In a private house      03/05/2020

Homemade and manual machines and devices for sharpening knives. How to make a sharpener with your own hands? Device for sharpening knives with your own hands What devices for sharpening knives

No matter how hard you try, the knife will still get dull. One wise parable says that if you do not sharpen the tool, you will have to exert force when using it. This is especially true for knives. If they are not sharpened, then we can say that there is no owner in the house. To keep them in constant readiness will allow a device for sharpening knives. There are several varieties of them. Which is better to choose and which is easier to use? This will be discussed in the article.

How to sharpen a knife

The tool that is used to sharpen knives can be divided into two large groups:

  • manual;
  • mechanical.

Each one is suitable for a specific application. If there is a large turnover when hundreds of knives need to be sharpened, then there is no point in handicraft, you will need a special machine tool. The latter can be both domestic and professional. Depending on the surface used in knife sharpening machines, they are divided into:

  • natural;
  • ceramic;
  • with diamond chips.

Each of these types is better suited for its type of knives. For example, products with a ceramic blade are highly reliable and sharp. Such devices can cut products with surgical precision. sharpening ceramic knife performed by a machine with the same element. Knives for household and professional use metal is most often sharpened using natural materials, which can be shale and corundum rocks. Their use is impossible without wetting, which improves contact and reduces the likelihood of damage to the blade.

Grindstones vary in grit. It is indicated by a number that starts from 200 and ends at 12 thousand or more. The higher the grit, the more accurate the sharpening will be. In professional sharpening, several stones with different grain sizes are often used. Sharpening starts with a rough grid and ends with an argument at the minimum grit. In this case, the blade can shine like a mirror.

Musat

Those who take the musat in their hands for the first time do not immediately understand what kind of device it is. It looks like a round file with small notches on working surface. This tool makes it easy to sharpen a knife. But for this it is important to know some secrets. The blade that needs to be sharpened rests on the table. In this case, the knife must be firmly held by the handle. Musat movements should be arcuate. Their orientation should be from the handle to the tip. In this case, it is necessary to observe the angle of 25 degrees. Each side of the blade is processed separately, which requires some skill.

Note! Musat is used to sharpen a knife. If the product is already too dull, then you must first apply a different sharpening method.

Bar

Often whetstones for sharpening are called boats. They are used not only to correct the cutting part kitchen knives, but braids and other items. Such bars are sold with different grain sizes, but for home use it doesn't matter much. There is a certain algorithm that should be used when servicing the working cutting part. For a professional approach, you still need several bars with different grain sizes. They need to be prepared in advance. A special oil is supplied with high-quality sharpeners, which must be applied before starting the process.

It is desirable that the bar that will be used for sharpening is fixedly fixed on the table, then there will be no problems with compliance walkthrough how to sharpen a knife. The sharpening angle that is best suited for a particular product is selected. During sharpening, it is necessary to hold the knife at an angle that will be equal to half the selected angle. For ease of holding the angle, there are special devices. During the process, do not put too much pressure on the blade, as this will not speed up the process, but may have the opposite effect. Hand movements should be smooth with the same pressure on each step.

It is necessary to move the product away from you, while the sharp side must be kept not in the direction of the body. Hold the knife must be perpendicular to the bar. In this case, when it comes to the rounded part, the device must be slightly shifted, as can be seen in the illustration above. It is important that the surface of the blade constantly remains on the stone and does not break off from it. This can lead to the fact that sharpening will have to start over. To achieve this will right choice stone length. She must be larger blades, better if twice. The process must be carried out until a slight inversion of the edge is noticeable on reverse side. This twist should be uniform over the entire surface. When the goal has been reached, you can turn the knife over and continue processing it on the other side.

When both sides of the blade are finished, it is necessary to replace the stone and repeat the procedure. But in this case, you should only move the blade away from yourself. This should be done until the last bar with the finest abrasiveness is used. The end result can be seen in mirror surface blades. It is worth remembering that with each change of stone, the angle should be observed, and the pressure should be reduced. This will extend the life of the stone. Additionally, the blade can be polished using pastes and special compounds.

