Hello,
Long post warning.
Very DYI stuff warning ...
This is my journey through making guided sharpening systems for full-size stones. ("making" used loosely as I'm just derping around).
Ideas on improvements welcome!
Reasoning:
- Early on I decided to go full-size stones instead of something guided because that's what all the "big boys" are using (let's leave motorized grinding wheels aside). From very early on I was wondering about "the other side".
- I also needed help learning to sharpen freehand, so I jerry-rigged a thing that helped me learn to keep an angle. The final version worked really well, both in learning and keeping an angle.
WIP:
- It went through a prototype process and a bunch of tinkering as well, including a clamping mechanism and quick reverse addition.
- Had a brief stint with trying to move the full-size stone too (ala wicked edge) .. don't go that way.
- Found that an L bracket that can change height attached to a rod is a good heading (like half of a reverse Lansky or edge pro)
First result:
It's some aluminum plates to gently pinch the knife, connected to a long bolt that controls the angle, connected to a rod with a wooden "rail guide" to give me full range over my stone.
Simple, not elegant, but it works quite well.
- I didn't like needing a screwdriver to clamp the knife though.
- Do like having quick reverse of the knives (middlemost bolt can be loosened to flip the knife over easily)
- Do like having exceptionally precise knife angle control with the bolt.
- Doesn't work for long knives without resetting the clamp position.
- Hand movement doesn't feel natural to me.
- Tips often need weird torquing to get sharp.
- The wooden "rail guide" should have been a real ball socket, it would make for a massive improvement.
- Very easy to set up, and very small to store.
- $40 in parts to make, you can probably go cheaper.
.
.
Fast forward a few years, this thing has been in a drawer for a while.
Then I see a picture of this:
Unfortunately, I only saved the picture with the title "Guided system by Bogdan", so I don't know which post I saw it in. Please post if you can find it.
Reasoning:
- I don't end up sharpening very often these days, a combination of too many knives and a progression of leather strops for maintenance.
- I thought a better-guided system (for my much better knives then initial one would be used for) is in order ... both for practical use, and because my hands are itching to build something (one can browse reddit only for so long).
A few issues for me to solve:
- Stuck at home, don't want to risk home depot these days, so I ended up reusing part from my initial rig.
- I wanted 2 elbow joints for "complete freedom".
- I don't have an easy way of making precise shaft that connects to the base and my aluminum bars are too short, so now I have 3 elbow joints.
- I have no metal machining tools so I knew some joints are going to be loose .. this is a prototype.
- I needed a way to make a clamp .. and really wanted easy quick-release clamp with no need for screws or screwdrivers.
WIP:
- Drawer hinges for joints ... they ended up wobbling and actually flexing too much.
- Clamp ball head was actually a good choice because it let me fix any misalignment I'd have with the clamp itself, but a poor choice because I needed pan control separate from knife angle control
- Tried a bunch of GoPro mounts too, but they had no pan control needed to fix minor misalignment problems. Also didn't adjust smoothly or lock nearly tight enough.
- I tried aluminum cnc-ed "heavy duty" hinges .. which still wobbled.
- The clamp was, shockingly, a success .. shaped wood in a rubber glove kept the knife snug and has virtually no movement. Took a few attempts to shape the wood to fit right, it had to stay loose because knives are different but still hold tight when clamped.
- The bottom rubber pad had to be removed as it scraped the stone, replaced with two layers of ducktape.
- I also bought a Lansky clamp .. which works very well and very precise when clamped correctly, but I just couldn't give up my quick release and clamping without screws.
First prototype:
Some notes:
- Wooden rod glued into base. Aluminum 1/8" bars. Aluminum rod and pipe. Ball head with a clamp. Use the ball head to adjust the angle, and hope it doesn't shift when tightening.
- The freedom movement is excellent, I can do my natural sharpening movement.
- As mentioned above, hinges flex a lot .. at full extension, it was about an inch. However, flex produces vertical movement which is largely taken up by the rod/pipe moving up/down freely anyway. (some got translated into angling the knife though).
- Rod/pipe also wobble ever so slightly.
- The ballhead on the clamp is crap, and moves as you tighten it, also need z rotation to account for any clamping offset (z-axis = from the spine of the knife to edge)
- It's impossible to sharpen tip without moving a knife in clamp (because the ball had has no z rotation to follow the curve of the knife).
- Pretty much impossible to store, and annoying to be near when not in use, as it moves so freely and just slaps around.
- Still cheap, as only used the parts from the previous one and some wood.
- With all of the above misgivings, it worked shockingly well on the flat parts of the knife, expected worse given so much being so loose.
- Final angle wobble, as measured by electronic angle thingy is about 3 degrees ... while not great, it's actually better than what I can do by hand (as my knife got sharper in fewer passes)
- My electronic angle is only accurate to within 1 degree.
So, time to improve the wobble. Train of thought:
- I can't build something this precise without a drill press and a few other precision tools .. as you see in one of the photos I got a drill press holder for my Dremel, but that's really not that precise and a dremel isn't really meant for larger drilling jobs.
