How Sharp Are Your Other Blades?

[Zig the Pirate]

Other than shaving tools, how sharp do you keep your cutting tools? Here's mine.

Knives are kept arm-shaving sharp. Unless it's a softer steel; then I keep it sharp enough to cleanly slice paper to keep edge retention.

Machetes are kept paper-slicing sharp, as they're impact tools and a super sharp edge quickly deforms.

Axes / tomahawks are barely able to slice paper, for the same reason.

X-acto blades are sharp enough to shave with, after a vinegar soak to prevent rust.

Swords are kept tree-topping sharp, like a razor.

Utility knife blades (box cutters) get the shoulders knocked off, a vinegar bath to prevent rust, then sharpened to paper-slicing sharp.

When I get a new sharp toy, I often reprofile the blade. Convex grind this, V-grind that, knock the shoulders off that one, etc.

 

[dojpros]

Knives- typically arm shaving sharp. Bare minimum-slices typing paper cleanly.

 

[Sinnbad11]

I keep my kitchen knives arm hair shaving sharp. I check occasionally and touch up if they miss any hairs. Pocket knives I keep the same way.

 

[trentr]

Swords? Tree topping? Is that possible? Or serious? Are you ninja? LOL
Only swords I see people own are novelty/fantasy type stuff. Or little plastic ones that go in olive/meat/cheese chunks haha
Anyway, serious question...were you serious about swords? And what is that all about?

When I sharpen knives, they get shaving sharp. Axes, chain saw chains, saw blades, hatchet, lawnmower blades, pretty much anything I sharpen gets a pretty good edge (except cold chisels lol) anyway, but I do not sharpen NEARLY as often as I need too. My wife can dull a kitchen knife just by opening the drawer haha. Main things I concentrate on are razors, hunting/boning knives, and pocket knife. Mainly because I am the only one that uses those and the edge will have a chance of lasting at least a short while.

Rant: My kids like to help me split up scrap boards for kindling in the garage. Bless their helpful heart. Crack! my hatchet slams right into the concrete. Everytime. Even though I tell them to put it on a piece of plywood. Nope.

 

[Zig the Pirate]

Swords? Tree topping? Is that possible? Or serious? Are you ninja? LOL
Only swords I see people own are novelty/fantasy type stuff. Or little plastic ones that go in olive/meat/cheese chunks haha
Anyway, serious question...were you serious about swords? And what is that all about?

When I sharpen knives, they get shaving sharp. Axes, chain saw chains, saw blades, hatchet, lawnmower blades, pretty much anything I sharpen gets a pretty good edge (except cold chisels lol) anyway, but I do not sharpen NEARLY as often as I need too. My wife can dull a kitchen knife just by opening the drawer haha. Main things I concentrate on are razors, hunting/boning knives, and pocket knife. Mainly because I am the only one that uses those and the edge will have a chance of lasting at least a short while.

Rant: My kids like to help me split up scrap boards for kindling in the garage. Bless their helpful heart. Crack! my hatchet slams right into the concrete. Everytime. Even though I tell them to put it on a piece of plywood. Nope.

Yes, I was serious about getting the swords tree-topping sharp. I mean that in the shaving sense, not as in cutting down trees with a wakizashi.

 

[trentr]

Yes, I was serious about getting the swords tree-topping sharp. I mean that in the shaving sense, not as in cutting down trees with a wakizashi.

Interesting. I would not have guessed a sword could be so sharp. Now I am envisioning trying to hone the thing. I am just quite impressed.

I have played with a machete in the brush and used it to butcher a rooster (just because, not as that is what they are used for), but I cannot dream up a purpose for a sword. I am afraid to go researching the topic and end up with another hobby, so I think I will be satisfied being impressed and confused haha

 

[JackJ]

I use machetes, axes, hatchets, and fixed blade knives fairly often--living on 5 forested acres, heating with a woodstove, clearing trails, and maintaining a garden. I sharpen most of these tools to shaving sharp, as in they'll take hair of my forearm when the blade is against the skin. But the angles and shapes of the bevels vary depending on the tool and it's purpose. My kitchen knives are mostly Japanese blue or white steel, and I sometimes get those to tree top. But the outdoor tools usually get a compound bevel, and almost always a microbevel at the cutting edge. They'll shave, but they'd do terribly at cutting a carrot.

 

[Steel2It]

I, alas, have never gotten the hang of knife sharpening, beyond achieving edges good enough to slice paper. That's about where I keep all my knives. I do extend the life of X-Acto and boxcutter blades by cleaning with naphtha and sharpening with 600 grit sandpaper. Those boxcutter blades get gummed up with tape adhesive from opening up all them shipping boxes containing shaving gear.