How to Sharpen a Chisel Edge Knife
A chisel edge knife has one side that is flat and the other side, while it may start flat, has a beveled edge that tapers down to the bottom of the knife blade, creating the cutting edge where it meets the back of the knife.
This is different from many knife blades that have a bevel or taper on the bottom side of both faces of the blade. Sharpening a chisel edge knife blade requires a different set of procedures than does sharpening a standard, double bevel knife blade.
Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Sharpening stone
- Honing oil or water
- Flat surface
- Paper
Please enter your 10 digit phone number only.
A link to this article has been sent to the phone number provided.
Instructions
-
-
1
Prepare the sharpening stone for use, either by presoaking water stones or by adding a drop or two of honing oil for oil stones.
-
2
Place the stone on a flat, firm surface such as a table top or work bench.
-
-
3
Lap, or flatten, the flat face of the blade by laying the flat face on the stone and rubbing it in a figure eight motion. Check periodically to see the scratch pattern left by the stone and continue lapping until the blade has a uniform scratch pattern across the whole of the flat face.
-
4
Place the bevel of the knife blade on the face of the sharpening stone. The hilt, or bottom of the handle, should be almost touching the stone and the point should be overhanging the stone on the other side.
-
5
Grasp the handle with one hand and use it to push the blade across the sharpening stone, pulling across the stone at the same time. As the curved part of the knife edge approaches the stone, twist the knife forward to maintain the contact between the bevel and the knife blade. Ideally you will have pulled the blade completely across the sharpening stone at roughly the same time that you push it to the opposite end of the stone. This makes sure that each section of the blade gets sharpened the same.
-
6
Continue sharpening the blade in this manner for 15 to 20 strokes. Flip the blade over and make a quick pass or two with the flat side down to remove any burrs created along the knife edge caused by the sharpening of the beveled edge. Check the sharpness of the blade by cutting a piece of paper. If you encounter difficulty, either continue sharpening or move up to a finer grit stone.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
For duller knives, start with a coarse grit stone and then progress to a medium, fine and super fine stone.
Knives that just need a little touching up can start with a medium or even fine stone.
