Get a good one. I use a Slope View TLL-90 (Dual-Axis Digital Protractor)
I milled pockets for stronger earth magnets. You can get them off ebay. Rechargeable too.
Angle cubes and the like are rubbish in comparison. It a bit thicker than a wicked edge hone, 3/4 the length and double the height. It’s back lit and you can even set it up to beep if it is passed the angle you desire. Got a lazer pointer too.
Hey All…I’ve been using the system since January and really like it; keep in mind I’m an newbie. A buddy gave new a $900 knife to sharpen so i thought I’d take out the Wixey cube that came with it just to see and verify the angles before I touched his knife. I put in anew battery, zeroed the unit and to my dismay nothing is right! I set the screw pins to 20 degrees and the closest I can get one side is 18 and the one side 17??? as well if I move the stone along the blade the angle changes; I thought it was to be the same angle the whole length of the blade…Am I missing something?
Leo you set your angles making gross adjustments first then microfine adjustments to fine tune your sharpeners angle settings to read the desired angle with your angle cube. Not the opposite way. Don’t use the sharpeners settings to set your desired precise angle settings.
The sharpener’s inscribed settings are simply an indication of the angles and a reference to use to know which direction you need to move the gross adjusters first, then the micro-fine adjusters last, to increase or decrease your angle settings.
Each side of the sharpeners are independent, that’s why each side has it’s own microfine adjusters to set the precise angles separately and independently.
You will find most knives don’t having matching bevel angles from side to side as they come from the knife maker. The Wicked Edge allows us to profile our knife edges so the bevel angles are precisely sharpened to the angle we choose and matching, side to side. That way using the zeroed out digital angle cube you can profile then sharpen that $900 knife so each side is precisely sharpened to 20°. Each subsequent touch ups will be easy to match this by recording your clamping position in your sharpening log.
Marc thanks for the reply. Indeed, I just assumed that purchasing a quality machine that when you set the gross adjustments to 20-degrees that it “should be close”! Setting them to 20-degrees I would think would get you to a point that the micro adjusters could get you bang on. Setting the gross adjusters to 20-degrees and getting 16.6 and 17.4 is laughable when you consider this is supposed to be a precise machine. I fully expected to set the gross adjustments to the indicated degree and be within micro adjustment reach and this is just not the case hence my question; am I missing something here?
If you tell me that it is common to be that far out then I will take it up this WE directly.
Leo the reason this happens has nothing to do with quality, it is a fact of Geometry. I am no expert on the subject but do understand why this occurs. The system is designed to be fairly accurate using the marking when the top edge of the bevel is 5/8 of an inch above the vise. As the knife get higher or lower the angle of the rod from the fixed anchor location to the top of the bevel will change. This is way you have the ability to fine tune the angle with the micro adjusters. To under stand this, mount a small knife or piece of bar stock or whatever in the vice so it is 5/8 over the edge of the vise. Set you angle with the rough setting and use your cube to fine tune it. Now mount another taller knife or item in the vice and read the angle on the cube.. you will see it changes the higher you get from the vice. As far as it changing, this is why we have to find the sweet spot of the knife so that angle does not change as much from end to end as the knife curves. Unfortunately there is still a little art involved in the sharpening of knives, even using a guided system.
If the blade is straight, the angle will remain the same along the whole length. It can begin to change, usually going to a lower, more acute angle, as you get to the belly and tip. That can be managed by the correct positioning of the blade. Here are some good resources about that:
No need to be racist. The more time passes, more things get made in China, unfortunately, but you have to move with the times. Japan is doing other things these days. Here are some ebay links. I paid $170. No more battery replacements and less time faffing around questioning my tools.
I fashioned up a cradle for some magnetic-ness for the ceramic hones that works both sides.
Also you can use elastic bands to hold the hone steady while you make adjustments. Stretch elastic band from far left over other side of clamp to hold the right side hone up against the blade.
Cradle pictured for ceramic and water hones.
Eugene: Thanks for the new vocabulary addition. “Faffing” was a new one for me. I watch a lot of BBC cop shows on PBS and am always hearing new stuff, but this was new, for sure.
Also, I hadn’t seen this new Angle Cube before this and am impressed by the 0.001 resolution. The 0.01 res is more than enough for our purposes, so I can’t justify the $175, although it does make my tongue hard - I am a sucker for new gadget tools. Does it have a reasonable settling time?
“Setting time” . I’m not sure I understand. I doubt you mean time setting. I did an unsuccessful search. Perhaps you are referring to the time it takes before it turns itself off? If so, I’m pretty sure it stays on. I can’t recall it having a time out. It has a really good rechargeable battery though.
Maybe there will be a second hand for sale with all the businesses closing down. Anyway here are some others that might lead you to something you can justify.
https://www.laserlevelshop.co.uk/rion-dmi410-single-axis-digital-protractor-0.01�-usb~794
http://www.sensorsiniot.com/ilevel3.html
https://www.directindustry.com/prod/level-developments-ltd/product-64246-591498.html
https://www.leveldevelopments.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/documents/LD-2M_Digital-Inclinometer.pdf
https://www.lnewdahab.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=797957
Thank you, Eugene: The video shows me exactly what I was asking. “Settling time” is the length of time required to “settle” down to a final reading after having made an adjustment. Some examples tend to bounce quite a bit, and then settle down to a reading which might or might not be consistent.
Sorry to have sent you off looking for other examples, as I already have had a Wixey, an Igaging, a DXL-360 and it’s better sister, the DXL-360S. For what it’s worth, the TLL-90 looks really impressive. Does it have magnets on all four sides?
Amazon shows the following specs for the TLL-90S:
<b>Specification:</b>
Item Type: Digital Protractor
Product Accuracy:
0 to 20°: ± (0.005°)
20 to 70°: ± (0.01°)
70 to 90°: ± (0.005°)
Measuring Range: Single: 360°, Dual: ±40°
Resolution: 0.001°
Gyroscope Speed: <50°/S
Angle Resolution: 0.1°
Angle Accuracy: 0.5°
Response Time: 0.7 Seconds
Audio Sound: 60db at 30cm
Angle Deviation: 0.002℃ (General State)
Working Temperature: 0-50℃
Storage Temperature: -10 To 60℃
User Interface: Monochrome LCD with backlight
Power: Rechargeable Lithium Polymer 3.7V
Charger Port: 5V 500mA USB Port
Power Consumption:
Standby: 10uA, Work: 20mA
Backup Battery Life: 4000 Hours
Battery Life: 30 Hours
Magnetic Strength: Set at the bottom, N35