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 design simple machine for sharpening knives, chisels and any other blades that 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 into the hole from the top and bottom with internal thread M10, 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 hacksaw to cut 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. Bottom striker rectangular shape 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 of hard material measuring 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 can be a profile rectangular pipe or sections of an 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, the exact angle depends on the grade of steel. 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.

In households, the use of cutting, sawing and planing tools is often necessary. During operation, they lose their sharpness, and the blade needs to restore its original properties.

Taking your tools to workshops to sharpen them is a reasonable option, but in order not to waste money again, you can make a device for sharpening knives with your own hands.

General information about sharpening knives

The goal of any type of knife sharpening is to ensure a sharp blade. And the most important factor that affects long-term and efficient operation is the sharpening angle. The practicality of this parameter is well assessed during the work process. If you look objectively, you will notice that with a smaller angle, the knife blade results in a sharper one. But with this action, it turns out that the period of improved cutting qualities is not very long, i.e. it becomes dull faster. The sharper the knife blade becomes during the sharpening process, the more quickly it will become dull. Based on this pattern, we can come to the conclusion that the angle must be selected correctly and the value must be maintained evenly along the entire length of the edge.

It is worth noting that only those types of blades that have a certain degree of hardening can be sharpened. If the steel hardness of the cutting parts exceeds 55 HRC, then it cannot be sharpened with any available tools.

The golden rule for sharpening knives is the constant sharpening angle of the cutting edge throughout its entire length.

To achieve this, you need professionalism, skills and special equipment that will allow you to hold the tool in your hands, maintaining a given angle of inclination of each cutting edge.

In this case, you can take care of the purchase special device, but such products are usually expensive, so you can try to make it yourself. Read more about how to make such a device at home below.

Video “Homemade design of a simple knife sharpener”

Features of using the device

Of course, a simple whetstone is suitable for sharpening a knife or the cutting edge of a plane. But its quality will not be the best. To ensure uniform removal of the metal layer and precision processing, it is necessary to use special sharpening devices.

The advantage of such a product is not only its ease of use, but also factors such as:

1. The ability to fix the blades, which is quite reliable and does not cause unnecessary stress. a properly designed device does not allow the metal to be damaged during operation.
2. Possibility of installing the bar at a certain angle. Thanks to this, when the cutting edge moves, the angle value will not change.
3. Variation in setting different sharpening angles. With this functionality, it is possible to process various tools, even sharpening knives with a stepped structure.

Materials and tools required for the device

To make a simple and quite high-quality device, you need to take care of preparing the following workpieces and tools:

• plywood or small laminated chipboard sheet;
• steel stud with a diameter of 8 mm (the thread on it must be cut along the entire length);
• textolite or ebonite bars (alternatively can be replaced with hard wood - beech, oak, etc.);
• aluminum plate (with a thickness of at least 5 mm);
• fasteners – bolts, nuts (wing);
• neodymium magnet (you can find it on an old computer HDD).

Drawings of a device for sharpening knives with your own hands

After preparation and provision of materials, you can begin the process of assembling the device. First of all, we take plywood to use as a frame, which should rest on the mounting legs at a certain angle in the range from 15 to 20 degrees. After this, the pin we prepared is screwed into the lower part; its length should be approximately 35-40 cm. To make the mounting thread more durable, you can use glue or sealant.

We fasten an aluminum plate in the center of the installed plywood. Before fastening it, it is necessary to make a groove, which in size will correspond to the diameter of the fixing bolts. It is worth noting that we use an aluminum plate as this will help avoid damage to the steel blade of the knife.

After this, we proceed to making a lever that will allow you to secure the emery to the device. To assemble it we use the remaining part of the pin. Then we take two textolite (or wooden) blocks and, by sawing out, we make holders for the lever. The stops should be secured on one side with a wing nut.

It is optimal to provide a spring-loaded block near the handle, which will allow you to quickly change the emery stone.

As the main elements, you can use blanks from homemade bars - we glue sheets of sandpaper to the aluminum plate, and their grain size should be different. Such a device can be quite easily fixed in the lever.

home design feature- this is the presence of a hinge with a double degree of freedom. Such a device can be easily assembled using the same PCB bars. One of them should be screwed onto the threads of the vertical stud, and used as a horizontal rotary axis and a height adjuster for the lever support (this is necessary for setting the sharpening angle).

The function of the second block having horizontal hole under the lever, is that it must be screwed to the first one.

Thanks to this, it is possible to ensure free vertical movement of the entire lever structure.

