Sharpening cutting tools is imperative for safe and effective performance. The theory is simple: keep the cutting edge sharp, clean, burr free, and at the correct angle. Our preferred method is using a stone, and in this case, a rotary wet wheel.
Items needed: an edge to sharpen, a stone of your preference, and a jig to maintain the proper angle throughout the process. The cost and quality of these will vary wildly depending on your needs and budget.
Tormek is arguably the world standard for tool sharpening, and they get a premium for it. Eric was able to use this model while our Grizzly knock off was still in storage from the move. A chipper/shredder that was inherited needed the cutting blades sharpened, and this was the ticket to ride. Due to the rough shape of these cutting blades, this was a 45 minute process. Kitchen knives, in contrast, take a few minutes on the stone once everything is set up.
Our shredder wouldn’t shred, and was disassembled to determine the cause. With beat up blades like this, it was no surprise.
Each blade resurfaced and stropped. These cut our branches like butter once the machine was reassembled!
Our Grizzly back in action on some kitchen knives. You can see the bright glint of the sharpened and polished blade on the left edge. This makes prep work a breeze with sharp tools. You can see our setup includes the robust Tormek angle guide, and a threaded tool rest with adjusting nut to mimic the much more expensive Tormek sharpener. For the money, this setup works well for our intermittent home use.
What is the first thing you would sharpen?