Machine

Sharpening on a special electrical appliance that is used in everyday life is not particularly difficult. In this case, the stones are located at the required angle and it is enough just to pass the knife through a special slot. Work with professional machine requires special skill. This is due to the fact that it is required to maintain not only the angle of the blade, but also the pressure. It must be the same. It is also important to feel the level of heating of the blade. It should be the same around the entire perimeter of the product. If the knife is overexposed, this will lead to damage to the structure. Professional models are equipped with stones with different grain sizes, which require wetting with water or oil. Assembling a machine for sharpening knives with your own hands is not so difficult. The process is described in the video below.

Choice of sharpening angle

For high-quality sharpening, it is necessary to choose the right angle, which is determined by several factors. It is influenced by the material from which the knife is made, as well as where the product will be used in the future. If it is necessary to achieve the sharpness of a scalpel or straight razor blade, then a slope of 10 degrees must be chosen. When it comes to regular knife, which is used in the kitchen, then it is worth choosing a slope of 20 degrees for it. This angle is universal. Meat and fish require a fairly sharp tool, so a 15-degree angle is ideal for it. Hunting knives require sharpening with a slope of 25 degrees.

To get the required angle, you can perform a simple operation. If a square sheet is bent in half, then the diagonal line will be at an angle of 45 degrees. With subsequent bending, the angle of the line will be halved.

Sharpening a ceramic blade

A ceramic blade also requires a knife sharpener. This is contrary to what someone claims they are never dumb. Not so long ago, such devices became widely available and fell in love with housewives. The service life of such a product is at least one year, after which it requires service. The blade maintenance process follows the example described above for the manual method. But it should be understood that for ceramic product less pressure is required, as well as a larger grain size of the stones. If there is a desire to learn, then it is better to use an old knife, because one wrong move will render it unusable.

Summary

As you can see, the process of maintaining the blade is quite complex and requires some skill. But everything can be learned if you follow the steps described. You can start with unnecessary blades that have been in the pantry for a long time. Let them become a training base. While working with grinding machine it is important to use various protective equipment and never be in the plane of rotation of the disk, as serious injury can result if it fails.

No matter how expensive, branded and of high quality any knife would be, sooner or later it will still lose the sharpness of the blade. As a rule, this process is quite lengthy and directly depends on how often the tool is used and how hard products and objects are cut with it, what grades of steel the blade is made of and how thin the cutting edge is, etc.

A dull knife not only makes it difficult and slows down the process of work, tires the hand, of course, it is much more dangerous to cut with it, because it can slip and injure your fingers or palm. Sharpening a knife correctly is not so easy, therefore knife sharpeners represented by the widest range. How to use them, how to achieve the desired effect of sharpness and how not to completely ruin the blade - we will try to understand this in more detail.

Grinding bars: types, features of care

Particularly common and popular knife sharpener in the form of grinding bars, with which it is convenient to sharpen the blade by hand. The undoubted advantages of using bars are that, firstly, they are light, convenient and do not require electromechanical equipment, and secondly, when using them, the knife edge does not overheat, and the blades do not deform.

Devices for sharpening knives with your own hands in the form of bars are:

  • ceramic;
  • natural;
  • diamond;
  • Japanese water stones

All of them are issued different sizes and shapes and consist of a soft base - a matrix, on which abrasive grains-crystals are placed in a special order. They have a hard structure that is much stronger than machined steel. The matrix gradually becomes dull during sharpening, and the spent deformed strong particles crumble, being replaced by new ones located throughout the entire thickness of the bar.

In order to use such do-it-yourself knife sharpener and achieve the desired result, you need to take into account the fact that working with bars requires simple skills. Therefore, the use of an expensive bar will not be effective in the hands of an inexperienced beginner. You need to start working with small knives and non-massive bars, preferably in the form of a convenient “boat” shape. For convenient work, it is better to choose this device, the length of which is equal to or greater than the length of the blade.

Ceramic bars are made using abrasive particles of electrocorundum and silicon carbide. Their advantage is their low cost. When sharpening, particles of the steel of the blade get into the bars, which subsequently clog the abrasive material. The bars should be cleaned regularly with powdered cleaners or liquid soap mixed with sand. Sharpening knives with bars should be done using substances that lubricate the surface of the device - water or soapy water.

