New from Michigan

[Bob]

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 Hello everyone, bought a WE 130 last week, what fun!  I have been sharpening knives for many years, but never with the consistency,  and attention to detail that the WE provides.

I sharpen some knives that I had laying around the house, and realize I need to buy the low angle adapter.  I can tell already that WE is going to be like  heroin.  I’m sure I’ll be buying new stuff every week.

I do have a question about sharpening Chinese vegetable cleavers. 8 inches long 3 inches deep and a tad over 16th thick.

When I clamp them in the vice there is still a lot of wiggle.  I’ve just tried to hold the opposite side I’m sharpening to keep it from moving, But I’m hoping there’s a better solution. Thanks

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wickededge

[Marc H]

Welcome to the Wicked Edge Forum, Bob.  Can you post a picture showing us how you’re clamping the Cleaver, and possible the portion of the cleaver your clamping?  I have not had any knives wiggle in the WE130 jaws.  I wrap a small rectangle of real leather chamois up around the knife spines, covering both sides, before I clamp it in the vice.  The chamois does a couple things.  It protects the knife steel from scratching and allows for a better clamping purchase on the knife.

Bob can you describe for us how you are positioning the cleaver in the jaws? How deep or shallow? Are you able to determine where the wiggle is?  Is it the jaws wiggling or the cleaver in the jaws?  Have you adjusted the tension lever and tried different settings?

Do the clamped jaws, empty, without a knife in them, wiggle?  Did any other knives show signs of movement?  Any additional details are appreciated.

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

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wickededge

[Bob]

Thanks for your reply Marc,

I guess I use the wrong word, flex is what I mean.  The vice hold the blade quite securely, but because of the thinness  of the blade it has a lot of flex.  What is was thinking about doing,  is cutting some 1/16  angle stock 2 x 1/4 and clamping the knife between those two pieces.  When I get it done I will post a picture of it.  Any advice you might have I would be grateful for .

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wickededge, Marc H

[Marc H]

Bob,  There you go, I feel better now.  Ingenuity is helpful when sharpening with a Wicked Edge.   Usually in the flexing situation we offset the flex with the opposite hand supporting the back side to apply resistance against the stone.  It can be a slow and tedious process.

Let me say this, once you get your edge profile established with the coarser grits, as you progress to finer and finer grits you should be able to lessen up on your applied pressure so the blade shouldn’t flex much at all.  Then it only will take a very little bit of opposing force applied to the back side to keep it rigid.

With the angle stock you may want to sandwich something compressible, like the leather chamois, between the two metals and the jaws.  I’m thinking metal on metal on metal, may slide, (i.e., vice jaws on angle stock, on cleaver steel).

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

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wickededge

[Bob]

Marc, Worked like a charm,  fortunately it held tight because there really isn’t any room to put leather in it, maybe a piece of a rubber glove if it starts to slip.

Bob

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Marc H

[Marc H]

Bob, glad it worked.  That is a helpful solution for many other sharpener  I’m guessing it’d probably work just as well even if it was an inch or so shorter then the ends of the blade.  Especially if the blade was clamped in the center of it’s length.

I like your stone stops.  (I see one in the bottom of the photo).  We love to see user innovations!  Where did you purchase the long locking collars?  What inside diameter are they?  That something we’d like you share with the Forum on the “Mods” threads.    You may also want to post your “Flexible Knife Mod” on the Mod Thread also!

Helpful hint: Some of us find it helpful to take a black marker to the stone scuffs on the jaws.  Keeping them painted makes it easier to see when we’re making new ones.  Sometimes there’s such light contact you can hardly feel them happening.

 

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

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wickededge

[Bob]

Thanks Marc for the marker tip.

I purchased the standoffs at Suburban Bolt & Supply in Roseville Michigan.  I originally bought them for some magnetic locks that I was installing and had them left over from that job, the original hole was 3/16 I drilled it out to 17/64,  then I drilled and tapped them with a 10/32 tap.  The screws were also purchased at Suburban Bolt & Supply,  again left over from another project.

When I work out the bugs on the flexible life mod, I will try to post it.

Thanks again

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wickededge

[Author]

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