Sharpen knives evenly

That's how you sharpen a knife - say good bye to unevenness!

Submitted by: Dominik Funk, Fürth, Germany

Online since: 12/10/2009

When sharpening the kitchen knives it's important to keep a constant angle of about 15 degrees between knife and sharpening block to get a good result. A ledge that helps to maintain the correct angle is easily made.

Material needed:

Wood moulding, 15-20 cm long
3 disc magnets S-10-03-N
Glue UHU MAX REPAIR

To make the guide strip, select a piece of wood moulding with dimensions that are as close to the ideal as possible. Then cut it to the desired length and, using a plane and/or sandpaper, shape it to a width of 2 cm and a height of 0,9 cm. Next, mark the height d (see drawing below for measurements) and proceed in the same manner.

Now, on the top surface c, mark three points at equal intervals along the centre line for drilling the holes. When drilling, take care not to drill too deep (3,5-4 mm) and ensure that the drill bit is held at a 90-degree angle to the top surface. Now you only have to glue in the disc magnets so that they sit flush.

The finished strip will look like this:

For sharpening you just place the ledge on the knife parallel to the sheath. The ledge clings to the knife thanks to the magnets and won't shift. Now you just have to adjust the distance to the sheath in a way that the lower side lies straight on the sharpening block.

When sharpening, you have to make sure that the wedge lies straight - then you will automatically maintain a constant angle (15 degrees with the above measurements).

There are numerous easy-to-find guides and videos on sharpening techniques available online (search for: knife sharpening, instructions)