Sharpener System

I’ve always been frustrated sharpening my axes with a stone so I decided to build a sharpener with the same concept as a knife sharpener like the one from Smith’s which makes it simple to keep a consistent angle on the blade.

My goal was to be able to get an accurate angle on both sides of the head which is difficult to do by hand with a stone especially if you have to take a lot off to get at deep nicks. I built a prototype using 2-inch Styrofoam and a dowel rod bored into a deck rail picket. It worked pretty well, but I learned a few things along the way and built the final system.

The second time around I use Kaizen foam as the base to help secure the axe head. I was much easier to get a consistent depth and I made it big enough to be able to flip the axe over and sharpen the other side. It holds it pretty well and I backed it up with a Velcro strap. You can use this for multiple different axes or other tools. Just make a Kaizen foam jig for each tool and you can swap it out.

The key angles I focused on were keeping the axe handle and bit level. I built a handle stand with Velcro and put a wood block cut exactly to the right height to keep it level and provide support. I used plywood and square steel to make the sharpening arm. I covered the plywood with Plexiglas and polyethylene to provide stiffness, flatness, and a material easy to clean adhesive off of. Use the sharpening arm and a angle gauge to mark the hole locations to the angles you want for the movable draw support bars. You can add 4 different grits of sandpaper and rotate the sharpening arm as you move through them. I use a spray adhesive on the back of the sandpaper to secure them.
This thing works extremely well! I was able to get a very sharp and consistent edge on both sides in 10 min.
I hope this spurs some ideas and helps those jocks out there that dislike sharpening axes (or other tools) with a stone or grinder for that matter.

Regards,
Hutch

-- Hutch