The knives are clamped with a plate, or fixed to the surface of a neodymium magnet. When removing the first layer with coarse types of abrasive, the blade must be securely fixed.

If it is necessary to perform fine-tuning, you can install the blade on a magnet and perform the sharpening operation with little effort. The horseshoe of magnets should be recessed at the same level as the table top and set with epoxy glue.

Manufacturing homemade device for sharpening knives can be considered complete. It is enough to set desired angle, slowly sharpen the edge with a smooth movement along the entire length of the blade.

Video “Do-it-yourself knife sharpener”

Device for sharpening knives using electric sandpaper

An electric sharpener will not only speed up the work, but also make it possible to obtain high-quality concave edge profiles on the blades, the so-called fuller sharpening. It is impossible to achieve such forms using a linear bar; therefore, these types of devices are not interchangeable, but complementary devices.

It is noteworthy that a person, working on a manual sharpening device, controls the speed and intensity of the processes performed, while the emery wheel has a constantly high rotation speed, which can negatively affect the condition of the knife.

During friction, the metal surface is subject to strong heating, which results in the “tempering” of the hardened steel. The material loses many properties, it becomes less hard, which leads to abrasion and the appearance of torn edges. Another problem with a “released” knife is the rapid loss of sharpness. In this regard, you need to work carefully with an electric sandpaper, bringing the blade for sharpening to the abrasive for short periods of time and taking frequent breaks to allow the knife to cool.

When working in such modes, it is quite problematic to maintain constant angles, so the tool needs to be securely fixed during such processing.

The design of such a device is quite simple to implement. In the direction of the rotating axis, there are guides on the emery along which carriages with knives move. The angles are maintained mechanically, and the forces are determined directly by the operator.

This type of device is quite easy to make with your own hands - there is no need to perform precise work for processing metal parts. The base material is actually used to make the guides.

On the workbench, near the sharpener, guides are mounted, with the help of which it is possible to change the distance from the knife stops to the abrasive. This distance affects the sharpening angle. The vertical rod must necessarily have up and down free movement regulators that have durable types of fixation of the current positions.

The knife blade should be held horizontally, pressing against the thrust element. The force in contact with the emery must be adjusted directly during operation. The processing needs to be done symmetrically; you just need to change the sides of the knife and sharpen them at the same angles.

Application this method may only be suitable for processing classic type knives. Kitchen, hunting, tourist and other types of cutting planes various instruments require a slightly different approach.

A common type of design for sharpening knives is the “Jointer”

For such a device, it is necessary to use a specialized sandpaper, with an end type work surface. The guide under the carriage is placed at the bottom so that it is located away from the rotating axis. This is due to the fact that in this part of the abrasive wheel, its work is considered most effective. Guides with cutting elements move manually, the clamps are provided by the tool’s own weight.

A drawing of each structural design is shown in the image.

This type of machine was used at the beginning of the last century, and throughout this time the technology of its operation has remained unchanged. Thanks to simplicity of this device it's easy to make for your home workshop. Any components made of metal, plastic, or wood are suitable for this.

By replacing the cutting element on the jointer, you can sharpen the ice ax knives, the main thing is to maintain the correct angle, which should be flatter. Devices for sharpening scissors work on the same principle.

To sharpen a chisel and a plane knife, you can also use an electric sandpaper and locking carriages. But these types of tools are compact and can be sharpened with a mechanical tool.

There are equivalent methods - along the edges and across. In terms of quality, the processing is virtually identical; therefore, it is therefore impossible to primarily single out a specific type of device.

For factory products, blades are supposed to be adjusted transversely.

Using a similar principle, thick plywood is taken from which the frame is made. Any rollers can be used as a guide, preferably more than two. By moving the machine along the surface of the emery, the chisel blade is given an ideal shape.

If serious types of sharpening are not required, simpler devices are also suitable for minor edits.

Attach the bars with the required angles of inclination to the chisel. Place sandpaper and a piece of glass near them. On glass surface you need to apply a soap solution.

You will be pleasantly surprised by the effectiveness of such devices.

For transverse sharpening, it is worth making a simpler device, where the guide element also acts as a support. The blade is attached vertically to the moving part. The only drawback of this is the fixed angle, which is set during the manufacturing process.

But, compared to a knife, the resulting deviations from ideals are not so critical.

This type of device can be used for sharpening plane knives. But due to the wide size of the blades, the process becomes somewhat more complicated. In this regard, you can use an electric sharpener that has an end working surface.

The stops are made of wooden blocks. It is important to provide for the possibility of changing angles. Clamps are provided by the operator, and semicircular sharpening can be performed, which is very indispensable for carpenters.

