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why are you people not using paper wheels?
- Thread starter eccvets
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Because my Kalamazoo belt grinder will kick their collective ass? 
Honestly, I suspect that they work just fine, I've never had a chance to use them myself. I'm a bit of a sucker for cool sharpening gear. I just prefer the ability to work through more than two grits to my final edge.
I see a lot of people running down on the Sharpmaker, I think because they don't understand the limitations of the system. Don't TRY to use it to reduce the bevel of your buddy's SKS bayonet down to a 30-40 microbevel, it'll take FOREVER to get any results, and you'll just end up pissed off and thinking the system sucks. The synthetic stones remove metal very, VERY slowly, and are totally unsuitable for re-profiling an edge or repairing damage. DO, however, use the heck out of Sharpmaker to *keep* your blades sharp. Once you have profiled it down to an angle that the Sharpmaker will work on the edge alone, I have never found a faster and easier way to touch up an edge. Kitchen knives, especially. When you're done with a project, or right before you start on one, three or four swipes with the fine or ultra-fine rods will give you a great edge to play with. I have some nice gear in my sharpening pile, and I think the Sharpmaker is used more times on my personal blades than anything else, because I don't LET my blades get seriously dull.
Use any system within it's design constraints, and you generally won't be pissed off. Used appropriately, it'll give one hell of an edge. :thumbup:
Honestly, I suspect that they work just fine, I've never had a chance to use them myself. I'm a bit of a sucker for cool sharpening gear. I just prefer the ability to work through more than two grits to my final edge.I see a lot of people running down on the Sharpmaker, I think because they don't understand the limitations of the system. Don't TRY to use it to reduce the bevel of your buddy's SKS bayonet down to a 30-40 microbevel, it'll take FOREVER to get any results, and you'll just end up pissed off and thinking the system sucks. The synthetic stones remove metal very, VERY slowly, and are totally unsuitable for re-profiling an edge or repairing damage. DO, however, use the heck out of Sharpmaker to *keep* your blades sharp. Once you have profiled it down to an angle that the Sharpmaker will work on the edge alone, I have never found a faster and easier way to touch up an edge. Kitchen knives, especially. When you're done with a project, or right before you start on one, three or four swipes with the fine or ultra-fine rods will give you a great edge to play with. I have some nice gear in my sharpening pile, and I think the Sharpmaker is used more times on my personal blades than anything else, because I don't LET my blades get seriously dull.
Use any system within it's design constraints, and you generally won't be pissed off. Used appropriately, it'll give one hell of an edge. :thumbup:
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I even use my wheels to touch up Stanley blades,yeah I'm cheap,but it's faster than changing the blade--If you enjoy the sharpening process great but if youre impatient like me ,get the wheels,nuff said 
----( Regards Butch
----( Regards Butch
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serious question butch, no irony at all.
i assume you are a knifemaker? you may have, at least one backstand and at least one grinder with cotton or felt or whatever buffing wheel ? why having a paper wheel setup ? do they give you any practical advantage over a belt of the equivalent grit and your grinder with buffing compound ?
i assume you are a knifemaker? you may have, at least one backstand and at least one grinder with cotton or felt or whatever buffing wheel ? why having a paper wheel setup ? do they give you any practical advantage over a belt of the equivalent grit and your grinder with buffing compound ?
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Hi, I mainly make tomahawks but I do a knife occasionally.I don't use a buffer anymore,Idon't like a shiney blade,Scotchbrite is as fine as I go.I guess you could use a buffer for sharpening but they have been known to hurt a fella.I do have 2 belt grinders and use a well worn belt to start an edge but for a final the paper wheel can't be beat,and for touching up an edge on a folder or kitchen knife-----Try it you'll like it,I keep mine where I do the leather work,so the knife gets an edge when i'm finished---Regards Butch
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I dont know where your coming from but it takes me at most 10 minutes on my sharpmaker to get a hair popping sharp edge.
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That's assuming you had a decent edge to start with. Have you tried freehand reprofile of S90v? M4? ZDP-189? That takes minutes on powered sharpening systems, paper wheels included.
