Best approach for sharpening serrated steak knives with Tormek?

[Peter_Kegels]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have experience sharpening serrated steak knives using Tormek gear?
I am considering using the LA-120 Profiled Leather Honing Wheels with PA-70 honing compound to polish the individual serrations.

However, I am wondering if this is the most effective approach or if there is a better alternative within the Tormek ecosystem.
If you have tried this, did you mount the wheels individually to get more clearance, and did the standard 3 mm radius profile fit your steak knives well?

Any tips or experiences would be greatly appreciated!Thanks in advance.

[tgbto]

You have to grind the serrations before you hone or else you'll just have polished, blunt serrations. The Tormek technique for grinding serrations is freehand on the rounded shoulders of the grinding wheel. Some suggest to grind the backside with the side of the wheel, others to just hone the backside.

As for me, I prefer to clamp the knife in a vise or any holder, work on the serrations with a round ceramic rod, then use a few light passes of a very fine diamond plate for the backside.

The Tormek method is too much trouble IMO for serrated knives, and it is easy to grind way too much, or to inadvertently change the shape of the serrations.

[Peter_Kegels]

Hi tgbto,
Thanks for the reality check! You are completely right about the LA-120 and the standard stone.
To solve this, I am planning a different approach using a solid wool felt wheel on the Tormek shaft, loaded with diamond paste.
Because the Tormek runs so slow, it won't burn the steel.To get the perfect angle without freehand guesswork, I will use the standard Tormek knife jig on the universal support.

I simply lock the knife in the jig, set a fixed projection length (like 138 mm from the clamp to the arch), and adjust the support height until the felt wheel perfectly matches the serration angle. Then I just guide the knife smoothly across the wheel.

What are your thoughts on using diamond-loaded felt on the Tormek this way? Do you think it's a good alternative to hand-filing?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4LItIdH-FI

[tgbto]

I simply lock the knife in the jig, set a fixed projection length (like 138 mm from the clamp to the arch), and adjust the support height until the felt wheel perfectly matches the serration angle. Then I just guide the knife smoothly across the wheel.

I have no experience with diamond-loaded felt, so I will defer to those who have. IMO, as long as you slightly grind the edge you're good. However, I'd be careful with guiding "the knife smoothly over the wheel" as you risk rounding out the tips of the serrations. Also, if your grinding is efficient, you *will* get a burr on the backside, that you will have to remove somehow, and honing the frontside will not be sufficient : you will most likely get a foil-like burr.

[EDIT] Have you seen this post about serrated knives ? [/EDIT]