What are you guys using to sharpen kitchen knives?

Josh Rider

Josh Rider

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I am curious what you guys are using to sharpen kitchen knives.
I've made a couple kitchen knives for myself, but I've had a couple orders for chef knives this coming Christmas and I'd like to get them as sharp as I can.

I use the diamond Lansky set and a leather strop for everything I've made so far, but I know there are much better sharpeners out there.

So I'm thinking about whetstones.
What are some good whetstones to get started?
 
I don't make kitchen knives, but I keep mine sharp with a DMT extra fine followed by a felt strop with white compound. Yeah, I could probably get slightly sharper with something more fancy, but hair-whittling seems to be sharp enough to cut veggies purty good.
 
I use the spyderco sharpmaker or Japanese waterstones. Depends on how I'm feeling that day[emoji16] I always finish with a chromium oxide loaded strop


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I do a lot of kitchen knives. I use a 350 DMT to put the initial bevel on. I then go to the edge pro up to the 3000g film. It's really fine like 15000g water stone iirc. I strop lightly on leather with the finest compound I have. This is a freaking sharp edge. I do have water stones up to 10000g, and the edge pro film is finer based on my comparisons. I don't use a belt grinder, even on slow for these fine edges. It's quite easy to heat the edge beyond the temper point with Rc64 hypereuctoid steels. Going by hand keeping the edge cool works best in my opinion. Others disagree, and I'm just pointing out what works for me.
 
I set my bevel with a 140x Atoma diamond plate if there are very dull or a 400grit Chosera water stone. After that I use a Chosera (naniwa pro) 2k stone, Suehiro Rika 5k stone and a Balsa wood strop with 1 micron diamond paste, bovine hide strop or denim strop (unloaded for nice deburring or loaded with mothers mag polish for a very fine finish). I'm in the market for a nice 800 stone but my 2k stone is nice because without mud it leaves about a 1k finish and with mud it acts more like a 2-3k. Only on a few knives do I take all the way up to the 5k stone/strop, usually I go straight from the 400 stone or a 1k equivalent edge from my Chosera 2k stone and maybe some light stropping. Toothier edge feels better for slicing. My nakiri goes up to 5k and chops through anything.
Outdoor/work knives I use my 1x30 haha
 
I use a Lansky system as well. When I'm sharpening a dull knife, but don't have to reset a bevel, I use the medium diamond, fine diamond, fine natural, ultra fine sapphire, then strop. After using my Lansky for almost 15 years, I've found that progression to be best. I then touch them up with the ultra fine stone or sometimes the fine natural or diamond. I only use the extra coarse and coarse for resetting bevels.
 
I also use the 140 Atoma for setting the bevels, then I have a 500 and 2000 Shapton ceramic water stones.
 
I sharpen with a 220 grit slack belt until edge will slice copy paper. Crystolon coarse then fine to set the edge, then fine India till shaving sharp. For an even finer edge, Smith's 750 diamond followed by JewelStik 1200 diamond. for most kitchen work, the fine India edge works well.
scott
 
I set the bevel on my grinder on the slowest speed with a fresh 220 belt. Then 400. Then a norton India stone like Don and strop.
 
Normally, I use the grinder with a 220 or 320 grit belt at very slow speed. That is followed by a quick buff on a muslin buff to remove the wire. I use white polish on the buff.

For higher end blades, like a yanagi-ba, I use Japanese water stones and/or DMT plates. Final step is a strop on a leather covered board with 8,000 grit diamond paste on the leather. On a rare occasion, I follow that with ab strop charged with 14,000 grit diamond.
 
I also set the edge on slow speed with a 220. I dont raise a burr, just get the bevel started. I even it up by hand with a nubatama 150 grit. Then a 1500 shapton glass, then polish edge with a 10K imanishi stone. Also have the atoma 140 for flattening my stones. There is a ton of room for experimenting here and there are sooo many options. If you are using high alloyed steels that have vanadium and tungsten you really need to use the harder stones, DMT and the shapton glass works ok. The 10K polishing stone is hair popping sharp and impressive but not really too necessary for real kitchen work...just imo
 
I am using belt grinder usually too. Just set 14-15° angle, start with Trizact 160 for shaping edge then Trizact 80, 45 (or 30 if it's handy) and 16 at very light press for final. Leaving micro-saw edge is helpful on kitchen knives. Then strop over soft wood like spruce. Finito.
 
i use belts on non single bevel kitchen knives all run wet and slow 120 to cut the bevel in and i allow a burr to form so i know i have gotten the whole edge sharpened then 800 grit (used) to clean up and reduce the burr last belt is a well used 9 micron i refine the edge then slack belt any hint of burr off the edge. for the sharpest edge you need to sharpen the burr off not buff/strop it off
on single bevels i use water stones up to as high as 16K grit
 
I'd like to know, what is "low speed" for you guys on your belt grinder? The way I have my variable speed set up, at 50% I'm at 2,290 sfpm, I can go down to 1,145 sfpm, and at 100% 4,500 sfpm.

Just curious. I sharpened a knife last night at the 1,145 setting with a 30 micron mylar belt and then finished it with a felt belt and white compound, then leather strop and green compound. I liked how that turned out.

The way my VFD works I can't go much slower than that without bringing down my top end SFPM, and if I go much lower my motor runs a bit rough.

That didn't really generate much heat for me I'm just curious what "Low" is for others.
 
I just use something between 8-10 m/s (1600-2000 sfpm) depending on steel. If used wear resistant steel like Elmax needs speed up to about 15-18 m/s (2950-3600) for shaping then slow down. Remember to cool it often.
 
for the laminated steels I use japanese King waterstone, 1000 and then 6000 and then loaded leather strop
sometimes I skip the 6000 and just go to leather

other steel, a Norton Crystolon or India stone and then leather
I also have a DMT coarse and fine pocket sharpener

I've found that in general for the most part, a 600 grit and then leather works very good

like Warren said, never on the grinder with thin hard 64RC edges
I found the loaded leather is important for me in setting the final edge

I've also found that slicing paper is one thing, but a push cut down is another thing
If you can push cut down, you can slice manila rope.
 
Last edited:
kuraki said:
I'd like to know, what is "low speed" for you guys on your belt grinder? The way I have my variable speed set up, at 50% I'm at 2,290 sfpm, I can go down to 1,145 sfpm, and at 100% 4,500 sfpm.

Just curious. I sharpened a knife last night at the 1,145 setting with a 30 micron mylar belt and then finished it with a felt belt and white compound, then leather strop and green compound. I liked how that turned out.

The way my VFD works I can't go much slower than that without bringing down my top end SFPM, and if I go much lower my motor runs a bit rough.

That didn't really generate much heat for me I'm just curious what "Low" is for others.
Click to expand...

For me its about 400 SFPM.

Edited to add that if you can get a smaller drive wheel your grinder will probably perform better/smoother at slower speeds.
 
Darrin Sanders said:
For me its about 400 SFPM.

Edited to add that if you can get a smaller drive wheel your grinder will probably perform better/smoother at slower speeds.
Click to expand...

Yes, that would be an option. I have a second frame built. When I get that spun up I will use a smaller drive wheel on that one I think.
 
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