Conical Disk Sharpening Question
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Conical Disk Sharpening Question
I just ordered a conical disk kit for use with a planer/jointer knife sharpener I bought a couple of years ago. I imagine the 150 grit disk is used. But wouldn't it be better to use finer grits, i.e. 220 & finer, up to 600?
One Greenie, Two Mark 7s,Three 510s and much more…
In general, the keener you grind, hone, and polish an edge, the better it will cut and the longer the sharp edge will last. There is absolutely no such thing as a cutting edge that is "too sharp," unless of course you're my wife and your talking about my disgusting habit of keeping the kitchen knives keen enough to perform surgery. We keep the Band-Aids right next to the dishwashing detergent.
Truly enlightened sharpeners achieve their inner keen in one of two ways. You can work your way up through a series of abrasive grits, each grit removing a little less metal, scraping the surface a little smoother, and making the edge a little keener. I like finishing with a polishing compound to create a mirror surface on the bevel edge and make it that much more keen. Or, you can use a single abrasive and apply less and less pressure as you sharpen. As you back off on the pressure, you're removing less and less metal with the abrasive and the surface becomes smoother and smoother. This takes more finnesse than the first method, but it produces the same result -- a keen edge.
As you grind the knives with 150# abrasive, work out the nicks and chips in the edges, then begin passing each knife through the sander in turn without changing the position of the disc or the fence. The sander will remove less and less metal with each pass. Stop when your hear that the abrasive is barely contacting the knife and go onto the next knife leaving the setup exactly the same. This not only achieves a smooth surface and a keen edge, it insures that each knife is ground to precisely the same dimensions and the same weight (so the cutterhead will be properly balanced). Finish up by whetting the back of the knives flat on a fine stone to remove any burr.
With all good wishes,
Truly enlightened sharpeners achieve their inner keen in one of two ways. You can work your way up through a series of abrasive grits, each grit removing a little less metal, scraping the surface a little smoother, and making the edge a little keener. I like finishing with a polishing compound to create a mirror surface on the bevel edge and make it that much more keen. Or, you can use a single abrasive and apply less and less pressure as you sharpen. As you back off on the pressure, you're removing less and less metal with the abrasive and the surface becomes smoother and smoother. This takes more finnesse than the first method, but it produces the same result -- a keen edge.
As you grind the knives with 150# abrasive, work out the nicks and chips in the edges, then begin passing each knife through the sander in turn without changing the position of the disc or the fence. The sander will remove less and less metal with each pass. Stop when your hear that the abrasive is barely contacting the knife and go onto the next knife leaving the setup exactly the same. This not only achieves a smooth surface and a keen edge, it insures that each knife is ground to precisely the same dimensions and the same weight (so the cutterhead will be properly balanced). Finish up by whetting the back of the knives flat on a fine stone to remove any burr.
With all good wishes,
Nick Engler
http://www.workshopcompanion.com
http://www.workshopcompanion.com
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