Re: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades
HI, Speaking of sharpening blades, has any one on the list seen or herd of the sharp-all machine.. The thing is so post to sharpen saw blades and almost any thing else.. Just wondering if a blind guy could use this machine or not.. ROB FROM MINNESOTA - Original Message - From: Robert Riddle To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 12:09 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades I've got a long round metal rod that came with my knife set. Are you supposed to hold the blade perpendicular to the steel, that is, the ends of hte knife and rod are at right angles to each other? Clarify your message a bit mire, in other words, if ye wouldn't mind. - Original Message - From: RJ To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 10:23 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades For the kitchen knife, it is best to use a steel. If one uses a grinder of any kind the chance of ruining the knife is good. The ideal is to hold the knife at the angle the factory set on the knife. Start the knife at the bottom of the steel, working upward and pulling the knife toward you. Turn the knife over with the edge upward Start at the top of the steell and work downward, pulling the knife toward you. You can hear when the knife begins to take on a edge. for the noise level goes down. RJ - Original Message - From: Keith Christian To: Blind Handyman Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 11:20 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades Hi, I am very interested in learning how to sharpen chisels, knives, and hand planers. Is this something that I should consider doing with an oil or water stone? Or is it possible to get an attachment for my grinder to take care of sharpening in one step? It seems like there was a conversation a long time ago about a machine that had a bar that could be set for a particular angle and one could run their blade across it for sharpening. I have heard of people using several steps in the sharpening process. One step is a mild stone with 200 grit, then a 400 grit and then a leather strap or buffing wheel for polishing. As you can tell, I am at the learning end of this sharpening gig. Is there a sharpening FAQ that Ray or anyone else has put together on the topic? Thanks, Keith [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades
Sharpening kitchen knives with a steel, as I do it? Hold the steel in your right hand with the end pointing 45 degrees left of straight ahead Hold the knife in your left hand with the point aimed 45 degrees right of straight ahead, so the knife and steel are at 90 degrees to each other. The edge of the blade is away from you, to your left, and the blade starts out on top of the steel. Start at the bottom of the steel and the close end of the blade. You need a slight angle raising the back edge of the knife, trying to duplicate the factory'f final befel on the edge. Draw your hands apart, thus moving the steel up along the knife and drawing it towards the blade edge. If your angle is too shallow, you won't feel any "grinding" action. If the angle is too steep, it will rasp and jiggle. If it's just right, it will slightly grind, although you're not really removing material, just reshaping it. At the end of the stroke, bring the steel and blade back together at there handle ends again and repeat the stroke a few times. Now move the knife to the bottom under the steel and lower the back edge of the blade to duplicate the angle but on the other edge of the blade. Stroke towards the point of the knife and point of the steel again repeating the stroke a few times. You can go from side to side of the blade each stroke if you wish, but that means you have to keep establishing your bevel angle each stroke. I find it easier to do repeating the stroke a few times on each edge then flipping to the other side of the blade for a few strokes. The way described I think by Terry, has you turning the knife over each stroke and going opposite directions on the steel. This works fine, but one stroke brings the knife towards the hand that's holding the steel. Slipping here can bring the blade to your hand. Do this slowly at first till you get used to the proper angle between blade and steel. It's better to be too shallow than too steep, too shallow does almost nothing, too steep removes material from the blade edge and ruins it quickly. If your knife is in basically good shape, all it needs is a few strokes once in a while to keep the final bevel honed. If it needs "real" sharpening, the steel won't do and you'll need it ground to reproduce the final bevel. BTW, this technique is only for "hollow ground' real knives, if you are so desperate as to have serated knives, don't bother, nothing can be done with them. Serated knives don't cut, they rip, tear and destroy. some larger knives like cleavers aren't hollow ground, they just have a single steep befel. These require a much steeper blade angle to sharpen. Now if I could only figure out how to describe the proper shape of a "hollow ground" edge. Hope this makes some sense. Oh, I tell if a knife is truly sharp with a ripe tomato ro fresh soft bread. If moving the knife genly over such a surface doesn't immediately start cutting into it without pressure or sawing, then the knife is not sharp. Tom Fowle
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades
