Do I need to make and adjustment to the right side angle do to the slight off center clamping? I seem to have a bit more edge taken off on the right as compared to the left. Or is this just technique?
You do need to make an angle adjustment to the right side when using the Gen 2 jaws, as they are not self centering. Since only the right side of the Gen 2 jaws move, it will be necessary to adjust the right side angle. The wider the blade you’re sharpening, the more right side angle offset you will need.
If you don’t already have an angle cube, you should get one. They are an invaluable tool for the WE sharpeners. Even on the self centering WE Gen 3 vice, the angle cube is still an essential tool.
Alan’s right. Especially about using an AngleCube. Besides using it to set your bevel angles, you also use it to confirm the verticality of the blade. If the blade is leaning to one side or the other, you can measure the difference and adjust your left and right side bevel angles accordingly.
Generally, flat blades clamp up in a nice vertical position, even though the right side jaw is movable while the left is fixed. Adjust the upper and lower screw settings to keep the right jaw parallel to the left. Remember that the upper screw is used only to set the distance between the jaws. The lower screw applies the clamping force. If the blade is vertical, the only contributor to error is half the thickness of the blade - maybe tenths of a degree difference.
Blades which are not flat (the main grinds are not parallel to each other) require some finesse. Some guys use different types of tape to increase the stability of the blade and allow for a little bit of adjustability.
For full flat grind (FFG) blades which don’t clamp easily in the vertical position in the Gen 1 vise, I try to clamp with the left side vertical and the bottom of the right jaw kicked out so as to get the right jaw flat against the right side of the blade. Then I set the bevel angles to match the left lean angle of the blade centerline. For some users, this is quite confusing and the Gen 3 vise upgrade makes it unnecessary.
If you don’t have one already, I have to recommend the DXL360 Digital Protractor ($53.99 from Amazon). I have the Igaging and Wixey angle cubes and the DXL360 is a joy to use compared to them. You just have to remember to turn it off when you’re done using it to preserve the battery.
so if I have the same angle on each side I should be ok? I had both sides set at 20 degrees and seem to get more metal off the right side. It must be my technique or I need to change my angle to about a 1/2 degree or 1 degree less, compared to the left side?
Not necessarily. If you’re not careful that you grind evenly on both sides than your end result may be off-center.
Here is an example of a knife that is sharpened at 17 degrees per side but the bevel is wider on one side.
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Frans’ example is exactly right. If your blade is vertical, then you would set both sides to the same angle. If the edge is off-center, you’d want to work the narrow side only to move the edge back on center, at which time you’d resume your normal sharpening progression. This is why we try to take an equal number of strokes on both sides - to keep the edge on-center.
Of course, there are cases where you might want the edge off-center.