High-quality knives are not for everyone. Nevertheless, I want to sharpen knives for these people too, and I am looking for a good workflow that suits this purpose. (So we are not talking about knives at the very bottom of the market, which are almost impossible to get sharp.)
(1) What is a common cutting angle for sharpening kitchen knives, paring knives, etc.?
(2) What does a good sharpening workflow look like? I have diamond discs from Tormel, an HR felt wheel, and a leather wheel (all 250 mm).
(3) Other useful tips for achieving a reasonably sharp knife within a certain amount of time.
So this is not about the well-known (top) brands, but about people who use 'mid-range' products. I would also like to sharpen knives for these people.
I am curious to hear your answers.
Wim
Hello WimSpi,
I don't use my diamonds wheels for knives much, but after a bit of experimenting with grading the SG or not, using the SJ or not, I settled with the following simple process for everything but very high end kitchen knives :
Sharpen @15dps on ungraded SG, hone thoroughly @15.5dps on leather wheel with PA-70 compound starting on the same side as the last stroke on SG.
If you have diamond wheels and a 250mm leather honing wheel I'd suggest : Sharpen @15dps edge leading on DF wheel, then hone edge trailing on leather with PA-70, using MB-102 or FVB, increasing the USB height by a half turn of the MicroAdjust nut. This should be a rather quick workflow, maybe not with the smoothest-looking edge, but with pretty decent cutting performance and edge retention.
I am still working on my workflow but with the help of people here and extensive research on many sites, my current workflow is as follows:
Unless requested by the customer, I use the marker method for the angle, if the customer want it reprofiled, I choose 15 degrees.
I use the DF250 diamond wheel and I have to say, It gives a great edge/finish
I always failed at free hand honing but once I bought the MB102 and used it to recreate the sharpening angle for honing, not only do my knifes fell sharper and cut better but my customers seem to be very happy and I am getting great feedback. I also use the composite wheel.
I currently do not sharpen high-end knives and would have to rethink my workflow for that but up to now, my clients seem very happy.
Thank you for your answers. That's very helpful. For me, it's also important to be able to carry out this type of grinding work at a reasonable pace. I also think standardization (reducing variation and making processes repeatable) is important in this regard.
Any further tips are very welcome.