Take the knife and make a 90 degree across the steel. Hold the knife at the angle of the bevel of the cut edge of the knife. Draw the knife up or down the steel, striking the knife with the cut side away from the stroke of the knife and pulling the knife toward you. Since I lost my sight. I will place the steel on a cutting board with the point of the steel down to be able to get the angle I want. Hope this helps. The angle of the steel or knife isn't that important, but the closer you can get the angle of the bevel, the better. I use about a 15 degree angle on my good knifes. RJ - Original Message - From: Robert Riddle To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 1:09 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades I've got a long round metal rod that came with my knife set. Are you supposed to hold the blade perpendicular to the steel, that is, the ends of hte knife and rod are at right angles to each other? Clarify your message a bit mire, in other words, if ye wouldn't mind. - Original Message - From: RJ To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 10:23 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades For the kitchen knife, it is best to use a steel. If one uses a grinder of any kind the chance of ruining the knife is good. The ideal is to hold the knife at the angle the factory set on the knife. Start the knife at the bottom of the steel, working upward and pulling the knife toward you. Turn the knife over with the edge upward Start at the top of the steell and work downward, pulling the knife toward you. You can hear when the knife begins to take on a edge. for the noise level goes down. RJ - Original Message - From: Keith Christian To: Blind Handyman Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 11:20 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades Hi, I am very interested in learning how to sharpen chisels, knives, and hand planers. Is this something that I should consider doing with an oil or water stone? Or is it possible to get an attachment for my grinder to take care of sharpening in one step? It seems like there was a conversation a long time ago about a machine that had a bar that could be set for a particular angle and one could run their blade across it for sharpening. I have heard of people using several steps in the sharpening process. One step is a mild stone with 200 grit, then a 400 grit and then a leather strap or buffing wheel for polishing. As you can tell, I am at the learning end of this sharpening gig. Is there a sharpening FAQ that Ray or anyone else has put together on the topic? Thanks, Keith [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades
I've got a long round metal rod that came with my knife set. Are you supposed to hold the blade perpendicular to the steel, that is, the ends of hte knife and rod are at right angles to each other? Clarify your message a bit mire, in other words, if ye wouldn't mind. - Original Message - From: RJ To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 10:23 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades For the kitchen knife, it is best to use a steel. If one uses a grinder of any kind the chance of ruining the knife is good. The ideal is to hold the knife at the angle the factory set on the knife. Start the knife at the bottom of the steel, working upward and pulling the knife toward you. Turn the knife over with the edge upward Start at the top of the steell and work downward, pulling the knife toward you. You can hear when the knife begins to take on a edge. for the noise level goes down. RJ - Original Message - From: Keith Christian To: Blind Handyman Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 11:20 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades Hi, I am very interested in learning how to sharpen chisels, knives, and hand planers. Is this something that I should consider doing with an oil or water stone? Or is it possible to get an attachment for my grinder to take care of sharpening in one step? It seems like there was a conversation a long time ago about a machine that had a bar that could be set for a particular angle and one could run their blade across it for sharpening. I have heard of people using several steps in the sharpening process. One step is a mild stone with 200 grit, then a 400 grit and then a leather strap or buffing wheel for polishing. As you can tell, I am at the learning end of this sharpening gig. Is there a sharpening FAQ that Ray or anyone else has put together on the topic? Thanks, Keith [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades
For the kitchen knife, it is best to use a steel. If one uses a grinder of any kind the chance of ruining the knife is good. The ideal is to hold the knife at the angle the factory set on the knife. Start the knife at the bottom of the steel, working upward and pulling the knife toward you. Turn the knife over with the edge upward Start at the top of the steell and work downward, pulling the knife toward you. You can hear when the knife begins to take on a edge. for the noise level goes down. RJ - Original Message - From: Keith Christian To: Blind Handyman Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 11:20 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades Hi, I am very interested in learning how to sharpen chisels, knives, and hand planers. Is this something that I should consider doing with an oil or water stone? Or is it possible to get an attachment for my grinder to take care of sharpening in one step? It seems like there was a conversation a long time ago about a machine that had a bar that could be set for a particular angle and one could run their blade across it for sharpening. I have heard of people using several steps in the sharpening process. One step is a mild stone with 200 grit, then a 400 grit and then a leather strap or buffing wheel for polishing. As you can tell, I am at the learning end of this sharpening gig. Is there a sharpening FAQ that Ray or anyone else has put together on the topic? Thanks, Keith [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades
