Variable Angle Sharpmaker

bpeezer

bpeezer

Joined
Jan 27, 2013
Messages
2,078
I always thought the Sharpmaker was a smart invention, but there are two things that kept me from buying it. First, the angle is not continuously variable. Second, the stones are relatively small. I recently purchased a Craftsman angle vise, so I figured I'd try a little experiment.

variable_sharpmaker.jpg


Are the angles accurate? I have no idea yet. Is it the most elegant solution? Probably not. Does it work? Heck yes it does.

BM_shave.jpg


I've never sharpened this way before, so I still have to get used to it a little. The edge has no problem shaving my leg hair with the DMT extra coarse finish. It's not the sharpest edge I've ever had with the XC finish, but it's pretty consistent. Has anyone else ever tried something like this?
 
Haven't tried that approach, but my hat is off to you for your ingenuity. :applouse: It never ceases to amaze me of the solutions that are thought up of on here for things knife related. Didn't know about the angle vise before you posted this picture. That in itself is pretty neat.

Blessings,

Omar
 
OK, that's clever. Seems like the angle should be pretty accurate, or at least consistent. Check it with a protractor, and it's probably as accurate as the Sharpmaker.
 
Get a digital clinometer at the woodworking store or check out the WaterLevel app on the iphone/ipad. The former is accurate to a tenth of a degree, the latter to a degree. The iHandy Level app is accurate to a tenth of a degree. You can rubber band these devices to your sharpener when calibrating the working angle.
 
I experimented with the idea. The problem I ran into was how to position the rods for each side. I had the rod set up on one side, but couldn't easily set it up for the other (to alternate sides quickly). If you have to move a rod for each side, you'd be better off using the Edge Pro or some other system.

Let us know what you come up with; It's an idea that's worth a look.

Good sharpening,
David
 
wvdavidr said:
I experimented with the idea. The problem I ran into was how to position the rods for each side. I had the rod set up on one side, but couldn't easily set it up for the other (to alternate sides quickly). If you have to move a rod for each side, you'd be better off using the Edge Pro or some other system.

Let us know what you come up with; It's an idea that's worth a look.

Good sharpening,
David
Click to expand...

Just step around to the other side of the table.
 
Nice for shop but not as practical as the Sharpmaker when out in the field. If you have a pickup truck you can drill holes in the tailgate and mount it there I suppose.

The easy way to change the angle of a Sharpmaker is just to jam a shim under one. Easy!
 
GatorFlash1 said:
Nice for shop but not as practical as the Sharpmaker when out in the field. If you have a pickup truck you can drill holes in the tailgate and mount it there I suppose.

The easy way to change the angle of a Sharpmaker is just to jam a shim under one. Easy!
Click to expand...

You're right, I can't imagine backpacking with this thing :eek:

wvdavidr said:
I experimented with the idea. The problem I ran into was how to position the rods for each side. I had the rod set up on one side, but couldn't easily set it up for the other (to alternate sides quickly). If you have to move a rod for each side, you'd be better off using the Edge Pro or some other system.

Let us know what you come up with; It's an idea that's worth a look.

Good sharpening,
David
Click to expand...

Freman Bloodglaive said:
Stick it on a Lazy Susan.
Click to expand...

This was my exact idea. Chris, a Lazy Susan is just a rotary table. That way I would be able to spin the vise around easily to switch sides.

I took some pictures with an angle gauge, and it would appear that the vise is off by approximately 0.3 degrees in the 10-15 degree range. The vise has pin holes every 15 degrees, so I checked the accuracy of the first pin hole. Off by 0.3 degrees.

15_degree_pin.jpg


Then I set the vise to apparent 10 degrees (since it doesn't have a pin hole here, you have to tighten it down with a set screw). Also off by 0.3 degrees.

10_degree_apparent.jpg


Then I set the vise to actual 10 degrees, and as you can the vise appears to be slightly off the 10 degree mark.

