Pro edge

[BOX]

Hi all,

Any body got or used a Robert Sorby Pro Edge sharpining machine, and what's your opinion on them.

Cheers Bob

[Big Shed]

http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=152167&highlight=Sorby

[tore]

Watching with interest :D:D

[nz_carver]

Box mate iv had ove for the last 3 yrs if you wana com have a try out

[BOX]

Box mate iv had ove for the last 3 yrs if you wana com have a try out

Ok that would be good doyou mind ringing me on 0433607738.

Cheers Bobo

[smiife]

Hi bob,
I have had one for a while and before i got mine my tools were a mess
I had all kind of angles/edges , once i got the pro-edge my tools have
been excellent, you would not regret getting one, I think my turning
improved almost immediatly, repeatability of angles every time, and
sharp tools in a flash, just a quick touch up and away you go :2tsup:
I would highly recommend the product to anyone thinking of getting one.

[nz_carver]

Just talked to Bob he's not to far from me he's going to have a go on my ProEdge
and see what he thinks

[artme]

I looked at this machine and I think it sees to be quite good.

Tried to make my own version as I have a H&F 12" disc sander with a 6''
belt. Was impossible to get the angles right so I gave up.

Don't have the money to get the real McCoy!!!

[rsser]

I've been increasingly using mine for knife sharpening, both freehand with a modified platen and with the Sorby jig and platen. Happy to post about that if folk are interested.

[WoodWriteOz]

I've been increasingly using mine for knife sharpening, both freehand with a modified platen and with the Sorby jig and platen. Happy to post about that if folk are interested.....

Yes Please...

[rsser]

OK.

In the thread Big Shed linked to above I posted about the limitations of freehand sharpening with the standard setup.

Since then I took a spare platen and turned the mount holes into slots to allow the platen to sit proud of the unit's arm, and I chamfered the leading and trailing edges. There's enough slack in the belts for this.

So that setup allows freehanding of the full length of both bevels.

There is a good Japanese knife in the kit with a long single bevel that needed rehabbing and freehand wasn't going to do much for its appearance so I stumped up for the Sorby short knife kit. This is pretty exxy and and perhaps not a brilliant value proposition. I guess one of its advantages is to establish consistent bevel angles and so take off the minimum of steel at each sharpening. But then how many people wear out a kitchen knife?

The kit consists of a replacement guide arm, rod & clamp unit, and a raised and longer platen. Very easy to install as are the other jigs, and the working height is comfortable and allows good vision and control.

The first bunch of knives ranged from 75 mm paring to 200 mm French Cooks (Mundial, Wusthof) along with a Japanese 150 mm VG10 Petit knife. I used the three grades of Trizact belts that Sorby sells and got very good results. The finest grade is supposed to be equivalent to 3000 grit in some grading scheme or other and Sorby claims it as honing standard. The Petit knife normally gets done on Japanese ceramic whetstones usually up to #10,000. I would say that the Trizact produced a result that felt in use to be around #5000 equivalent but it can't be a direct comparison as the geometry limitations of the system meant the smallest included bevel angle produced was greater than the stones can do.

The other limitation appears with small knives. To avoid fouling the clamp on the belt the included bevel angle also has to be greater than you can do with freehand on the belt or other methods. But the knives are still perfectly usable and with the relatively mediocre steel in them many folk would be running them at a rather obtuse angle anyway.

The belts take off steel efficiently and the jig gives you confidence that with a bit of practice you'll get an even result. A light touch is needed at the tip as there's enough heat around otherwise to blue it.

This will become my standard sharpening setup for the Western knives. I've been using a bench mounted 1" belt sander and the abrasives for that have become expensive. I've had some success with DIY belts but all up it's too much of a fiddle.