First post changed – topic locked

[Daniel maloon]

cant wait to see what comes next

[Phil Pasteur]

Al might not be the best thing to use. Unless the tube for the rods was lined with something, they would wear out and get sloppy pretty quickly. Of course they could be sleeved with brass or bronze…
Al would have to be machined rather than molded…

Now you are starting to talk lots more cost to them and to you (me, us). The added cost is not worth it to me anyway.

As a matter of fact, there have been lots of discussions here about possibilities for making the machine “better”. A stainless steel vise has been discussed. Some people have made them for themselves. It all comes to the concept of cost/benefit ratios and trying to sell something at a price point that people can afford. I think that the PPII at its price point is already pretty scary for some folks. Actually, had I not upgraded my system over time, say I was just in the market now for something to just sharpen a few knives, it would not be something that I could justify. If one would want to pay for it, I could build them a close to perfect example of the WEPS. +/- 0.0001″ tolerances, titanium and stainless steel throughout. I looked at it once and for single units I would ask for about $10K.

The ceramic stones. How did you determine that they were not flat? I lapped the microfine set that I have and they were hardly off at all. Had I not wanted to re-texture them, I would not have bothered.

So if you wanted them flattened “perfectly” I am sure that this could be done, but the time and materials would likely triple the cost. I think that the ceramics (including my superfine stones) are close enough that it would not be worth it for me to pay the cost.

I haven’t bought anything in 40 years that I did not think could be made better, including a $45K car.
You always have to go back to the cost/benefit/marketability equation. It is quite easy for us to sit around and imagine ho tings could be done better. It is quite another thing to want to bring a very good product to market, make a decent profit, and still maintain a price point that enough people will accept to sustain the business.

[Leo Barr]

Well said Philip and then you still have to add the human factor as the operator there are many subtleties required to use sharpening tools in general .
1 Mk 1 eyeball
2 Hand eye coordination
3 Feel for the mechanical vagaries of the device
4 Pressure
I feel that even with your 7K super WE the results would still depend on the user operator.
Experience is what ends up been the most important thing with these tools they are not machines after all.

[Phil Pasteur]

There seems to be an attitude that is prevalent today that everything should be done independent of any effort by the individual.
You are correct. More attention to skill and less worry about everything being “easy” or “perfect” has much to be said for it.

I check my angles for every stone. I don’t trust them to be the same, especially after I have “fixed” them to be better…
🙂

[Leo Barr]

If the SWATS work as well as the drill stop collar does on the EP that will remove the need to check between stones.
With the EP I set the angle up with the Angle Cube and one of the stones I intend using ; it does not really matter which one it is since it is simple setting the angle with that stone ; then I place the stone between the base of the shaft used to make the angles and the drill stop collar and then I lock off the drill stop collar – that completes the set up now every different stone is placed under the drill stop collar and the shaft is either raised or dropped to fit snugly over stone and base. This way the angle is always the same provided the stones are lapped . Before I had the drill stop collar my edges were mediocre once I read about it I realised just how much the different stone thicknesses affected the results particularly at small angles where the stone thickness has a marked result on the angle.
I imagine the SWATS will work in a similar way and save checking and adjusting the settings to keep a constant angle and save those who are aware of this effect and strive to correct it a lot of time.
The more I and probable we use the tools the more we become aware of the subtleties.

[Mikedoh]

What’s up with the original post and topic?

Somebody edit it all for fun?

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