Sharpmaker question: Using additional angles? Alternatives?

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kennyj

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Feb 24, 2006
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so... I have a Sharpmaker, and I'm considering purchasing diamond hones to aid in the reprofiling that I'm finding that I need to do on several blades... but that's a lot of dough to plonk down on a setup that only sharpens at two angles without going freehand (or messing with that ridiculous one-sided scissor hone slot that's only on one end.) Being of the clumsy and lazy sort, I like being able to just swipe things up and down while safe in the knowledge that I have the angle I want.

Is there an "upgrade path" for the Sharpmaker that allows one to utilize the guided hones in a different, more flexible way (such as a different plastic guide with more holes) or am I essentially faced with going to another system or placing a wedge underneath the Sharpmaker?

I realize that there are ways to use it as a freehand bench stone but as I said, I'm clumsy... I'd feel a little better about freehanding with a strop instead, given their slightly more forgiving nature (and that I find pulling strokes more intuitive and accurate.) For less than the price of the diamond hones there are some extremely tempting options involving leather and sandpaper, and the more I consider the alternative, the more I doubt that the Sharpmaker is going to see enough use to justify holding onto. If I'm not going to keep it long-term, then buying diamond hones for $50 (more than the sharpmaker itself) makes no sense at all. Of course, if I can make it work practically at the angles I want, I won't particularly care about other options.

Any thoughts?
 
As long as you're only going to be using the sharpmaker at home, there's no reason that you can't take one half of the sharpmaker (let's say the 40 degree side) and cut it off, and then cut that half in two pieces, one per hole.

Then, glue each half of the side to a variable angle jig, and you'll have infinite adjustability.

I could design and assemble a jig that would hold the two halves for $20 in parts from home depot and 2 hours worth of time. If you like the style of the sharpmaker, but just want infinite adjustability, why not go and mod it yourself?
 
I put a 1/4" dowel under the center, which acts as a fulcrum to allow it to teeter-totter. This allows me to reduce the angle to lower than 30 degrees.

And, before you spend over $60 for those diamond rods, why not go ahead and spend $120 and get an Edge Pro Apex.
 
I was thinking that, actually. I like the Sharpmaker a lot for its simplicity and portability, but now that I've taken the time to learn a few things it seems woefully inadequate.

I've been drooling a lot over HandAmerican's honing box as a portable and versatile replacement for the Sharpmaker, and it can be pimped out with both leather and sandpaper for less than the Sharpmaker's new diamond hones. Or I could indeed get the Edge Pro Apex, but that seems like it might be overkill for me in many ways. How easy is it to move around, set up, etc. if you need to keep it nearby or use it for a quick field touch-up?
 
I just put a notebook under the side, and check the angle with a protractor. It works pretty good for me.
 
Normally you hold the blade perpendicular to the Sharpmaker base, looking down on it from above. With a little applied math you can obtain any desired edge angle <40 degrees by changing the angle of the knife relative to the Sharpmaker base. A simple way to maintain the new angle is to position the Sharpmaker base at the desired "adjustment angle" relative to the edge of the bench or table, and keep the knife perpendicular to the edge of the bench. I've made marks on my bench to line up the Sharpmaker base for 17 and 12 degrees per side. For portable use, just a piece of paper or cardboard with the necessary adjustment angle lines drawn would be all you'd need.

BTW one side benefit of this is the way the rods are tilted you no longer get interference from thumb studs at these acute angles.
 
A good alternative to the diamond hones is to attach strips of emery cloth to the white rods with double sided tape....works great, costs pennies.
 
I love the sharpmaker and the diamond hnes are pretty good. It still takes a good hour or so to get the edge reground to the 30 degree setting, but I enjoy it. I was thinking about getting the edgepro, but I wanted somehting that I could take pride in doing that was semi difficult. The edge pro is still probably the best sharpening system overall, and I will get it one day, but I think everybody should learn to master the sharpmaker, casue once you got it down you can take ten minutes or less and get baldes sooo sharp.
 
the old diamond sleeves didn't last for s***! so i'd have to hear a lot of users say they are great for thousands of sharpenings before i'd bite again.
buy the edge-pro...cry once. bring your edge-pro, re-proofed blades to the field and carry the sharp maker to touch-up. my $.02
 
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