Sharpening Kitchen Cutlery

[Cheese]

We often use the Epicurean boards when cutting things like chicken since that can go right into the dishwasher.  I don't think the Epicurean boards are as bad for the edge as the bamboo, but still probably not all that great.

I've been using an Epicurean board for the last 6-7 years. They hold up real well and can be popped in the dishwasher for easy cleanup. They're a lot easier on the knives than the polypro board I previously used.

I use both Shun and Wusthof knives daily on the Epicurean board. The only difference is the Wusthof knives need to be steeled more often than the Shun knives. 

I've used polypro, bamboo and a traditional wooden board but I like the Epicurean board the best.  [big grin]

 

[GoingMyWay]

I guess the Epicurean boards are pretty good, albeit pricey.  I wanted to get the one with the juice channel, but it was pretty expensive so we passed.  We have a probably 10 year old black one that is peeling.  It's leaves black specks in the food.  I should probably throw it out - I'm not really sure why I'm still holding on to it.

Nothing beats the sound of a knife hitting a nice solid wood cutting board though  [big grin].  Everything else just sounds so "hollow" if you know what I mean.

 

[Cheese]

I guess the Epicurean boards are pretty good, albeit pricey.  I wanted to get the one with the juice channel, but it was pretty expensive so we passed.  We have a probably 10 year old black one that is peeling.  It's leaves black specks in the food.  I should probably throw it out - I'm not really sure why I'm still holding on to it.

Hey I found the perfect Epicurean cutting board for you!  [poke]  [poke]  [poke]

[attachimg=1]

 

[GoingMyWay]

LOL.  That's pretty cool.  I assume they have one for all 50 states?  Maybe there are some other states that have a better overall shape that's a littlle more conducive for a cutting board design.

 

[Michael Kellough]

LOL.  That's pretty cool.  I assume they have one for all 50 states?  Maybe there are some other states that have a better overall shape that's a littlle more conducive for a cutting board design.

Colorado

 

[leakyroof]

I use Lee Valley or similar Film Micron Sanding Belts in my 1" x 42" Jet Belt Sander to sharpen our Kitchen Knives.
I started using the belt sander after watching a Sharpening Video made by Leonard Lee of Lee Valley.
Fast, no burning, and I just kiss the edge with a Leather Belt laced with Lee Valley's Green Cutting Compound after using the Micron Sharpening Belt to take any tiny burr off as well.  Takes more time to swap between the 2 belts than it does to sharpen the knives.

 

[GoingMyWay]

The Worksharp system is basically a mini belt sander.  Some sort of belt sander really seems to be the way to go.  I reckon most better quality production knives are sharpened on some type of belt sander.  I can't imagine anyone or any company producing knives for a living would use something as slow as a stone (please correct me if I'm wrong).  Another advantage (I consider if to be an advantage anyway) of using a belt sander is that it puts a convex edge on the blade.

I sharpened 4 of our Global knives this morning on the Worksharp Ken Onion Edition Blade Grinding Attachment.  The "production assembly line " approach of doing all the knives on each grit of belt definitely makes quick work of them.  I used 4 different belts.

I think using a strop of some sort is what really gets you that really refined razor sharp edge.  Now some people prefer a more "toothy" edge that you get from a less polished edge (like maybe 200-400 grit), particularly for like slicing tomatoes.  Sometimes it seems that a super highly polished edge is really only good for bragging rights, like the so called "hair whittling sharp" - not all that practical for every day real world slicing and cutting.

 

[Sparktrician]

[member=66216]GoingMyWay[/member], if you're using the Spyderco system as shown, you're going to have a hard time getting an edge.  I can get a razor-sharp edge with mine. 

 

[Koamolly]

LOL.  That's pretty cool.  I assume they have one for all 50 states?  Maybe there are some other states that have a better overall shape that's a littlle more conducive for a cutting board design.

Hawaii is MIA.  Maybe they’re waiting for the volcano to stop changing the coastline.

 

[GoingMyWay]

[member=66216]GoingMyWay[/member], if you're using the Spyderco system as shown, you're going to have a hard time getting an edge.  I can get a razor-sharp edge with mine. 

I just set it up like that for the photo - I forgot what the exact correct setup was.  I had watched the DVD that came with it when I first got it and set it up correctly then, but I still had no luck.  As I mentioned before, most likely user error as you along with a lot of other people have gotten razor sharp results.  It just wasn't the system for me.

Hawaii is MIA.  Maybe they’re waiting for the volcano to stop changing the coastline.

I'm terrible with geography.  If I was given a blank map I think I'd struggle to be able to correctly identify more than a few states, but Hawaii would be tough, even without the volcanic eruption - isn't it a series of islands so you'd have several little cutting boards?

 

[tjbnwi]

My favorite knives are Schmitt Brothers, sharp as (well you know), and hold an edge forever.

Tom

 

[Cheese]

Here's a photo of the Epicurean cutting board and the 5 knives I use the most often. Three Shun's and two Wusthof's.