- I'm somewhat familiar with camera gear, and know tolerances there for video dollies are quite good.
- Camera gear can be very expensive, but I only need 10 inches of travel ... took looking for some warehouse deals.
- No more elbow joints as those are apparently really hard .. but still need a full plane of motion, so dolly on a panning base that connects to stone holder (imagine 3D printer arm or a plotting table guide).
- Need panning (z rotation for me) ball head for the clamp.
- Still want to have the clamp, it works.
- Want it easy to store and assemble.
WIP:
Short dolly + previous rod/pipe setup + nicer ballhead + same clamp.
The dolly will be mounted in reverse, so where the camera would go is mounted to a shaft, and where feet were now is the rod/pipe to clamp assembly.
Now mounted on L bracket + panning base + quick release clamp screwed right into wood (cut as flat as I can by hand, it's alright).
The 2x4 base still needs wider legs as it's very top-heavy and would topple easily.
Final result
From stone: wooden pole + large quick-release + panning base (with level, but level is meh) + L bracket + reversed dolly + rod/pipe + panning ball head + clamp.
Some notes:
- The panning base actually wobbles a touch too, but again produces tiny vertical movement on the rod/pipe (which it negates).
- The panning base has some resistance (since it's a video head), but turns out it's not a problem.
- The dolly is smoooooooooth, so good, just feels soo good. Video heads have a certain smooth yet firm panning action.
- My aluminum pipe holder can be better .. but it works and it's straight enough.
- Panning ball head on the clamp is great, can adjust the angle of the clamp and still pan (z rotate) to get the tip of the knife and/or even out any clamping angle and get the tip really nicely.
- However, adjusting the angle of the knife/clamp is not nearly as precise as my very first setup with the bolt.
- The clamp ball head has a quick release, that's really not needed, but nice to have.
- No need to move the knife in the clamp, except for flipping. Though 10 inches of travel isn't enough for long knives if I clamp the knife at heal .. clamping in middle works for all my 270mm knives fine.
- Quick to setup, kinda big to store though.
- The panning base + L bracked can likely be replaced by some kind of cheaper hinge or pipe/socket deal.
- I'd like better mounting for aluminum pipe, or better yet find a better vertical slide mechanism. I only need 2 inches of travel.
- The total cost is near $180 .. so not exactly cheap.
- Final wobble is 1 degree .. vastly better then what I can manage freehand. (though my angle measure is only accurate within 1 degree)
In all, I'm quite happy with this. Great fun to make. I'll likely not mess with it for a bit.
Thank you for looking.
Comments and suggestions welcome.
Long post warning.
Very DYI stuff warning ...
This is my journey through making guided sharpening systems for full-size stones. ("making" used loosely as I'm just derping around).
Ideas on improvements welcome!
Reasoning:
- Early on I decided to go full-size stones instead of something guided because that's what all the "big boys" are using (let's leave motorized grinding wheels aside). From very early on I was wondering about "the other side".
- I also needed help learning to sharpen freehand, so I jerry-rigged a thing that helped me learn to keep an angle. The final version worked really well, both in learning and keeping an angle.
WIP:
- It went through a prototype process and a bunch of tinkering as well, including a clamping mechanism and quick reverse addition.
- Had a brief stint with trying to move the full-size stone too (ala wicked edge) .. don't go that way.
- Found that an L bracket that can change height attached to a rod is a good heading (like half of a reverse Lansky or edge pro)
First result:
It's some aluminum plates to gently pinch the knife, connected to a long bolt that controls the angle, connected to a rod with a wooden "rail guide" to give me full range over my stone.
Simple, not elegant, but it works quite well.
- I didn't like needing a screwdriver to clamp the knife though.
- Do like having quick reverse of the knives (middlemost bolt can be loosened to flip the knife over easily)
- Do like having exceptionally precise knife angle control with the bolt.
- Doesn't work for long knives without resetting the clamp position.
- Hand movement doesn't feel natural to me.
- Tips often need weird torquing to get sharp.
- The wooden "rail guide" should have been a real ball socket, it would make for a massive improvement.
- Very easy to set up, and very small to store.
- $40 in parts to make, you can probably go cheaper.
.
.
Fast forward a few years, this thing has been in a drawer for a while.
Then I see a picture of this:
Unfortunately, I only saved the picture with the title "Guided system by Bogdan", so I don't know which post I saw it in. Please post if you can find it.
Reasoning:
- I don't end up sharpening very often these days, a combination of too many knives and a progression of leather strops for maintenance.
- I thought a better-guided system (for my much better knives then initial one would be used for) is in order ... both for practical use, and because my hands are itching to build something (one can browse reddit only for so long).
A few issues for me to solve:
- Stuck at home, don't want to risk home depot these days, so I ended up reusing part from my initial rig.
- I wanted 2 elbow joints for "complete freedom".
- I don't have an easy way of making precise shaft that connects to the base and my aluminum bars are too short, so now I have 3 elbow joints.
- I have no metal machining tools so I knew some joints are going to be loose .. this is a prototype.
- I needed a way to make a clamp .. and really wanted easy quick-release clamp with no need for screws or screwdrivers.
