- Sharpening Wheels System - Top Notch!!

Daniel Koster

Daniel Koster

www.kosterknives.com
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 18, 2001
Messages
20,978
I can't believe that after the hundreds and hundreds of knives I have sharpened....that I was able to find a setup that actually made it easier AND faster to get consistent sharpening on any knife I throw at it.


It's not much to look at...but dang does it work well.

Pic:


Sharpening0507-04.jpg




If you've got the room (about 2 feet of countertop space) and the $$$ (around $155 with shipping)....then I guarantee you won't be disappointed !!!


The wheel on the right will actually grind a small microbevel on the knife and the wheel on the left strops it to a scary-sharp edge.



Here's the details:


I got the buffer from Grizzly for $79 + s/h

http://www.grizzly.com/products/8-Buffer-w-5-8-Arbor/H4380

h4380.jpg




And the 10" Magnum Sharpening Wheel kit from Mike at SharpeningWheels.com for $55 + s/h

http://www.sharpeningwheels.com/products.html

Product_kit.jpg





It might be possible that since I've sharpened so many blades on wheels already...the transition was an easy one for me. But, either way, it is crazy-easy to sharpen on this thing.



That's all you need....just the buffer and the kit....nothing else to buy. Just put the wheels on it, follow the first-time-setup instructions and you are ready to go.

:thumbup:


If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask.


Thanks for looking!!

Dan
 
Nice review. I've been looking at the paper wheels for some time. I think I am going to take the plunge and buy some. There are many people on the forums who have been using them with great success.
 
What have you used before the wheels? Have you used a belt sander to sharpen?
 
I gotta agree with you Dan, this system is fast and easy. It does help to have some background in working with power tools that require good hand/eye coordination and timing.

Here's my setup:
IMG_2064.jpg
 
Mike came by my house to demo the kit as luckily I live near him, and under $100 later I have a new Ryobi grinder and 8" wheel kit. It is super easy to learn, as I had never before used power tools and got a tree topping edge my first time. Now I have pretty much broke in the grit wheel, and the system actually rebevels knives for me just about as fast as it microbevels a blade. It doesn't do angles under about 8-10 degrees too well, but not many people sharpen that thin anyway. It is an excellent system that is very easy on the wallet with a pretty easy learning curve.

Mike
 
A step in the right direction. Have had mine about 1 month a love it. Good luck with yours.
Ron
 
richard j is making a believer out of me. I am going to try a similar setup in the near future
.
 
OK guys, looks like Dan has the wheels spinning one way and fewpop has them spinning the opposite way. What's the best setup or does it matter? Are you sharpening edge up or down?
 
Yesterday I made the trip to Mechanicsburg after an invite from Richard J and got my eyes opened to how much time I was wasting and just how futile my knife sharpening had been up to that point.

Richard demonstrated one of his knives to me that he had made and sharpened and I was sold at that point. After chopping several 3 to 4 inch pieces of wood and batoning through a chunk of Elm I think, it still scared the hair off my arm.

Not only did he demonstrate the wheels to me, he had me on them with a practice piece, and after 10 minutes of him keeping a sharp eye on my technique and explaining why I was doing what I was doing and what the end results would be, I had an edge that had me beside myself with glee.

In all seriousness, it would have taken me AT LEAST a half an hour to an hour with my Lansky and a strop to achieve an edge, that after proper instruction I can get in minutes with the wheels. It is all in the technique my friends, and of course Richard has some secrets that I was lucky enough to be shown;)

A few things that I learned are-
You don't need super speed to get the edge that you want
SAFETY first folks, it's dead easy to get the hang of but get complacent and you will get bit quick(Neither of us did, but I saw that it could happen as we were working with some stupid sharp blades)
NEVER EVER I repeat EVER attempt to glue up a wheel out of some cardboard or paper that you have laying around thinking that you can go the cheap route and make a wheel.Think of the surface speed and the force generated by an 8 or 10 inch wheel on a 3500 to 5000 rpm grinder. Those who understand physics know that the potential for getting hurt are there in spades-DONT DO IT:thumbdn:
Practice Practice Practice, there is no substitute for it. I was fortunate and got instruction first hand from a guy that is accomplished at what he does and knows the right way to do it. It's not rocket surgery, but there is definitely a technique to learn there.

If you doubt that the wheels are the way to go, you have my condolences. Massage your cramped fingers, oil your stones and keep plugging away my friends. As for me, well, I'm a believer in the wheels, and I would never doubt something that Richard J tells you about sharpening for the man knows about that which he speaks on.(He makes some crazy cool knives too:))

Chuck
 
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I have a harbor freight 6" buffer on order (ITEM 94393-9VGA, this guy here http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94393) after talking to Steve Bottorff of Sharpening Made Easy.

Next Thursday I take the plunge. I'm going to his place to pick up the wheels and paying for a little instruction while I'm at it. I had emails back and forth with Steve (excellent guy) before joining this forum and he told me about paper wheels. Once I joined here, I saw Richard J's posts about paper wheels and their usage.

To see what they could do, I shipped Richard J my much loved Spyderco Endura and one of my friend's knives. He had it back as soon as he got it, and the edge was just incredible. I had gotten similar edges, it only took me 20x the amount of time using my sharpening gear.

Richard J and Steve both recommend the same set of wheels and I've been sold. You can do free hand, use a guide system, etc... and done properly they all get you a wonderfully sharp tool to use... it just looks like the paper wheels get you that wonderfully sharp tool faster and with a bit of practice easier.
 
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db said:
What have you used before the wheels? Have you used a belt sander to sharpen?
Click to expand...


Yes - I was using a belt sander with a 10" smooth wheel and a worn-out 120 grit belt (sometimes 220 grit belt)

thombrogan said:
Does this mean the convex edge tutorial is going to be rewritten?
Click to expand...

:eek:

IUKE12 said:
OK guys, looks like Dan has the wheels spinning one way and fewpop has them spinning the opposite way. What's the best setup or does it matter? Are you sharpening edge up or down?
Click to expand...

My preference is edge-down.



jungman said:
I have a harbor freight 6" buffer on order (ITEM 94393-9VGA, this guy here http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94393)
Click to expand...

I was tempted by that one...and maybe with smaller wheels it might be a good 'budget option'. Be sure to get the replacement warranty for it. ;)




Thanks for all the great comments, guys. I'm sorry for not offering any cool tips or tricks.....just wanted to post a pic of my setup and let you know from a knifemaker's point of view that it not only feels at home in my shop, but will be able to keep up with my production speed....and is actually better than I was using before.

Thanks!

Dan

Dan
 
Yeah, I've heard other folks jeer at harbor freight, but I've also seen threads where folks love their belt sander.

I was originally going to purchase the Ryobi as well after talking with Mike, but Steve recommended the buffer from his experience and also pointed out more space between the wheels would be handy for longer knives.

I seem to recall Richard J mentioning about putting a sleeve or something around pocket knives which don't have (or have a weak) a locking mechanism???
 
small pocket knives have small springs which wont hold a blade open so i put a piece of rubber tubing over the handle close to the pivot pin to keep the blade from closing should it catch while buffing or working up a burr. you can also use some tape or a rubber band wrapped tightly just behind the grind start. for a convex edge i use my belt sander and finish off on the paper buffing wheel. anyone that says they have to go to a strop after the paper wheel isnt doing it right or not using the real paper wheels.
 
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