What sharpening system do you use?

Modernflame said:
It's about finding the sweet spot. Most of this can be resolved by canting the knife forward. Here is a Sebenza.

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That's a terrible idea, unless you want a different angle from heel to tip?

The bevel angle would have came out more consistent had you clamped it straight, but an augment could be made for canting it the other direction....
 
garry3 said:
That's a terrible idea, unless you want a different angle from heel to tip?

The bevel angle would have came out more consistent had you clamped it straight, but an augment could be made for canting it the other direction....
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That's exactly the idea, since the knife is thicker at the belly than on the flat. You have to make a choice. You can either have the same angle and a fatter bevel, or you can have an even bevel and a wider angle. What I have done mimics the factory edge. They come from the factory with an even bevel height, despite thicker steel.
 
garry3 said:
Never seen anyone do that. I have some knives that would drive you nuts...
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Every fixed system has limitations. Most knives are doable on the WE. The most challenging are small, pen knives on multi-bladed pocket knives and large flexible items like filet knives and thin Japanese chef knives. There's usually a work around, though.

By the way, they made the advanced angle guide specifically because some knives are not ideally clamped when parallel to the jig.
 
I have the Hapstone R2 and an old Lansky set. I’ll keep the Lansky as a fall back just in case but have really enjoyed the R2. They only thing I want to add is some of the old lite clamps and the magnetic table for a few odd knives.
 
I generally use the WE to reprofile to 18dps; then touch-ups can be done on the Sharpmaker at 20dps taking almost no time to get stick-sharp again.
 
I have a Hapstone R2 Opti system with the TSProf diamond stone set. To me it is a good middle of the road way to start into guided systems. I have tried for years to master using hand stones with limited success due to not ever having that many to sharpen that often or all at once to get the knowledge and muscle memory into my head. Sharpening is a three step deal. First is taking care of your stuff so it does not need excessive sharpening. Second is to reset the blade tooth so it cuts well again. Last is actual steel removal to get the fine sharp apex back. You can spend lots of money on this, the other side of the knife hobby.
 
Arkansasawyer said:
This is a very true statement!
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Yep, very true but I also find it strange that there are so many knife enthusiasts who spend an absolute fortune on great knives and then only set aside a few peanuts to keep those edges (the most important part of a knife) well maintained.

A 420HC gas station knife with a perfectly sharpened edge cuts better than a blunt Magnacut Sebenza.😁
 
777 Edge said:
Yep, very true but I also find it strange that there are so many knife enthusiasts who spend an absolute fortune on great knives and then only set aside a few peanuts to keep those edges (the most important part of a knife) well maintained.

A 420HC gas station knife with a perfectly sharpened edge cuts better than a blunt Magnacut Sebenza.😁
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I realized I needed something when I went from making draw knives which I can get razor sharp to making the occasional knife to use and could not get them sharp. I had a friend sharpen them because I was horrible at it. He was giving me a hard time about making them and not being able to sharpen them. That’s when the research started and led me here to this site and an unmentionable amount of investment in sharpening equipment. 😁
 
I use a HF 1x30 for setting new bevel angles or to grind past chips, but for general sharpening I've been loving the Work Sharp Pro PA. I've sharpened over 150 kitchen and pocket/fixed blade knives on it so far in a wide range of sizes and steels from Walmart knives to Benchmades in S90V. Most knives take me 15-20 minutes to get a razor-sharp, polished edge. The only knife that has given me trouble and took a full hour to sharpen was a Benchmade Bailout in M4. I use a Work Sharp Field Sharpener for scissors and to touch up my knives.
 
My Sharpmaker is my primary sharpener because I am retired and don't subject my knives to 'hard use' anymore. If I need more aggressive steel removal I use my Severtech Sharpener.
 
Symmetry is overrated.

If you can sharpen to "food sharp", you really don't gain much by going to "show-off sharp". By food sharp I mean you can cut brown onion skins, ripe tomatos, and rotten meats, fruits and vegetables cleanly, like a TV chef. Show off sharp to me means crisp, straight lines with no wobble or random scratches, a functional edge that looks great!

I have a wicked expensive set of Wicked Edge tools. That system will produce an elegant edge, but for most tasks a 1.2K stone and one stropping stage freehand gets me shoulder to shoulder with the bright and shiny Wicked Edge edge. My freehand bevel will not look as good as the blade done on the WE system, but it will pop hairs and cut receipt paper and impress the heck out of many friends and associates.

Bright, shiny, symmetrical bevels are freaking handsome, they always catch my eye, but their practical advantage is not that great for me, or for most users. I don't think!
 
My latest setup. Got the K03 last week, sharpened a couple knifes already, I like it.

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You'll need a weight of some sort on it to keep it from falling over when you're stretching it to its full length, hence the quart of bar oil in the pic sitting on top. Other than that it's great,

I even use it as a light sometimes when I'm sharpening, I just move it over the blade about 10 inches above and put it on its brightest setting. I can angle it so that it's casting light exactly how I want to see it ?
Anyone else use something like this in their sharpening ?
 
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