Can`t get the same edge with the sharpmaker easily...

[toeterbaas]

Anyone have some tips getting the same edge.
On is always wider then the other here.
What am i doing wrong?
This thing gets razor sharp that is not the problem

[greencobra]

ha....not to worry, I've been working on it for 15 years and still can't master it. I can't put an edge on a knife to save my life.

[Evil D]

I think I've had my Sharpmaker for a year or so now. What I've found is there are basically 3 essential requirements for getting an edge sharp:

1) Make sure you're actually hitting the edge apex and not the shoulder of the bevel. You can use the sharpie trick to find out. If you aren't hitting the very edge, you can make 1000 swipes and get nowhere.

2) Make sure you're holding the blade as close to 90 degrees as possible. This is especially important for reaching the same angle for each side. If you see one side of your bevel getting wider than the other, this is your problem. This may or may not prevent you from getting a sharp edge, but it can also mean you aren't hitting the apex on one side (refer to #1).

3) Use a light touch and let the stones do the work. Pressing the blade into the stones will do more harm than good. You barely need the weight of the knife itself to be effective. This will also help to minimize burr formation.

My sharpest edges have come from focusing on those 3 things. I also have an Edge Pro, but honestly I can get a sharper edge off the Sharpmaker. I use the EP for setting bevels and repairing chips but I put the final edge on my knives with the Sharpmaker.

A couple more tips, I don't use the corners at all except for serrations. Also keep your stones clean, you can use dish soap and a Scotchbrite pad or Barkeeper's Friend and a rag, or a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser does wonders but doesn't last very long.

[toeterbaas]

I think I've had my Sharpmaker for a year or so now. What I've found is there are basically 3 essential requirements for getting an edge sharp:

1) Make sure you're actually hitting the edge apex and not the shoulder of the bevel. You can use the sharpie trick to find out. If you aren't hitting the very edge, you can make 1000 swipes and get nowhere.

2) Make sure you're holding the blade as close to 90 degrees as possible. This is especially important for reaching the same angle for each side. If you see one side of your bevel getting wider than the other, this is your problem. This may or may not prevent you from getting a sharp edge, but it can also mean you aren't hitting the apex on one side (refer to #1).

3) Use a light touch and let the stones do the work. Pressing the blade into the stones will do more harm than good. You barely need the weight of the knife itself to be effective. This will also help to minimize burr formation.

My sharpest edges have come from focusing on those 3 things. I also have an Edge Pro, but honestly I can get a sharper edge off the Sharpmaker. I use the EP for setting bevels and repairing chips but I put the final edge on my knives with the Sharpmaker.

A couple more tips, I don't use the corners at all except for serrations. Also keep your stones clean, you can use dish soap and a Scotchbrite pad or Barkeeper's Friend and a rag, or a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser does wonders but doesn't last very long.

Thanks for your huge explaination :)
But it is razor sharp.
Only i cant get bot sides at the same looks

[Evil D]

Thanks for your huge explaination :)
But it is razor sharp.
Only i cant get bot sides at the same looks

I would still look at how you're holding the knife. Unless your Sharpmaker isn't sitting on a level surface, that's the only explanation.

Do you have an angle cube? If not you can get an app for a smartphone. See if the stones are sitting at the same angle in the spot you usually have your Sharpmaker when sharpening. Beyond that it's most likely how you're holding it.

[Surfingringo]

Hi toeterbass, if I understand you, it sounds like you are ending up with one edge bevel wider than the other. There are a number of potential reasons for this. The first and simplest is that the knife may have simply been sharpened more on one side than the other so the apex is slightly out of alignment with the spine. If this is the case, you have two options. You can sharpen one side until the two bevels are equal (this can take a long time and require you to remove a good bit of steel). The other option is to do what you are doing now...make the knife sharp, use it and try not to let your OCD bother you (that's not a knock...we've all got a bit of OCD around this hobby).

The other possibility is that the primary grind is a bit off center so that even if your edge bevels were the same width the edge would be offcenter with the spine. That possibility isn't really worth entertaining imho, because despite being the less likely scenario, it is so difficult to fix and even if it were slightly off there is no way you would notice a performance difference on an 1/8" thick blade.