WIP:
- Drawer hinges for joints ... they ended up wobbling and actually flexing too much.
- Clamp ball head was actually a good choice because it let me fix any misalignment I'd have with the clamp itself, but a poor choice because I needed pan control separate from knife angle control
- Tried a bunch of GoPro mounts too, but they had no pan control needed to fix minor misalignment problems. Also didn't adjust smoothly or lock nearly tight enough.
- I tried aluminum cnc-ed "heavy duty" hinges .. which still wobbled.
- The clamp was, shockingly, a success .. shaped wood in a rubber glove kept the knife snug and has virtually no movement. Took a few attempts to shape the wood to fit right, it had to stay loose because knives are different but still hold tight when clamped.
- The bottom rubber pad had to be removed as it scraped the stone, replaced with two layers of ducktape.
- I also bought a Lansky clamp .. which works very well and very precise when clamped correctly, but I just couldn't give up my quick release and clamping without screws.
First prototype:
Some notes:
- Wooden rod glued into base. Aluminum 1/8" bars. Aluminum rod and pipe. Ball head with a clamp. Use the ball head to adjust the angle, and hope it doesn't shift when tightening.
- The freedom movement is excellent, I can do my natural sharpening movement.
- As mentioned above, hinges flex a lot .. at full extension, it was about an inch. However, flex produces vertical movement which is largely taken up by the rod/pipe moving up/down freely anyway. (some got translated into angling the knife though).
- Rod/pipe also wobble ever so slightly.
- The ballhead on the clamp is crap, and moves as you tighten it, also need z rotation to account for any clamping offset (z-axis = from the spine of the knife to edge)
- It's impossible to sharpen tip without moving a knife in clamp (because the ball had has no z rotation to follow the curve of the knife).
- Pretty much impossible to store, and annoying to be near when not in use, as it moves so freely and just slaps around.
- Still cheap, as only used the parts from the previous one and some wood.
- With all of the above misgivings, it worked shockingly well on the flat parts of the knife, expected worse given so much being so loose.
- Final angle wobble, as measured by electronic angle thingy is about 3 degrees ... while not great, it's actually better than what I can do by hand (as my knife got sharper in fewer passes)
- My electronic angle is only accurate to within 1 degree.
So, time to improve the wobble. Train of thought:
- I can't build something this precise without a drill press and a few other precision tools .. as you see in one of the photos I got a drill press holder for my Dremel, but that's really not that precise and a dremel isn't really meant for larger drilling jobs.
- I'm somewhat familiar with camera gear, and know tolerances there for video dollies are quite good.
- Camera gear can be very expensive, but I only need 10 inches of travel ... took looking for some warehouse deals.
- No more elbow joints as those are apparently really hard .. but still need a full plane of motion, so dolly on a panning base that connects to stone holder (imagine 3D printer arm or a plotting table guide).
- Need panning (z rotation for me) ball head for the clamp.
- Still want to have the clamp, it works.
- Want it easy to store and assemble.
WIP:
Short dolly + previous rod/pipe setup + nicer ballhead + same clamp.
The dolly will be mounted in reverse, so where the camera would go is mounted to a shaft, and where feet were now is the rod/pipe to clamp assembly.
Now mounted on L bracket + panning base + quick release clamp screwed right into wood (cut as flat as I can by hand, it's alright).
The 2x4 base still needs wider legs as it's very top-heavy and would topple easily.
Final result
From stone: wooden pole + large quick-release + panning base (with level, but level is meh) + L bracket + reversed dolly + rod/pipe + panning ball head + clamp.
Some notes:
- The panning base actually wobbles a touch too, but again produces tiny vertical movement on the rod/pipe (which it negates).
- The panning base has some resistance (since it's a video head), but turns out it's not a problem.
- The dolly is smoooooooooth, so good, just feels soo good. Video heads have a certain smooth yet firm panning action.
- My aluminum pipe holder can be better .. but it works and it's straight enough.
- Panning ball head on the clamp is great, can adjust the angle of the clamp and still pan (z rotate) to get the tip of the knife and/or even out any clamping angle and get the tip really nicely.
- However, adjusting the angle of the knife/clamp is not nearly as precise as my very first setup with the bolt.
- The clamp ball head has a quick release, that's really not needed, but nice to have.
- No need to move the knife in the clamp, except for flipping. Though 10 inches of travel isn't enough for long knives if I clamp the knife at heal .. clamping in middle works for all my 270mm knives fine.
- Quick to setup, kinda big to store though.
- The panning base + L bracked can likely be replaced by some kind of cheaper hinge or pipe/socket deal.
- I'd like better mounting for aluminum pipe, or better yet find a better vertical slide mechanism. I only need 2 inches of travel.
- The total cost is near $180 .. so not exactly cheap.
- Final wobble is 1 degree .. vastly better then what I can manage freehand. (though my angle measure is only accurate within 1 degree)
In all, I'm quite happy with this. Great fun to make. I'll likely not mess with it for a bit.
Thank you for looking.
Comments and suggestions welcome.
Last edited:
Ok 1st let me say that your build is nicely documented.