I think Bob just about covered it. The only thing I would add is, not only is the bevel important, the edge should be straight and exactly 90 degrees from the plane of the iron or chisel. Also, The honing step is very important. Honing is the procedure of removing the hook (of metal) left behind when setting the bevel and edge of the tool. The only tool that should have a hook is a scraper. My honing setup is a delta variable speed grinder with cloth wheels. I took off the fenders / guards / tool rests and turned the motor around in the base. Now, the wheels turn away instead of toward the operator. I keep the left whell coated in WD40 and jewelers rouge. The right wheel is left un treated. To hone a tool, I start with the left wheel and finish up with the right. This grinder is also very helpful for polishing just about anything around the house. A lot of times, a quick pass with this grinder will restore the edge without having to go through the entire sharpening process. This is especially true with my lathe tools. Bench chisels tend to need more work because the edge gets a dink out of it. (At least in my shop). I learned about this setup from an old wood carver buddy of mine. He is an expert sharpener who's tools are always razor sharp. When looking at sharpening systems, make sure there is an easy way to dress the stone or wheel. If there isn't, you will never achieve the results you want. A sharper tool is a safer tool. Learning to sharpen is as important as learning to use the tool. That being said, if you looked at my bench chisels right now, I would be embarrissed. Let me know you are coming so I can sharpen them. :) Terry On Thu, 15 Jan 2009 05:45:24 -0500you write: > >The grinder that is set up for chisels and some plane irons is the Work Sharp >3000. That has a little window or port on the side >of the machine and the angle is already set for you. > >There are a bunch of other grinders and if you have the money a couple of very >expensive sharpening systems out there Like Tormek >and Jet. > >If you want to sharpen by hand, I'd suggest getting a jig for it. It's tough >trying to keep the same angle each stroke. I saw a >very impressive tool for hand sharpening at Woodcraft. It is made by >Pinnacle. It has preset angles you choose and it locks at t >hat angle until you actually make a change. The cool thing is it has a >definite stop for each of the angles so all you'd need to >do is count to the one you want. The draw back is you have to use the angles >that are built in, you can't add or subtract a coupl >e degrees to finish with. But you'll always get the same angle when you're >finished. > >Just go on a couple of the sites we talk about often and search for sharpen >and you'll have a whole evening of reading to do... > > > - Original Message - > From: Keith Christian > To: Blind Handyman > Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 11:20 PM > Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades > > > Hi, > > I am very interested in learning how to sharpen chisels, knives, and > hand planers. Is this something that I should consider doing with an > oil or water stone? Or is it possible to get an attachment for my > grinder to take care of sharpening in one step? It seems like there was > a conversation a long time ago about a machine that had a bar that could > be set for a particular angle and one could run their blade across it > for sharpening. > > I have heard of people using several steps in the sharpening process. > One step is a mild stone with 200 grit, then a 400 grit and then a > leather strap or buffing wheel for polishing. > > As you can tell, I am at the learning end of this sharpening gig. Is > there a sharpening FAQ that Ray or anyone else has put together on the > topic? > > Thanks, > > Keith
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades
The grinder that is set up for chisels and some plane irons is the Work Sharp 3000. That has a little window or port on the side of the machine and the angle is already set for you. There are a bunch of other grinders and if you have the money a couple of very expensive sharpening systems out there Like Tormek and Jet. If you want to sharpen by hand, I'd suggest getting a jig for it. It's tough trying to keep the same angle each stroke. I saw a very impressive tool for hand sharpening at Woodcraft. It is made by Pinnacle. It has preset angles you choose and it locks at that angle until you actually make a change. The cool thing is it has a definite stop for each of the angles so all you'd need to do is count to the one you want. The draw back is you have to use the angles that are built in, you can't add or subtract a couple degrees to finish with. But you'll always get the same angle when you're finished. Just go on a couple of the sites we talk about often and search for sharpen and you'll have a whole evening of reading to do... - Original Message - From: Keith Christian To: Blind Handyman Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 11:20 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades Hi, I am very interested in learning how to sharpen chisels, knives, and hand planers. Is this something that I should consider doing with an oil or water stone? Or is it possible to get an attachment for my grinder to take care of sharpening in one step? It seems like there was a conversation a long time ago about a machine that had a bar that could be set for a particular angle and one could run their blade across it for sharpening. I have heard of people using several steps in the sharpening process. One step is a mild stone with 200 grit, then a 400 grit and then a leather strap or buffing wheel for polishing. As you can tell, I am at the learning end of this sharpening gig. Is there a sharpening FAQ that Ray or anyone else has put together on the topic? Thanks, Keith [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades
Hi, I am very interested in learning how to sharpen chisels, knives, and hand planers. Is this something that I should consider doing with an oil or water stone? Or is it possible to get an attachment for my grinder to take care of sharpening in one step? It seems like there was a conversation a long time ago about a machine that had a bar that could be set for a particular angle and one could run their blade across it for sharpening. I have heard of people using several steps in the sharpening process. One step is a mild stone with 200 grit, then a 400 grit and then a leather strap or buffing wheel for polishing. As you can tell, I am at the learning end of this sharpening gig. Is there a sharpening FAQ that Ray or anyone else has put together on the topic? Thanks, Keith
