why are you people not using paper wheels?

Buy me a house with a yard and a shed to operate the equipment in and I'll consider it.
 
eccvets said:
i have a sharp maker and yes, they really are that bad. I cringe when i see newbies get suggest them when they really shouldn't! waste of time and energy.
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Then you're doing it wrong.

Bruceter
 
The subject of sharpening is very open ended, complex, and often hotly debated. There are so many variable involved, it is impossible to have a "one size fits all" or "this is the best" way to sharpen. Even to definition of what "sharp" consists of is a very hotly contested debate, and there is no consensus, or at least, a very loose consensus.

I'm one day going to try paper wheels, and it will be on a very cheap kitchen knife. According to Verhoeven's paper, when he used buffing wheels, they took an alarming amount of metal off the knife, and left a very ragged edge. I don't know if paper is better, but I will approach it very cautiously.

My sharpmaker is perfect for our kitchen, very efficient, and works quickly. I have other knives (try searching for Ankerson's review of my Phil Wilson in CPM 10V) that I can bring back from dull as a butterknife to hair splitting scary sharp in a minute or two on a benchstone. These types of knives are typically incredible cutters that are very, very easy to sharpen up in very little time. If anyone were to even think of taking a power tool to my Wilson, they would be getting a kiwi injection.
 
eccvets said:
i have a sharp maker and yes, they really are that bad. I cringe when i see newbies get suggest them when they really shouldn't! waste of time and energy.
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i use a sharpmaker on my chefs knives, which I will bet money I use more on a daily basis than you use every one of your kives in any given month. The sharpmaker is fine. To suggest otherwise you insult Spyderco and everyone who uses them.

If you didn't get a good edge I am willing to bet it was user error
 
I'm of the mind that one should use what they are comfortable with and gets the desired results. I have used stones, hones, strops, hard felt wheels, grinders, sandpaper, wet/dry paper on float glass, guided systems, and recently switched to paper wheels. Each has their place, and I've enjoyed learning the skills each require.

For everyday sharpening needs, I believe that paper wheels are the fastest way to achieve a mirror edge (pretty to look at) that is shaving sharp. I have yet to achieve a 'hair whittling' edge with any process, so keep that fact in mind.

Are paper wheels "the best" way to put an edge on [what ever]? Maybe, or maybe not. The grinding wheel clogs up with crap steel and can't sharpen ceramic blades. Everything else in between is fair game. Even lawn mower blades... ;)

Are paper wheels the most precise edge? Not with my hands. Guided systems are much more accurate, but no sharper in the end despite the hours invested.

Are paper wheels fast? With just a little practice, most certainly.

Are paper wheels right for you? Only you can answer that. I can say that while I enjoy sharpening things, I enjoy using my sharp things more. Where do you think I want to spend my time, in my workshop "meditating" with a bunch of stones and some oil or somewhere else using my sharp [knife, hatchet, machete, axe, lawnmower, etc]?

Regards,
Dave
 
eccvets said:
today it took me all of 5 mins to put a razor edge on the back of a hacksaw blade and then I used it to shave my face, arms, and legs.:thumbup: I really cant understand how people are still using sharpmakers in the attempt to get a half ass crappy edge which takes hours and hours or labor!:confused: seriously?:jerkit: why god why?:confused:
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Oh, and one other reason. They can't give me the coarse, very aggressive edge I sometimes need.

$50 for wheels, $35 for grinder, $60-$80, like I said.
 
me2 said:
Oh, and one other reason. They can't give me the coarse, very aggressive edge I sometimes need.
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Good point, if you use a system you only get what that system can provide. One size don't fit all. Although if my understanding of the concept is correct, you could set it up to produce coarse edges. Then you'd need a different bench grinder for every edge grind - maybe they could all be mounted on a lazy Susan...

HH
 
As a beginner, I selected the DMT Aligner as the best combination of low cost, some flexibility of sharpening angles, and low skill required to get the job done reasonably well.

If I stay with it and want even better results, I might go with the paper wheel because of all the good things I read about it on this site. I think the most daunting issue is it appears it requires some skill in maintaining angles. Setup space is another issue; I can use the Aligner on the kitchen table.
 
I'd rather have the possible dust land on poop in my toilet rather then my food :) thats just me though, i dont like to eat dust...
 
What do you do during a zombie apocalypse when there's no power? Are you going to use your generator, using up valuable gasoline?
 
I have all top of the line DMT diamond stones which probably cost a lot more than the paper wheels. If I were going into business sharpening knives, I might go that route. But for me, freehand sharpening is a skill that I am proud to have, and I enjoy it a great deal. It has taken a lot of hard work and I am pleased with the results that I get. Someday I may get into waterstones and take it to the next level of accomplishment.
 
Why am I not using paper wheels?

I guess when I learned to sharpen my pocket knife from my grandfather 60 years ago, he taught me well. With the advent of wallet size diamond hones from Eze-Lap I like being able to resharpen my knife sitting on a fallen log in the woods, while fishing on a lake shore someplace, or anywhere, at anytime, without being crippled and bound to a home based gizmo that you can't take with you. If I can't carry it in my wallet, or in a pocket, I don't want it.

Also the unglazed ring on the bottom of a coffee cup or the top edge of your car window works well too.

Carl.
 
and now as he is one of the happy few that answer "get paper wheels" to any sharpening related question he will reply " i never need to sharpen on the field because the edges i get on paper wheels keeps cutting after 24hrs of chopping hardwood and cutting SiC paper"

sorry but i'm getting tired of this.
 
eccvets said:
unless you live in the woods, deep in the woods with no possible eletricity and your square footage of your apt is less then 100sq/ft, you can fit it where ever you live. Mines is in my bathroom.
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Freaking unibomber style!
 
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