Almost everyone home handyman in stock cutting tools. Over time, the cutting edges lose their former sharpness, and working with such a product becomes unbearable. There are two options for solving this problem: have the tool sharpened and pay a lot of money, or assemble a knife sharpening device yourself and sharpen the products yourself.

Causes of blade dulling

The dulling of the blade can be explained as follows. During cutting, the blade is exposed to tiny abrasive particles, be it fruits or vegetables. The cutting edge of the blade gradually wears off and the knife becomes dull. Another reason is to hold the blade when cutting at a certain angle.

Some areas of the blade are subject to increased stress and increased wear.

There are types of knives that are impossible to sharpen yourself due to the textured blades. Also, knives made from ceramics cannot be sharpened. But, as a rule, the quality of the steel in such products is high, and they rarely become dull. There are a variety of knives of low quality, and they have to be sharpened very often. As practice shows, if the steel is of poor quality, then sharpening will solve the problem for a while, and then the blade will become dull again.

To sharpen knives you will need abrasive wheels. If it is not possible to purchase ready-made circles, you can make them yourself using wooden blocks and sandpaper of different grain sizes.

The standard sharpening angle is 20 - 30 degrees. It is quite difficult to maintain the angle during sharpening, and therefore it is necessary to make a simple knife sharpener, in which it is not necessary to maintain the optimal angle. The basic rule in this process is maintaining a precisely specified constant angle. No force required here. The main thing is that the block and blade meet at a certain angle. This is the basic rule of the sharpening technique.

Basic mistakes

As it may seem at first glance, sharpening is simple, but if you delve into the process itself, you will notice quite a large number of various nuances. Most people make simple mistakes when sharpening knives, which leads to uneven sharpening or damage to the knife. Common Mistakes when sharpening:

• The cutting edge was not sharpened. As a result, small burrs form on the sides, which temporarily give sharpness to the blade, and after working with the knife for a short time, the blade again becomes dull. To prevent this problem, you should carefully sharpen both edges, and then, as you sharpen, use sandpaper or a wheel of different grits.
• Presence of paint, oil, dirt on the tip. The bottom line is that during turning, fat, dirt, oil and other components mix with grinding abrasives and lead to scratches and microchips of the blade. After such sharpening, the blade quickly becomes dull.
• Pressure plays an important role. You need to remember one simple rule: sharpness does not depend on the force used, but on the duration of sharpening. Excessively strong pressure leads to chipping of microparticles from the blade and poor sharpening.
• Incorrect angle selection. The angle may vary depending on the grade of steel and the purpose of the tool. For home kitchen knives it is 20 - 25 degrees. For other types of blades that will have to withstand heavy loads and work with hard materials, the angle will be 40 degrees.

By following simple but at the same time appropriate rules for sharpening, you can not only save time, but also not damage the product.​

Sharpener "Domik"

A good tool for sharpening knives. Despite simple design, the sharpener does its job well. This design consists of a rectangular block, the upper edge of which is made in the form gable roof. The angle of inclination of one face is 20 - 25 degrees, which is optimal. The product must be installed with a blade close to one of the roof ridges, then take an abrasive wheel or a block with emery and move along horizontal line. This ensures a constant angle of inclination, which leads to uniform sharpening of the blade.

There are also complex designs homemade grinding machine. For manufacturing you will need the following materials:

• A piece of board measuring 500x150x20 mm.
• A metal pin with a thread that will serve as a guide for the bar.
• M8 bolts and nuts and wood screws.
• Clamping nuts or wing nuts.
• Ordinary PCB or plexiglass, which will serve as a substrate for the knife and a kind of movable frame.
• To attach the knife, use a neodymium magnet. The usual one will not work, since its downforce is quite low.

The board must be cleaned, processed, and then made into a rectangle. Another board should be made rectangular in shape, which will serve as a stand or support. Its height should be such that the slope of the main board is 20 degrees. You can fasten them together with wood screws. Then attach the resulting structure to the workbench or cut out a tabletop in advance, to which one of the studs will be attached. After securely attaching the pin to the tabletop, you need to take a 200x100 block and make two holes in it: one for the main pin, on which the movable carriage with the sharpener will be attached, and the other for the pin, which is attached to the tabletop.