Although I'm not one to evangelize the goodness of paper wheels, it's the best thing I've come across yet. And I don't have the money for a real belt grinder. I've been asked to reprofile and sharpen my friends' dull as hell sets of kitchen knives. No way in hell I'm doing those by hand.
Sure, it gets old seeing people recommend a particular sharpening method but you can't argue with results.
And how come I don't see the haters coming out of the wood works when someone recommends the Edge Pro or DMT Aligner or whatever else? If you're gonna hate, at least be consistent. If you don't like seeing someone talk about the paper wheels, then stay the hell out of the thread.
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I am not sure I can agree with you here.
Why don't you go back and re read the original post! If you want to talk about bashing and hating...indulge yourself in the tone (complete with jerkits) set in the OP regarding the Sharpmaker. Sorry, when someone works with bait like that, no one should complain about the haters lured to the party!
Sorry man. I have nothing against anyone here or paper wheels, but you can not seriously ask "haters" to stay out of a thread that uses jerkits and bashes another method in the first sentence...
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Nope, that would be something only possible with a belt sander or sandpaper/mousepad.
I don't think it's better or worse. Just different.
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True, the OP's post was rather inflammatory. But I get sick of reading the same old stuff about A vs B, etc. Honestly I should have just ignored the whole thread and moved on.
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Heh, I have this funny feeling that this is one of those Ford/Chevy issues that will NEVER be settled. Razor edges all around, people trying to whittle a smaller hair...
At some point I'll probably end up with the wheels too, I'm a sucker for sharpening toys.
At some point I'll probably end up with the wheels too, I'm a sucker for sharpening toys.
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True, the OP's post was rather inflammatory. But I get sick of reading the same old stuff about A vs B, etc. Honestly I should have just ignored the whole thread and moved on.
Fair enough...and I agree the A vs B gets old and tired...all good just different
moving on now.
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I have them and while I can't even use them right now they had their faults. I can't use them because I used them enough to wear the grit off the wheel. I have tried multiple times to re-grit the wheel per the instructions and it has not worked. The first time I use them the grit comes off in patches and just won't stick. Back when they worked I was initially impressed. They quickly got a sharp edge on my knives. Since I could now get my knife sharp I sharpened my EDC (a S30V Native at the time) as soon as it began to get dull which was a couple times a week. I almost always used the slotted polishing wheel to touch it up and in 6 months the edge had a few mm of steel removed and the blade was noticeably more narrow. Fast steel removal is not good on an expensive or hard to replace knife. Also, edges always end up somewhat convex since you can't hold your hand exactly the same each time. Not a good way if you want a convex edge and not a good method to keep a nice crisp factory edge. I personally like a nice crisp V edge as I think they are sharper and look better. Since it is basically freehand there is no way of knowing what angle the knife is being sharpened to and it is just a guess. As I mentioned I like a nice crisp edge and also like to know what angle my edges are, and the only way to do this is with a system that holds a fixed angle like the edge pro. And while the paper wheels can get a nice shaving sharp edge, I can get sharper with other methods. I can take a paper wheel sharpened knife and strop it with a diamond loaded strop and get quite a bit sharper. I dont use it often but using the edge pro to strop with polishing tapes or even polishing compound loaded on something to get the sharpest and most perfect edge. Running through the grits on the edge pro will blow paper wheels away in terms of sharpness.
As far as not getting a sharp edge with the Sharpmaker that is either a lack of skill or using the device in a way its not meant to be used. It is not meant to hog metal off of a blade and if you are trying to do this then yes you will be disappointed. But if you have an edge that is thin and you can hit the very edge with the Sharpmaker then it works great. I usually use another means to thin out my knife edge (many of my knives are initially set to 20 deg inclusive) and then use the 30 deg SM setting to keep the knife sharp with a microbevel. With the right technique and a light touch I bet a knife can get more sharp on the SM than the wheels. I usually strop to maintain my knives but if they get too dull then I hit the V sharpener first and then strop. Rarely do I use the paper wheels or the Edge pro anymore and if I do it is either to thin a new knife bevel or to sharpen a dull knife fast that usually isn't mine.