Naturally, this device is convenient to use for sharpening the edges of chisels. Given the high productivity rate, you will be able to restore tools even with a large number of nicks.

Now you know how you can create a homemade sharpening machine to perform all the necessary operations for sharpening knives at home.

Video “Device for sharpening various types of knives”

Currently, there are several types: a machine for sharpening knives, a machine for a hairdressing machine, and others. This article talks about how to make a machine for sharpening knives at home: detailed drawings with dimensions, photos and videos (2-3 videos) are presented.

Often, when sharpening knives at home, household members use abrasive whetstones. However, in order to use them in practice, you need the necessary skills and experience working with them. After all, if the knife is sharpened at the wrong angle, the blade remains dull.

Layout of the block to the blade.

Before actually manufacturing the machine, you need to listen to the advice of sharpeners.

When sharpening a knife, the master performs the following actions:

Defines the angle between the working area of ​​the blade and the block. Moreover, for each model the angles are different;

The knife is located at an angle of 90 degrees to the direction of the block. The grooves that are formed when the razor blade of the knife rubs against the block should be at 90 degrees to the knife line. Angle in similar situation equal to half the sharpening;

Typically the angle is 25 degrees;

The mechanic begins processing from the beginning of the foot blade;

When adjusting the sharpening angle, the master paints over part of the foot blade with any marker. As a result, the mechanic directly controls the work area.

As a rule, after sharpening the working blade has non-uniform deformations. Therefore, when self-processing The “point of reference” should not be the sharp part of the knife.

Choosing whetstones for sharpening a knife

The main indicator of a block is its grain size.

The whetstone is the main component that makes the blade thin and sharp. As a result, before choosing a design, you need to select the necessary blocks.

At self-sharpening knives, the household uses these types of whetstones

which have a high grain size. Using such bars, the shape of the leg blade is corrected.

having medium grain size. With the help of such bars, the mechanic removes the grooves that are formed during the initial processing of the knife

whetstone, which is covered with GOM paste. In such a situation, the mechanic polishes the blade.

When processing knives for the kitchen, you can use two types - with medium and high grain. And also in this case it is necessary to use a touchstone.

Base

When making a sharpening machine at home, you can use various parts. In particular, you can use laminated box plywood 12 mm thick, which was previously used to create radio equipment housings.

When constructing a machine at home, a household member performs the following actions:

Selects a base for such an installation, which must weigh at least 5 kg. Otherwise, it will be impossible to sharpen chopping devices and tools on the machine. Therefore, in the manufacture of such equipment, the tenant uses various steel angles measuring 20x20 mm;

Next, 2 parts are cut out of plywood with a jigsaw, which have a trapezoidal shape, the base is 170 by 60 mm, and the height is 230 mm. When cutting, the mechanic makes an allowance of 0.7 mm for sharpening the ends: they end up straight and fit according to the markings;

Installs 3 parts between the inclined walls on the sides - an inclined surface made of plywood with dimensions of 230 x 150 mm.

In such a situation, the trapezoidal sides are located laterally on a rectangular surface.

The result is a base - a wedge. In such a situation, a protrusion of an inclined surface measuring 40 mm is formed in the front part;

Then, along the side wall ends, the mechanic marks 2 lines with a thicknesser. At the same time, it retreats by half the thickness of the plywood;

Drills the ends of the inclined surface and connects the base parts for a while;

At the back of the structure, the mechanic connects the side walls using a 60x60 mm block, which is attached to the end with two screws on both sides; - makes a 10 mm gap in the block.

In such a situation, it retreats 50 mm from the center - 25 mm from the edge. To maintain a vertical position, first drill with a thin drill from 2 edges, and then expand;

Then, at the top and bottom, two threaded fittings are screwed into the slot, and in the fittings - a 10 mm pin, the length of which is 250 mm.

If the threads do not match the studs, the lower fitting is adjusted.

Tool support device

When making a handhold device, the following steps are performed:

Removes the flat inclined part from the base, modifies it and installs a fixation device on it, as well as the clamp of the device used;

Measures 40 mm from the edge in front and, using a garden hacksaw, uses this mark to cut out a groove, the depth of which is 2 mm;

Using a shoemaker's knife, chip off the top 2 veneer layers from the end of the board. The result is a sample into which the mechanic inserts a 2 mm steel plate at the same level as the general surface;

The tool rest consists of 2 steel strips measuring 170x60 mm and 150x40 mm. The machine operator connects them along the large end, which has equal edge indentations, and makes 3 through slots of 6 mm.

