Whetstones

[Prep M8]

Hi people,

What do you use to sharpen your knives and other sharp instruments.

I recently bought a whetstone, not the dearest, £40 of an internet company. It has 4 different grit sizes. The highest grit being 6000. I'm okay in terms of sharpening items. Used a diamond stone to good effect before. I just can't seem to get a really good edge on my tools with this stone. I know the Lansky system gets good reviews, apart from the clamp.

I don't want to keep paying for so called good whetstones, when clearly they are not.

I also bought a leather strop of same company. What a piece of rubbish. The leather came completely
off after 4 strokes of my knife. A tiny strip of rubbish glue was holding the leather to the wood.
I'm going to make my own leather strop from now on.

Cheers

[jansman]

I use an oilstone and a steel. My knives HAVE to be sharp. I am a butcher.

[grenfell]

I use an oilstone for my joinery tools. I have a waterstone which puts a fantasic edge on things but you can literally see it wearing down. Slate can make a decent waterstone too.
On the other end of that i've also sharpened on sandpaper and even stone ashlars and on one occasion a concrete slab. I'm afraid to say a lot of it is all about practice . You could bugger up a blade on the most expensive system .

[Prep M8]

Thanks for replies.

My dad had a butchers steel. Remember as a kid he would use it to sharpen the kitchen knives, and our neighbours Is there not a skill to using one ??? . Need something that will also sharpen my chisels and planer blades.

There are so many products out there that you could buy but might be rubbish. Which i have found out to my expense.

Cheers

[jansman]

Chisels and plane blades. That’ll be an oil stone. 25 degree angle.steel? Forty years experience! 25 degrees again.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Thanks for replies.

My dad had a butchers steel. Remember as a kid he would use it to sharpen the kitchen knives, and our neighbours Is there not a skill to using one ??? . Need something that will also sharpen my chisels and planer blades.

There are so many products out there that you could buy but might be rubbish. Which i have found out to my expense.

Cheers

For chisels and guessing a smoothing / jack plane?

https://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-chis ... lsrc=aw.ds

[GillyBee]

If you are struggling with sharpening you could do worse than watch the Ben Orford training videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G68u9spHbPM
Ben is teaching on bushcraft knives but the guidance is general and good enough that DH points his guitar building students at Ben's videos. (if you can't shave with it it isn't usable in DH's world)

[grenfell]

On the subject of sharpening for shaving as joiners on site most of us did the "get your axe as sharp as a razor" and had a bare strip on our arms at one point. No real point of course other than we could...

[korolev]

I've posted this before :

Waterstones in various grits up to 8000 - very good but takes a while to learn
Lansky guided sharpener - gives a good, razor sharp, polished edge. Easy to use.
Worksharp electric sharpener - very easy to use but if not careful you can remove too much steel (I rounded the tip of a nice Spyderco )
Lansky 4 rod turn box - easy to use and get good results but no good for repairs/reprofiling.
Lansky pocket sharpener - The diamond file and ceramic "v" good for touching up but I avoid the carbide "v"
Victorinox pocket sharpener - good for touch up on the go.

Stropping, I use a strop made by a feller called Longstrider, he can be found on https://edgematters.uk/ (good site for advice on all sharp stuff)

General school of thought on the knife forums is that the best sharpening system is the Wicked Edge but, oh boy, what a price.

[Prep M8]

I've posted this before :

Waterstones in various grits up to 8000 - very good but takes a while to learn
Lansky guided sharpener - gives a good, razor sharp, polished edge. Easy to use.
Worksharp electric sharpener - very easy to use but if not careful you can remove too much steel (I rounded the tip of a nice Spyderco )
Lansky 4 rod turn box - easy to use and get good results but no good for repairs/reprofiling.
Lansky pocket sharpener - The diamond file and ceramic "v" good for touching up but I avoid the carbide "v"
Victorinox pocket sharpener - good for touch up on the go.

Stropping, I use a strop made by a feller called Longstrider, he can be found on https://edgematters.uk/ (good site for advice on all sharp stuff)

General school of thought on the knife forums is that the best sharpening system is the Wicked Edge but, oh boy, what a price.

Apologies. Did have a look on site for previous related posts.
Wicked edge They must be the rolls royce of sharpening systems. lol

Cheers.