Powered Sharpener Setup Recommendations

[blgentry]

This post is to make my previous post appear on page 11.  Without, somehow that post will not show up and page 11 is "invisible".

Brian.

[grepper]

Grest job on the handle Mr. Brian!  It looks very nice and made a better and safer tool out of it too.  You made it nicer than when it was new.

Gaps like that both under the handle and the gap between the sides isn't cool around food because it can trap gunk and grow nasty egregious organisms.  I did almost the exact same thing on a knife with a handle like yours.  Before sanding the wood down to be smooth with the tang, I filled the gap with epoxy.  That filled in all the little gaps under the handle.  Once sanded smooth it was invisible.  That also stops water from getting in the gaps under the handle and rotting the wood.

Re the invisible post thing- That happens every so often.  Not often at all but we've seen it before.  It's invisible when logged in but visible if you are not.  Or it's the other way around.  Either way you found the solution.  Just make another post and the invisible post will magically become visible.

[blgentry]

More video!  This time my promised demo of sharpening a serrated blade on the Kally.






PS:  Thanks for the nice comment on my last one Grepper.

Brian.

[chino]

Nice work Brian! I’m new to serrated sharpening. I’ve always stayed away after seeing my friend rat tail file each scallop. You made it look so easy with the sander.

Looking forward to more!

Thanks

[grepper]

Another great video Brian!  As far as I'm concerned, the more the merrier.  Thanks for taking the time to do them and for sharing.  Just posting takes time and effort let alone making videos.  Your effort is both understood and appreciated.

If I may most humbly and respectfully make a suggestion, maybe put some of these in a new thread?  This thread is now very long and your helpful and informative video is buried within it.  It's a typical problems with forums.  Threads naturally meander into different subject areas.  The problem is that really good information gets lost and difficult to find.

Again, a huge thanks, and:  More!!!

[CasePeanut]

I hope its ok to add to this thread. Reading the posts and watching the videos from @blgentry here and at Bladeforums is what got me interested in powered sharpening in the first place. Brian has been great about sharing his knowledge over the years. 

I first followed Brian's lead with a Worksharp Ken Onion with the Blade Grinding attachment. Its been a great introduction to powered sharpening. I've been using the WSKO-BGA to sharpen my neighbors knives and tools for a couple years now. 

The COVID Shelter-in-place has everyone cooking at home much more, and I've started to sharpen a much larger volume of knives. Word is getting out and I've even had a few paying customers! Not something I ever intended, but its been a fun way to practice sharpening more. 

I feel like I've been outgrowing the Worksharp and ready to move up to a "real" belt sander for a few months. The consensus seems to be that a 1" belt is preferred for sharpening, with a 2" belt preferred for knife making. 

I put together a small comparison of some of the most popular/highly recommended 1" belt grinders to help me make a decision on which one to purchase. 

Ultimately, I ended up with the Rikon Variable Speed 1"x30". The Kally 1SM was the other main contender. The Rikon won out primarily due to a couple factors:

• Low Cost
  
• Variable Speed
  
• Easy Vertical/Horizontal switching
  

I have no doubt that the Kally 1SM is a far better machine, but I used the money I didn't spend on the Kally to purchase an EOU PT50B. (see how I justified that purchase!)

I'm sure that I'm overthinking things, but with the additional cost of the KallyRest (which feels like a nearly necessary add-on) meant a pretty high overall cost. At that point, it becomes tougher to justify the 1SM in favor of spending a bit more for a 2x48 or 2x72 with horizontal tilt and a VFD that can run 1" belts. 

In any event, the Rikon VS arrives this week and I'll share some initial thoughts after I've had some time with it. Here is a link to the spreadsheet in case anyone wants to compare grinders: 
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e...CF/pubhtml

[grepper]

Thanks for the post and for sharing your comparison of grinders Mr. CasePeanut.  

Purchasing sharpening equipment is always a difficult decision, especially because good equipment usually = $$$ and there are so many choices.  Been there, done that!  I've found the hardest part is that you never know the pros/cons of a particular system until after you get to use it for awhile.  Looks like you have done your homework.  Have fun with your new toy.

Looking FW to your thoughts after you've had some time with it.

[Mike Brubacher]

Excellent post CasePeanut and I took particular notice of this comment:

"The COVID Shelter-in-place has everyone cooking at home much more, and I've started to sharpen a much larger volume of knives. Word is getting out and I've even had a few paying customers! Not something I ever intended, but its been a fun way to practice sharpening more. "

The knife sharpening biz, generally, has remained quite strong throughout the Covid ordeal and your observation, is likely one of the reasons why.

[blgentry]

I see you've already found Curry Custom Cutlery.  You've almost certainly watched a dozen of his youtube videos by now. 

If you haven't you might want to watch the ones on that particular Rikon machine.  He has a lot of energy for modifying and improving grinders.  I was a little tempted by some of his mods, but ultimately decided to get the Kalamazoo for a variety of reasons.  

Curry's results speak for themselves.  He's a pro and probably a much better sharpener than I am.

Let us know how your Rikon works out.  I'll be especially curious about deburring.  The Rikon, on it's lowest speed, runs faster than the Kally, so it won't be more "gentle" or "easy" for deburring.  What it's really good for is a little more speed and power so you can take off metal faster if you want to.  

But the thing you do have with the Rikon (for deburring) is an edge leading angle guide!  Which potentially will make deburring easier.  I suspect that you will want ScotchBrite belts or something else for deburring.  At a minimum a leather belt with compound.  You know this, but I have to say it:  DO NOT RUN EDGE LEADING INTO A LEATHER BELT!  You'll cut it and get smacked with it as it comes flying off at high speed.  But you knew that already.

Best of luck.  I really do want to hear about your experiences with it. 

Brian.

[blgentry]

Admin post to make previous post appear.