Now you can begin assembling the carriage with the sharpener holder. For the pin that will hold the carriage, you need to make two clamps from wood, plexiglass or metal. Drill holes in the clamps, put them on the stud and secure them on both sides with nuts. The carriage will rotate freely along its axis.

The next step is to install a neodymium magnet on a previously prepared plate. It is necessary to make a longitudinal groove in it so that the tripod can be moved up and down. Drill a hole in the middle of the frame and insert a bolt with a nut, which, in turn, will press the plate. You can simply glue a neodymium magnet to the end of the plate to hold the knife.

The homemade device is ready for use. It can be used to sharpen chisels and planes.

It should be noted that sharpening is carried out without water, so the abrasive paper or wheel will wear out greatly, but this option is quite suitable for sharpening knives and tools at home.

Homemade knife

If the farm has sharpening machine, it will make the process easier, but there is one circumstance. When sharpening on a machine, it is almost impossible to apply even pressure on the knife. Therefore, it is possible to make a device for sharpening knives, which will serve as a guide for the blade and ensure uniform pressure. The result is a simple but effective electric sharpener. To make it you will need the following components:

• Beam.
• Four bolts or four studs with M8 thread.
• Four lambs.
• Self-tapping screws for wood.

Opposite the electric sharpener, a guide is attached along which the slider will move. The guide itself can be attached to the workbench or a pre-made frame can be made. It must be mobile. To do this, you can cut a longitudinal groove in the frame and secure the tripod with two studs. Then take two bars, drill holes on the sides, insert studs and tighten them with screws on both sides. The next step will be the mount on which the cutting product will rest. This can be done using small pieces of timber, which should be attached to the sides of the moving carriage.

After this you can start sharpening. Set the movable carriage to the desired height and squeeze with lamb. Move the tripod itself to the required distance, securely fasten it and sharpen the product by moving the knife along the side guides.

Sharpener LM

If in the future you plan to do professional sharpening of tools in large quantities, then you can make a sharpener called: Lansky-Metabo. Fixture drawings for sharpening knives with your own hands look like this:

If the product is clamped in the clamps with the root part, the sharpening angle will be greatest. A knife with this angle can be used as a “cleaver” and for processing hard wood. You can also easily sharpen knives using a jointer. Knife clamps can be made from angle iron or wood. The disadvantage of this design is the complexity of assembly and the large number of parts.

If it is not possible to collect complex instrument to sharpen knives, you can make do with improvised means and make manual knife sharpeners. A simple sharpener can be made from a corner frame in which a whetstone is mounted.

If you add a sliding carriage to the sharpener, you won’t have to hold the knife at a certain angle, which, in turn, will have a good effect on sharpening the blade. To make a movable carriage you will need a triangular block and a magnet. It is best to use a neodymium magnet, which allows you to attract the knife and fix it securely. If such a magnet is not available, then you can take components from the HDD (hard drive).

Before you give a knife or other product for sharpening, you should familiarize yourself with the material, which will help not only in making a sharpener with your own hands, but also save a certain amount. The main aspect is to gain additional experience, which will be useful in the future.

The introduction of the Edge Pro sharpening machines was, without exaggeration, a revolution. The prices are really high, but no one is stopping you from copying the principle and creating a similar device yourself. We offer the design of a simple machine for sharpening knives, chisels and any other blades, which you can make with your own hands.

Machine base

Most parts for a sharpening machine can be made from literally anything, following general principle devices. As an example, let's take laminated or polished box plywood 8-12 mm thick, which was widely used in the manufacture of Soviet radio equipment housings.

The base must be heavy - about 3.5-5 kg ​​- otherwise the machine will be unstable and unsuitable for sharpening heavy chopping tools. Therefore, the inclusion of steel elements in the design is welcome, for example, the base of the case can be “forged” with a 20x20 mm angle.