Using bolts, tighten the planks along the cracks made. In such a situation, the machine operator leaves the bolt heads on the side of the large top plate;

Then he removes metal defects of the weld in the form of beads and grinds the plate to give it a smooth surface;

Applies a small striker plate to the edge recess, moves the slots with a drill and secures the support with bolts.

Fixation device

Second important detail The tool rest is considered to be a clamping bar. It can be made from 2 parts.

L-shaped plank measuring 150x180 mm, the width of the shelves is 50 mm (top);

A rectangle-shaped strike plate measuring 50x100 mm (bottom).

When making a clamping bar, the machine operator performs the following actions:

Places the bottom bar on the far edge of the top bar;

Makes 2 holes in the center and retreats 25 mm from the edges of the part, connects the parts through the holes with two 8 mm bolts;

Screws in 8 mm bolts on 2 sides. In such a situation, the head of the nearest bolt is located near the top bar;

Welds the bolt heads to the plates and grinds them in advance until roundness is formed;

Yes, the inclined board retreats 40 mm from the edge and draws a line with a thicknesser;

Makes one 8 mm 25 mm gap at the bottom and top edges;

Using markings, he connects the edges of the slots and uses a jigsaw to make a cut with an allowance. Use a file to expand the groove to a width of 8.5 mm;

It fastens the planks using a groove that is in the board; the top bolt is tightened with a nut and thus firmly fastens the plank.

Then tightens connection 2 with nut;

When pressing the bottom bar (in the niche of the base), screw a wing nut onto the second bolt.

Sharpening angle control

When adjusting the sharpening angle, the mechanic performs the following actions:

Throw a large washer onto the pin, which is located in the block of the machine base, and tighten the nut.

The rod does not rotate in the foot; the block for adjusting the sharpening angle is made from a small carbolite block, the dimensions of which are 20x40x80 mm.

15 mm from the block edge, drill a 20 mm end on both sides, widen the gap to 9 mm, then make a thread inside;

He steps back 50 mm from the axis of the new slot and drills another one in the flat part of the workpiece - 90 degrees to the previous one. Such a slot has a diameter of 14 mm. In such a situation, the mechanic strongly flares the hole using a round rasp;

Screws the block onto the pin - sets the desired height of the eye without using fixing screws;

Secures the block on both sides with M10 hex nuts.

Using replaceable blocks and making a carriage

When making a sharpening carriage, the machine operator performs the following actions:

Welds 30 cm M10 threaded rods with a smooth rod whose thickness is 10 mm;

Uses 2 solid bars 50x80 mm and the thickness is 20 mm. In all blocks, in the center and on top, 20 mm is retreated from the edge, and then a gap is made 10 mm wide;

Screws a wing nut onto the rod, then a large washer and 2 bars, then a nut and washer;

Clamps rectangular sharpening stones between the stones or makes several replaceable sharpening stones.

As a timber base, the machine operator uses a rectangular tube from a profile or a piece of cornice, the width of which is 50 mm;

He sands the flat machine part and cleans it of grease, and glues strips of sandpaper with a grain size of up to 1200 grit using Super Moment glue.

The sandpaper should have a fabric base, and on 1 of the blocks you need to glue a strip of suede to apply polish to the blades.

Simple homemade machine

The most common type of machine design is considered to be 2 pairs of wooden slats, which are fastened together with screws. The machine operator installs a block between such parts.

The main reason for the popularity of usemanual homemade machine for sharpening various knives is its stability. During operation, the machine structure does not move in any way on the workbench.

When fixing the block, the mechanic uses support strips that are located between the wooden elements.

However, such homemade machine has the following disadvantages:

The master positions the blade to the stone manually. When working for a long time, it is difficult to keep track of the sharpening angle;

When making such an installation, it is necessary to use a fixing unit. The machine structure must be stable, so it must be firmly mounted on the workbench;

During the work, the ties loosen and the location of the block changes.

Another advantage of such a scheme is ease of manufacture. This machine design is most often used when sharpening knives for jointers and for the kitchen.

Wood slats can be of different thicknesses. At self-production For a simple sharpening machine, you can use various available components.

When first studying all the nuances of manufacturing, you need to watch thematic videos that describe in detail how to make a machine at home.

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. Cutting edge 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 low 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 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 clamp it with the thumbscrews. 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 from 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 assemble a complex tool for sharpening knives, then you can make do with improvised means and make hand sharpeners for knives. 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 simplest variation of sharpening is homemade device from wooden and abrasive bars. To make it, you will need two bars of each type - they must be strictly the same dimensions. Wooden products must first be treated with sandpaper to remove all burrs from their surface.

