As far as I am concerned the convex grind edge is the simplest and easiest to hone and keep sharp. Paradoxically it is also the most difficult to hone and keep sharp. Why is that? Well it is all down to the skill and expertise of the person driving the edge. I have spent a lifetime sharpening and more latterly making edged tools and I am probably just a little obsessive about my edges. As far as I am concerned a less than perfect edge just isn’t worth using under any circumstances.
As a consequence I probably spend as much time sharpening and honing my tools as I do actually carving with them.
The, rather obvious really, result of this obsessive work on my edges is that I’m rather good at it. After some forty or more years of sharpening I have the experience and the “feel” necessary to get my edges to shaving sharp without really having to think too hard about how I do it. I use a rather basic set of sharpening stones or sometimes a compressed leather wheel on my bench grinder (Powerstrop). I even use a range of abrasive papers on a bit of wood. It really depends upon my mood. I usually hone using a bit of old belt leather impregnated with metal polish. Sometimes I use a piece of polished slate, again with metal polish.
To be honest if I’m feeling really lazy I will sometimes use a sanding disk with 600 grit abrasive paper mounted in a drill. I then hone using my trusty leather belt.
I am really not that picky about exactly how I arrive at my edges, I don’t get fanatical about sharpening methods or systems and in fact I refuse to even consider investing in something like the Lansky system. But I am an extreme perfectionist when it comes to the edges themselves. Nothing less than perfect will do.
So, when I see questions from novices on FB about how to sharpen and how not to sharpen I sometimes become just a little frustrated when I see responses and comments stating that “the best way is this” or “that”. In my opinion, backed up by many years experience, there is no one best way to sharpen a blade. There are only personal preferences and methods which suit the person who likes to use them.
If I looked hard I could probably find around 10 different methods for sharpening all referred to as “the best” on the good old internet and for nearly every single one of them I could point out a reason why it would not work well enough for me.
The same is true for the edge profile, Scandi, secondary bevel, convex etc.. They all have their supporters. Thickness of blade as well, do you like a thin blade or thick? Flexible or rigid?
The list of questions is almost endless, the variations likewise. If I explained that my preference is for a thick blade, absolutely rigid, extremely hard steel and ground with a very shallow convex profile and honed to a mirror polish there will be a hundred people out there all telling me I’m wrong. I’ve seen experienced carvers stating that “the best edge is a scandi edge period” ……WRONG. For me Scandi grind edges just don’t suit my style. Thin blades feel like they might break……I could go on but I won’t.
I know what works for me. I cannot tell you what will be best for you and I refuse to do so. I am not going to try and evangelise about my favoured blade style or edge profile because I simply believe that everyone should find their own way. What I do know is that my edges cut and cut extremely well. I carve hard seasoned wood and sometimes even bone using my tools. I also carve green wood and again, my tools never let me down. I can carve detail or simple. I know the individual characteristics of all of my tools intimately, they are my friends and I know how they perform and how they cut.
Carved by Trev 