From plywood you need to cut out two parts in the shape of a rectangular trapezoid with a jigsaw with bases of 170 and 60 mm and a height of 230 mm. When cutting, leave an allowance of 0.5-0.7 mm for processing the ends: they must be straight and exactly match the markings.

Third detail - inclined plane made of plywood boards measuring 230x150 mm. It is installed between the inclined sides of the side walls, while the trapezium of the side walls rests on the rectangular side.

In other words, the base of the machine is a kind of wedge, but the inclined plane should protrude 40 mm from the front. At the ends of the side walls, use a surface planer to mark two lines with an indent of half the thickness of the plywood. Drill three holes in each board to fasten the parts with screws. Transfer the drill bit to the ends of the inclined part and temporarily connect the base parts.

At the rear, the side walls are connected by a 60x60 mm block, which is secured to the end with two screws on each side. You need to make a 10 mm vertical hole in the block with an indentation of 50 mm from the center, that is, 25 mm from the edge. To be sure of verticality, it is better to first drill with a thin drill on both sides and then expand. Screw two fittings with M10 internal thread into the hole from the top and bottom, and in them - a 10 mm pin with a length of 250 mm. Here you may need to slightly adjust the bottom fitting if its threads do not line up with the stud.

Tool support device

Remove the flat inclined part from the base - it needs to be modified by equipping it with a device for fixing and pressing the tool being processed.

First, set aside 40 mm from the front edge and along this line, use a matching hacksaw to file a groove about 2 mm deep. Using a sectioning knife or a shoemaker's knife, chop off the two top layers of veneer from the end of the board to form a recess into which you can insert a 2 mm steel plate flush with the common plane.

The handrail consists of two steel strips 170x60 mm and 150x40 mm. They need to be folded together along the long end with uniform indentations along the edges and three 6 mm through holes must be made. The strips along these holes need to be tightened with bolts, placing the caps on the side of the upper, larger plate. Arc welding bake each cap, welding it to the plate, then remove the beads of metal and grind the plate until a perfectly flat plane is obtained.

Attach the narrower striker plate to the notch on the edge and transfer the holes with a drill, then secure the rest with bolts. It can also be magnetized before installation DC, this will help in sharpening small blades.

Locking mechanism

The second part of the tool rest is the clamping bar. It is also made of two parts:

1. The upper L-shaped bar is 150x180 mm with a shelf width of about 45-50 mm.
2. The lower strike plate is rectangular 50x100 mm.

The parts need to be folded in the same way as the parts of the tool rest were folded, placing the counter plate at the far edge of the upper clamping area. We make two holes in the center with a distance of 25 mm from the edges of the small part, and through them we tighten the parts with two 8 mm bolts. They need to be wound in opposite directions, with the head of the upper (near) bolt located on the side of the clamping bar. The bolt heads are also welded to the plates and pre-ground to obtain neat roundings.

On an inclined board with an indentation of 40 mm from the edge, draw a line with a thickness planer and make one 8 mm hole 25 mm from the top and bottom edges. Connect the edges of the holes with markings and use a jigsaw to make a cut with an allowance. Finish the resulting groove with a file to a width of 8.2-8.5 mm.

Fasten the clamping and strike strips through the groove in the board. Tighten the bolt protruding from above with a nut so that the bar maintains minimal movement, then secure the connection with a second nut. To press or release the strip from below (in the niche of the base), screw a wing nut onto the second bolt.

Adjusting the sharpening angle

Throw a wide washer onto the pin screwed into the base bar and tighten the nut so that the rod does not rotate in the fittings.

The adjusting block must be made from a small block hard material dimensions approximately 20x40x80 mm. Take carbolite, textolite or hardwood.

15 mm from the edge of the block, we drill a 20 mm end on both sides, the hole expands to 9 mm, then we cut a thread inside. A second hole is drilled at a distance of 50 mm from the axis of the hole made, but in the flat part of the part, that is, perpendicular to the previous one. This hole should have a diameter of about 14 mm, in addition, it needs to be flared strongly with a round rasp.

