Any knife, even the best one, requires careful care. If you neglect this, then over time it may stop cutting. Therefore, it is important to choose the right knife sharpening device. Currently, you can find a huge number of stones and sharpeners in stores.
Types of sharpening stones
There are mainly three types of sharpening stones:
Features of sharpening various knives
To sharpen it yourself japanese knives, you must have sufficient skills in this field. After all, Japanese steel is very fragile, so it requires special care. Manufacturers recommend sharpening such knives on Japanese water stones. It is advisable to use several stones with different degrees of grain at the same time, which will help maintain the sharpness of the knives for a long time. for a long time. Of course, this process is not easy and requires patience.
But to sharpen a kitchen knife, everyone is used to using a special sharpener. With its help, you can quickly and conveniently make any knife sharp. Of course, no housewife would want to use several stones for sharpening. However, thanks to their use, the knife will cut much better.
Conditions for sharpening
Choosing and purchasing a device for sharpening knives is only half the problem. It is necessary to ensure that the knife remains sharp for several months. To do this, you should choose a favorable angle for sharpening. Some believe that the smaller the angle between the edges of the blade, the sharper the tool will be. But this is not entirely true, since such an action can lead to the fact that the knife will soon lose its cutting qualities again. That is, the sharper it is after sharpening, the faster it will become dull. In this case, a pattern can be identified: the smaller the angle at which the knife was sharpened, the less strength the cutting edge of the blade will have.
Sharpening task
The main objective of this operation is to restore the sharpness of the blade. At the same time, the correct sharpening angle must be maintained. Therefore, we can say that in its process the angle that was set earlier is restored. This angle must fully comply with all technological standards. The task is completed if the knife can be used to cut the material for which it is intended.
What problems may arise during the work process?
Of course, choosing the right angle for sharpening is difficult. Moreover, such a process is difficult if there is no special device for sharpening knives. After all, if you hold the blade with your hands, it will be very difficult to achieve a uniform sharpening with the correct angles. To eliminate this problem, you can use a homemade knife sharpening device. Moreover, making it at home is not difficult. And although there are currently a huge number various sharpenings, their design is not particularly complex, so the manufacture of such a device will take little time.
How can you sharpen a knife at home?
One of the main tasks of every man around the house is sharpening knives. Making your own device is not only convenient, but also effective. In this case, you can independently make a device that will resemble the factory one. You can also use some available tools:
- Hacksaw.
- Wooden block.
- Chisel.
- Sandpaper.
- Plane.
- File and the like.
In some villages, it is also practiced to sharpen knives on the foundation. It is made from cement-sand mortar and has a grainy surface. Of course, this method cannot be called an example to follow. But if you urgently need to sharpen a blade, and there is no device for sharpening knives, then this is a relatively good option.
Why are drawings needed?
Knife sharpeners are inexpensive. Nevertheless, many owners want to make a device for sharpening knives with their own hands. Such a device will be of higher quality than a store-bought one, since in the process of its creation only natural materials. In order for the production of a sharpener to be completed successfully, it is necessary to carry out the process according to the proposed plan:
- Purchase or make your own drawings for clamping jaws. It is very important to draw in detail future design. Particular attention should be paid to small details.
- Draw a drawing of the left and right stop, which is necessary in order to assembled structure didn't fall apart.
- Prepare a drawing of the guide. There are several nuances here.
Guide drawing: features
To make the guide the right size, you should:
As you know, there are two main types of knife sharpening: single-sided and double-sided. Naturally, the methods of work in one and another case differ from each other. When working with knives, the following factors should be taken into account:
Sharpening planing knives
Sharpening planer knives is a rather complex process. To complete it, you need to master some knowledge and skills. A device for sharpening planing knives is difficult to find on sale. Therefore, many improve their cutting qualities using conventional sharpeners. But for this you need to acquire a modern low-speed water-cooled sharpener. To easily sharpen planer knife, you should find a smooth and ungreasy stone used in this area. It is better to use a water stone. You can find a sharpener in car workshops, where they can sharpen any blade for an additional fee.
The blades in a cutting tool are the basis of everything. A kitchen knife, grinder wheels, chains for a brush cutter or chainsaw with a well-sharpened blade simplify and speed up the work process.
You can sharpen a tool in a professional workshop or at home if you make a knife sharpening machine with your own hands from simple materials.
