girls.

Mark
 
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I have a wicked edge system for personal use and the results are outstanding. Lately ive used it at a local market to help a friend and they love it. May get too labor intensive in a few weeks if volume keeps up and I may look for a more efficient system. But you will NOT be disappointed with the results from a WE. Good luck!
 
Yeah that is what I was wondering about the labor involved. It looks flawless other than that. My guess is when I offer the service I will probably be getting more kitchen knives dropped off in sets of 5 or more blades. I probably wont be very busy but I expect to get the odd tool or axe that needs a complete reprofiling which would be a PITA with the wicked edge I assume. Am I assuming wrong?
Maybe the Tormex would be overkill. I would like a motorized device as well that you can dial in an appropriate angle. ANy advice on these is appreciated.

Mark
 
I actually just ordered up a WEPS myself, I like the concept and want to try it out.

For serious bulk sharpening, though, I think it's darn hard to beat the Kalamazoo belt grinder. The whole Kalamazoo setup, including good belts will cost you half of what a Tormek will, and will produce extremely good convex edges in very little time. Ironically enough, this afternoon after work I will be sitting down at a local sporting goods place with mine for a couple hours. :thumbup:
 
Thanks for the help guys. I have a bit of research to do. I may go ahead with the WE for now. Then move into the belt system if I get too busy.
 
I just ordered the WE Pro Pack with 50/80 coarse stones. Anything else I should look in to? I think it ships with some stropping compound. I was considering picking up some bulk compound from another site. Cheers
 
I actually ordered exactly that same pack on Wednesday. It does come with the strop pack including 5 and 3.5 micron diamond paste. I've considered going down beyond that to one of the balsa strops with some 1.5 micron, then .5 micron diamond spray or CBN. I already have an EdgePro Apex that I love, but it's another way of getting sharp things! Plus, I can do ceramic blades with the WEPS and the stock hardware.

Argh, six week backorders! (Yes, I knew this before I ordered, yes I still want to play with my new toys NOW.) :D
 
Yeah the 6 weeks is a bummer but that's life. I spoke with Kay of WE on the phone today and she was a class act. very helpful. Lets see if the proof is in the pudding when all of this gets to my door. I have a feeling that I may be needing a paper wheel as well for tool sharpening but i'll probably hang low for now. Unless the forums convinces me otherwise. I choose to remain a user only for now and keep the collecting to the essentials
 
I've been talking with Clay for quite a while now, started back when I was comparing the EP and WEPS for my first major sharpening system. I talked to Ben as well, and after some consideration, I ended up with an EP Apex. Wonderful sharpener there too, I use it a fair bit, mostly for when I REALLY want to dump time into getting a perfect bevel and a mirror polish. My initial decision was mostly based on availability, it was still a 6-week lead time at that point as well, seems like they can't make the WEPS faster than they're shipping them out! Says something good right there.

I have a Kalamazoo belt grinder for bulk sharpening that works extremely well, but I've been drooling over a WEPS, and I'd love to be able to sharpen ceramics. Clay says it works well for that. Mainly I'm just looking forward to grabbing one and trying it out! Given the unlikely chance that I fail to love it, the scarcity should make it go again on the secondary market very, VERY quickly and at a low loss.
 
Sent you an email. Any issues holding the right angle on the kalamazoo? I may get a similar device. thanks
 
Replied earlier this morning. :thumbup:

I haven't had any problems holding an angle, mainly because convex is much more forgiving of angle than v-bevel, I suspect. I find it easier to hold a consistent angle on the vertical belt than my benchstones, because I can keep an eye on the distance between the belt and the spine of the blade through the entire pass. As long as that distance is constant, you've got an even bevel going. Your first couple of knives will challenge you near the tip as you pull the grip up and slightly out to follow the belly. After you've done it the first time, though, you'll understand the 'feel' and it won't bother you any more. If you can sharpen with benchstones, the transition to the belt is even easier.

One of the nicest things about the belt, IMO, is the ability to change to whatever grit best suits the situation. A coarse belt taking off the same amount of material will generate a lot less heat than a fine one, and do the job a lot faster. Therefore, you generally want to use the coarsest belt that suits the task. In my case, that's generally a 120 or a fresh 180 for the first swipe down each side (if the knife is in tough shape) to raise the burr, then a 320 or so to clean the scratch pattern up. A 15u puts a very nice shine onto the new edge, and a couple flavours of compound on leather finishes the job off and leaves a screamin' sharp edge. I have an 80-grit belt that I use for re-shaping tips if needed, although that one gets fairly little use. It cuts like an angle grinder, though, nothing's faster for cleaning up chips and repairing broken tips.
 
I'm no expert at belt sharpening, for sure! That's just what I've experienced so far. :)

If you're within convenient distance of the Pacific Northwest, you're more than welcome to bring a couple past and try out my Kali. It's an amazingly easy way to put on an edge, it takes longer to describe the method than it does to actually do it.
 
I would pop by if I were there but i'm in Newfoundland, Canada so it's a real bitch getting the right gear. I'm sure when I look around here i'll find a decent paper wheel though. Cheers
 
Well, you guys have some good stuff up there too, though. Lee Valley is up in the great white north, I believe, and they have a couple good lines as well. The Kalamazoo isn't the ONLY good belt grinder out there. :)
 
Wicked edge leaves a WICKED edge. A little slow for production sharpening,
but if you want really sharp, WE is your go to tool.

Bill
 
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