Sharpening Made Easy
Knife Sharpening Information and Equipment
Sharpening School Course Description
The focus of this class is learning how to sharpen household
knives, scissors and garden tools with the goal of establishing a
full or part time business. Stress is on efficient methods so you
can make a reasonable profit for your time and investment and, in
most cases, sharpen while the customer waits.
Each class session is taught one-on-one and is customized to the
needs of the student.
Textbooks: Sharpening Made
Easy by Steve Bottorff and How to Start Your Own Knife Sharpening Business
by Robert Young. Additional reading material is provided in
class.
TYPICAL CLASS, DAY 1
Approx 6 hours with lunch
Introduction:
We will discuss the student's particular background, interests and
goals and relate them to our own experience.
Discussion of potential business models.
Sharpening 101:
A discussion of basic sharpening theory – different edge profiles
and angles and their applications.
What is the importance of blade shape?
Equipment:
A review of the equipment that may be needed in a sharpening
business and where to purchase that equipment.
Equipment lists and manufacturer's brochures are provided.
Promotion and Pricing:
Discussion of where to find customers, how to promote your
business and how to price your services.
What items you could sell. Where to offer your services. Handouts
provided.
Use of the Tormek Wet Grinder:
Sharpening of a small knife and a large knife using the Tormek
jigs.
Freehand sharpening of knives. Practice.
Use of Paper Wheels:
Freehand sharpening of knives using the Razor Sharp Edgemaking
paper wheel system.
The setup and maintenance of this system.
Hybridizing:
How to combine 2 step systems into a faster 3 step method that
utilizes the best features of both. (Belt sander and
paper wheels, Tormek and paper wheels, Tormek and F Dick RS-150
Duo)
Practice
Belt Sander:
The many uses of this versatile sharpening tool.
Other Sharpening Methods:
Depending on the student's interest we will look at low volume
manual sharpening systems, low and medium priced electric
sharpeners and a high volume commercial sharpening system.
We will discuss their benefits and limitations with relationship
to the student's business model.
Serrated knives:
Discussion of serrated knives, cheap and good, and how to sharpen
each type.
Which knives not to sharpen and why.
Advanced Knife Sharpening:
Correcting blade shape, repairing broken tips, reducing high
bolsters. sharpening inside curves, Asian single bevel knives.
DAY 2
Approx. 4 hours with lunch, or 3 hours w/o lunch
Scissors:
The basic theory of scissor design.
Which scissors are worth sharpening and which are not.
Scissor bevel angles. The importance and maintenance of the ride.
Use of the Tormek as a scissor sharpener and the Twice As Sharp
dedicated scissor sharpener.
Practice.
Serrated Knives:
How to re-serrate a blade using the TAS scissor sharpener with a
modified wheel.
Advanced Scissor Sharpening:
Discussion of pinking shears, left hand shears and salon shears.
You will learn how salon shears and clipper blades are different
from the above and why they require different machinery and
training.
Garden And Other Tools:
How to sharpen various pruning and lopping shears, grass clippers,
hatchets & axes, machetes, cleavers, hedge trimmers, paper
cutters, chisels and plane irons, woodworking tools.
Belt Sander:
The many uses of this versatile sharpening tool.
Day One is about 6 hours and is mainly devoted to knife
sharpening. Day Two is about 4 hours and continues with knives and
also covers scissors and garden tools and offers more practice
time. A one day class is offered with less topics (selected for
the student's interests) and less practice time. One day is
suitable for hobbyists.
Updated March 3, 2011
Copyright 2011
e-mail steve at bottorff dot com
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