Edgepro Tutorial #5: Hard Mounting the Edgepro Apex
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- Опубликовано: 5 ноя 2024
- Here's a short video on modification to the Edgepro Apex that can really improve your precision and enjoyment sharpening knives with the Edgepro system. What I've done is hard mount the unit to the piece of laminate counter top I use as the top of my sharpening bench. This eliminates what I consider the weak link of the EPA system, the suction cup mounts. The video shows the unit as modified and how I did it. Here's the list of tools and hardware you'll need to complete the project:
Tools:
Cordless Drill
11/64" drill bit (not 7/64" as misstated in the video)
Pliers
Hardware:
2 -- 3" long #8-32 threaded rod (cut to length after assembly)
2 -- #8-32 hex nuts
2 -- #8-32 wing nuts
4 -- #8 fender washers
Hi Rob,You might want to consider using a couple small O-rings between the body washers and the counter top. The particle board under the surface of the counter top will not fair well if any water seeps past.
BRILLIANT!!! My workbench is the same as yours. I could never keep the cups stuck. Just ran over to the hardware store and picked up the stuff to do it. So much more solid now.
Thanks for the inspiration. I followed suit and added a few tips and tricks. To make sure I got the holes in the right place on my bench I did a pencil rubbing on paper on the base of the edge pro and used that as a template to put the holes in my bench. Bench mounting the EP is a major upgrade. Thanks Rob.
30 knives a week! That is impressive!
Great tip! I get so sick of chasing my EPA across the bench every time I sharpen. I own the glass disk that came with the stone leveling kit, but it only helps a little. It is most useful for keeping the slurry from running all over the bench when I run the stones really wet.
WHAT A FANTASTIC IDEA ROB!!
"Don't do it". You kill me..... Merry Christmas brother!!!
You too Steve!
I just did this mod, so far, so good.
👍's up brother. And all have a blessed day.
I always used to call it "threaded rod" and got laughed at by most of my co-workers until one day I discovered that it is known as "all rod". I work with a bunch of ball buster's in a brewery, but they always seem to ask me for something sharp when THEY need it lol. Need to teach them to take care of there blades.
+foxtrot45 YOU'RE right and they are wrong. I'm in the UK and it's called threaded rod over here. Also, if you type threaded rod into Google you'll have confirmation.
+paul greenwood Thank you!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!! thanks for all the informatve vids.. keep it up in 2016
Hello I purchased an Apex sharpening system and your videos have been a lot of help. Thank you
Could you do a video that is more detailed in determining the correct angle to sharpen a knife? I would really appreciate it.
magnetic digital inclinometers work well.
As most of my knives pas through your hands Rob I do not find a need for a better tool for sharpening than the old sharpmaker, and so far they are all hair popping sharp still. Must say though that a couple of times when I have been a bit over enthusiastic with cutting that it has taken a bit of time to bring an edge back and wondered if I should invest in an Edge pro. You did advise me that there is a learning curve involved when starting out with the Edge pro, so I took your advise and stick to the sharpmaker, so far, so good. My old gaffer used to say, do not fix something if it aint broke, although your improvement on the stability is sensible, s long as you got your own little man space, do"nt do it if not, good advice. Not being cheeky or anything but the stones on the spydy machine could do with a little rub with the old cream cleanser, thats me being anal again. British Army training. L.O.L.
You caught me there, you crusty old Scot! Merry Christmas!
+TheApostleP Rob, I'm sorry if you've answered this question at some point, but you've talked about using the angle finder, measuring the angle differences... to set your bevel angle accurately. That whole thing makes sense, but how are you picking that angle?
I've seen assorted rules of thumb about "this kind of knife - this angle" but those range all over the place, and my instinct is that blade steel, grind (hollow, flat...) and probably a few other factors affect the optimum grind angle (too small and the blade won't hold an edge, too big and it won't be as sharp as it could be).
The other school of thought is something like "the manufacturer knows best" but it looks like most (at least in the sub $100 price range where 90% of the knives I own are) are ground on a belt by hand, and the bevels are actually all over the place. It's common to find them different from side to side and even from base to tip, so I'm guessing that in reality there's nothing special about the grind angle that they get from the factory (though I have noticed that the knives I've seen from the last year or 2 are ground steeper than earlier ones).
I typically mark the edge with a marker and figure out the steepest angle that looks like it isn't a mistake on the factory edge and go with it (though when I first started sharpening I tended to always go a little steeper till that got me into trouble on a few knives). "Reprofiling" typically involves fixing the assorted unevenness I find and getting it even side to side and all along the edge, and then honestly, lately I don't bother going to my finer grits, I'll take it over to a hand built 1x42 and hit it with a 15 and then 9 micron slack belt, a power strop and then hand strop to get it where I want it. That gets me an even, well polished, slightly convex edge that is durable and will pass all the common cut tests (paper, hair, nail...) but I always feel like I'm leaving something on the table with bevel angle until I've gone too far.