The block is screwed onto a pin, so it is possible to relatively accurately adjust the height of the eye without complex system screw clamps as in the original machine, which in practice is a little more difficult to implement. In order for the block to remain stationary during operation, it must be secured on both sides with M10 wing nuts.

Carriage and replacement bars

For the sharpening carriage, you will need to coaxially weld 30 cm sections of an M10 pin and a smooth, even rod 10 mm thick. You also need two solid blocks measuring approximately 50x80 mm and up to 20 mm thick. A 10 mm hole should be made in each bar in the center and at a distance of 20 mm from the top edge.

First, a wing nut is screwed onto the rod, then a wide washer and two bars, again a washer and a nut. You can clamp rectangular sharpening stones between the whetstones, but it is better to make several replacement sharpening stones.

As a basis for them, take a light aluminum profile with a flat part 40-50 mm wide. This could be a profile rectangular pipe or pieces of old cornice profile.

We sand and degrease the flat part, and “Moment” glue strips of sandpaper of different grain sizes from 400 to 1200 grit onto it. Choose a cloth-based sandpaper, and glue a strip of suede leather onto one of the bars for straightening the blades with abrasive paste.

How to sharpen correctly

For correct sharpening make several templates from plywood with angles of 14-20º for cutting edges and 30-37º for chopping edges, exact angle depends on the steel grade. Fix the blade parallel to the edge of the tool rest and press it with a bar. Using the template, adjust the angle between the planes of the sharpening block and the inclined board of the table.

Start sharpening with a large (P400) whetstone if the edge does not have correct angle. Make sure that the descent strip takes the form of a straight strip without bends or waves. Reduce the grit and go along both sides of the blade first with a P800 stone, and then with a P1000 or P1200 stone. When sharpening the blade, apply the whetstone with slight force in both directions.

After sharpening, the blade needs to be straightened with a “leather” whetstone, onto which a small amount of GOI paste has been applied. When editing blades, the working movement is directed only towards the edge (towards you), but not against it. And, finally, a little advice: if you sharpen knives with polished blades and engraving, glue them masking tape so that the crumbling abrasive does not leave scratches. It also wouldn’t hurt to cover the surface of the tool rest with vinyl self-adhesive.

Reading time ≈ 10 minutes

To maintain the cutting properties of a knife, it is necessary to sharpen them regularly, and a homemade knife sharpening device will help keep these tools in proper condition. A good, sharp knife makes cooking much faster, freeing up extra time for rest. In this material we will look at the manufacture special devices for fast and high-quality sharpening of knives.

When a knife is manufactured at the factory, it is given the necessary sharpness. However, with frequent use, it gradually loses its cutting properties. To make a knife sharp again, you need to sharpen it, but doing it correctly is not so easy. Improper sharpening will not give the desired result, and time and effort will be wasted.

Knife manufacturers, responding to the requests of their customers, provided a number of sharpening devices. But factory fittings may not suit knife owners for various reasons. For example, an inappropriate sharpening angle or the high cost of the device. In this case, it may be easier to make a sharpener yourself.

What you need for proper sharpening

The most important condition for obtaining a sharp knife is its sharpening angle. It would seem that the smaller this parameter, the sharper our tool will be. This is partly true, since a cutting edge that is too thin will wear out and become dull faster.

The sharpening angle depends on the functional use of the knife:

• Up to 15 degrees – razor and surgical instruments.
• Up to 20 degrees – devices for cutting vegetables, fillets or bread
• Up to 25 degrees – knives with multi-directional functionality.
• Up to 30 degrees – hunting and camping knives.
• Up to 40 degrees – cutting tools special purpose. For example, axes or machetes.

Bottom line! The whole process comes down to restoring the cutting ability of the tool, while maintaining the factory sharpening angle. Violation of the angle can lead to deterioration of the knife.

Sharpening devices

Sharpen a knife at a certain angle without having special devices It’s very difficult, and not every professional can do it. They can be purchased in specialized stores, or made with your own hands. Below we will look at several simple and affordable devices that can add sharpness to most household cutting tools.

