Beverly DeJulio, host of HGTV's HomeWise, says you're more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife than with a sharp one. If your knife is dull, you have to use more effort and are more likely to slip and hurt yourself. It's easy to sharpen your tools and it doesn't take long, so you might as well pull out your whetstone and get to work.
Knives
The most common tool for sharpening knives is a whetstone, which usually has both a medium/coarse side for initial sharpening and a smoother side for fine honing. To use a whetstone, spread a thin film of oil over the side you're using (figure A). Then press the blade of your knife against the stone, holding it at about a 30-degree angle, and draw it along the whetstone to sharpen it. Be sure to sharpen both sides of your blade evenly.
Scissors
When sharpening scissors, hold the blade at an angle that matches the bevel (figure B). Begin sharpening at the point, and push toward the pivot point as you slide the blade along the stone. Be sure to sharpen both blades evenly.
Awls
To sharpen an awl, place the point against the whetstone (figure C) and draw it back and forth. Rotate the awl and maintain a consistent angle so the point is sharpened evenly.
Chisels
When sharpening a chisel, hold the blade at an angle that matches the bevel (figure D). Start with a coarse stone, and pull the chisel toward you to sharpen it. Repeat the process on a medium and fine stone.
After you finish sharpening the beveled side, turn the chisel over, lay the blade flat on the fine stone and work it in a figure eight pattern to file off burrs.
Files
After files have been used for a while, they tend to lose their effectiveness. To renew your files, use a file card (figure E), which is a special wire brush that cleans out the grooves.
Resources A Primer on Knife Sharpening
A Primer on Knife Sharpening
URL:
www.ameritech.net/users/knives/index.htm
Knife Sharpening Tips & Techniques
Knife Sharpening Tips & Techniques
URL:
www.extremely-sharp.com/direct/sharpknife.html
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