Japanese water stones are very high quality and quickly sharpen any metal, but their cost is quite high. They are made from solid oxides and carbides evenly distributed in silicate. This knife sharpener it is unique in that it grinds faster, but sharpening is carried out many times more efficiently.

In order to learn how to work with this material correctly, it is best to first view do-it-yourself knife sharpener video. Work without preparation with data sharpening device it should not be, because it is extremely easy to spoil both the material and the knife with inept handling. For such stones, the process of their storage is specific, which consists in the constant content of this knife sharpening tool in clean, disinfected, regularly changed water.

The hardest and most durable for sharpening a knife is a diamond bar, which is a metal or plastic base with the finest diamond coating applied, which practically does not grind off. Of course, a diamond bar is a rather expensive device, but it will last a very long time. Don't worry as a given manual tool for sharpening knives after its first use, the ideal characteristics of imparting excellent sharpness to the device will acquire some time after it has been lapped. The bar is cleaned under running water.

Natural bars are made from quartz, garnet, chalcedony and sedimentary rocks. The most common for sharpening a knife is Arkansas stone, which can be seen in the corresponding photos and videos. It comes in hard, medium and soft textures and is used respectively for regrinding and extra sharp sharpening, sharpening knives, quick grinding and profiling the cutting wedge. It is always necessary to work on such a stone with the use of mineral oil, and it should be cleaned hot water with brush and soap.

In addition, fine-grained abrasive paper with water-resistant characteristics can be used to sharpen the knife. Cut into strips from 4 to 8 cm wide, it is fixed on flat surface which is fixed on the table. During work, water is used for sharpening, and after work, the paper is washed.

Other Popular Sharpeners

The most popular tool for sharpening kitchen knives among professional chefs is the musat. It is a round long rod attached to the handle. It is convenient for Musat to edit a knife even for beginners, but when its blade is completely dull, then sharpening is mandatory.

Professional knife sharpeners represented by machines with abrasive and felt wheels, as well as grinding belts. An expensive tool is installed by manufacturers and service centers and only specialists work on it, because there is a high possibility of damaging the blade forever.

Mechanical sharpeners are effective for sharpening the edges of kitchen knives. They are inexpensive, easy to use and the result is achieved quickly, but at the same time, the quality of the work is not very high, which requires constant repetition of the process.

Electric sharpeners are special in that they automatically sharpen knives at the correct angle, regardless of the degree of wear and curvature of the cutting edge. Modern compact device for sharpening knives, the name of which has many options, provides not only sharpening, but also grinding, finishing and straightening the blade.

Types of homemade knife sharpening devices

Professional sharpeners are expensive, but if you wish, you can create homemade device for sharpening knives. A variety of photos and videos represent a lot homemade models, differing in purpose, complexity of design and cost of raw materials.

While creating homemade knife sharpener the fundamental criterion is the ability to set the sharpening angle, which should be 15-25 ° - for kitchen knives, 25-30 ° - for hunting and tourist knives; 25-40° - for massive universal knives.

The most simple homemade knife sharpener d represents the corners between which the bar is installed at the required angle and the entire structure is fastened with clamps.

Tools for sharpening knives can be copied from factory models of sharpeners. According to this principle, production of a tool for sharpening knives, in which abrasive bars are installed at the required angle in special holes. One of them sharpens the edge, and the other grinds it.

Great option homemade knife sharpeners is a segment sawn at a certain angle wooden beam on which the grindstone is attached.

A design that is particularly precise and durable is a device in which knife sharpening clamps which the wide side of the blade is inserted, and an angled bar is moved along the cutting edge. Can be used as a base material aluminum profile. Profile knife sharpener It has a small weight and low cost, and it can also be easily disassembled, which is very convenient for its transportation.

If you are going to “build” a suitable device on your own, it is better to preview a special video homemade sharpeners for knives it shows detailed step by step process manufacturing and formation of the installation, and detailed photos represent important knots and attachment points of its components.

