Hi,
You did not goof
Thanks folks for the comments and knowledge. Boy I guess I still have lots to learn and was totally wrong about my Lansky. Now I know, but wondering if my SM is the same. I thought it was 15 a side with 30 being the total. I now know that I will have to get some sort of angle gauge like shown in the pic above. Now I am upset for not knowing about the Lansky (maybe me) and have sharpened up a few knives at the 30 setting thinking that was right. Now regarding the new set of knives for my sister, what should or how should I check and sharpen them up. I have checked the paring knife and it sliced paper very well but have not checked the other ones. It was suggested that I leave them for now and let her use them and then sharpen them up.
Here I thought I was learning and going in the right direction but it seems that I was wrong.
Now having done a few knives at 30 on the Lansky, i guess that would really screw things up, but how would they cut. When I did them they cut paper very easy and well. Did I really goof?
Thanks again for all of the help.
Regards
Tar
You did not goof.
I didn't mean to make you doubt by advancing the topic, I goofed there,
Lansky, like spyderco,
understand people like simple machines,
simple instructions,
that most people can make work and be happy with
because most people don't even sharpen knives,
just by owning sharpening equipment you're ahead of the curve,
and even more ahead by using the equipment with success.
Its just some people go one just a little beyond that, like second semester, sharpening 102
30 setting is better than a dull knife,
30 setting is faster than the other settings
Now whether the 30 degree setting produced 30 degrees per side
or 25 or 20 or 17 depending on the knife width and clamping point
its
not that important sharp beats dull everytime,
and lansky understand people like simple not math/geometry/trigonometry
Lower angles are like an "advanced" topic,
since most knives bought/sold come with high angles,
you use high angles to sharpen them in a reasonable time
like 5min or up to 15 minutes.
Next knife you sharpen
try a lower angle setting,
or a lower clamping point,
use the permanent/magic/sharpie marker trick
to see if you can lower the angle a tiny little bit,
like half or one degree,
something thats not too much work,
keep it in the fun zone
If you can notice the difference in using the knife,
or if you just like it,
you might lower a little more next time,
or go back to the higher angle,
they will all cut better than butter/steak knives
Thanks again folks for the info and guidance. Unfortunately I do not have a smart phone (old guy) but I will get a gauge that will tell me the correct angle. I have thinking about what has been said and wondered when I would indeed use the Lansky. I do not mean anything wrong with it but now not sure. I had been using the SM and after a bit understood what it was about. I did all right for just starting out. I got the diamond rods because getting some very dull knives sharp was a long road. I figured the Lansky would be better that way with the 5 different stones.
I am not sure if I should ask here or not but here goes. I am a senior and on a budget but what would folks suggest for a guided system with the right angles?
So would everyone suggest that I leave my sister's new kitchen set the way it came, which are pretty sharp as its but I think (being picky) they could be sharper.
Thanks again for all of the help.
Regards
Tar
Hi,
Lansky its a good system,
you don't have to spend any extra money,
knowing actual angle number is not that important sharp is sharp,
smartphone or angle gauge not required for knowing the actual angle number,
a notebook and a ruler will do it,
simply measure the distance from edge/apex to the back of the clamp,
you can measure the run/length,
you can measure the hypotenuse,
you can measure the height,
then punch in some numbers into
triangle-calculator hit the calculate button and you get the actual angle (90 is a known angle)
mark the distance in notebook so you dont have to do triangle-calc next time
But its not that important to know the exact angle number, sharp is sharp,
permanent marker trick to find existing angle, ruler to know how to repeat angle,
notebook to remember
For the sister, try and make one knife sharper, if she notices that its sharper, if she appreciates the difference, well then it might be worth doing ...
if you're having fun
If you're
crafty and have the time,
you don't have to spend any extra money,
you've already got lasky/sharpmaker abrasives ,
check out your local craigslist.org "free" section,
get some free wood,
and maybe try to enhance your lansky setup,
its just triangles
I bookmarked this video because I like the spinny/planetary gear here
DIY $5 Knife Sharpening System like APEX or Lansky from rubbish / Точилка для ножей из мусора - Vitalii Tereshchuk
There are many variations they dont need metal
midrange knife sharpening jig
there are many more variations on this theme here, there, everywhere