A simple machine made from wooden blocks

This method is considered the easiest to manufacture and use. The sharpening material is securely fixed at the desired angle, and sharpening is carried out by holding the knife blade strictly vertically.

To make a simple knife sharpening device you will need:

• Four identical wooden blocks.
• Bolts and nuts for connecting the bars together.
• Sharpening bar.
• Protractor for determining the sharpening angle.
• A drill or other tool for drilling holes in pieces of wood.

The bars are connected in pairs, and through holes are drilled through them for fastening with bolts. Pairs of bars are installed perpendicular to each other at an angle of 90 degrees. A sharpening stone is installed between the parts of the structure at the required angle, measured with a protractor. The nuts on the bolts are tightened, tightly fixing the abrasive.

The advantage of this device is the relative cheapness of materials and ease of manufacture. Anyone can cope with it, even without relevant experience. The main disadvantages include the inability to smoothly adjust the desired angle.

Sharpening machine from mounting angles

This turning method is considered the most convenient, but creating such a device will require additional effort. It is based on the technology of the famous company Lansky Sharpeners. You can purchase an original machine in company stores, but its cost will be quite high. Below we will look at how to make a similar mechanism yourself.

To assemble the structure, you will need the following materials and tools:

• Two metal corners measuring 90x90 mm and 6 mm thick. They are the basis of the mechanism that holds the knife blade.
• A metal pin with a thread with a total length of at least 16 cm. It will be the basis for holding the sharpening stone.
• Two metal bars required to fix the abrasive.
• A thin long rod or knitting needle.
• Pliers. Will be needed for bending.
• Saw for working with metal.
• Tool for processing metal surfaces.
• Nuts and bolts for fastening and fixing.
• Drill and set of drills for metal.

Having purchased necessary materials in a specialized store, you can begin assembling the structure. Make without drawing correct design will be almost impossible, since all dimensions must be observed to obtain the correct sharpening angle. To do this, use the drawing below.

IN metal corners holes are drilled according to the drawing attached above. The edge of the corner that will hold the blade is thinned by grinding. This is necessary so that it does not become a hindrance when sharpening the knife. All drilling sites are processed to remove all possible traumatic areas.

In two metal bars, threads are cut to match the diameter of the connecting pin and grooves in which the abrasive will be attached. The diagram of the clamp presented below will help you assemble it quickly and without unnecessary difficulties.

A metal rod or knitting needle is bent on one side with pliers. The bent end is inserted into the hole of one of the bars. Its purpose is as a guide when turning to set the desired angle.

The principle of turning on this device:

The main advantages of this machine are its compactness, simplicity and efficiency of sharpening, and the ability to select and fix the angle. The device can be held in your hands, or installed using a holder in a vice. This allows you to take it with you on a hike and use it in the field.

Among the disadvantages, it is worth noting a limited set of angle parameters and the inability to set an arbitrary value.

This video describes in detail how to make a device for sharpening knives with your own hands using the Lansky system:

Blade locking machine

This method is a modified version of the previous method. The knife is fixed on the base of the machine, and its owner himself adjusts the turning angle. In this case, the compactness and mobility of the machine are lost. It can only be used at home.

To make such a device you will need:

• Sheet plywood or chipboard. You can use parts from old furniture.
• Threaded stud. It will act as a tripod.
• A block of hard wood.
• A metal plate for attaching and holding the knife blade to the base.
• Fastening Consumables- nuts, bolts.

Assembly of the structure begins with preparing the base. We make the base and legs from wood. They are cut so that after connecting them the base slope is 20 degrees. A threaded pin is installed in the lower part to form a tripod. For additional strength, all places can be treated with sealant or a special adhesive.

A metal plate is installed in the center of the base. First you need to drill a hole in it corresponding to the hole in the base of the machine. Through it, the plate will be pressed against the plate, and thus the knife blade is held.