How to sharpen a hunting knife

Each hunter treats sharpening a hunting knife with special trepidation, because everything in this tool must be perfect - shape, weight, steel grade, blade balance, etc. Therefore, the cutting edge of such a tool should be sharpened professionally using finely abrasive stones. They should not move along the blade, but at a slight angle to create micro-irritant sharpening. Device for sharpening hunting knives should be abrasive bars clamped at a set angle and it is best that they be diamond.

You should know that you should never joke hunting knife on an electric grinder. Safer and more reliable to use hand fixture for sharpening knives, which sharpens the blade longer, but is disproportionately better.

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The myth of supposedly self-sharpening knives was shattered very quickly…. About life. This is not surprising, the laws of physics, there are laws of physics, against them, so to speak, even marketers are powerless. If there are no sharpened knives in the house, if you remember the famous bard, there is nothing good. Today, the editors of the site will help solve the problem of blunt blades and tell you how and with what you can properly sharpen a knife at home. We will introduce our readers to different types tools for sharpening knives, talk about their effectiveness, and also teach you how to make a simple grinder at home.

Read in the article

Types of devices for sharpening knives

A sharpening stone for sharpening knives is probably the very first device of this type. Simple, and, most importantly, available tool successfully cope with its task for many millennia.


Until now, the classification of machine tools depends on this once uncontested sharpener. By type of abrasive material can be:

  • bars;
  • grinding stones.

Drive type:

  • manual;
  • electric.

By place of use:

  • domestic;
  • professional.

However, in the modern world, only a simple hunting knife can be sharpened with a whetstone. In other cases, the quality will be much to be desired. In addition, only soft metals are sharpened with a stone, if the cutting part of the blade has a hardness above 55 HRC, you cannot sharpen it with improvised means.

Important! Each type of blade has its own edge angle. And during sharpening, it must be held along the entire length of the workpiece surface.

Some types of modern whetstones are still in use today. An example of this natural stones- Japanese water stone (we showed it in the photo above) or American "Arkansas". Master grinders even conduct special master classes on sharpening knives using natural stone. Interestingly, before the processing process, it is soaked in water, sometimes with soapy water and dry after work. The whole process resembles a sacrament for the initiates. Therefore, it should not be surprising that these rocks are too expensive, and most grinding devices use artificial abrasive surfaces.

Blades for sharpening knives

These are artificially machined abrasive coated bars that are suitable for manual sharpening both carpentry and metalwork tools, and for kitchen knives.

Bars, depending on the material from which they are made, can be of varying degrees of wear resistance and grain size. Consider the main types of materials that are used in the manufacture of whetstones:

  1. natural stones, such as novaculite or Japanese water stone. Working with such a tool is not very easy. They require certain skills and craftsmanship.
  2. Diamond(with diamond coating) - can be of different shapes and grain sizes. Wear resistant. Democratic price.
  3. Ceramic. Relate to more modern look sharpening bars. Combine the strength of a diamond coating with the hardness of natural stone.
  4. artificial: electrocorundum or carbide. Fast grinding abrasive, low quality and the same price.

Artificial abrasives are created by mixing diamond powders of different fractions, as well as electrocorundum and carbide.

Important! Of great importance in this case is the material used to glue the rock, as well as the percentage of all elements. The stronger and better composition(this also applies to the particles themselves), the more resistant the grinding abrasive will be.


Moreover, there are two types of a bunch of elements - a galvanic bunch and a soft one. In the first case, the crystals are glued strictly on the surface of their base, made of nickel alloy. In fact, the crystals are located in a very thin layer on the bar. A soft bond is a chaotic arrangement of bonding and abrasive elements. The second type is less durable.

Sharpening stones for knives

If we talk in more detail about grindstones, we need to talk about the main varieties used in such tools, this will help to understand the process in detail and understand how to sharpen a knife correctly. But before talking about them, it is impossible not to mention the stages of sharpening, which in this context will play decisive role in description different materials and machine tools.

