The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening

[Teague]

On recommendations I read here, I purchased and am reading, The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening by John Juranitch. On page 36, last paragraph, I'm having a hard time following his thought process. He is talking about the pictures in Figure 2-3 and says this: In Figure 2-3, the grind in A would be OK if it would continue down to the point indicated by the arrow. (There is no "arrow" that I can see that he is talking about here.) And, the rest of the paragraph is confusing. Can someone here explain his reasoning in this paragraph a little more clearly it to me? I guess I'm just thick headed.

 

[Mtn Hawk]

I think your question is answered in the following paragraph on p. 37, where Juranitch says the "ideal relief" should be ..."as thin as possible, without experiencing damage to the blade."

The "arrow" he talks about is missing from my copy, too, but I think it would point to the bottom edge in all 3 drawings (where the line is). I think Juranitch is saying that this is what the edge should look like to be acceptable, but instead most manufacturers usually grind it similar to the angle "V". As you can see in all 3 drawings, angle "V" is much thicker, or higher, than the angles touching the line. The thinner, or lower, an angle is, the less resistance it will have going through material and the better it will cut. If the edge is too thin, however, it might be damaged, depending on what it cuts. Juranitch talks about this in same paragraph.

And don't worry about being thick-headed. I sure didn't pick everything up in the first read. Once the light came on, though, everything fell into place and I finally understood sharpening for the first time. It's worth sticking with.

 

[Teague]

Thanks Mtn Hawk. What you said makes sense to me. After I re-read some of his material several times I am beginning to understand it better. I think I'll read the entire book for an overview, and then re-read it several times for a more in-depth understanding. But, thanks again for your insightful explanation.

 

[Mtn Hawk]

Teague, you're welcome and glad it helped.

I think your approach is wise, reading the book first for an overview so you don't get bogged down in details, then more in-depth. There's a lot of info, but some of it is repetitive, and I found a few key sentences and paragraphs that pretty much sums it all up. When I finally understood the principles, and confirmed it by getting good edges, I was surprised how simple and easy sharpening is, at least using this method.

 

[kelbro]

That's the difference between a professional writing a technical book and a professional technical writer writing a book.

Same thing with internet posts. It is very difficult to get some points across in text. A visual demonstration sometimes explains it all. There are some good technical videos on youtube that really clear things up that are difficult to spell out in text. I'm thinking the Razors Edge Sharpening Guide is such a candidate but then he wouldn't sell as many books .

 

[Teague]

Thanks for the great responses. Now that I finished the book, I’ve decided to buy and try a Lansky Deluxe system. I think using it will also improve my hand sharpening technique. I strongly considered the Spyderco Sharpmaker but decided on the Lansky because it allows more angles. I'm also going to buy a bench grinder with a 1" belt sander - eventually.