For knives used in household use, not needed special tool For sharpening, it is enough to have a sharpener in the form of a bar at hand. But if you have a chainsaw at home, the chains of which also need regular sharpening, or an angle grinder, the disks of which constantly become dull, then it is better to make the installation yourself. The essence of the device is this: a block is attached to the desktop in two variations - with or without adjustment. For those who do not understand the essence of making a sharpener with your own hands from the text, you can watch photo or video master classes.
Device manufacturing diagram
In order for the device to turn out to be of high quality and safe, you need to calculate in advance the dimensions of the machine for sharpening knives with your own hands and select necessary materials. The first thing to do is calculate the angle between the working part of the cutting blade and the block.
Next comes the selection of base materials (support) and stone. You can make a machine from glass covered with sandpaper or stone attached to a support. The first option is less expensive, and the sandpaper can be changed at any time, but a more reliable installation is made of stone.
Process nuances
In order for the machine for sharpening knives according to the drawings with your own hands to turn out ideal and last for more than one year, you need to take the advice of experts. The first thing to take into account is what type of blade will be sharpened.
After all, an individual angle is selected for each knife:
- Blades for cutting hard objects (for example, cardboard, wood, metal), chainsaws - 30-45 degrees.
- Hunting and tourist knives - at an angle of 25-30 degrees.
- Kitchen cutting tool for slicing various products need to be sharpened at 20-25 degrees.
- Simple knives for slicing bread, vegetables and fruits require 15-20 degrees of sharpening. Regular household scissors, as well as razor knives, should be sharpened at the same angle.
Necessary materials
If you need to make a sharpening machine, you will need the following materials:
- several wooden beams;
- sandpaper;
- sawing tools;
- drill with several drills.
Simple machine. Step-by-step instruction
- Step 1. Take three slats and place them so that together they form the letter H. The width of the middle rail should be equal to the width of the saw block. Repeat the procedure.
- Step 2. Place the slats perpendicular to each other, connecting their bases - the main structure for holding the saw bar is ready.
- Step 3. This is one of the most important stages! It is necessary to correctly calculate the angle of attachment of the bar relative to the slats. Calculate it using measuring tools and mark the places where the timber is attached along the vertical and horizontal slats.
If you want a universal device, then you need to make several retractable bolts at once at a distance apart so that you can change the tilt of the beam if necessary. This can be done using simple measuring tools and drills. After this, you can cut the slats to a convenient length.
The inconvenience of such a machine is that you will have to independently control the position of the knife relative to the beam. If you don’t want to think about anything at all while sharpening knives, scissors or chains, then you should make a more complex machine.
Universal machine. Step-by-step instruction
Read each step carefully and, where possible, draw a drawing for each step indicating all dimensions - this will be an excellent help in your work:
- Cut two rectangular trapezoids from plywood, the bases of which will be equal to 60 and 170 mm, and the side will be equal to right angle– 230 mm.
- Cut a rectangular board with dimensions 230 by 150 mm.
- Fix the rectangle between the bases so that it protrudes 40 mm upward.
- Cut a block measuring 60 by 60 mm and secure it to the base of the wedge.
- Using a drill, make a vertical hole in the block at a distance of 50 mm from the center. Insert the fittings at the top and bottom of the hole, and into them - a pin of the appropriate diameter, 25 cm long.
- Process the rectangular base. At the level of the 40 mm protrusion, make a cut of approximately 2 mm so that a sheet of sandpaper can be attached to this place
- Make a fix:
- Take an L-shaped plank with dimensions of 15 by 18 cm along the long edges and an approximate width of each shelf of up to 5 cm.
- Take a rectangular plank 5 by 5 cm.
- Make a groove in the board at the level of the stud and attach the strips to it with minimal movement.
8. Make a regulator:
- Secure the stud with a nut so that it does not rotate.
- Cut a block from hard wood with dimensions of 20x40x80 mm and secure it to the stud with nuts.
- On the wide side, make a hole of 9 mm with a distance of 15 mm from the edge.
- Cut two blocks of 50x80x20 mm from hard wood and make one hole in them at a distance of 20 mm from the edge in the center.
- Take the weld of the stud and the smooth rod and fasten the blocks to it as follows: first the locking nut, then the first block. Then aluminum profile, then a second block and another retainer.