+Mark Pikas You've obviously put a lot of thought and observation into this question, and your experience has answered the question well. I also appreciate that you're looking for input and validation of your thought process. Here's my two cents: 1. I agree that the factory edge/angle on just about any knife (Rockstead and Spyderco excluded of course) is normally more of an obstacle than anything else. 2. With rare exception, as we proceed to the acute end of the angle spectrum, a bevel will begin to look horribly wide before it becomes dangerously thin, so aesthetics play a huge part in angle selection. This is because most production knives are far too thick behind the edge. For example, 15 DPS is a robust enough angle to support all but the most brittle knife steels, but most production knives sharpened at this angle look horrible because the bevel is so wide (again, Spyderco excluded). 3. Given 1 & 2, I try in most cases to choose an angle as acute as I can (down to about 13 DPS if the knife is thin enough) without harming the aesthetics of the blade. On some knives, the Hinderer XM-18 for example, that angle might be 21 DPS, or even more on some fixed blades. This is a short answer to a question that really requires a 30-minute video -- LOL!
+TheApostleP
I was going to suggest that this would make an interesting topic for a video, but I was sitting and staring at 2 new blades one of which will require me to use my edgepro because the blade profile is just something that will not work in my regular rig (I actually _really_ don't like the edgepro, partially because I don't have a dedicated bench for it, and partially because I seem to run into a lot of knives that don't register well on it, I gravitate towards a combination of different brand stuff that I modified to work together, starting with a simple lansky holder which I machined to hold the blade better and give me better control and slightly more adjustability), I couldn't waith for a video ;-). The edgepro does give me more options WRT to grind angle which had me debating this.
Huh, I'm surprised that you've had luck with 13dps, though I have to admit that when I "took it too far" I don't know what angle I ended up with, I was guessing that it was around 15 but I could be very wrong, and it was an older 440c blade (it would roll and flatten easily) and a 420hc (it would just dull very quickly). I may have to take another look at that.
Aesthetics is a response that I didn't expect. Honestly I like a slightly wider grind on a knife, done very evenly with a nice polish I've had other knife guys immediately impressed (and when non knife person borrows it to open it they seem to respect how sharp the edge looks more). I also tend to choose smaller blades (sub 3.5") which this isn't as big an issue with. The only blade that I can think of off hand that the grind ended up a little wider than I would like is a bladeforums limited edition blue S30V Skyline which for some reason Kershaw made without the hollow grind that a normal skyline has. Now that I'm thinking about it my Hinderers and other heavier blades were all done to match the original grind, and since I used my clamp on fixture again I don't know what angle they were actually ground at but I don't remember it being less acute than some of my thinner profiled knives. Huh, something else to think about.
I'll be looking out for that 30min grind angle video ;-)
+Mark Pikas Rob, while I have your attention, maybe you give me some input on a Cold Steel knife. My opinion about the company and owner is much like what you've expressed in your older Recon 1 and American Lawman videos, but despite that I often have the thought that I should give them a shot, mostly because of how many respected knife guys seem to appreciate their construction/quality for the $ and am a little curious about the hype about the tri-ad lock.
Any thoughts on which one I should look at? The intended use would be EDC (at times heavier use EDC than some), possibly outdoors type use (I have no illusion of actually needing/using a tactical knife for tactical use, which is probably another reason why I haven't looked that hard at cold steel before, they tend to gravitate towards bigger knives with that mall ninja look).
Thanks
Hey Rob, merry Christmas. Was wondering if you had a link to where you get your replacement stones. Be well sir.
Merry Christmas to you, Andrew! I get my replacement stones directly from Edgepro. I buy them unmounted and glue them to my existing plates.
great idea :)
Hi Rob. I’ve looked back thru your video catalog to look for recent sharpening videos, and this is the most recent I found. In 2024 are you still using the apex system or have you moved to another?
Still on Edgepro, but graduated to the Professional model several years ago.
Thanks for the quick reply Rob! It has got to be a fundamentally good system if you’ve stayed with this company.
What if you got one of those suction devices that you could screw the Apex to...
How do you remedy a blunted tip on an edge pro? Is it possible to fix without grinding down the back of the blade?
I would say that process is the same on an Edgepro as with any type of sharpening system. Whether to remove material from the spine is a decision made based on the blade design, not on what type of sharpener you're using.
+TheApostleP oh ok, thanks for the quick reply :)
What made you choose this over the Wicked Edge system?