It is recommended to purchase an aluminum plate, as it will not damage the blade if pressed hard. Also suitable for this purpose rubber gaskets, reducing negative impact metal on metal and increase the coefficient of friction, which prevents the blade from accidentally moving during a point.

The fastening mechanism for the emery stone is made from the remaining part of the pin and two wooden or metal blocks. Holes are drilled in the bars to suit the size of the stud and secured with nuts on both sides. The stone will be secured by tightening the nuts. This process can be simplified by improving the holder with a spring on the handle side.

To set the sharpening angle, you will need two wooden blocks fastened together with a hinge mechanism. In one part it is necessary to drill a vertical hole to the diameter of the stud. This part will fit onto a tripod, adjust the sharpening angle and at the same time act as a rotating mechanism along the horizontal axis.

In the second part, a horizontal hole of slightly larger diameter is drilled. The pin with the emery stone will move in this hole, so it is necessary to completely eliminate the possibility of getting stuck.

Sharpening order:

The main advantages of this method are the ability to set any sharpening angle and quick replacement of the abrasive element. Such homemade machine will help bring any blade to perfect condition.

Disadvantages include relative bulkiness and increased manufacturing complexity. Some parts may require special tools to make.

If you still have any questions about the installation and use of this device, then this video will help you fully understand the essence of the process:

Choice of abrasive element

The whetstone plays an important role in sharpening blades. Most often, a system is used to determine the coarseness of an abrasive. digital designation grains per unit of measurement.

Depending on the functional need, the following gradation is distinguished:

• Up to 250 – high roughness. Not used for sharpening knives and other cutting tools.
• Up to 350 – coarse abrasive. Used to correct physical defects or very dull blades.
• Up to 500 – medium abrasive. Used for fitting instruments. Has little demand and is rarely used.
• Up to 700 – fine abrasive. The most used type of sharpening tool in everyday use. Allows you to sharpen the blade to an acceptable sharpness.
• Up to 1000 – ultra-fine abrasive. Suitable for grinding surfaces and bringing already sharpened tools to perfect sharpness. Not effective for sharpening dull knives.

Thus, if you wish with maximum efficiency sharpen your cutting tools, you need to combine Various types abrasives. For example, particularly dull knives are brought to an acceptable condition with coarse stones, then sharpened with a fine abrasive. The process is completed by grinding with ultra-fine stones.

Emery also differs in its origin:

• Natural. These include Japanese water stone, which requires special skills and great patience to work with.
• Diamond. The most wear-resistant and varied in roughness. The most effective and relatively cheap.
• Ceramic. They are considered something in between stones of natural and diamond origin.
• Artificial. They are distinguished by their low cost, but with frequent use they quickly become unusable.

Sharpening a knife correctly by hand is quite difficult. It will take some time to develop the habit of maintaining a constant sharpening angle, which is not at all easy. A knife sharpening device can make the task easier. There are factory options. But for good copies you have to pay a couple of hundred dollars, and this is clearly a lot. Good news The fact is that these devices are easy to make with your own hands. Moreover, many homemade sharpeners for knives, no worse in functionality than those from famous manufacturers, but they cost many times less.

Knife sharpening basics

Knives have various applications and even in an ordinary kitchen there are several of them. There is one for slicing bread and other soft foods, and one for cutting meat, chopping bones, and other hard objects. And these are just household ones. But there are also those who take them hunting and fishing. If you look closely, you will see that they all have different angle sharpening (this is if they have not already been sharpened at home). It is the sharpening angle that is most important characteristic, which is determined by the purpose of the blade.

At what angle

The sharpening angle is determined based on the main area of ​​application of a particular blade:

This general recommendations, introduced based on many years of experience. There are, however, options: some blades have several zones with different sharpening. This makes them more versatile, but the difficulty of sharpening increases many times over.

From the above it follows that the device for sharpening knives must be able to set the required sharpening angle. And this is the main difficulty in its design and manufacture.