- Glue the sandpaper to the aluminum profile.
The universal sharpening tool is ready. Cut out several templates with different angles so that you can use them as a guide when working. Remember that pre-created drawings will help you at every stage of creating a tool - do not neglect this step, otherwise it will be very difficult to avoid mistakes.
It doesn’t matter what you need to sharpen - a simple kitchen knife, garden or nail scissors, or chainsaw chains - such a tool will cope with any job if you set the angle correctly and remember to use it when the need arises.
The myth about supposedly self-sharpening knives was quickly shattered... About everyday life. This is not surprising, the laws of physics are laws of physics, and even marketers, so to speak, are powerless against them. If there are no sharpened knives in the house, if you remember the famous bard, there is nothing good. Today the editors of the site will help solve the problem of dull blades and tell you how and with what you can properly sharpen a knife at home. We will introduce our readers to different types devices for sharpening knives, we will tell you about their effectiveness, and also teach you how to make a simple sharpening machine at home.
Read in the article
Types of devices for sharpening knives
A whetstone for sharpening knives is probably the very first device of this type. A simple, and, most importantly, affordable tool has been successfully coping with its task for many millennia.
To this day, the classification of machine tools depends on this once uncontested sharpener. Depending on the type of abrasive material, they can be:
- bars;
- sharpening stones.
By drive type:
- manual;
- electrically driven.
By place of use:
- domestic;
- professional.
However, in modern world a whetstone can only sharpen a simple hunting knife. In other cases, the quality will leave much to be desired. In addition, only soft metals can be sharpened with a stone, if cutting part The blade has a hardness above 55 HRC; you cannot sharpen it with improvised means.
Important! Each type of blade has a different edge angle. And during sharpening it must be held along the entire length of the processed surface of the product.
Some types of modern sharpening stones are still used today. An example of this is natural stones - Japanese water stone (we showed it in the photo above) or American “Arkansas”. Master sharpeners even conduct special master classes on sharpening knives using natural stone. It is interesting that before the processing process it is soaked in water, sometimes with a soap solution, and after work it is dried. The whole process resembles a sacrament for initiates. Therefore, it should not be surprising that these breeds are too expensive, and in most sharpening devices artificial abrasive surfaces are used.
Knife sharpening stones
These are artificially turned bars with an abrasive coating, which are suitable for manual sharpening of both carpentry and plumbing tools, as well as kitchen knives.
The bars, depending on the material from which they are made, can have varying degrees of wear resistance and grain size. Let's consider the main types of materials that are used in the manufacture of sharpening stones:
- Natural stones, such as novaculite or Japanese water stone. Working with such a tool is not very easy. They require certain skills and craftsmanship.
- Diamond(with diamond coating) – can be different shapes and graininess. Wear-resistant. Reasonable price.
- Ceramic. Refer to more modern look whetstones for sharpening. They combine the strength of diamond coating with the hardness of natural stone.
- Artificial: electrocorundum or carbide. Quickly grinding abrasive is of low quality and the same price.
Artificial abrasives are created by mixing diamond powders of different fractions, as well as electrocorundum and carbide.
Important! Great value at the same time, it has the material used for gluing the rock, as well as the percentage of all elements. The stronger and better composition(this also applies to the particles themselves), the more durable the sharpening abrasive will be.
Moreover, there are two types of bonding of elements - galvanic bonding and soft bonding. In the first case, the crystals are glued strictly to the surface of their base, made of a nickel alloy. In fact, the crystals are located very thin layer on a block. A soft binder is a chaotic arrangement of binding and abrasive elements. The second type is less wear-resistant.
Sharpening stones for knives
If we talk in more detail about sharpening stones, we need to talk about the main types used in such tools, this will help you understand the process in detail and understand how to sharpen a knife correctly. But before talking about them, it is impossible not to mention the stages of sharpening, which in this context will play a decisive role in the description different materials and machine tools.
| Stage | Description | Illustration |
| Sharpening | Restoring a blunt edge without adjusting the sharpening angle. |  |
| Finishing | Grinding the edge with fine grain abrasives. |  |
| Edit | Polishing bevels and cutting edges with a ceramic pencil, GOI paste or on a leather belt. |  |
| Resharpening (deep sharpening) | Complete restoration of the desired sharpening angle, blade profile geometry and elimination of chips on the edge. Most often, such work is carried out on special machines. |  |
Let's move on to a description of the main options for sharpening stones.
