Choosing a default angle

[John_B]

I find that ensuring that all three pins are firmly on the wheel and the bar is held as indicated in the Tormek videos I can get the angle spot on.

John, do you measure the sharpening angle you achieve to compare it to the KS-123 setting?

[Ken S]

I am always concerned with what new readers who have not yet acquired much background in Tormek sharpening will absorb from our posts. I would use the research our late member Wootz (Vadim of Knifegrinders Australia) did with the meat packing factories in Sydney. I admire Wootz and his work. However, like many other experienced forum members, Wootz' industrial sharpening schedule was far more intense than mine. I suspect the meat packing knives that Wootz sharpened were probably sharpened more often in a week than most of us do in a year. I expect our regular members to be aware of this. I am not certain that many of our new members and guests are aware of this.

Ken

[tgbto]

Ken, you're right, I'll give it a shot.

TL/DR : 15 dps.

For a more detailed summary : most members recommend something in the 15-20dps range, with a majority grinding closer to 15dps. Setting this angle using the KS-123 is practical for low-volume sharpeners.

[John Hancock Sr]

John, do you measure the sharpening angle you achieve to compare it to the KS-123 setting?

No, but I do not get any hysteresis, which is the discussion I am commenting on. If I wind up a fraction the needle moves, if I wind down a fraction the needle moves.

[Ken S]

Tgbto,

I agree that the KS123 is very useful for low volume sharpening, which, I suspect, is what most of us really do.

My question is, if the KS123 is not satisfactory for high volume such as "weekend warrior" farmers market sharpeners, what is satisfactory? Remembering designing the kenjig, the two major components of sharpening were the grinding wheel and the knife set up. Any modification to either could not negatively impact the quality of the sharpening.

The kenjig is not limited to just one bevel angle. setting up for more than one angle just requires making extra jigs. This is no big deal, either is construction time or cost. It will lengthen then sharpening time somewhat.

The real time constraint is the variety in the width of knives. Wein the real world, where most customers will bring in knives of varying widths.

Ken

[Dutchman]

...
The kenjig is not limited to just one bevel angle. setting up for more than one angle just requires making extra jigs. This is no big deal, either is construction time or cost. It will lengthen then sharpening time somewhat.
...

Unfortunately, the Kenjig is valuable when used with SVM jigs that have an adjustable stop. With KJ jigs, its usefulness is very limited.

[kwakster]

My own rule of thumb: as thin as possible, but thick enough.
30 degrees inclusive (15 degrees per side) is my upper limit, if a certain steel cannot handle this angle i have no use for it.

My Cold Steel machetes in extremely tough 1055 steel @ 56 HRC have hand convex ground edges of ~30 degrees inclusive, while my Condor machetes in still very tough 1075 steel at a little higher hardness also have hand convex ground edges of between ~25 and ~30 degrees inclusive.

With quality Chef knives my aim is ~20 or ~22.5 degrees inclusive.
Cheapies i first grind just as thin, but then apply a microbevel at ~30 degrees incluive.

I often try to go thinner until the edge fails, then enlarge the edge angle just enough so no damage occurs anymore.

The above goes for tasks a knife is made for, not for abuse by ham-handed / ignorant people.

When sharpening for others an important aspect is to judge with what sort of person you are dealing with, and also what his or her requirements are.
Dialing these two things in correctly often takes time, but especially the professional knife users often appreciate that you are willing (and able) to work with them to find the right combination of edge angle & edge finish that works best and longest for them.