Low Angle Adapter for SAK / Slipjoints?
- This topic has 14 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 08/28/2017 at 3:02 pm by
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The length of the rods might depend of what system you are using. I have a WE130 and with the LAA I think you can get 18 deg. on that blade. I do use the 12″ rods with the LAA. On mine there is 5 to 6 deg. of difference with the LAA. In other words my arms will be set at 22 to 24 deg. on the bar to get to 18 deg. depending on the size of the knife. Should be doable.
The disadvantage of the tormek for me is that it’s not repeatable, not as precise as the WE clamping system. In other words when you come back to touch up getting it back in the tormek in exactly the same position is for me impossible. I have to determine the tilt of the blade, angle and placement all over every time. For knives with low profiles sharpened at acute angles it’s the best option in certain cases for me because it totally eliminates hitting the clamp. Done some small fillet knives in it with pretty good results. If you put the tormek on the LAA you can sharpen at crazy acute angles say down to 8 deg. or so on mine.
Here is a topic I started about this last year
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Thanks Frans. Did you ever try the LAA from WE or is this post theoretical?
No, I did not try the LAA as it costs €118.- (US$139,-) here in the Netherlands. This is of course not the fault of WE but in my opinion it is a ridiculous price.
https://www.knivesandtools.nl/nl/pt/-wicked-edge-low-angle-adapter.htm
Besides that, by looking at the photos and Youtube videos of the LAA, I am pretty sure that it is developed to get a lower angle on larger (wider) knives and still not very suitable for SAK style knives.
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I have the LAA and a Case & Sons slip joint folder. I will check it out tonight if I remember and have the time. My off the cuff guess is that it won’t work well because the stones will likely hit the tightening screw on the LAA with a knife of that size.
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Okay, I checked and the lowest angle I could get without hitting the jaws of the LAA was about 18.5 degrees. In my opinion, this is not useful. I should note that the knife was easily sharpened using the Tormek small knife adapter. I agree that the LAA was designed for use with larger knives. Just to see, I clamped an 8 inch Victorinox chef knife and was able to easily get 8.5 degrees without hitting the clamp.
Okay, I checked and the lowest angle I could get without hitting the jaws of the LAA was about 18.5 degrees. In my opinion, this is not useful.
Well, to me 18.5 degrees on a slip joint does not sound unreasonable. Depends on the steel, of course. But I usually sharpen my Swiss army knives at 19-20 degrees sometimes with a microbevel at 21 degrees.
Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge
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Mark76,
Sorry, I should have been more clear; by not useful, I meant that it was not a particularly low angle. I did not mean that the angle would not be suitable for the knife (in fact, I sharpened it to 20 degrees per side using the Tormek small knife adapter, but could have gone much lower if I had wanted to). One would expect a device called the low angle adapter would allow you to achieve low angles. I don’t think anyone would make the case that 8.5 degrees per side is not a low angle, but 18.5 degrees per side on a traditional folding pocket knife is hardly what most would consider a low angle.
That is true Organic in my experience as well. With any clamp that holds the blade directly there is always the limitation of the width of the clamp vs the height of the blade. The LAA has it’s limitations just like the normal clamp. For the low profile blades there has been no other solution for me than the Tormek as well. Especially at angles below and sometimes at 20 deg. I take it that you put the Tormek in the LAA adapter to achieve 8.5 degrees? That is about the lowest angle I can get as well without going off the scale on the bar, in other words inside the preset holes in the bar. I’ve done several fillet knives at 13 to 15 degrees and had to use the Tormek. With the LAA alone I couldn’t get below 20 degrees and still have room to strop after honing without hitting the clamp.
I too think that 18 to 20 degrees for those little pocket knives is the best angle for most of them, especially most of the inexpensive ones.
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Actually, the 8.5 degrees per side that I measured on the Victorinox chef knife was with the LAA only. I did not utilize the Tormek small knife adapter in that measurement. Larger knives (with a wider blade) give you additional height off of the clamp and allow for much better clearance.
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