Badly designed tool?

[Wozzaaah]

makes me cringe just to look at that picture!!!!!

Tip for you all- 6" bench grinder (which I'm sure many folk here have already) is the best too for knife sharpening. And far safer that that digit decapitation device!

I'll just do the tea...oh hang on, my knife's a bit blunt...I'll just pop into the garage and run (or ruin) the knife on the bench grinder...lock the garage.....pop back into the kitchen then do the tea.
Oh, hang on, no, silly me....I'll just open the drawer, get out the knife sharpener, run the blade through it two or three times then carry on.

 

[pedrobedro]

6" bench grinder is for sharpening cold chisels, it would destroy a knife in no time flat A geared down whetstone grinder or sharpening system is the only mechanical means I would use. If you don't know how to use oil or waterstones get a blade angle guide to help you. If you've just rolled the edge a bit and blunted the knife you can use a steel to align it again.

 

[Drains]

I'm with Wozz here - a 6" grinder for sharpening a knife? I've not heard so much crap since David Cameron last opened his mouth.

 

[Chickenjohn]

I don't know what you guys are on! It works perfectly, especially with stainless steel blades that are not supposed to be sharpened.

Not crap at all- Drains, Pedrobedro- you are talking the crap here! My main cooking prep knife has been sharpened on the 6" bench grinder for years, holds its sharpness for a long time and can cut the skin of a ripe tomato with no pressure. So how exactly have I destroyed this super sharp knife that has been giving great service after careful sharpening on the bench grinder then??

As for a knife sharpener, yes, I have one and they don't work anywhere near as good as the 6" bench grinder.
Plus, the local door to door sharpening man uses a 6" bench grinder to sharpen everything, including knives.

Jeez, you chaps are sometimes so narrow minded, arrogant and dismissive to new ideas or anything outside your experiennce. I don't see why you should dismiss something you have never tried. Good job there are some nice folks on this forum.

 

[brightspark]

irispective of what its sharpened with look through a magnifying glass and it will have ragged edges . true it will be sharp but will be even better if u finish with a leather strop and polish the edges the blade will be sharp enough to shave with

 

[Hitch]

There will a burr raised by the grinding wheel, just as there would be by honing, except much bigger, it will feel sharper beceause of the ragged burr, grind it, then hone it.

CJ, what grit stone do you use? I assume a pretty fine one.

 

[CTB]

Chickenjohn most bench grinders are designed to run at over 3000 rpm which is about 2000 rpm too fast to sharpen any fine edged cutting tool. Also they come with cheap carborundum grinding wheels that, while fine for mower blades and rough shaping tasks, will quickly draw the temper of knives, chisels, planer blades, etc.

Most people-myself included, will tend to overheat the tool (distinguished by the tell-tale blue colour) which will make it brittle and unable to hold a fine cutting edge. The only remedy then is to carefully grind past the blue area and start again.

For my wood chisels and plane blades I use japanese waterstones which are the cats ass in sharpening to a high standard. For my wifes and mother in laws kitchen knives I use one of those cheap "pull them through the slots" sharpeners. For their use its good enough

 

[boydy1989]

my dad uses the bench grinder to sharpen knives, with impressive results too.

I tried it once, an knackered the blade. So i practised with (my dads old) a whetstone, shich he used to use for sharpening a scythe. I can now, i rekon, sharpen a knife reasonably well. For a student

 

[Country Joe]

For my wood chisels and plane blades I use japanese waterstones which are the cats ass in sharpening to a high standard.

He's right, they're very good, ceramic files are very good too.

I've kept schtum until now, but I also have a thing like Wozzah's - and ten fingers, too!
Not so much the danger aspect that puts me off, more that they seem to take so much steel away that 2-3 strokes would be enough, or you'd end up buying new knives quite regularly!

All the Best,
CJ

 

[pedrobedro]

I bought a knife on the flea market just to illustrate what the technique of sharpening on a grinder does to a blade. I never mentioned crap in my post Chicken and resent that you infer I did. I've never come across a knife which is not supposed to be sharpened, stainless or otherwise only disposable Stanley blades which are not stainless anyway. One of my hobbies is carving or whittling as it is more like and for this I use Mora carbon steel blade knives as they hold a razor edge. Visit British Blades website and mention that you sharpen with a 6" bench grinder if you really want to be told you are talking crap.

 

[Wedg1e]

I do know a guy who was that tight he DID resharpen Stanley knife blades...

 

[Robotstar5]

I do know a guy who was that tight he DID resharpen Stanley knife blades...

I've seen a carpet fitter touching up Stanley blades, said he would be changing them every few minutes as they lose their edge after a few carpet cuts.