What to sharpen

To sharpen knives, sharpening stones of various grain sizes are used. They are conventionally divided into coarse, medium and fine. Why conditional? Because in different countries The grain size has its own designation. The most convenient classification is by the number of grains per unit area. It is expressed in numbers: 300, 600, 1000, etc. Some companies duplicate in English terms. Here is an approximate division:

In addition to grain size, sharpening stones are also distinguished by their origin: some are of natural origin (slate, corundum, etc.), some are ceramic and diamond. Which ones are better? It’s hard to say - a matter of taste, but natural ones wear off faster and are rarely fine-grained.

Natural ones are soaked in water before use or simply moistened with it. They absorb water and, during sharpening, an abrasive paste is formed from water and separated abrasive particles on the surface, which increases the efficiency of sharpening. For the same purposes, you can use a special little (honing oil) or a mixture of water and soap (whichever you prefer). In general, you should try all these options with each sharpening stone and choose the best one.

The shape of a whetstone for sharpening knives is a block, and it is desirable that its length be much longer than the length of the blade - it is easier to sharpen. Bars with double grain are convenient - coarse on one side, finer on the other. To sharpen knives for ordinary purposes, it is enough to have two bars with medium grain (different) and two fine ones (one can be very fine).

Manual sharpening procedure

A device for sharpening knives only makes it easier to sharpen the edge, so knowledge of manual sharpening techniques is mandatory. Without them, it is impossible to sharpen a knife correctly.

The procedure for sharpening knives is as follows:

At this point, we can assume that sharpening the knife is complete. Some people are still finishing the edge on the old belt. A piece of belt can be attached to wooden block(glue, do not nail), rub with goyim paste. Then pass several times alternately with one side or the other, but turning the cutting edge back. This way the last grooves left by the abrasive are polished and the belt is not “cut” in the process.

How to make a homemade knife sharpener

All homemade knife sharpeners solve the main problem - they allow you to accurately maintain a given angle of inclination of the block to the blade, which is very important for obtaining a good cutting edge. There are very simple devices, there are a little more complicated ones, but they allow you to work with greater comfort. Choose according to your taste.

Some of the options are from improvised means

A simple device for sharpening knives

Essentially this is a holder for sharpening stones. Everything is elementary: two triangles made of wood, which are connected by pins with wings. A block is clamped between the corners at the required angle. You can set the angle using a protractor, a special program on your smartphone, or using the rules of trigonometry (right triangle).

Knife sharpening device - abrasive holder

When sharpening on such a device, the knife must be kept pointed strictly vertically at all times. It's much easier than holding it at a certain angle.

The same idea has another embodiment: on a reliable basis, make movable holders into which bars are inserted and secured in the desired position. The corporate prototype is pictured below.

A homemade device for sharpening knives is made of wooden blocks. It turns out to be light, so that it does not move from its place, it needs to be fixed with something. To avoid holding with your hand, you can use clamps.

Rotating holders allow you to set a given angle, and then fix it with the help of “wings”

Such a device for sharpening knives, of course, makes the work easier, but it is still quite difficult to maintain the angle: you must constantly control the verticality of the blade. Such a habit can be developed over time, but starting is difficult.

Device on wheels

An interesting version of a manual knife sharpener with a fixed block and a wheeled cart on which the knife is mounted. It is made on the basis of sharpeners for knives, chisels and planes. This device also works well with a knife, but you need to get used to sharpening a rounded edge.

In this version, as in manual sharpening, the block is stationary, and the blade of the knife, mounted on a movable trolley, moves. The angle is set by the height of the bar relative to the platform on which the blade is mounted. Peculiarity of this device- the table needs to be level. This could be a countertop made of natural stone, you can at regular table put glass.

In the version presented above, the angle changes slightly, which is usually sufficient for sharpening similar types of knives - kitchen knives, for example. If necessary, the design can be improved by adding holders (pictured below).

All this is implemented very simply, as it resembles a regular construction set: planks with holes in them, everything is assembled with bolts and screws.

There is also a device to ensure the immobility of the block.

The advantage of this whole design is that it is easy to unfold the knife while maintaining perpendicularity on the rounded area, and it is also very easy to handle on the other side: you need to turn the cart over. For this purpose, four pairs of wheels were made.

