What is considered "Toothy?"

W

wvdavidr

Joined
Mar 21, 2007
Messages
370
We have seen debates of 'toothy vs refined/polished.' I'm not trying to restart that. I have always wondered what is considered 'toothy.' I use the Edge Pro, Wicked Edge, and have Shapton Pro stones (and Choseras for the E.P.). I would think most would consider the WEPS diamond plates to be fairly toothy up to 800 or 1000 (?). The Edge Pro stones don't seem toothy to me beyond the 220. The reason I ask is that I'm not sure what level they are talking about in these discussions.

Thanks,
Dave
 
They are relative terms, and different people may use them differently.
I just rely on the feel on my thumb skin to check for the “bite”. Very subjective.

I also draw a line around 10 µm, but the feel also depends on the stones. To me, like you, EP’s #220 seems to give a toothy edge, while #600 provides more refined edges. But, #600 diamond stone (EZ-Lap) appears to make a toothy edge, presumably due to deeper scratches than by ceramic stones.
 
Toothy to me means when the edge looks very rough but is sharp. Usually after I sharpen on my lansky course diamond stone.
 
Toothy means it has good slicing aggression. It's a sliding scale, with "toothy" at one end and "polished" at the other, and the ideal balance of the two will depend on what mix of tasks you're usually doing with the tool. Toothy edges are better at slicing and hold their edge longer in those circumstances. Polished edges are better at push cutting and hold their edges longest in those circumstances.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Toothy means it has good slicing aggression. It's a sliding scale, with "toothy" at one end and "polished" at the other, and the ideal balance of the two will depend on what mix of tasks you're usually doing with the tool. Toothy edges are better at slicing and hold their edge longer in those circumstances. Polished edges are better at push cutting and hold their edges longest in those circumstances.
Click to expand...
Thanks. What is considered 'toothy?' If somebody requested a knife for slicing, would you recommend a certain level or stone? Maybe an Edge Pro 220 or 320? Wicked Edge 600 or 800?
 
Dave, a not used much coarse DMT will give a tooth edge. Which is stated at 325 grit. If yours is worn go to the next more coarse stone. A 220
X Coarse stone gives a very toothy edge. But it is mostly good only for slicing as it lacks refinement. Now should you strop that edge some to remove the burr this will give it some refinement. And it will still have a toothy edge. When I take it to the fine (600 grit) and work it. It looses much of it's toothy edge. DM
 
I was going to say anything from a 120 stone to a 1000

Since you brought up the Shapton and Edge Pro not seeming toothy past 220 I would say maybe we have to look at edges produced by fairly freshly lapped stones and steel that is workable on those stones.

In other words a stone that is glazed / smoothed off by sharpening a high vanadium, well hardened steel on it is going to leave quite a different edge finish.
 
wvdavidr said:
Thanks. What is considered 'toothy?' If somebody requested a knife for slicing, would you recommend a certain level or stone? Maybe an Edge Pro 220 or 320? Wicked Edge 600 or 800?
Click to expand...

Yes. For what you're asking... I think this is a good representation of a "toothy" edge.
 
What one person considers "toothy" vs. "not toothy" is really subjective so you're not going to get a clear cut answer there. Like I said, it's a sliding scale with "toothy" just being the end opposing "polished". So most edges have some degree of toothiness and the coarser you go the toothier it gets. I once tried cutting a piece of chicken with an edge off of an ultra-coarse American Mutt bench stone (which is an ungraded mix of grits) and actually had visible muscle fibers sticking to the edge. That's the extreme end, and way more aggressive than one would normally experience. But just look at it as percentages. Grit ratings alone can be deceptive because they only describe the grit size--not the many other factors that impact the scratch pattern and edge qualities it creates.
 
Hi,
I've seen more than one person raise a burr and call that toothy -- no deburr --
so toothy means almost but not quite sharp its going to dull quickly :p

I prefer actual numbers like grits/microns... its better than saying coarse , then turns out talking about JIS1000 (old ~16 micron, new ~12 micron) or higher

Now this is really rearry toothy :D
Extreme low grit sharpening : 24 grit nubatama - Cliff Stamp
24 grit is ~708 microns or 0.708 millimeter
 
I once crafted an edge off of a 240 grit jointer stone that was crazy toothy yet sharp on the edges leading to the high points - the pinnacle for me of the breed.

Pressed into a piece of card stock it didn't cut it, but when I raised the edge back up the piece of card was stuck to the edge - high points had penetrated through and could be seen sticking out the other side, the low points were more varied than the width of the stock - about 15 pt.

Toothy = reduced pressure needed to draw cut compared to a more refined edge - also an increase in force needed to make static pressure cuts.

Its all relative.

Roughly the break is about 6k Japanese or 1500 grit ANSI or much lower depending on criteria.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top