Stage Description Illustration
sharpeningRestoration of a blunt edge without adjusting the sharpening angle.
fine-tuningEdge grinding with fine grit abrasives.
EditPolishing bevels and cutting edges with a ceramic pencil, GOI paste or on a leather belt.
Regrinding (deep sharpening)Full restoration of the desired sharpening angle, blade profile geometry and elimination of chips on the edge. Most often, such work is carried out on special machines.

Let's move on to the description of the main options for grindstones.

Japanese Waterstone

They are used equally effectively at all stages of sharpening. There are artificial analogues (ceramic-based), but professionals use the original, natural materials. Stones require special care, after all the most important rule masters - perfect Smooth surface grindstone.

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"To check the degree of evenness of the stone, use simple method. Wet the timber and place it on the paper sheet on a flat surface. The print will allow you to assess the degree of evenness of the stone.

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Novaculites, or "Arkansas", "Turkish", "Belgian" stones, are natural shales and chalcedony interspersed with the smallest particles of garnet and quartz. Today they are used as natural stones and their artificial substitutes.

Important! Stones work only in combination with special oil lubrication. The extraordinary and unique structure of the stones allows them to be used on different stages processing.

Musat for sharpening knives

Musat is a kind of file, most often installed vertically. The peculiarity of this tool is that its surface is magnetized, which means that metal flour will not fall on you.


Musats come in different shapes: round, faceted, flat with beveled edges

Each variation has its own merits. So, for example, round musat weighs a little, but oval sharpens better, since its edges provide more complete contact with the surface to be treated. Tetrahedral - more versatile, here you can better refine the required sharpening angle.

Household manual knife sharpeners

You can talk for hours about the options and varieties of manual machines used in everyday life. These are the usual home mini-sharpeners, known to almost everyone, and more specific devices with a polishing wheel.


The easiest way to work with mini-sharpeners that control the course of the tool. In this case, the degree of sharpening depends on the effort that the person makes.

Household electric knife sharpeners

Electric grinders are more convenient. Working with them saves time. Most often, such drive machines have various modes of operation, which are controlled by switches.


Usually such machines are compact, safe, simple and reliable, since all grinding wheels hidden inside the case. In this case, the sharpening angle is regulated by a special spring, which completely eliminates errors in sharpening.

Professional manual knife sharpeners

Professional hand tool a bit like a carpenter's vise. The subject of sharpening, in fact, the knife, is clamped with special clamps.


Myself grinder set to a stop. Here it is very important to properly fix the machine and avoid slipping of the device during sharpening.

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"If you do not have the skills to work on this tool, it is better to use automatic sharpeners. In addition, such a machine cannot be assembled without certain knowledge.

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Professional electric knife sharpeners

Professional machines are distinguished by their versatility. Usually this is a device with a massive abrasive disc. Such tools allow you to sharpen not only knives, but also metalwork tool, for example, planers and chisels.


The combination of low speed and continuous cooling results in high-quality workpiece processing already at the stage of incisal formation. And at the final stages of work they provide the blade razor sharpness. The professional tool provides a large number of nozzles and interchangeable disks. Moreover, the clamp where the blade is fixed can move freely along the caliper in the horizontal direction. Moreover, the angle of sharpening can be adjusted.

How to sharpen a knife

For high-quality sharpening of the machine, experience and certain knowledge are needed. Let's start with the basics.

Optimal sharpening angles and sharpness for kitchen knives

It's no secret that there are a lot of knives for different materials. A good housewife has her own knife for vegetables and meat. Consider right angles sharpening of various tools.

Tool type Sharpening angle
Razor and medical scalpel10-50°
Professional for chefs20-25°
Universal25-30°
For difficult jobs25-30°
Cutlery kitchen utensils55-60°
For fillets15-20°
Home universal30-35°
Boning and cutting25-30°
Professional for fish25°
Professional for vegetables35°
Hunting and "Swiss" (sharp)30-35°
Hunting and "Swiss", resistant to blunting40-45°

For your information! Blades with a sharpening angle of 50 ° are considered the sharpest knives, such versions with certain brand steel can cut nails. When sharpening knives, you can vary the angle at your discretion within the named range.

In general, the sharpness of the blade depends on the shape of the blade. And it, in turn, must correlate with certain clear correspondences between the blade and the blade.