If you sharpen a lot of knives or don't care about a nice 'pretty' edge or knowing what angles the bevels are set at then the paper wheels work good. I sort of equate the paper wheels to the quantity over quality stage of knife collecting. Once you move up to higher end knives and want a higher end knife edge then something else like the Edge Pro is going to be better. Both of these are for when you need to thin out a knife edge. For keeping a knife sharp there are cheaper and easier ways to do so and the Sharpmaker or even ceramic crock V-sticks will provide a quick touch up as will a strop loaded with diamond and will keep knives tree topping sharp.
Just like there is rarely one do it all knife, there is also not one do it all sharpener since different things need to happen to an edge during the sharpening process. Even people who like to free hand can't do all their sharpening and touch ups on just one stone.
As far as not getting a sharp edge with the Sharpmaker that is either a lack of skill or using the device in a way its not meant to be used. It is not meant to hog metal off of a blade and if you are trying to do this then yes you will be disappointed. But if you have an edge that is thin and you can hit the very edge with the Sharpmaker then it works great. I usually use another means to thin out my knife edge (many of my knives are initially set to 20 deg inclusive) and then use the 30 deg SM setting to keep the knife sharp with a microbevel. With the right technique and a light touch I bet a knife can get more sharp on the SM than the wheels. I usually strop to maintain my knives but if they get too dull then I hit the V sharpener first and then strop. Rarely do I use the paper wheels or the Edge pro anymore and if I do it is either to thin a new knife bevel or to sharpen a dull knife fast that usually isn't mine.
If you sharpen a lot of knives or don't care about a nice 'pretty' edge or knowing what angles the bevels are set at then the paper wheels work good. I sort of equate the paper wheels to the quantity over quality stage of knife collecting. Once you move up to higher end knives and want a higher end knife edge then something else like the Edge Pro is going to be better. Both of these are for when you need to thin out a knife edge. For keeping a knife sharp there are cheaper and easier ways to do so and the Sharpmaker or even ceramic crock V-sticks will provide a quick touch up as will a strop loaded with diamond and will keep knives tree topping sharp.
Just like there is rarely one do it all knife, there is also not one do it all sharpener since different things need to happen to an edge during the sharpening process. Even people who like to free hand can't do all their sharpening and touch ups on just one stone.
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That really rather sums the whole thing up, I'd say. And personal skill enters there quite a bit as well, given that what works well for you might not work so well for the other guy. If it (be it wheels, belts, stones, EP, WEPS, Sharpmaker, the sidewalk, whatever) gets an edge you're happy with, keep using whatever it is!
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I have them, I've used them, I'm good with them, I get better edges with other methods. Besides, I can't put them in my bathroom, I keep my lathe and mill in there. Why are paper wheel enthusiasts so fanatical? There's more than one way to skin a cat.
spyderco lover
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Honestly, you sound like tex grebner. Baiting everyone on how much spyderco sucks compared to his precious cold steel knives. Let everyone do what they like, if your method was so awesome why does it seem to be so wildly unpopular with everyone?
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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!seriously?:jerkit: why god why?
You seem focused strictly on the destination - sharpness. Other's may be interested in the journey to their destination, and perhaps even following multiple paths to it. Diversity is a good thing, you shouldn't limit yourself to one way of doing anything. Especially to one way of thinking.
spyderco lover
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Absolutely true. Like it's been said, sharpening is very zen like. To slowly take your edge across a wetstone and maintain very consistent angles, to carefully hone your blade to a level that is impressive to you, is a great feeling and something that calms you and increases your confidence.
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You have to be real careful with paper wheels, one wrong move and ..... BOOM. Either, A. knife goes flying, or B. knife gets a good sized chunk taken out of its edge, or C. You ruin the temper of the steel by letting the blade get to hot. In my opinion they take to much material from the blade. I saw someone sharpen a knife at Bass Pro Shop once, I felt sorry for that Buck knife. Although, he did show how sharp it was by cutting printer paper.