Japanese water stones Waterstone
They are used equally effectively at all stages of sharpening. There are artificial analogues (ceramic based), but professionals use original, natural materials. Stones require special care, after all most important rule masters - a perfectly smooth surface of the grindstone.
A comment
Ask a Question“To check the degree of evenness of the stone, use simple method. Wet the timber and place it on paper sheet on a flat surface. The imprint will allow you to assess the level of evenness of the stone.”
Novaculites, or “Arkansas”, “Turkish”, “Belgian” stones, are natural schists and chalcedony interspersed with tiny particles of garnet and quartz. Today, both natural stones and their artificial substitutes are used.
Important! Stones only work in combination with a special oil lubricant. The extraordinary and unique structure of the stones allows them to be used at different stages of processing.
Musat for sharpening knives
Musat is a kind of file, most often installed vertically. The peculiarity of this tool is that its surface is magnetized, which means that metal flour will not fall on you.
Musats come in different shapes: round, faceted, flat with beveled edges Each variation has its own merits. For example, round musat weighs little, but oval sharpens better, since its edges provide more complete contact with the surface being processed. Tetrahedral - more universal, here you can improve the quality required angle sharpening.
Household manual knife sharpening machines
We can talk for hours about the options and varieties of hand-held machines used in everyday life. These include the usual home mini-sharpeners, known to almost everyone, and more specific devices with a polishing wheel.
The easiest way to work is with mini-sharpeners that control the stroke of the tool. In this case, the degree of sharpening depends on the effort the person makes.
Household electric knife sharpening machines
Electric sharpeners are more convenient. Working with them saves time. Most often, such drive machines have various modes works that are regulated by switches.
Typically, such machines are compact, safe, simple and reliable, since all grinding wheels hidden inside the case. In this case, the sharpening angle is adjusted by a special spring, which completely eliminates errors in sharpening.
Professional manual sharpeners for sharpening knives
Professional hand tools are a bit like a carpenter's vice. The object to be sharpened, the knife itself, is clamped with special clamps.
The sharpening machine itself is mounted on a stop. Here it is very important to properly secure the machine and avoid the device slipping during sharpening.
A comment
Tool selection specialist at VseInstruments.ru
Ask a Question“If you do not have the skills to work with this tool, it is better to use automatic sharpeners. In addition, such a machine cannot be assembled without certain knowledge.”
Professional electric knife sharpening machines
Professional machines are distinguished by their versatility. Usually this is a device with a massive abrasive disk. Such tools allow you to sharpen not only knives, but also locksmith tool, for example, planes and chisels.
The combination of low speed and constant cooling gives high-quality processing products already at the stage of formation of the cutting edge. And at the final stages of work they provide the blade with razor sharp. IN professional instrument provided a large number of nozzles and replacement discs. Moreover, the clamp where the blade is secured can move freely along the support in the horizontal direction. Moreover, you can adjust the sharpening angle.
How to sharpen a knife correctly
For high-quality sharpening of the machine, you need experience and certain knowledge. Let's start with the basics.
Optimal sharpening angles and degree of sharpness for kitchen knives
It's no secret that there are a lot of knives for different materials. A good housewife has her own knife for vegetables and meat. Let's consider correct angles sharpening various tools.
| Tool type | Sharpening angle |
| Razor and medical scalpel | 10-50° |
| Professional for chefs | 20-25° |
| Universal | 25-30° |
| For complex work | 25-30° |
| Kitchen cutlery | 55-60° |
| For fillet | 15-20° |
| Home universal | 30-35° |
| Deboning and cutting | 25-30° |
| Professional for fish | 25° |
| Professional for vegetables | 35° |
| Hunting and “Swiss” (spicy) | 30-35° |
| Hunting and “Swiss”, resistant to blunting | 40-45° |
For your information! With the sharpest knives Blades with a sharpening angle of 50° are considered; such versions, with a certain grade of steel, can cut through nails. When sharpening knives, you can vary the angle at your discretion within the mentioned range.
In general, the sharpness of a blade depends on the shape of the blade. And it, in turn, must correlate with certain clear correspondences of the relationships between the blade and the blade.