If I were you I would make the knife sharp and use it. With each subsequent sharpening, spend a little extra time on the side with the narrower bevel. If it evens out over time, great. If it doesn't, don't worry about it. :)

[toeterbaas]

Thanks for your huge explaination :)
But it is razor sharp.
Only i cant get bot sides at the same looks

I would still look at how you're holding the knife. Unless your Sharpmaker isn't sitting on a level surface, that's the only explanation.

Do you have an angle cube? If not you can get an app for a smartphone. See if the stones are sitting at the same angle in the spot you usually have your Sharpmaker when sharpening. Beyond that it's most likely how you're holding it.

My delica has the nice edge on both sides and it is razor sharp.
I think the holding is not good.

[toeterbaas]

Hi toeterbass, if I understand you, it sounds like you are ending up with one edge bevel wider than the other. There are a number of potential reasons for this. The first and simplest is that the knife may have simply been sharpened more on one side than the other so the apex is slightly out of alignment with the spine. If this is the case, you have two options. You can sharpen one side until the two bevels are equal (this can take a long time and require you to remove a good bit of steel). The other option is to do what you are doing now...make the knife sharp, use it and try not to let your OCD bother you (that's not a knock...we've all got a bit of OCD around this hobby).

The other possibility is that the primary grind is a bit off center so that even if your edge bevels were the same width the edge would be offcenter with the spine. That possibility isn't really worth entertaining imho, because despite being the less likely scenario, it is so difficult to fix and even if it were slightly off there is no way you would notice a performance difference on an 1/8" thick blade.

If I were you I would make the knife sharp and use it. With each subsequent sharpening, spend a little extra time on the side with the narrower bevel. If it evens out over time, great. If it doesn't, don't worry about it. :)

I think i am gonna leave that endura then as it is.
It shaves the haires of my arm so that is okay :)

[toeterbaas]

The problem now is the side on the handle is not razor to the half...

[tripscheck'em]

Anyone have some tips getting the same edge.
On is always wider then the other here.
What am i doing wrong?
This thing gets razor sharp that is not the problem

It's a weird system, I sold mine and went back to stones and free handing the ceramics, never looked back. But if your angles are uneven, that's gotta be a result of your positioning of the blade when making a pass. Just gotta tweak and adjust, trial and error.

[toeterbaas]

Anyone have some tips getting the same edge.
On is always wider then the other here.
What am i doing wrong?
This thing gets razor sharp that is not the problem

It's a weird system, I sold mine and went back to stones and free handing the ceramics, never looked back. But if your angles are uneven, that's gotta be a result of your positioning of the blade when making a pass. Just gotta tweak and adjust, trial and error.

Maybe im gonna do that to , I am not happy with this thing

Wich one do you prefer of those?

https://nl.knivesandtools.eu/nl/ct/slij ... 0wodtDwHNw

[tripscheck'em]

Anyone have some tips getting the same edge.
On is always wider then the other here.
What am i doing wrong?
This thing gets razor sharp that is not the problem

It's a weird system, I sold mine and went back to stones and free handing the ceramics, never looked back. But if your angles are uneven, that's gotta be a result of your positioning of the blade when making a pass. Just gotta tweak and adjust, trial and error.

Maybe im gonna do that to , I am not happy with this thing

Wich one do you prefer of those?

https://nl.knivesandtools.eu/nl/ct/slij ... 0wodtDwHNw

Water stones are tricky. Some are very hard, and usually expensive. Others like King are extremely friable and due to the massive slurry they generate, they will dull your knife just as quickly as it is sharpened on the pass, because the dislodged abrasive slurry is ramming into your apex. Be sure to do your research if you go that route.

What I do is a cheap India stone, a 5 dollar medium lansky ceramic rod, and a 10 dollar lansky fine rod. If my blade gets super damaged, I go first on a 5 dollar crapo Home Depot Norton crystolone stone--bc it too generates a slurry, which is what you want if you're regrinding everything--and then follow up with the previously mentioned abrasives. It's all very practical, which is all I care about anymore. Quick, cheap, practical, but I also don't have time to burn, so there's that.

[Surfingringo]

Hi toeterbass, there's nothing wrong with your sharpener. I'm not trying to talk you out of getting some benchstones, I have several, but they aren't going to provide a solution to the issue you described that you can't accomplish with the sharpmaker...nor will they get your edges any sharper than what you can achieve with the sm. Well, that's not entirely true. Depending on what grit you get they will allow you to remove metal more quickly than the sharpmaker diamond stones. That may or may not be a good thing, depending on your sharpening knowledge and ability. Good luck.

