ok guys here is a problem. I have ran into maybe someone can help. I started working at the fle market sharping pocket knifes but some of them are to small to put on the WE. I have been getting them as close to the tip of the vice as I can, but I am woundering is this thowing off the proper angle or is this just the way you have to do it. Or is the some other way
To get to lower angles on narrow knives, you do have to position the blade higher in the clamp. You can get to some pretty low angles this way. The angles are accurate when the edge of the knife is 5/8″ above the top of the clamp. If the edge is sitting higher or lower, it will affect the angle a little. You can use an angle cube (or the inclinometer app on a smartphone) to get the angle just right.
After I position the knife, I make a light pencil mark on the jaws at the level of the knife spine for re-indexing the knife later.