How to sharpen a knife at home with a whetstone
The process is simple, but quite painstaking. Without sharpening experience, trying this process is pointless. Typically, craftsmen use two sharpening stones with different abrasive densities - with a large grain and a fine one.
A comment
Tool selection specialist at VseInstruments.ru
Ask a Question“The knife blade must be wet. You can use special oils or sharpening lubricants.”
The next step is choosing the sharpening angle. Here we focus on the table above and take the range from and to. Don’t forget, the smaller the sharpening angle, the faster knife will become dull. For a beginner, it will be difficult to maintain the same angle. In order to successfully complete this stage, it is important to hold the knife with both hands.
We start working on a coarse-grained stone, and then, when the edge grinding stage begins, with a fine abrasive
How to sharpen a knife with musat at home
Sharpening takes place by weight. The blade is passed along the entire length of the instrument; usually several such “passes” are enough.
To prevent the blade from slipping, the musat is equipped with a special stopper or guard, which prevents the blade from injuring the hand.
How to properly sharpen a knife on an electric sharpener
The sharpening process is practically no different from sharpening manually. The only difference is that in this case it is not the blade that is wetted, but the sharpening disk itself. Usually this happens automatically, like in the machines we talked about above.
Typical mistakes when sharpening knives with your own hands
Everyone knows that it is better to prevent mistakes than to correct them later. That is why the editors of the site have prepared a list of the most common mistakes beginners make when sharpening knives:
- Incorrect level of sharpening angle.
- Blade sharpening. It occurs when excessive pressure is applied to the sharpener by the blade, which can cause it to become damaged or even crack.
- Sharpening an unprepared tool or a worn sharpening disc.
- Use of musat at all stages of work. As we remember, musat is used to polish the cutting edge.
- Use fine-grained abrasive.
It is important to take into account all these subtleties already at the stage of organizing work. To learn how to properly sharpen a knife with a whetstone, watch this video.
Making your own knife sharpening machine
Purchasing a ready-made knife sharpening machine is not always necessary. For household needs, you can make it yourself. It doesn't matter if it's mechanical or electric machine you will create, focus, as mentioned earlier, on already existing schemes and drawings.
What tools are needed to make a knife with your own hands?
To make a simple machine we will need:
- A piece of chipboard 10-12 mm thick. Can be used from old cabinet furniture.
- Wooden block.
- Metal rod M8 or M6.
- Sheet steel 1 mm thick.
- Fastening screws or nuts with washer corresponding to the diameter of the stud used.
- Abrasive material.
- Metal hacksaw or jigsaw
- Screwdriver.
Step-by-step instructions for making a do-it-yourself sharpening machine
Let's consider assembling a simple knife with your own hands from scrap materials.
| Illustration | Description of action |
 | As we can see, the base here is quite simple - several chipboards. Size - 37x12 cm. Pressure board - 30x8 cm. When lifted - something about 7 cm. |
| A nut with a diameter of 6 mm for fixing the blade clamping mechanism is attached to the wing. The clamp itself is made of a piece of plexiglass; you can use a metal plate. | |
 | A magnet is used, attached to 2 self-tapping screws in a special recess. |
 | A groove is drilled into the plexiglass with a drill for free movement. |
| You can use ready-made special stones as a bar or make it yourself. | |
 | The sharpening process does not cause problems, the main thing is to follow the recommendations outlined above |
We tried to introduce you to the main points related to the right technology sharpening knives with your own hands, as well as with the features of this whole process; in addition, you now know how to make the simplest manual knife sharpeners with your own hands. And if you have questions for the author of the article, ask them in the comments and tell us about your own experience, which will certainly be useful to our readers.
I wanted to learn how to sharpen knives, but I won’t say that I didn’t know how to do it at all. Of course, I sharpened it with my hands on the stones, and tried to maintain the angle, but it seemed to work—the knives shredded the paper.
I decided to take this process more seriously. And, as is usual here in Russia, do everything yourself from what is at hand, and even for free. We have such lovers and I am like that. For such people, in fact, this article is.
I looked at sharpening machines on the Internet and settled on Apex. The first thing I did was look for it on Chinese sites, there are, of course, copies and they were inexpensive (before the dollar exchange rate changed), now even Chinese ones are a bit expensive for us. I looked at how it works, what the nuances are. Yes, it looks like it can be repeated.
