Sharpening Handbook

Draw Knife

Edge Angles

The Tormek KJ-140 or SVM-140 knife jigs work well to hold this.

CB's USB Projection Calculator is recommended for calculating setup for Tormek knife jigs. (The simpler Projection Calculator is also still available. This one is web-based and does not require Excel.)

The feel and beauty of finely crafted wood ... the refreshing smell of your workshop ... the absorbing joy of cutting and joining that makes the hours race by ... These are the reasons you love woodworking.

Jack Neff

If you want to grind a flat bevel on the edge and you are using a Tormek, watch the video below on using the Tormek MB-102 Muti Base.

General Guidelines
Tool Usage	β_{Front Bevel}		β_{Back Bevel}		Comments
Tool Usage	Range	Recom-mend	Range	Recom-mend	Comments
Bevel Down	25° - 30°	28°	n/a	n/a	I've seen recommendations for β_{Front Bevel} which range between 15° and 30°. The very accomplished chairmaker, Curtis Buchanan, recommends an angle of 28°; I won't try to second-guess him. (His sharpening approach is shown in the video below.)
Bevel Down	20° - 25°	23°	2° - 5°	5°

Notes & Comments

Information regarding Grindstones

Grind Shape & Experience

The shape of the grind used is a call best made by the tool's use, based on their own experience. Additional notes are available on separate web pages for Grind Profiles, and Micro / Secondary Bevels.

Sharpening Calculators

Online Calculators that can be used for sharpening knives.

More Information

Books & Papers

The Handyman's Book, a book by Paul N. Hasluck. My copy is the 1903 edition and is quite useful.
Fine Woodworking posted a great article by chair maker Russ Filbeck on Sharpening gouges and drawknives with a lapidary wheel.
U.S. War Department's TM 9-867 Maintenance and Care of Hand Tools.

Videos & Presentations

Tormek Live Sharpening Class - Part 4 - Carving Knife & Carving Tools (YouTube video). Wolfgang and Sèbastian from Tormek go through the sharpening of carving knives and various carving tools such as v-tools, carving gouges and short wood chisels.
At about 1:03:00, there is a good discussion about sharpening draw knives.
Sharpening a Drawknife with Curtis Buchanan - Part 1 (YouTube video). (There is a 2d part which should also be watched.)
Tormek Live Sharpening Class - Part 9 - Sharpen a flat bevel with Tormek MB-100 on a diamond wheel (YouTube video). In this episode we learn how to use the Tormek MB-100 Multi Base to sharpen a completely flat bevel ▼, on the side of Tormek's diamond wheels DC-250, DF-250 and DE-250. For some tools, such as 🎻 luthier knives,🔪 Kiridashi knives, v-tools, chip carving knives and Japanese plane irons, a completely flat surface on the bevel is preferred over a slightly concave, which you get when you sharpen on the rounded part of the grinding wheel. For some people this is more of a personal preference.
Regardless of what might be the reason to want a flat bevel, Sèbastian and Wolfgang show how to achieve it with your Tormek wet sharpening system, They will also touch upon the differences between the different types of bevels.
Jeff Farris - Knife Sharpening with Tormek (YouTube video)
Tormek Knife Jig SVM-45 (YouTube video)
Demonstrating Tormek's Centering Knife Jigs KJ-45 & KJ-140 (YouTube video)
Tormek Long Knife Jig SVM-140 (YouTube video)
Tormek Small Knife Holder SVM-00 (YouTube video)
Tormek Tool Rest SVD-110 (YouTube video)
Tormek AngleMaster WM-200 (YouTube video)

Web Sites

Jan Švancara posted a design for using a knife sharpening platform in 2015 on the Tormek Forum. This is certainly worth reading, and there are also pictures of this in the jigs section.