 

[GoingMyWay]

Since I just sharpened our knives on Monday and we had a big tomato for our burgers I thought we'd play around a little and see just how sharp it was.  I normally test for sharpness using regular office paper or I actually prefer thin magazine paper if we happen to have any old magazines lying around.

It's not as sharp or as easy to just push slice as I've seen in some videos on YouTube, but I'm still pretty happy with the result.  The knife had also been used to cut some things after I sharpened it on Monday so it wasn't straight off of the sharpener.

I tried slicing first and couldn't do nearly as well as my wife.  She has better knife skills than me.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

 

[GoingMyWay]

I had mentioned in my first post that I had acquired various gadgets that help me sharpen my knives.  I believe I learned about both of these products by watching Clay Allison's (Wicked Edge) YouTube videos. 

The first and probably most frequently used item is a lighted jewler's loupe:

[attachimg=1]

I started out with basic non illuminated loupes and I discovered that I actually needed some closeup illumination to help see the blade edge.  It's amazing how you can see little microchips and other imperfections in the edge with 10x magnification.

The other item that I got is CATRA Blade Protractor:

[attachimg=2]

It's basically a laser pointer that bisects the cutting edge to show you the angle that each bevel is sharpened at.  It's great for showing what angles a knife has previously been sharpened at if you want to match the angle exactly.  It can also show how polished the edge is and can show the type of grind that was applied to the edge.

I'll share the last gadget for measuring sharpness in my next post.

 

[hdv]

After reading this thread I decided to try out the Work Sharp Culinary E5. Today I've sharpened a couple of Zwillinge knives with it and I must say that I am quite happy with the results. I might be able to get my knives sharper by hand (I am a proficient sharpener if I may say so myself), but not in this little time, with so little effort, and with this much consistency.

So thanks FOG for recommending this tool!

 

[GoingMyWay]

That's terrific and it looks like a neat product!  Was there any metal or abrasive dust left behind after you were done?  I read that it has a built in vacuum to suck up any debris.  The only slight downside to using the regular Work Sharp or Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition is the dust left behind on the counter.

I think the convenience and consistency are very important.  If it's quick, easy, and reliable then there's no reason not to use it. 

The Wicked Edge System is great but, thinking about needing to set it up and then go through the various grits by hand kinda makes me lose interest in sharpening very fast.

 

[hdv]

I've attached 2 photo's. One shows the dust I removed from the device after sharpening about 10 knives. Half of them at the most aggressive setting. During normal use I've not noticed any dust on the counter. None at all.

The other shows a fan behind the belt. That fan creates a small draft. Enough for cooling and keeping any metal dust in the device, but definitely not enough to create suction. I am afraid there is no built-in vacuum. And from what I see I doubt that would be a wise feature for this device either. However the device is easily cleaned. I just remove the belt and clean the compartment with a stiff brush. That's all there is to it.

HTH

 

[GoingMyWay]

Thanks for the pictures and the description of how it manages dust. 

The Amazon product description for the sharpener said it has a built in vacuum.  I suppose that's just their marketing spin or it's a matter of semantics if a draft is the same thing as a vacuum (bottom line is there's no mess left on the counter which is a good thing):

[attachimg=1]

 

[vkumar]

[member=66216]GoingMyWay[/member] thank you for the great review on the different sharpeners.  I have an Apex pro but find it a pain to haul it out and set it up. And being a lazy guy that I am, I find the  Ken Onion appealing.

Is it possible to set up intermediate angles such as 17 or 18 degrees accurately on the Ken onion Worksharp?  And is it possible to do it consistently?

Vijay

 

[GoingMyWay]

Hi Vijay.  I'm glad you found the post helpful.  There is an intermediate setting in between 15 and 20 degrees on the Worksharp Ken Onion Edition.  That should approximate about 17-18 degrees.  I've never used that setting - I've only used 15 degrees.  The Blade Grinding Attachment will allow you to set a specific degree, but I question how accurate that really is since you're basically "freehand" sharpening with no guide.  You just "zero" the blade by placing it on the reference plate before each pass on the belt.

I like using the Blade Grinding Attachment for 2 reasons - the belt is wider and the side of the knife is not riding against an edge guide to get marred/scarred/scratched (this can probably be eliminated by taping the knife with tape).

I think one shouldn't get too hungup on a specific sharpening angle.  I'd venture to say that there is no precision when sharpening by hand with nothing more than a sharpening stone - that's not to say it's a bad thing, just no need.  The most important thing to do is to create an apex at the blade's edge.  Then it's not really important what angle or degrees you're at.

Honestly, I've always had the Worksharp Ken Onion Edition set at 15 degrees, but I think the blade protractor was showing more like 20 degrees+ and the angle was not even on both sides.  Nevertheless, the paper cut test was very good and I felt like it was a very sharp edge that I was able to achieve in the shortest amount of time possible.