Making Apex
Looking ahead, I will say that it was not possible to do it completely for free; I still had to spend money, but quite a bit. About 150 rubles.
Instead of a base, I took a 2 mm galvanized sheet. I bent it by eye (for some reason I guessed exactly 20 degrees in the corner). Pinned to chipboard sheet. Instantly glued magnets from old ones hard drives, it took 3 magnets. 
I looked at the knife rests on the Internet, they are convenient and a great idea. I found a support for the hinge in the garage, it has an 8mm thread.
At first I thought about changing the angle with nuts, but I decided that the angle changes often and it would be inconvenient to move the nuts back and forth and tighten the locknuts each time so that there is no play.
Where can I get a stone guide? Caught my eye old bed, or rather the back, remember, probably, these were the case during the USSR. Why not a barbell from the back? I attached a 25x25 mm square profile to the rod (after sanding it first). Remember the curly bushings there. With their help (it took three pieces), in one you need to drill a hole to 11 mm (diameter of the rod). I added a nut for 10 and a pin with a ball from the same bed, and it turned out to be a comfortable handle.
I decided to sharpen it with sandpaper, there is such a method, it seems to work out very inexpensively and quite well. I bought several sheets of sandpaper of different grain sizes. To avoid sandpaper residue, the length square profile I made the width of the sandpaper sheet 230 mm. I made a cut on the rod and drove an engraving washer of a suitable size into it. Everything came together perfectly, as if it was intended for this.
I was afraid it would be difficult to center the profile, but in this way, the profile fell into place on its own. I glue the sandpaper onto the pencil with stationery glue.
Hinge for sharpener
I thought for a long time about this unit, how to make it so that there was no backlash. I thought of doing this. I went to a bearing store and it turned out that there are such bearings as SHS (in my opinion, the sliding ball stands for). Available in sizes 10, 12, 15 internal diameter holes. But the rod is 11 mm. It's hard without a turner. But a way out was found. In the store across the road they sold spare parts for KAMAZ trucks, and there I found a brass bushing for 10mm brake pipes. I bought ShS-12 (65 rubles) and a bushing (8 rubles). At home I drove the bushing onto the rod, with a hammer it expanded remarkably, I ground it a little to the rod, which is what happened here. I inserted it into the joint (with glue, just in case, to eliminate play) and flared it. Everything has grown together again. There is a small gap left, in the ShS itself, it Russian production and is a little loose (I went through about a dozen in the store - all of them are the same). I wanted to weld the welding joint to the nut for fastening, but another idea came to mind, how to do without welding. I went to a plumbing store and bought pipe fasteners. It says 3/8” costs 27 rubles. I sanded it a little so that the working angle of the joint did not decrease. Next, using a pin with an 8 mm thread, I connected the clamp with a long nut and in the right place I drilled a 9 mm hole using a long nut. The lamb was made from a purchased lamb for 5 rubles. Nuts and studs are the same at 8 mm.
When I assembled it (clamped the joint into the clamp), the play disappeared, the bolts of the clamp compress the joint and the play goes away completely. It turned out better than welding. And when worn out it is easy to replace.
Oddly enough, all the details fell perfectly into place. I had to do a minimum of alterations. There is no backlash. Everything turned out to be very simple, I even made a second rod to polish the cutting edge.
As I have learned, it took about half an hour on the second barbell. I glued it on the edge:
- skin for Goya paste
- clean skin
- wooden ruler with Goya paste
- clean wooden ruler
I use them in different sequences.
I want to say that the idea was a success, in two days I sharpened all the knives I could find. Angles can be measured using a household inclinometer, or a telephone with an installed program for measuring angles
Compared with manual method on stones, sharpens much easier and sharper. The paper is planed, the hair is shaved. I haven’t tried trimming my hair, I think it’s too sharp and has no use in life, although with due diligence you can achieve it.
Spent:
- ShS-12 – 65 rubles;
- brass bushing - 8 rubles;
- clamp - 27 rubles;
- lamb - 5 rubles;
- long nut - 5 rubles;
- sheet sandpaper 240 – 2 rubles;
- sheet of sandpaper 600 - 2 rubles;
- sheet of sandpaper 1000 - 10 rubles;
- sheet of sandpaper 2000 - 10 rub..
