Bench grinder for sharpening: how easy?

[Red Boar]

Nice demonstration video...I am intrigued.    

[cedar swampman]

The sharpener that I was referring to above is called the "Ultimate Power Sharpener  in the Chipping away catalog(1-888-682-9801) or  www.chippingaway.com

[outbackbowhunter]

Sharpster,
          Have you ever considered adapting your knife sharpener to a powered honing set up.

Advantage of maintaining a perfect angle and keeping fingers away from the sharp bitey bits.

[Sharpster]

Hey Woody,

We might do some kind of power sharpening system in the future but, the knife sharpener with an x-fine stone will get knives and broadheads every bit as sharp as the paper wheels with far less liability insurance needed.

I'd still like to see a couple of your new heads.... hint, hint.

Ron

[todd smith]

Hey Guys,

Here's the new ABS sharpening video.  I had to fix something in the first one and then deleted it...

 

todd smith

[EasyEd]

Ron,
   Sounds like you are trying to scare people when you mention liability insurance.  However, you bring up a good point to Woody but I believe your reasoning is misdirected.  The power table saw has undoubtedly cut off more fingers than the cross cut hand saw.  So would you let an unsupervised 6 year old use a power table saw?  Improper firearm safety practices can result in injuries and death. Would you give an unsupervised 6 year old a firearm?  Of course you wouldn’t because you are responsible.  Table saws don’t cut off fingers and guns don’t kill people.  The GrizzlyStik Razor Sharp System is a power tool that sharpens to an incredible razor edge but the user must know how to use it safely.  That’s why our System comes with a complete instruction booklet as well as a video demonstration available on our web site.

[Sharpster]

Ed,

Sorry, I wasn't trying to scare anyone. I was talking about liability insurance for any power sharpening system as compared to a manual system. I said in my first post, the paper wheels work great... and they do... no doubt about it. Just that sharp edges and high RPMs can be a potentially dangerous combination.

The referance to woodworking tools was simply to point out that using the wheels also has potential for injury and if someone isn't comfortable with the set up, be it a table saw, router, the paper wheels, or whatever, then it's best to error on the safe side.

I've been using these wheels for years and even I've  had a couple broadheads yanked out of my hand and go flying. Again, I'm not suggesting that people shouldn't use them, just that we have to be very careful when using them, that's all.

Ron

[outbackbowhunter]

Ed and Ron,
           My apology, I was not intending to start a discussion on the merits of different sharpening systems.

I have Ron's KME sharpeners ( which are very good) and also I'm very interested in Ed's power sharpening system.

My interest is in sharpening lots of broadheads quick and easy.

I was thinking that a marriage of both your sharpening systems would be very interesting to me.

I think I will be calling in an order for a power sharpener.

[cedar swampman]

The one    that is made by Chipping away is rotating away from you and is a belt and is very safe and maintaining control is not a problem. The unit occupies very little space and is highly transportable. I will post pictures.

[cedar swampman]

Ultimate Power Sharpener-
 
 

[JC]

Originally posted by Sharpster:
I've been using these wheels for years and even I've  had a couple broadheads yanked out of my hand and go flying. Again, I'm not suggesting that people shouldn't use them, just that we have to be very careful when using them, that's all.

Yup     .

The flexible band type sharpeners are superior to all the other methods in my opinion. I would think the majority of the knife makers out there use that type of system. However, they are a lot more expensive than the $20 harbor freight grinder and a $30 Razor Sharp Systems paper wheel which works remarkably well on any 2 blade head.

That said, I've had lots of broadheads that would peel paper, mirror edge, cut your eyeballs, face shave sharp etc. and they didn't kill any better than a properly file/stone sharpened head. The majority of my 2 blade heads are done on the paper wheel but all my 3 blades are file & stone; I usually have couple of each in my quiver...both work equally well.

And as far as Silver flames, I'm not sure what he's using to hone his heads but I'll bet he's using a jig to get a perfect final angle. Even with all my experience with a paper wheel, I've never seen a broadhead edge come out as perfect as his do. Does anyone know his exact method?  I'd like to spend a day looking over his shoulder.

[Sharpster]

JC,

I've heard from several sources that Markus uses an elephant hide leather strop system of some type. I would guess that the details of the system are proprietary though I'm not certain. Thanks,

Ron

[Pat B.]

JC, when you say flexible band type sharpeners, could you be a little more specific.  Not being a knife maker, I'm not sure what you're refering too..  I sure like to use the best equipment I can get my hands on !!
                    Thanks,
                            pb

[JC]

Pat, I'm not sure of the specific brand but both Doug Campbell and Tippit use one as a multifunction grinder/sharpener...and they make some incredible knives. The one Cedar Swampman posted at the bottom of page 2 is a smaller version of theirs. With a unit like that you can do a 3 blade (on the vertical portion of the belt), flat grind a 2 blade (again on the vertical), and even get a hollow grind (on the top of the wheel). There's a local guy, who although isn't the caliber of knife maker as Doug or Tippit, uses one of these types of units and he has some of the sharpest pieces of steel I've ever held. He's built an adjustable jig that keeps the blade at a specific angle and using the belt type system just gets an unbelievable edge.

One negative I've found about all the mirror edges, using whatever method you choose to obtain them, is their durability. My personal experience is that an edge just slightly courser than a mirror finish is maybe 90% just as sharp but far more durable. This is especially true of knife blades where they will be used more than one cut like a broadhead.

[joevan125]

ttt

[Jeff Strubberg]

That's a 1x20" belt sander.  You can buy them pretty reasonably.  Not sure what a quality belt that would work for sharpening would set you back, though.  I imagine you would want somethign 1200+ grit for that.

[JC]

Not sure about the one in the pic, but the one I've seen at tippit's is definitely not like the belt sander that I have in my shop. The belt sander doesn't have enough give in the belt because of the backing plate behind the belt. It also doesn't rotate on it's axis to easily get to the open wheel for hollow grinding (mine also is encased in a safety shield).

Tippit did say that he liked the belts that were worn out from grinding did the best job polishing. I'd ask him directly for more accurate info as I never used one myself only cut myself...I mean, felt the edge from them.

[cedar swampman]

One thing I like about the Ultimate Sharpener and I don't know if the others operate like this but it rotates away from the user so there is no chance of catching the blade and having an accident.

[Red Boar]

Originally posted by cedar swampman:
Ultimate Power Sharpener-  
   
     

I visited their site and watched the demonstration videos...impressive!   Anyone want to buy me one for an upcoming birthday?    :p