[JimP]

My issue may be the same as the OP's and possibly others.

My Sharpmakers base angles are off, I have to raise one side up by ~1mm to make them equal. Compound this with triangle stones that are all bowed by varying degrees (which means the angle changes with each turn of the stone...) and it makes for a very tricky system.

For my particular SM to function as advertised I have to prop up the side with a metal ruler then eyeing off a sliding bevel, keep turning the stones and or swapping sides until I get the two sides even, as you can imagine this doesn't encourage me to work through the grits as it's very difficult to get the next grit to actually contact the apex both sides...once I have it set I just leave it as is. Unfortunately it took me years to work out that my technique wasn't completely flawed....

[toeterbaas]

Ok what i did was 20-20-20-20 in full speed.
This thing is now so sharp u dont wanna touch it.
I put my brain on zero and did it real fast.

[toeterbaas]

Ok what i did was 20-20-20-20 in full speed.
This thing is now so sharp u dont wanna touch it.
I put my brain on zero and did it real fast.
My wife shaved her legs and cutted right in her leg

[toeterbaas]

My issue may be the same as the OP's and possibly others.

My Sharpmakers base angles are off, I have to raise one side up by ~1mm to make them equal. Compound this with triangle stones that are all bowed by varying degrees (which means the angle changes with each turn of the stone...) and it makes for a very tricky system.

For my particular SM to function as advertised I have to prop up the side with a metal ruler then eyeing off a sliding bevel, keep turning the stones and or swapping sides until I get the two sides even, as you can imagine this doesn't encourage me to work through the grits as it's very difficult to get the next grit to actually contact the apex both sides...once I have it set I just leave it as is. Unfortunately it took me years to work out that my technique wasn't completely flawed....

I have this with an endura but it is sharp as **** so i leave it this way

[toeterbaas]

Hi toeterbass, there's nothing wrong with your sharpener. I'm not trying to talk you out of getting some benchstones, I have several, but they aren't going to provide a solution to the issue you described that you can't accomplish with the sharpmaker...nor will they get your edges any sharper than what you can achieve with the sm. Well, that's not entirely true. Depending on what grit you get they will allow you to remove metal more quickly than the sharpmaker diamond stones. That may or may not be a good thing, depending on your sharpening knowledge and ability. Good luck.

No worries :) i think i still have to learn how it works

[toeterbaas]

Anyone have some tips getting the same edge.
On is always wider then the other here.
What am i doing wrong?
This thing gets razor sharp that is not the problem

It's a weird system, I sold mine and went back to stones and free handing the ceramics, never looked back. But if your angles are uneven, that's gotta be a result of your positioning of the blade when making a pass. Just gotta tweak and adjust, trial and error.

Maybe im gonna do that to , I am not happy with this thing

Wich one do you prefer of those?

https://nl.knivesandtools.eu/nl/ct/slij ... 0wodtDwHNw

Water stones are tricky. Some are very hard, and usually expensive. Others like King are extremely friable and due to the massive slurry they generate, they will dull your knife just as quickly as it is sharpened on the pass, because the dislodged abrasive slurry is ramming into your apex. Be sure to do your research if you go that route.

What I do is a cheap India stone, a 5 dollar medium lansky ceramic rod, and a 10 dollar lansky fine rod. If my blade gets super damaged, I go first on a 5 dollar crapo Home Depot Norton crystolone stone--bc it too generates a slurry, which is what you want if you're regrinding everything--and then follow up with the previously mentioned abrasives. It's all very practical, which is all I care about anymore. Quick, cheap, practical, but I also don't have time to burn, so there's that.

I think i am gonna leave the stones as it looks so diffucult :)

[Bloke]

I think sharpening with the SM is not too far removed from freehand sharpening.

Holding the knife blade dead plumb stroke after stroke is not as easy as we may think.

Set a carpenter's or engineer's square on your sharpening bench. Grip your knife where you believe it to be plumb, now take it to your square and you'll likely see what I'm trying to say. Even a couple of degrees out of plumb will leave you two very different bevels on either side of your blade. :eek:

Not sure this helps, but it is what it is. :)