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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
paper or belt
- Thread starter Mr.HD
- Start date
Wowbagger
Gold Member
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is evil don't support them
Buy actual tools from a reputable manufacture rather than Mickey Mouse facades.
OK . . . that said, maybe you just need some seriously coarse stones for your jig like 120, 140 diamond or something else BA from Gritomatic like their Silicon Carbide stone or their "Ruby" stones.
Paper wheels are for the other end of things; polishing the final edge . . . again just use the sharpening jig.
For serious reprofiling of folders I tend to just free hand on a large diamond plate like the ten inch DMT Extra, extra coarse (220) I have been able to quickly reprofile S110V so it should be a synch for what you need as long as you are working folders. If you are working machetes then maybe a belt sander but honestly they tend to be pretty soft so again not much of a challenge.
This photo shows the blue dot side which is ~330 grit but the other black side is 220. Those are both S110V knives, ignore the pink stone it is for flattening water stones.
Another alternative is to glue very coarse belt sander belt cut open onto a flat surface; particle board is flat enough (quite flat in fact). I use the three inch Norton Zirconia Alumina belts they are monsters compared to anything else. About 46 grit or 60 grit. You can get these at home building centers. I ONLY use that when I need to flatten a large surface area though. For blade bevels the Diamond plate goes quickly.
Once a knife is reprofiiled I don't see you needing all that fire power; just use the finer stones on the sharpening jig.
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2019
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I have a WorkSharp belt sharpener that's a 1/2" belt sander sharpener and it's amazing and fast at putting a great, durable edge.
This sharpener plus a strop is all I need for all knives from a machete, to a bushcraft knife, to a fillet knife, to a folder.
I even used it to put a convex micro bevel on scandi Moras and they're amazing!
This sharpener plus a strop is all I need for all knives from a machete, to a bushcraft knife, to a fillet knife, to a folder.
I even used it to put a convex micro bevel on scandi Moras and they're amazing!
paper wheels are not just for finish work, they come with grit or smooth. i routinely reprofile knives with them and it takes only minutes. have been doing this for decades after previous decades of hand sharpening, using jigs, then free-handing. i still free hand but with power tools. belt sanders work well also. many years past i gave up slow methods using stones and jigs. now it is power tools, diamond rods and stropping to get the edges i desire.
Jason B.
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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- Jun 13, 2007
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Power tools will take off more metal so as long as you're ok with shortening the usable blade life then go for it. On the plus side... if you have the skills its hard to beat a machine edge. I use a Kalamazoo 1x42 then deburr with a Fine Scotch brite wheel and finish with a leather wheel. I find the leather wheel to offer a superior edge to the paper wheel and has more give making it easier to finish the edge.
I would stay away from the worksharp, that is, unless you want to send me all your knives to get repaired after you screw them up. That 1/2 in belt is just not wide enough and will take off metal in a hurry.
P.S. The HF 1x30 moves too fast for sharpening.
I would stay away from the worksharp, that is, unless you want to send me all your knives to get repaired after you screw them up. That 1/2 in belt is just not wide enough and will take off metal in a hurry.
P.S. The HF 1x30 moves too fast for sharpening.
K80Shooter
Basic Member
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- Sep 10, 2018
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Jason,
I also use the 1 x 42 kali and love it. Could you elaborate on the leather wheel? Not quite sure what you're talking about. I use the 1 x 42 leather belt.
You can use a speed control for.the harbor freight 1x30 to slow it down. Paper wheels work great as does freehand. All equally good methods. And if you learn them they can all deliver a great edge. If one method doesnt work its because of user error! As i and many others have delivered great edges with them. For price and ease of use a paper wheel is hard to beat. I can get the same edge freehand and i do quite often. But if time is an issue you cant beat a paper wheel. Check out the sticky in this forum.
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The WorkSharp has 3 stock belts... an 80gr, 320gr and I think 6000gr??
The coarsest is very abrasive and I've used it to put a convex microbevel on a thick carbon machete blade and the sparks flew.
But the other 2 grits aren't that harsh and don't remove too much metal. In fact, once I go through the belts, I generally only strop it to touch it up...
If there's more of a ding, I generally only go to the 320 for 2 passes max and then back to 6000 and stropping.
Once the 6000 is worn down, you can flip it over and put compound on it.
When you have a convex edge / bevel, stropping works great for maintenance on the non-super steels and that's about the least amount of metal you can move to get a solid edge back.
It just takes a bit of practice (2 test blades) to get a feel for how to stop from rounding off the tip... But after that it's easy.
Jason B.
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2007
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- 11,168
As a professional sharpener and someone that has sharpened thousands and thousands of knives with belt Sanders and wheels I'm pretty familiar with the process. The thin belts remove lots of metal in a small spot compared to a wider belt grinder. This and a few other factors is probably the reason I see so many knives at my bench that were once flat but now a recurve...
Grinders remove more metal than freehand, nothing to argue, it's a fact.
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Repeat after me: “I will not buy power tools from Harbor Freight “
Harbor Freight is good for hand tools and SOME of there power tools are useable. That being said, you have to do your research before buying an electric tool at Harbor freight and even then it’s a gamble. It’s best to avoid it completely if at all possible, shop at Home Depot or Lowe’s instead.
Harbor Freight is good for hand tools and SOME of there power tools are useable. That being said, you have to do your research before buying an electric tool at Harbor freight and even then it’s a gamble. It’s best to avoid it completely if at all possible, shop at Home Depot or Lowe’s instead.