The Secrets of Tool Sharpening

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Here's an inside look at the way MOTHER's researchers maintain their tools .. . which could help you get the best performance possible from the bladed implements used in your kitchen and workshop.

There are few experiences more frustrating than attempting to work with a dull tool, but keeping keen edges on the average household's supply of bladed implements can be a very time-consuming task. Consequently, we'd like to pass on a few of the time-saving methods our workshop brigade uses to keep its (sizable!) stock of equipment well honed.

A VERSATILE EDGE

After working with a variety of different edge designs, we've come to favor a multi angled taper (as shown in the illustration) for most of the shop tools and heavy-duty knives, while we prefer a rounded version of the same edge for kitchen cutlery.

Of course, other blade configurations are well-suited to specific tasks. Hollowground knives, for example, will slice food more easily than will blades with our preferred edge . . . but the former grind's loss of strength limits its usefulness for many purposes. In fact, we're inclined to think that hollow-grinding has only three legitimate applications: on carving knives, on decorative knives (it does enhance the appearance of a blade), and on flathead screwdrivers (where the relief helps the tool reach deeper into a fastener's slot).

The specific angle to which a tool is sharpened should be determined by the duties that the implement must perform.

Wood chisels, planes, and similar shop items need a medium angle (about 30°) to peel back layers of wood, for example . . . whereas cold chisels, axes, and other heavy-duty implements need blunt angles if they're to resist chipping.

It's a good idea to let the intended task determine the edge angle when sharpening knives, too. A fine carving tool, for example, might get by with a very steep angle . . . to let it glide through a Thanksgiving turkey. However, a pocketknife honed to a similarly severe edge would never survive being used to punch holes in can lids, cut wire, or any of the other not entirely appropriate tasks such tools are regularly asked to do.

A QUICKER WAY

Photo 1 shows a collection of hand-held sharpening devices. Any one of them can be used to put an excellent edge on a knife . . . with a little patience. But when you're honing other tools, the manual sharpeners often aren't practical.

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