10_degree_actual.jpg


For those of you thinking maybe my bench is just off by 0.3 degrees, I zeroed the gauge on the vise in the 0 degree position. I have not taken measurements all the way along the vise to see variance at different angles, I just wanted to get a quick idea. I can just set the vise by the angle gauge so I don't have to worry about it though ;)
 
Chris "Anagarika";12461961 said:
I guess 0.3 is close enough. I can't even free hand to that tolerance :)
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That's assuming I hold the blade perfectly vertical while using this, so I bet I'm off by a bit more than that :o
 
I want to get some MoldMaster triangle rods for my sharpmaker ..............
I dont have the sharpmaker yet so .................
What size do I order ??? 1/2 in, ??? triangler
Iam gettin the sharpmaker 204 MF
 
The pointer on your adjustable vice needs to calibrated. The pointer looks like it is being held in place by a drive screw (spiral threads). Pop the screw out, drill and tap the hole in the vice for a real screw, and file the hole in the pointer into a slot so the pointer can be moved back and forth slightly.
Set the vise to 10 degrees with the clinometer, the set the pointer to 10 degrees and tighten the screw.
 
The pointer on your adjustable vice needs to calibrated. The pointer looks like it is being held in place by a drive screw (spiral threads). Pop the screw out, drill and tap the hole in the vice for a real screw, and file the hole in the pointer into a slot so the pointer can be moved back and forth slightly.
Set the vise to 10 degrees with the clinometer, the set the pointer to 10 degrees and tighten the screw.
 
tiguy7 said:
The pointer on your adjustable vice needs to calibrated. The pointer looks like it is being held in place by a drive screw (spiral threads). Pop the screw out, drill and tap the hole in the vice for a real screw, and file the hole in the pointer into a slot so the pointer can be moved back and forth slightly.
Set the vise to 10 degrees with the clinometer, the set the pointer to 10 degrees and tighten the screw.
Click to expand...

That's a really good idea, but I think repeatability is more important than initial accuracy. Since setting it by the visual pointer isn't exactly repeatable anyways, I might just opt for using the angle gauge every time I set the vise to make sure I have the exact same angle.
 
Great idea. How much that vise run ya? Dumb question but to set the same angle as the sharpmaker's 40 degrees, do you set the vise to 40 degrees? I swear I tried to measure the angle of my sharpmaker stones with a protractor and I don't recall them being 40.

I have concerns about the sharpmaker in general. I wonder if the slop/play in the sharpmaker base is affecting my results. For example, if I stroke down the left stone keeping the knife perfectly straight I get a different feeling if I rotate the entire sharpmaker around and use the other stone on the same side of the knife. I think the human aspect to using the SM adds enough inconsistencies. My stones are bowed which add more variables.. I have a super flat granite slab which is guaranteed flat and the sharpmaker stones just wobble on it. I may need to get a vise and angle gauge setup like the OP. My lansky arrives tomorrow and I'm going to give that a whirl just to rule out profiling issues and then see how things go.
 
The angles on the Sharpmaker are 15 degrees and 20 degrees off vertical. The settings yield a 30 degree or 40 degree inclusive edge respectively. The former is good for kitchen work, and latter is good for a camp knife (chopping, stripping bark, making shelters, etc.). Doing major woodworking projects is frowned upon in most parks and wilderness areas.
 
nuggetz said:
Great idea. How much that vise run ya? Dumb question but to set the same angle as the sharpmaker's 40 degrees, do you set the vise to 40 degrees? I swear I tried to measure the angle of my sharpmaker stones with a protractor and I don't recall them being 40.

I have concerns about the sharpmaker in general. I wonder if the slop/play in the sharpmaker base is affecting my results. For example, if I stroke down the left stone keeping the knife perfectly straight I get a different feeling if I rotate the entire sharpmaker around and use the other stone on the same side of the knife. I think the human aspect to using the SM adds enough inconsistencies. My stones are bowed which add more variables.. I have a super flat granite slab which is guaranteed flat and the sharpmaker stones just wobble on it. I may need to get a vise and angle gauge setup like the OP. My lansky arrives tomorrow and I'm going to give that a whirl just to rule out profiling issues and then see how things go.
Click to expand...

It was around $50 if I remember correctly. You set the vise at half the total angle, so if you want 40 degrees set it to 20.
 
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