Knife Sharpening : Knife Sharpening Angles

Different knives have different edge angles. Knowing the edge angle of the knife you are sharpening will help get it sharp. Learn how to determine the best angle to sharpen knives in this free tools video.

Expert: Thomas Stuckey
Bio: Thomas Stuckey of Knife Sharpest has been sharpening knives for 20 years. He also designs and crafts custom knives and is a professional knife and tomahawk thrower.
Filmmaker: Mark Bullard

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• knives
• knife
• sharpening
• whetstones
• knifes
• stones
• techniques
• specialty
• Ceramic
• Sharpening
• Rods
• Leather
• Strops
• Knife
• Steels
• Scissors
• Cleavers
• Scimitars
• Machetes
• Serrated
• Knives
• Pocket
• Combat
• kniv

[JesusFuckingChrist84]

30 degrees... per side? Not going to get razor sharp, I can assure you of that.

[gudzeroni]

So to sum up, there are basically 3 categories of knife angles:

For vegetables

for utility

and for people,

amazing ;)

[JesusFuckingChrist84]

@AnomalyTea

At any rate, it is all a matter of opinion. I had an axe that was sharpened to 20 degrees that went through a freakin' brick with just a little roll. Whereas I've seen knives at 40 chip the hell out.

Geomtry and metal make a huge difference, and admittedly while my 10 degree knife has rolled before, I simply make the blended third bevel more abrupt. (FFG, then rounded shoulder, then bevel blended into that, 3 bevels essentially, still shaves)

Quite durable.

[JesusFuckingChrist84]

@AnomalyTea

My apologies if you've already received a response, youtubes new setup is quite wacky to say the least.

At any rate, I'd say you are being quite presumptuous. Without knowing grind, steel or heat treat, you cannot (Nor can I) that your knife is any better than mine at the angle at which yours is sharpened, and despite this, what works for me may not work for you, but do not be a rude prick and say "Oh mine is WAY better than yours." Especially when I RELY on them, lol

[AnomalyTea]

@JesusFuckingChrist84 Everything I said is 100% true. You certainly can get somewhat durable, low-angle, sharp knives. However, a higher angle will ALWAYS be more durable, and just as usable. In any situation, I would RELY on my 25 degree pocketknife over your knife in a heartbeat (RELIABILITY of a knife is significant, otherwise why carry one?). The difference in sharpness is negligible. The difference in durability is significant.

I would not RELY on an axe ground lower than 30 degrees.

[JesusFuckingChrist84]

@AnomalyTea

Yes it is an extreme example, I also liked the part where it isn't true. :P

Not the 30 degrees per side bit, I will say you can get very low angled axes that will cut all day because of geometry, and I carry a spyderco persistence that currently has total of maybe a 9 or 10 degree convex bevel, it was too delicate and rolled ever so slightly, so I added a microbevel at a higher angle, the thing cuts all day and cuts because the geometry is good, far longer than before.

[AnomalyTea]

30 degrees per side is plenty sharp, I can assure you of that. I can also assure you that you need to pick the right angle for the application. Don't even try sharpening an axe at 17.5 degrees... it'll lose that edge in a single swing.

Basically you can choose either to have a shaving-sharp knife, or a knife that lasts more than 3 cuts before getting dull, not both... unless you carry 2 knives. (extreme example, but you get my point)

[AceMccoy24]

epic side burns dude!.....NICE VID ME OUT ALOT!

[xMrjamjam]

expert village knife sharpening videos suck they dont make the edge hold very long and yes i use high carbon steel

[megalizardfreak]

@20tom09gt i say a 25 or 30

[KeithWasHere1]

ultimately i like what i got and so far have never had a chipped blade and rarely a dull one in the 15 years i have been whittling,and all my blades are shave ready at any time.quality steel and precise tools make all the difference.

[KeithWasHere1]

@TzunSu perhaps...but with bench-stones you loose your angle with every stroke so you dont get a uniform edge most of the time, i dont like them..yeah the angle slots on the lanksy has some room for slop,thats why i build my own angle brackets that hold the stone and guide alot more firmly and precisely,and if i want to get really ambitious i will clamp a blank in my friends bridge port and put a verified and dead on ball accurate 60 degree edge the entire length of the blade.