Interesting, I would have thought someone using the 4000 would have run into this before.
Anyway, I did manage to get it sharpened, and figured out a new trick for freehand grinding in the process. As I mentioned, the edge of the cleaver blade is curved through out its entire length, not just at the tip as with most knives. So you have to continuiously rotate the cleaver as you move it across the stone. I did switch to the grinding away postion which gave me better control with keeping the blade on the universal support. But I still had issues with keeping the angle constant as I rotated the blade across the stone. I realized that the key was keeping the part of the edge of the cleaver contacting the stone on the exact same "line" across the stone. But this was hard to visualize while the blade is in motion and trying to rotate it. So using some clamps, I rigged up a straight edge across the stone a few mm off the surface. This provided a point of reference for the edge of the cleaver. I was able keep the cleaver edge lined up with the straight edge and could easily see if the blade was climbing up and down the stone. I was able to produce a single grind facet on each side. Previously I was getting multiple facets due to the blade climbing and slipping on the stone and not placing the blade in the exact position each time.
Anyway, I did manage to get it sharpened, and figured out a new trick for freehand grinding in the process. As I mentioned, the edge of the cleaver blade is curved through out its entire length, not just at the tip as with most knives. So you have to continuiously rotate the cleaver as you move it across the stone. I did switch to the grinding away postion which gave me better control with keeping the blade on the universal support. But I still had issues with keeping the angle constant as I rotated the blade across the stone. I realized that the key was keeping the part of the edge of the cleaver contacting the stone on the exact same "line" across the stone. But this was hard to visualize while the blade is in motion and trying to rotate it. So using some clamps, I rigged up a straight edge across the stone a few mm off the surface. This provided a point of reference for the edge of the cleaver. I was able keep the cleaver edge lined up with the straight edge and could easily see if the blade was climbing up and down the stone. I was able to produce a single grind facet on each side. Previously I was getting multiple facets due to the blade climbing and slipping on the stone and not placing the blade in the exact position each time.