Pretty good sharpening system

[RG Coburn]

Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener™ - Work Sharp Sharpeners (worksharptools.com)
I bought one of these today,at a big discount retail outlet north of me. Was going to try to build something like this,but for the $39.99 I paid,I could not source the components for that,let alone my time to fab it together. I did not know it came with diamond honing stones when I bought it,so was pleasantly surprised when I test drove it. And holy shit,did it put an edge on my test subjects. I'd recommend it,so far.

 

[nopec]

The belts don’t last very long. I ended up with a 1”x30” belt sander. Belts are commonly available and last really long time. Leather strop belt with green compound puts a mirror edge on most anything in short order.

 

[Andy the Aussie]

The belts don’t last very long. I ended up with a 1”x30” belt sander. Belts are commonly available and last really long time. Leather strop belt with green compound puts a mirror edge on most anything in short order.

……. the product above is of course not the powered belt version but the guided stones. Just so we are clear.

And yes this guided system works well for most small to medium small blades. I also have the KO version of the powered belt system that does a great job. Horses for courses.

 

[badzero]

My dad gave me a set of stones, actually a kit and taught me how to it when I was a kid, and was still randomly checking my knife up until he died. If he couldn’t shave a patch on his arm with it he gave me no ends of hell. All your going to do with a dull knife is hurt yourself.

 

[droid]

^^^
I do the sharpness test with everyone I see that has a knife clipped to their pocket.
If the blade is dull, I give them an endless supply of shit and if they give me some bullshit excuse, I show them how to sharpen knives.
You can get a shaving edge on most pocket knives (excluding the truly beat to shit varieties) from the unfinished ring on the bottom of a coffee cup, the top ridge of a car or truck window, certain quartz type high energy lamp filaments, etc... etc...
Just as a demonstration, I have used the back of a legal pad and three grades of valve lapping compound and it usually takes no more than 15 minutes to achieve a hair shaving edge.
The best practice is proper preventive maintenance. Never let it get dull in the first place. It also helps if you don't cut wires and nails, which I have actually seen people do!

I always carry a Swiss Army knife (Victorinox) everywhere I go. I've had people tell me you can't get the stainless steel blades on that knife shaving sharp. I love the looks on their faces when I shave a spot down to a smooth, rubbery, baby butt smooth surface. I have quite hairy arms so the difference is very easy to see. Not to mention that satisfying sound of the hairs screaming as they jump off my arm in anticipation of that blade! LOL!!!

Sorry for the WOT, but I'm a blade sharpness freak.

 

[NFADLR]

Ive seen a V shaped set of rods at a place in town dont know if the rods are a smooth ceramic or an aggressive metal.

Will get pics the next day I go shopping.

 

[RG Coburn]

I have used about every other method. The Worksharp with belt sander thingy does work,okay,but this guide rod system works far,far better.The belts will flex when any amount of pressure is put on them,resulting in a convex shaped edge. I can do that with regular stones. And I have been playing with blades a long time,and can sharpen on a stone as good as the next guy. The beauty of a guide-rod system is consistency.Each stroke is exactly the same angle as the last,and it makes a profound difference on how long your edge lasts. Like Andy mentioned,this system is designed for smaller to medium sized blades,pocket knives,clip folders,bushcraft size blades,smaller hunting knives. I think it could do a longer blade,but would require re-positioning the blade along its length. It has a mechanism that allows the knife to be rotated to the opposite side. Keeps angle the same. I will keep an eye out on these guys to see if the do indeed,make a larger unit,for larger blades.

 

[gunplumber]

It's shit. (the powered belt version) I hate it.
Rounded bevels are all it can do and that just ain't a thing.

Worst money I ever wasted. Great salesman.

Blades need angles, depending on their purpose. 60, 30, 15, whatever. This half round shit is just that. shit.

I suck at knife sharpening. Or maybe my standards are so high that I will never meet them. My brother is a luthier and a master at sharpening his tools. I struggle even with a Japan water stone and guide, to get a suitable chisel edge for fine woodworking (just learning complex jointing techniques).

But I get a better edge by hand on the bottom of my coffee cup than I can get with that Worksharp crap.

 

[4x401]

Wicked Edge./

 

[RG Coburn]

Wiked Edge is a very slick system,but just one of their honing stones was more than twice the cost of the whole fixture I linked. I'm still probably going to try to make a guide rod type sharpening jig. I have one of those older arkansas stone sets,the one where three good sized stones are mounted onto a triangular shaped piece of wood,and you're supposed to set it into a v-notch block to sharpen. My plan is to bore a hole thru the dead center,and either make it so the block slides on the guide rod,or the whole block and guide rod move thru an adjustible eye of some sort. Making a clamp to hold the blade is still bouncing around up there. I would like a fixture to sharpen larger and thicker blades,or even machetes.

 

[TenTea]

Wicked Edge./

I got one of these and like it quite well.

I had (used to have) a small collection of Randall Made Knives and wanted to sharpen all of them without fucking up the job.

I also use an old Craftsman 10 inch wet wheel for some knives, machetes, axes and chisels.

 

[4x401]

I got one of these and like it quite well.

I had (used to have) a small collection of Randall Made Knives and wanted to sharpen all of them without fucking up the job.

I also use an old Craftsman 10 inch wet wheel for some knives, machetes, axes and chisels.

View attachment 281397

Nice.
Great stuff for someone that knows how to use it.

My problem with powered equipment is they can take off too much material.

 

[nopec]

Nice.
Great stuff for someone that knows how to use it.

My problem with powered equipment is they can take off too much material.

That’s a risk. I started out with the belt sander on junky kitchen knives using a high grit belt (400-600) and gradually improved my skills. A stropping belt on the sander with 3000 grit compound is almost all I use for routine touch ups. The convex edge took some getting used to having grown up with flat angled edges. But if I need to put a flat bevel edge on a tool, I simply add the belt backing guide.

 

[harleyrider]

I found an old Lansky sharpener while cleaning out my parents garage last weekend. Used it to sharpen our kitchen knives which were dull as hell. Did a fine job bringing them back to life. I’ll eventually cycle all my knives through it.



HR

 

[meltblown]

I found an old Lansky sharpener while cleaning out my parents garage last weekend. Used it to sharpen our kitchen knives which were dull as hell. Did a fine job bringing them back to life. I’ll eventually cycle all my knives through it.

View attachment 287972

HR

I have one that I got back in 88. Had epoxy one the stones back on the base a couple of years ago. They do fine. Truth be known, I hate sharpening knives. My favorite knife is the one that I can change the razor blade out when it gets dull on both ends

 

[55bird]

I learned to use whetstones as a boy, patience is needed as being able to hold consistently at the same angle. Purpose decides angle. Later Lapidary taught me grit and polish. Applied to knife sharpening and can sliver paper near hair thin. Now use diamond grit covered flat lap from harbor freight with four sides, 200-800, then an old "moonstone.

 

[droid]

^^^
I have an old "Moonstone" as well. Love it! Still use it on occasion.