Homemade manual machine for sharpening knives

Slightly more complex and much more convenient homemade devices, which are made on the basis of well-known branded devices. They have an adjustable platform on which the knife is fixed. The site is set at a given angle. The block is mounted on a movable rod attached to the stand.

Self-made devices in some ways repeat the design presented above, but there are some differences. There are many options. Let's give some.

Option one: a fixed platform on which the blade is fixed

This device is made from leftover laminate (can be used), two steel rods with a diameter of 8 mm and a movable fastener.

This design has a fixed base, to which a platform with a knife lock is attached on regular hinges. The near edge of the platform can be raised at some angle convenient for work. But otherwise she is motionless.

On a vertically mounted steel rod there is a movably mounted latch, in which a loop is attached to the side. A rod is inserted into it, on which the block is fixed. This loop is simple, but not the most The best decision: there is no rigid fixation, which means the angle will “walk”.

Particular attention should be paid to the bar lock. An emphasis is placed on the rod at some distance from the edge (about 30-35 cm). This will be a permanent fixture. The second one is made movable; it is fixed after installing the bar using a screw and a thread cut into the body of the holder. The second option is to cut a thread on the rod and tighten the installed bar using a nut.

Knife holder - one or two steel plates mounted on a movable platform. They are fixed movably using screws and wings. Having loosened the fasteners, insert the knife blade and clamp it. It is very difficult to move it. Then, installing a pin with a fixed bar in the loop, adjust its height so that the required angle is set.

You can, as in the photo, make templates with the required angles and ensure that the planes coincide. After the crossbar is secured, you can work - move the bar in the desired direction.

This device for sharpening knives works well, but you can only move the abrasive along the blade when sharpening a kitchen knife. Classic sharpening - movement perpendicular cutting edge. This can be achieved on the straight part of the blade. If the blade is short, this will be almost perpendicular, but on a rounded part on a fixed holder this cannot be done. And all such devices “suffer” from this drawback. Once again: they are an excellent option for sharpening kitchen knives (below is another good option from the same series).

Option two: with a movable platform and a magnetic holder

In this version of a homemade device for sharpening knives, the problem of previous sharpenings is solved. Here the frame remains motionless, which sets the angle of movement of the bar. The bar holder moves freely along a guide set at the desired angle. The knife is mounted on a movable table. You can, as in the presented version, do magnetic holder, you can - a regular one made of a metal plate and “lambs”. Move the table so that the movement of the abrasive is perpendicular. Actually, everything is in the video.

One clarification: in this case it is very important that the surface on which the table with the attached knife moves is horizontal and level. You can put glass or use a polymer tabletop (marble will also work).

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 maintained.

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

What types of sharpening stones are there?

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

Oil-based, on the surface of which there is oil, specifically 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 matter of sharpening

Every knife sharpening has its moments.

For example, Japanese independent type requires sharpening special attention enough experienced specialist, because the Japanese look steel is quite brittle. To sharpen them, manufacturers recommend using different water stones, endowed with a variety of grain sizes.

Housewives use store-bought sharpeners for sharpening. When using several knives, their sharpness remains longer.

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

How to sharpen knives correctly?

To do this you need to create special conditions. 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 you will have to sharpen it. At the same time, making it “workable” again will be much more difficult.

Why do they 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 specified angle, which complies with the standards from a technological point of view.

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

Possible problems during the sharpening process

In order to choose the right desired angle, it is important to have some 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 a 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. may come in handy here.

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

The best of all is to make a homemade device. This is not only convenient, but also hardly distinguishable from the factory one.

How to sharpen a planer knife

Knives of this type can be handled by an experienced professional craftsman who has not only knowledge, but also skills in this matter. The process is actually quite complicated.

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

It is necessary to use a new stone on which Smooth surface. The best will be aquatic view stone

In addition, without specific experience and sharpening skills planing knives, you can also contact a service station, which probably has equipment such as a sharpener.