How to sharpen a knife at home with a bar

The process is simple, but quite painstaking. Without sharpening experience, trying this process is pointless. Typically, craftsmen use two whetstones with different abrasive densities - with coarse grain and fine.

IN household there are always cutting, sawing and planing tools. In the course of work, the sharpness is lost, and the blades have to be restored. You can give knives - planes to the workshop, but money is spent on this, and extra time is wasted. Therefore, home craftsmen prefer to sharpen the tool.

Important! Only blades with a certain degree of hardening can be sharpened. If the cutting part has a hardness higher than 55 HRC, it cannot be sharpened with improvised tools.

You can buy a tool for sharpening knives or other household utensils in the store. Save time, but spend a lot of money - good sharpening are expensive.

By the way, there are different opinions about the name of the device for sharpening knives. Emery, touchstone, whetstone, whetstone, musat ...

These definitions may refer to the same subject, or miscellaneous products? About this, and how to make such a device yourself, we will tell in the article.

Since the advent of cutting objects (weapons, knives, axes), people have been looking for a way to restore the sharpness of the edge. In the Bronze and Copper Ages, it was easy.

Almost every person in life is faced with the question of sharpening knives. After all, any knife, regardless of its quality, sooner or later becomes dull. Therefore, the blade must be carefully looked after.

In stores today you can choose any sharpener among a huge variety.

What are sharpening stones?

In general, there are several main types of such devices. Namely:

Oil, on the surface of which there is oil, especially to save material.

Water, similar to the previous one, but water is used here.

Natural, industrially processed.

Artificial, made from non-natural materials.

Rubber, extremely rare. Completely inconvenient to use.

Nuances in the issue of sharpening

There are moments in sharpening every knife.

For example, Japanese independent type sharpening required special attention a rather experienced specialist, since the Japanese look of steel is rather fragile. To sharpen them, manufacturers give a recommendation to use different water stones, endowed with a variety of grain sizes.

Mistresses use sharpeners bought in the store for sharpening. When using several knives, their sharpness lasts longer.

But this is very important, even though it takes a lot of time and effort.

How to sharpen knives properly?

For this, special conditions must be created. Thanks to them, the knife will remain sharp for a very long time.

Therefore, it is important to choose the right angle at which you will sharpen your knives. According to the basic rule in this matter, the smaller the angle at which the knife is sharpened, the stronger the cutting edge will be.

It is important not to forget that the next sharpening depends on the maximum sharpness. The sharper the knife, the faster it will need to be sharpened. At the same time, it will be much more difficult to make it “workable” again.

Why sharpen knives?

The purpose of sharpening is to restore the sharpness of the blade. To do this, take care of the correct sharpening angle. That is, it is necessary to restore the previously set angle that meets the standards from a technological point of view.

To check how well the sharpening is done, cut the material that is cut with the blade of this particular knife. If the material is cut elementarily, you will do everything absolutely right.

Possible problems during the sharpening process

In order to choose the right desired angle, it is important to have a certain experience, without which it is quite difficult to cope in this matter. And even more so if there is no special equipment for this.

After all, if you hold the knife with your hands during the sharpening process, it is quite difficult to achieve its ideal “sharpness” as a result.

How do you sharpen knives at home?

Sometimes it happens that the knife needs to be sharpened quickly. A block of wood, a hacksaw, sandpaper, a ceramic plate, a chisel, etc. can come in handy here.

And there are even those who can sharpen on the foundation of cement with sand. But, this method is not recommended at all. After all, there are many other and more proven ones!

The best among all - to make makeshift fixture. It is not only convenient, but also indistinguishable from the factory.

How to sharpen a planer knife

An experienced professional master who has not only knowledge, but also skills in this matter can handle knives of such a plan. The process is quite complicated actually.

At the same time, in a simple store, equipment for sharpening such a knife is quite difficult to find. You should know what will help here modern instrument, in which you can set low speed with water cooling.

It is necessary to apply a new stone on which a flat surface. The best will be exactly the water type of stone.

In addition, without having certain experience and skills in sharpening planing knives, you can also contact the service station, where you probably have equipment such as a sharpener.