Meatcutters and Butchers. How do you sharpen ?

G

Great Steel

Joined
Jan 14, 2016
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Hi Fellas

I tried a search and not sure if I really found what I was looking for so here goes .

I know there are Meatcutters and Butchers on here so how do you fellas sharpen your knives in places where you sharpen your own knives. . I used mainly Victorinox , Dick, or Wenger knives when I was in the trade.

#1 Do you use water stones / whetstones only ? What grit do you start with and what grit do you finish off on ? Do you raise the knife to the desired angle 15 D or 20 D angle push the blade away from you turn the blade over and then draw the blade back to you ? Or do you use the stone on one side until you develop a burr and then turn the knife over and do the other side ?

Is there a YouTube video that shows each of the above methods ?

#2 For heavily damaged knives or taking off an older established edge angle do you use a Hook Eye type belt grinder and then move to water stones / whetstones ?

#3 During the day are you using a quality steel like a Dickoron and if so which Dickoron are you using ?

Okay, I ask these questions because I worked in the meat business for 20 plus years, now retired but feel that I have lost my edge, pardon the pun. Just don't seem to get my knives as sharp as before.

Even golf pros go back to school sometimes.........

Look forward to replies from fellas in the trade. Sorry about the long post !

Thanks !
Great Steel
 
Most regulated butchering facility use a device called the warthog V sharp. Most knives used by butchers are plastic handled Fibrox style knives, soft stainless steel that is easily Steeled thought the day.

Because steeling only gets you so far they also usually use a Norton tri-stone system to refresh the edge geometry before or after a long days use.
 
I sharpen knives professionally for butchers and meatcutters in chicago. Most of them prefer victorinox knives with fibrox handles and they ask for a wide bevel, reground on a grindstone. They like the course cut of the grind stone because it acts like a saw, great for cutting stuff like silver skin. Also the hollow grind of the stone makes the knives easier to steel. If you were going to sharpen your knives at home, i would choose a relatively course stone, like one of the cheap oil stones rather than a higher grit water stone. A high polished edge will not last on less expensive boning knives and breakers.
 
All of the butchers I've sharpened for over the years prefer a course edge .Here they've used a 2 sided course and medium carborundum stone and go to a steel.The belt guys wanted a 120 grit and use a steel.The old butchers around here said a polished edge slide to much and wanted an edge that would grab the hair and not roll off it.One older man laid his blade flat on his stone and thinned out so he could keep it sharp with less work latter.He went from course to medium and then used a steel.This is how they did knives to do hogs and cattle in small butcher shops in Ohio.
 
Yes ^ that's what I see being done. No polished edges. Knives more are coarsely sharpened as they cut longer. All of my meat markets have a Norton 313 Tri-Hone. Some will take their blades to the fine India, others not. Stopping at the medium crystalline. The work is fast paced. Most are not known to spend much time taking their knife to a stone. Just try to make it thru their shift working it on a smooth steel. They don't break beef anymore. So, the breaking blade has turned into a carver/ slicer. It is rare I see a strop in a shop and when I do it is never loaded with slurry. So, the knowledge of stropping has never caught on. DM
 
Okay these replies are what I was wanting to see, So, Thank You ! If anyone else has something to add plese feel free
Thanks Again !
Great Steel
 
From what I have seen over the past 30 years or so the meat markets send out their knives to be sharpened.

Coarse edge.

They steel the edges to keep them straight until they won't go back anymore then they use a Norton tri-hone to actually sharpen them if needed between times they send them out.
 
David Martin said:
Yes ^ that's what I see being done. No polished edges. Knives more are coarsely sharpened as they cut longer. All of my meat markets have a Norton 313 Tri-Hone. Some will take their blades to the fine India, others not. Stopping at the medium crystalline. The work is fast paced. Most are not known to spend much time taking their knife to a stone. Just try to make it thru their shift working it on a smooth steel. They don't break beef anymore. So, the breaking blade has turned into a carver/ slicer. It is rare I see a strop in a shop and when I do it is never loaded with slurry. So, the knowledge of stropping has never caught on. DM
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Yeah, NONE that I have seen break beef anymore, NONE cut chicken either and hardly any pork except for bandsaw stuff and even that is rare these days.

Lots of prepack these days, chicken and pork due to the issues with heath dept regulations etc. It's a time factor, they would have to clean the whole dept from top to bottom before switching to another meat type.

Beef is still cut, but it comes already broken down.

Everything is a time factor, they only have so much time to cut what is needed and fill the cases up in the morning, then the rest of the day is spent cutting backup as far as cutting goes. Those guys don't have a lot of time to be screwing around, it's balls to the walls cutting as fast as possible until they are done for that day. Set amount of beef each day as required for that store they are in based on volume.

I know all of this because I used to be in that business for decades, I was one that made sure they did their job up to company requirements.
 
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Yes, agreed. As that's what I've seen when I make my rounds. They hardly take time for lunch. I've seen them wolf a sandwich down while cutting meat. On slow days, (no ad specials or the special is turkeys. Something they don't have to cut up) they may take a short lunch and sharpen one most used blade on the 313. Then back to work. DM
 
Ankerson said:
Yeah, NONE that I have seen break beef anymore, NONE cut chicken either and hardly any pork except for bandsaw stuff and even that is rare these days.

Lots of prepack these days, chicken and pork due to the issues with heath dept regulations etc. It's a time factor, they would have to clean the whole dept from top to bottom before switching to another meat type.

Beef is still cut, but it comes already broken down.

Everything is a time factor, they only have so much time to cut what is needed and fill the cases up in the morning, then the rest of the day is spent cutting backup as far as cutting goes. Those guys don't have a lot of time to be screwing around, it's balls to the walls cutting as fast as possible until they are done for that day. Set amount of beef each day as required for that store they are in based on volume.

I know all of this because I used to be in that business for decades, I was one that made sure they did their job up to company requirements.
Click to expand...



Good post ! I mostly worked wholesale but did retail as well.
Great Steel
 
I see meat cutters using Victorinox knives which seem hardened to around 56-57. They sharpen up quick and have good stainless properties. Even when the edges get worn and thick they rebevel quickly using the coarse SiC on the Norton 313. This stone is usually dished from use and no one attempts to level it. They just keep right on using it. I've tried to rebevel on a stone in this condition and found it difficult. You get better results when the stone is flat. They like a 7"- 8" up swept blade for a lot of their work. DM
 
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