Knife Sharpening

I have the same thing as you I haven’t bought that attachment yet. Maybe someone has feedback on it as well

I’ve been tempted to buy one of those for quite a while. Hey freeme, can we get a group buy? :money_mouth_face:

You think freeme skims every thread on BLF?

Only crazy people like me do that!

I’ve seen those and heard good things about them, thought about it, but then I recall how I enjoy spending the time with my Lansky system and working it up to just such a wicked edge… the pride of having done it “by hand” as it were… I don’t think I would enjoy a quick edge even if it were flawless and easy.

Keeping my Koenig Arius with it’s Carpenter CTS-204P blade mirror finished and hair splitting sharp is a pleasure, probably wont’ change the system I’ve been using for nearly 25 years…. enticing though, can’t say it’s not.

I use the lansky ceramic box,

I am anxious to try it out. Mine will be here Saturday.

or, you could just buy a cheap harbor freight 1” x 30” belt sander for ~$50, spend $10-$30 on a variety of grit belts and voila! sharp knives instantly with a little practice. so far three of my friends have gone down this path and they love them! the only down side is my wife keeps wondering where are the printer paper disappears to… :slight_smile:

I don’t have the Worksharp but I’ve used a Lansky for years. The Lansky is great sharpener after you use it severàl times and learn it.

A few years ago I found something that made it even better. I bought a set of DMT diamond stones for their portable hand sharpener. They’re much wider and make using the Lansky even easier as they have the same rods as the Lansky.

With the DMT stones on the Lansky, I can sharpen knives, even the harder new exotic steels out now, faster than any of these expensive belt driven sharpeners.

Not trying to discourage anyone and hope you like these belt sharpeners and they work for you.

KME is a pretty nice jig for knife sharpening.

I use a belt sander and finish off with a fine stone and strop if i feel like spending the time. I also try and do all dull knives in the house while im at it.

I use a 3/4” thick MDF wheel I made and installed on a bench grinder. I rub a little rouge on the wheel and within minutes your arm will be bald. It kind of worries me a little handing my wife a sharpened kitchen knife that sharp. With enough practice and very little time on the wheel you can get a blade scary sharp. When done right the edge looks like a mirror.
.
I first saw some DIY youtube video’s on the MDF sharpener. I thought to myself I really doubt that works as good as my old 3 or 4 hour process of sharpening a knife. Its cheap, I’ll just try and see how it does. I must say. I was impressed and its changed the way I sharpen knifes.
There are several youtube video’s if anyone’s interested in trying it. The most time consuming part for me was unmounting the bench grinder and reversing the working side of the grinder, so that the wheel runs away from the edge of the blade.

Update,
My KO Work sharp showed up today. It only came with 3 belts but i have ordered more.
With my limited knowledge of it and trial and error i was able to quickly sharpen 3 knifes
including one custom Damascus. It works even better than had hoped. The Ken Onion black
handle knife had the tip completely broken off. Took lees than 5 minutes to rework it. Being able to
run it @ approx 45 rpm creates no heat in the blade(assuming common sense) New favorite tool in
the shed. Just need belts to continue on with the remainder of my knifes.
Here is a few high res pic.



I just did about 6 kitchen knives and 1 folder with mine. Used 4 different belts for the folder and 3 for the kitchen knives. No point doing the polishing one on kitchen knives. Why do you need more belts right away?

I ruined them putting the tip back on the Kershaw.
The Damascus blade is very hard as well and it was brutal on the belts too.
Mine only came with 3 belts and a real coarse one. You?

I think mine came with 5 but one is p120 extra coarse which i have never needed

Been sharpening and skinning for over 60 yrs. Tried a few systems and ways in my time.
Incl the sloooow Japanese water stones.
You get old just doing it that way.
Nowadays. I find. myself. that the easiest and most constant ANGLES kept. Which is the most important part of sharpening.
Along with the finish. Is using the DMT Diamond plates.
modded to fit in the RUIXO Angled sharpener tool.
Cheap. Chinese. had for yrs. still works. Gives me Euro and Japanese blade angles to suit every time.
With a small diamond 600 Grit tool (5in by 1 in.worn down well over 30issh yrs. to top off in the field.

I got on well with a small oil soaked 3 in Axe stone. fine/med, in my pocket for longer than I remember.
(50odd yrs ago)
So anything will do the job. Try ’em all.

Those powered tools do nothing for me. When I look at them all I see is a grinder…
My PUMA Prince. Duke. Are still (after 1973/’81 purchase) as new, with hand sharpening only.
Along with a coupla Custom skinners.
Plus I strop blades to finish with an old ex UK army 3in by 1\4in Donkey saddle strap.
was about 8 ft long to start, made 2 for me 1 left.
Beautiful oiled leather though.

I wouldn’t ever use any non-water cooled device to sharpen a knife, as the heat weakens your edge significantly. If you really want to get deep into knife sharpening, look up Cliff Stamp.
Otherwise I’d recommend a coarse waterstone for setting an initial bevel and something like a Spyderco Sharpmaker for touchups.

Well that is a lot of advice, Thanks Guys :beer:

To each his own on this one. But I prefer hand sharpening, as it is relaxing and stress relieving. I do use a 5 stone Lansky old school model for all my smaller pocket knives. I want to learn to use Water Stones like ” LichtAn ” mentioned, but time constraints has postponed that for now. Just a quickie note for large Knives say over 8 inches. I use a full sheet of the black silicon carbide wet or dry abrasive paper, wet both sides with water and lay it on a flat surface, and at the edge. The wet back side will hold it in place, now you have a large flat surface to sharpen on for those big blades. For kitchen knives I only use 600 grit because it cuts better with a little course grit. Keep it wet on top with water and a little dish soap.

Get a commercial Butchers diamond 10 or 12in steel. I have a 600 diamond grit,
with a Ceramic 12in polishing steel. Once you get your edge.

At home They usually keep your edges up for up to a month . Wife’s knives in kitchen I “sharpen” on diamond plates around once every three months or so.
The diamond steels keep her Wusthof and VG10 Jap blades up to hair shaving for that long with normal kitchen use.

Hunting. I used to last a week out in bush unless on Buff’s or goats.
They have scales, not skin.
Roos. We’d “touch up” on plates b4 every Day. and the steels would cover edges for several hundred ’roos a day.
6 blokes. one freezer van.
Good commercial skinning/boning blades would hold it that long.
Fancy Damascus and Carbon Japanese blades get too much chipping of edges to be any good on serious work.
A well folded Length of tensile steel cable makes a good blade though sfter quenched several times.

A 2 or 3inch Power saw carbon blade makes one of the best skinning blades possible.
Snap off the length. Slow grind the shape,then profile the curved leading edge.
Rubber dip the handle with enuff layers to give good grrip. (or whatever)
Those things will do pigs. goats and roo’s all day long.
and come back tomorrow for more.

Eldest son still uses one I made up over 30 yrs ago. Still got the blue on sides of blade.
Mate dipped handle enuff times in Tyre rubber compound vats till he got bulky enuff.
then we fine ground it down to suit my grip. Magic knife (for skinning)

Power sharpeners are good for one thing. Knife salesmen.
Think about it. what are you doing when that belt is spinning around. and you pushing your blades up against it.
Buzzing away to itself.Wearing away all that lovely EXPENSIVE steel……
At a much higher rate than any other way of sharpening.
The clean edge LOOKS nice. but you giving it a new one every time you do so.
Usually most blades just need the tip of cutting edge unfolding and laying straight again.
Look at them in a magnifier.
Unless you really worn it blunt (then reshape it) It usually needs only unfolding.