The manufacturing procedure itself will not cause any difficulties. First, mark the wooden blocks: taking into account the required sharpening angle of the knives, draw lines for future fastenings of abrasive workpieces. Then apply sharpening stones to the resulting lines and mark their width on the wood. The next step is the cuts: make them according to the markings on both wooden products cuts of the required slope and depth of 1-1.5 cm. Insert abrasive bars into the recesses and secure them with bolts.

Advice. To prevent the resulting device from slipping on the surface while servicing the knives, attach a rubber gasket to it from below - it will give the device the necessary stability.

Massive sharpener on a stand

A more complex variation of the knife is a stand with a separate support and a sharpening rod attachment. To make it you will need:

• chipboard sheet;
• a block of wood 8 cm long and 2x4 cm in cross section;
• steel rod M6 or M8;
• plexiglass 6x12 cm;
• magnet with holes for fasteners;
• self-tapping screws, bolts, wing nuts;
• wooden clamps;
• rubber feet;
• saw and drill.

Sharpener construction diagram:

1. Cut three blanks from the chipboard sheet: 7x8 cm, 8x30 cm and 12x37 cm.
2. On the oblong side of the workpiece 8x30 cm, 6 cm from the edge, make a hole.
3. Drill holes for the legs in the corners of the 12x37 cm workpiece.
4. Drill two through perpendicular holes in wooden block: the first is 3 cm from the edge, the second is 3 cm from the first. From the edge of the product to the first hole, cut a 1 cm thick recess.
5. Make a slot in the center of the plexiglass strip.
6. On a workpiece 12x37 cm, at a distance of 4 cm from the edge, secure the workpiece 7x8 cm perpendicularly with two self-tapping screws. Fix the workpiece 8x30 cm on top with self-tapping screws.
7. At the highest point of the installed workpiece 8x30 cm, drill a small recess and fix the magnet in it with self-tapping screws. Place plexiglass on the same blank - fasten the products with a bolt through the previously made hole and slot.
8. On any edge of the 12x37 cm workpiece, drill a hole for a steel sharpening rod and secure it there with a wing nut.
9. Place the block on the rod, securing it with a bolt and nut.
10. Using a rod, nuts and two clamps, assemble a knife holder.
11. Screw the legs to the finished stand.

How to sharpen a knife correctly?

To achieve high-quality results, it is not enough to build one of the above-mentioned devices - you also need to master the rules of manual sharpening and understand the order of work.

First, the required sharpening angle of the tool is calculated - it must be maintained throughout the entire sharpening process. Next, using smooth movements alternately “from yourself” and “towards you”, begin to move the blade along the sharpening element - an abrasive or a rod. In one movement it should go along the sharpener from edge to edge. In this case, movements are performed perpendicular to the edge of the blade.

Important! At the end of each pass, the blade should remain on the sharpener and not tear off, otherwise you can not only dull the knife even more, but also deform its side surface.

Move the blade along the sharpener with one side until it reverse side If a burr does not appear, then turn the knife over and begin sharpening the other side of the blade in the same way. Continue sharpening alternating sides until the burrs are completely gone. Gradually reduce the pressure of the knife.

How to determine the sharpening angle?

The most important parameter for sharpening a knife is the required blade angle. It depends on the scope of application specific instrument and the range of tasks assigned to him:

• Any type of razor – angle 10-15 degrees.
• Fillet knife – 15 degrees.
• Knife for fruits, bread and vegetables – 15-20 degrees.
• Multifunctional tools for slicing food – 20-25 degrees.
• Hunting knives - 25 degrees. Such blades are designed for cutting not only soft products, but also wood, bones, and fabrics.

• Utility knives general purpose– 25-30 degrees.
• Tourist and camping knives – 30-35 degrees.
• Cutting knives hard materials– 30-50 degrees. The greater the sharpening angle, the worse such a knife cuts food, but the better it copes with wood, trunks, and plastic.

Please note that there are also combination knives: they are divided into several zones with different angles sharpening. The advantage of such tools is versatility, the disadvantage is the complexity of maintenance.

So, assembling a knife sharpening device yourself is an excellent way out of a situation where you don’t want to buy a professional device or regularly contact craftsmen to service the tools. Before you are two options for making sharpeners of different levels of complexity - choose which one you can handle, and use it strictly according to the indicated rules, so that the sharpening is not only of high quality, but also safe.

DIY knife sharpener: video