How to sharpen a slicer blade

[Tdm2011]

Hi everybody,
is it possible to sharpen a round slicer blade with T7?
Can someone help me with hints and tips?
Tanks

[grepper]

I've hand-held sharpened pizza cutter blades by just manually rotating the blade.  With practice you can get an ok bevel, but it's not perfectly even because of the starting/stopping when you turn it.  OK for home use, but I wouldn't call the results exactly professional.

I would think that a large slicer blade would be extremely difficult unless you were to design some large, motorized jig contraption.  It might be somewhat dangerous; at least I would want to have cut resistant gloves. 

You might be able to get away with it for your own use, but probably slicer blades are best left to someone with the proper equipment.

[thats sharp]

I agree with grepper, they can be done free hand with varied results.
A local machinist made up a simple jig for the small slicer blades but it too had some issues.
I wonder if you could use the scissor jig platform and drill a hole into it to allow the blade to be secured/locked into place. The scissor jig would allow for setting the correct bevel and could be checked with the magic marker tip. Once in place you could safely control the grind (single pivot point) and then simply flip it over to sharpen the second bevel at the same angle. Cut proof gloves would be absolutely necessary.
If anyone is interested, I can forward you a photo of the machinist slicer jig.

[SharpenADullWitt]

Slicer blades are a specific thing that I take to a professional shop, that also services them.  I do this for a friends restaurant (older folk, not good with lifting that much weight).
They do have stones to sharpen them on the slicer, which if done on occasion, will cut down the amount they have to go to the pro's (typically when a power switch brakes).

[jeffs55]

Is the slicer blade larger in diameter than the Tormek stone? If so, remove the nut holding the stone on and place the slicer blade next to the stone and reattach the nut. Now, you can spin the slicer blade and apply a sharpening stone to the edge of the slicer blade. Use the tool rest guide as a steady rest as you hold the sharpening stone in your hand. If the Tormek stone is too large, see if you can do the same thing on the honing wheel side. Even if the Tormek stone is too large to allow accessing both sides of the slicing blade, you might could do one side at a time. You could put the slicing blade on the inside of the Tormek grinding blade. If you can raise a burr on the slicing blade then you  will give it an edge that you can knock off on the honing wheel. Just a thought.

[SharpenADullWitt]

Is the slicer blade larger in diameter than the Tormek stone? If so, remove the nut holding the stone on and place the slicer blade next to the stone and reattach the nut. Now, you can spin the slicer blade and apply a sharpening stone to the edge of the slicer blade. Use the tool rest guide as a steady rest as you hold the sharpening stone in your hand. If the Tormek stone is too large, see if you can do the same thing on the honing wheel side. Even if the Tormek stone is too large to allow accessing both sides of the slicing blade, you might could do one side at a time. You could put the slicing blade on the inside of the Tormek grinding blade. If you can raise a burr on the slicing blade then you  will give it an edge that you can knock off on the honing wheel. Just a thought.

You would need a bushing the diameter of the blade opening to the Tormek shaft diameter and then you lose quite a few threads where the nut is supposed to hold.  (not something I would recommend as I have seen someones finger via one of these blades)

[jeffs55]

Yeah, I thought of the different size hole after my post. I then thought that Tdm2011 would at least understand the concept and be able to adjust where necessary. It was always a long shot but maybe worth a try. The stone could even be removed and the appropriate bushing/spacer be attached to enable this project. I have not actually checked to see if it is even possible at all. I was just throwing an idea out to Tdm2011 . The idea still has merits if you have any other device that the slicer blade can be attached to securely and spun in a regular manner.

[grepper]

Jeff has his point, and I think thinking out of the box is worthwhile.  Necessity is of course, is the mother of invention.

I suppose there are numerous ways you could do it.  Clamp a drill in a vice or any other way you could think of to hold the blade securely and spin it around, then hold a stone to the edge, etc.

It would be interesting to know what we are considering; a 6" home slicer blade?  A 14" commercial blade?  Is it for personal/home or commercial use?  How often does it need sharpening?  "Slicer blade" is somewhat ambiguous.

If it is anything other than home use, I would suggest having it sharpened by someone with the proper equipment.

But... It could cost $25-$35 bucks to have a meat slicer blade sharpened commercially.  If it needed to be done often and the built in sharpening system on the slicer didn't cut it, (pun intended), it might be worth chasing down alternatives.

[Tdm2011]

I use to sharpen knives for some restaurants. One of these ask me to sharp a slicer blade but I still don't know its size. I have to meet the owner to verify.
My post was only to check if there is a way to make a good job with T7.
Free hand, scissor jig and thin grain was my first option. But probably is better give up... Even better than a bad job.
Thanks everybody for helping me.
Sorry for my maccaronic english...

Fabio (Italy)