Total: 134 rubles. The rest was found in the garage for nothing. And plus work with your hands and head.
Who is too lazy to tinker, I found an inexpensive sharpener of the same type, the reviews are good, you can buy it.
Also made by hand.
Sharp knives for you.
Article tags:
- knife sharpening;
- knife sharpener;
- homemade Apex;
- knife sharpener;
- sharpening machine.
This article is found by the words:
- sharpener apex homemade sandpaper
- DIY knife sharpener
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Sharpening video.
Sharpening a knife correctly by hand is quite difficult. It will take some time to develop the habit of maintaining a constant sharpening angle, which is not at all easy. A knife sharpening device can make the task easier. There are factory options. But for good copies you have to pay a couple of hundred dollars, and this is clearly a lot. The good news is that these devices are easy to make yourself. Moreover, many homemade knife sharpeners are no worse in functionality than those from famous manufacturers, but they are many times cheaper.
Knife sharpening basics
Knives have various applications and even in an ordinary kitchen there are several of them. There is one for slicing bread and other soft foods, and one for cutting meat, chopping bones, and other hard objects. And these are just household ones. But there are also those who take them hunting and fishing. If you look closely, you will see that they all have different angle sharpening (this is if they have not already been sharpened at home). It is the sharpening angle that is most important characteristic, which is determined by the purpose of the blade.
At what angle
The sharpening angle is determined based on the main area of application of a particular blade:
This general recommendations, introduced based on many years of experience. There are, however, options: some blades have several zones with different sharpening. This makes them more versatile, but the difficulty of sharpening increases many times over.
From the above it follows that the device for sharpening knives must be able to set the required sharpening angle. And this is the main difficulty in its design and manufacture.
What to sharpen
To sharpen knives, sharpening stones of various grain sizes are used. They are conventionally divided into coarse, medium and fine. Why conditional? Because different countries have their own designation of grain size. The most convenient classification is by the number of grains per unit area. It is expressed in numbers: 300, 600, 1000, etc. Some companies also use English terms. Here is an approximate division:
In addition to grain size, sharpening stones are also distinguished by their origin: some are of natural origin (slate, corundum, etc.), some are ceramic and diamond. Which ones are better? It’s hard to say - a matter of taste, but natural ones wear off faster and are rarely fine-grained.
Natural ones are soaked in water before use or simply moistened with it. They absorb water and, during sharpening, an abrasive paste is formed from water and separated abrasive particles on the surface, which increases the efficiency of sharpening. For the same purposes, you can use a special little (honing oil) or a mixture of water and soap (whichever you prefer). In general, you should try all these options with each sharpening stone and choose the best one.
The shape of a whetstone for sharpening knives is a block, and it is desirable that its length be much longer than the length of the blade - it is easier to sharpen. Bars with double grain are convenient - coarse on one side, finer on the other. To sharpen knives for ordinary purposes, it is enough to have two bars with medium grain (different) and two fine ones (one can be very fine).
Manual sharpening procedure
A device for sharpening knives only makes it easier to sharpen the edge, so knowledge of manual sharpening techniques is mandatory. Without them, it is impossible to sharpen a knife correctly.
The procedure for sharpening knives is as follows:
At this point, we can assume that sharpening the knife is complete. Some people are still finishing the edge on the old belt. A piece of belt can be attached to wooden block(glue, do not nail), rub with goyim paste. Then pass several times alternately with one side or the other, but turning the cutting edge back. This way the last grooves left by the abrasive are polished and the belt is not “cut” in the process.
How to make a homemade knife sharpener
All homemade knife sharpeners solve the main problem - they allow you to accurately maintain a given angle of inclination of the block to the blade, which is very important for obtaining a good cutting edge. There are very simple devices, there are a little more complicated ones, but they allow you to work with greater comfort. Choose according to your taste.
Some of the options are from improvised means
A simple device for sharpening knives
Essentially this is a holder for sharpening stones. Everything is elementary: two triangles made of wood, which are connected by pins with wings. A block is clamped between the corners at the required angle. You can set the angle using a protractor, a special program on your smartphone, or using the rules of trigonometry (right triangle).
Knife sharpening device - abrasive holder
When sharpening on such a device, the knife must be kept pointed strictly vertically at all times. It's much easier than holding it at a certain angle.
