The Tormek Way of Sharpening
Professional sharpening of all edge tools
Knife Sharpening
Sharpen your knife to a lasting and razor sharp edge
- Knowledge
- How to Sharpen Your Tools
- Knife Sharpening
Quick, easy, and precise sharpening
The Tormek knife jigs enable you to restore the knife blade to its original and optimal edge angle. You do not just sharpen or hone at the very tip of the edge, which only temporarily increase the sharpness – you create an even, durable bevel along the full knife blade.
A durable edge
When sharpening and honing with the Tormek knife jigs, you are in full control and get a constant bevel angle for the full knife blade. Since you re-sharpen the knife to the same edge angle, you do not remove any unnecessary amount of steel, making the sharpening efficient. Also, it will cause minimal wear on your knives and you will have the benefit of always working with a real sharp knife, sharpened to the ideal edge angle.
If you are used to touching up the knife edge without leaving the workspace, you can use a sharpening steel in between sharpening on the Tormek system, just keep in mind that the edge angle will unintentionally increase after each time. After a few touch ups using a sharpening steel you come to a point where you need to restore and sharpen the full bevel to its intended edge angle.
Knife Sharpening
In this sharpening class, Wolfgang and Sèbastian from Tormek talks about different techniques for knife sharpening and show you how to sharpen three types of knives; a regular chef's knife, a filleting knife, and a skinning knife with a rounded belly. They use the KJ-45 Centering Knie Jig and the KJ-140 Wide Centering Knife Jig (have been updated since the making of the video).
Advanced Knife Sharpening
Do you want to take your knife sharpening to the next level? Then this advanced knife sharpening class is for you. In this episode, we discuss the many aspects of knife sharpening that are often discussed and debated in sharpening forums, among crafts people and professional sharpeners worldwide. We go in depth on the complexity of the exact edge angle, how to sharpen certain kinds of knifes with different shapes and material, the importance and function of honing and some basic knife care, among other things.
From sharp to dull, to sharp again
- A sharp edge.
- The edge is worn and blunt.
- After honing on a whetstone or by hand using a sharpening steel the edge is sharp again, but with an increased edge angle.
4. After another period of use the edge is blunt again.
5. Another honing sharpens the edge to a still larger angle.
6. The edge is now re-ground with Tormek to its original shape and edge angle.
Gentle on the steel
The grinding wheel rotates at a low rpm and the edge is continuously cooled with water during sharpening. This means there is no risk that the steel will get overheated and damaged. Since you remove a minimum amount of steel your valuable knives will last for a long time.
Superior sharpness
The jig rests on the Universal Support and gives you full control over the edge angle. The burr that is built up during sharpening is easily removed on the Tormek Leather Honing Wheel which also polishes the edge to a razor's sharpness. You get a very nice edge that will last longer.
Knife sharpening angles - Manufacturer's recommendations
The recommended edge angle of your knife is often written on the knife's packaging. If you don’t find it there you can often find it on the manufacturer’s website. We have created a list where you find the angle recommendations from some “well-known” knife manufacturers.
Edge angles for different types of knives
The ideal edge angle is depending on the type of knife and the area of use. A knife for cutting meat should have a larger edge angle than a knife for cutting vegetables. A small edge angle (25°) will cut easily but it will also be more sensitive to wear and damage. A larger edge angle (40°) will give a stronger and more durable edge. Below follow some suggested edge angles for sharpening of different types of knives.
You can set the edge angle with the WM-200 AngleMaster. For knives with a small bevel, like kitchen knives, it is easier set the edge angle on to the knife blade, you then half the number of degrees to get the same result. Visit the product page of the AngleMaster to see how it works.
Woodcarving Knives
Slicing, filleting and paring knives
Knives for butchers, chefs and kitchens
Hunting and sporting knives
Sharpening long knives and cleavers
Sometimes your regular Universal Support just doesn't cut it. It might bee too short lengthwise or hightwise. With the US-430 Extended Universal Support you can sharpen both longer and taller blades, such as long knives, cleavers and machetes. Like our other Universal Supports, it has the Micro Adjust with a scale for precise setting of the sharpening angle.