08-04-2017, 04:51 PM
(05-22-2017, 07:06 PM)grepper Wrote: Simple question: Can a blade sharpened with a 20° bevel angle be as sharp as the same blade sharpened to a 15° bevel angle?
Seems like a silly question, but what is your experience?
I'm new to this forum (just bought a PT50), and not a great sharpener, but have an opinion that I'd like to share (mostly so you can give me feedback if it's wrong). It seems to me that all surfaces will deform to some extent when an edge applies pressure, and prior to the surface being separated (i.e., the start of the actual cut), some amount of the blade will penetrate into that deformation. The steeper angled edge will apply more pressure straight down, since it's not deforming (or wedging) as much material sideways. So, all other things being equal, the smaller the edge angle, the sharper the blade (assuming it has the strength to actually make the cut). It's probably not as simple as that (I'm simple-minded), and I'm assuming a push cut, not slicing, so would be interested in what others have to say.