The same idea has another embodiment: on reliable basis make movable holders into which the bars are inserted and secured in the desired position. The corporate prototype is pictured below.
A homemade device for sharpening knives is made of wooden blocks. It turns out to be light, so that it does not move from its place, it needs to be fixed with something. To avoid holding with your hand, you can use clamps.
Rotating holders allow you to set a given angle, and then fix it with the help of “wings”
Such a device for sharpening knives, of course, makes the work easier, but it is still quite difficult to maintain the angle: you must constantly control the verticality of the blade. Such a habit can be developed over time, but starting is difficult.
Device on wheels
An interesting version of a manual knife sharpener with a fixed block and a wheeled cart on which the knife is mounted. It is made on the basis of sharpeners for knives, chisels and planes. This device also works well with a knife, but you need to get used to sharpening a rounded edge.
In this version, as in manual sharpening, the block is stationary, but the blade of the knife, mounted on a movable cart, moves. The angle is set by the height of the bar relative to the platform on which the blade is mounted. The peculiarity of this device is that the table must be level. This could be a countertop made of natural stone, you can at regular table put glass.
In the version presented above, the angle changes slightly, which is usually sufficient for sharpening similar types of knives - kitchen knives, for example. If necessary, the design can be improved by adding holders (pictured below).
All this is implemented very simply, as it resembles a regular construction set: planks with holes in them, everything is assembled with bolts and screws.
There is also a device to ensure the immobility of the block.
The advantage of this whole design is that it is easy to unfold the knife while maintaining perpendicularity on the rounded area, and it is also very easy to handle on the other side: you need to turn the cart over. For this purpose, four pairs of wheels were made.
Homemade manual machine for sharpening knives
Slightly more complex and much more convenient homemade devices, which are made on the basis of well-known branded devices. They have an adjustable platform on which the knife is fixed. The site is set at a given angle. The block is mounted on a movable rod attached to the stand.
Self-made devices in some ways repeat the design presented above, but there are some differences. There are many options. Let's give some.
Option one: a fixed platform on which the blade is fixed
This device is made from leftover laminate (can be used), two steel rods with a diameter of 8 mm and a movable fastener.
This design has a fixed base, to which a platform with a knife lock is attached on regular hinges. The near edge of the platform can be raised at some angle convenient for work. But otherwise she is motionless.
On a vertically mounted steel rod there is a movably mounted latch, in which a loop is attached to the side. A rod is inserted into it, on which the block is fixed. This loop is simple, but not the most The best decision: there is no rigid fixation, which means the angle will “walk”.
Particular attention should be paid to the bar lock. An emphasis is placed on the rod at some distance from the edge (about 30-35 cm). This will be a permanent fixture. The second one is made movable; it is fixed after installing the bar using a screw and a thread cut into the body of the holder. The second option is to cut a thread on the rod and tighten the installed bar using a nut.
Knife holder - one or two steel plates mounted on a movable platform. They are fixed movably using screws and wings. Having loosened the fasteners, insert the knife blade and clamp it. It is very difficult to move it. Then, installing a pin with a fixed bar in the loop, adjust its height so that the required angle is set.
You can, as in the photo, make templates with the required angles and ensure that the planes match. After the crossbar is secured, you can work - move the bar in the desired direction.
This device for sharpening knives works well, but you can only move the abrasive along the blade when sharpening a kitchen knife. Classic sharpening - movement perpendicular cutting edge. This can be achieved on the straight part of the blade. If the blade is short, this will be almost perpendicular, but on a rounded part on a fixed holder this cannot be done. And all such devices “suffer” from this drawback. Once again: they - great option for sharpening kitchen knives (below is another good option from the same series).
Option two: with a movable platform and a magnetic holder
In this version homemade device for sharpening knives, the problem of previous sharpenings has been solved. Here the frame remains motionless, which sets the angle of movement of the block. The bar holder moves freely along a guide set at the desired angle. The knife is mounted on a movable table. You can, as in the presented version, do magnetic holder, you can - a regular one made of a metal plate and “lambs”. Move the table so that the movement of the abrasive is perpendicular. Actually, everything is in the video.
One clarification: in this case it is very important that the surface on which the table with the attached knife moves is horizontal and level. You can put glass or use a polymer tabletop (marble will also work).