BLADE SHARPENING SYSTEM

Abstract

A knife sharpening system includes a substantially planar bed defining a first plane, a support base rigidly coupled to the bed and defining a second plane lying at a selected angle with respect to the first plane, first and second end rails are rigidly coupled to respective ends of the bed and extend outward therefrom. A reference surface is provided on an end of the second end rail, defining a plane that lies parallel to the second plane. A bench stone is received on the bed, and supported thereby so that a surface of the bench stone is parallel to the bed, and lies at the selected angle, relative to the second plane. Apertures formed in the first and second end rails form a cradle configured to receive a sharpening steel, and support the sharpening steel at the selected angle, relative to the second plane.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This disclosure is directed to a stand for holding a bench stone, and in particular, for holding a bench stone at a selected angle, greater than zero degrees.

2. Description of the Related Art

The knife is one of the most common and widely used of all tools. Knives are employed in many different industries and crafts, and are available in innumerable configurations and designs. Most adults are familiar with knives, and a typical home includes several knives. Knives are especially common in home and commercial kitchens, for use in preparing food.

Generally, the cutting edges of “western” style knives are symmetrical, with respect to a central plane A, as described below with reference to FIGS. 2A-3B, while many traditional “Asian” style knives are beveled on one side only—an edge style referred to in Japan, for example, as kataba. While the drawings and description that follow are directed primarily to western style knives, the principles described are equally applicable to single-sided knives, as well. Reference to the angle of a bevel is with respect to the central plane A of the blade, so, for example, in a western style knife with an edge bevel of 20 degrees, the angle at which the sides of the blade meet at the cutting edge will be 40 degrees.

FIG. 1 shows a chef knife 100 that includes a handle 102 and a blade 104. The blade tapers, beginning at a primary bevel 108, to a sharpened cutting edge 106. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the blade 104, taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1, while FIG. 2B shows an enlarged view of a portion of the sectional view of the blade 104, indicated at 2B in FIG. 2A. Sides 105 of the blade shown are substantially parallel to a central plane A of the blade for most of its width, then taper on each side, at the primary bevel 108, toward the cutting edge 106. FIG. 2B, which provides a much enlarged view of the edge 106, shows a secondary bevel 110 formed on each side. Together, the secondary bevels 110 provide the cutting edge 106 of the blade 104. Hereafter, the angle of the bevel that defines the actual cutting edge will be referred to as the critical angle, which is shown in the drawings as angle B. The configuration shown in FIG. 2B is often referred to as a compound bevel, or double-bevel edge, and is one of the most commonly used, especially in kitchen knives. To sharpen this edge, the blade is ground or honed to remove very small amounts of material evenly across the surface of the secondary bevel 110, on both sides of the blade, until a desired degree of sharpness is achieved.

The angle B of the secondary bevel 110, relative to the central plane A, is of particular importance to the proper operation of the knife 100. A manufacturer selects the angle B on the basis of a number of factors, including the intended use of the knife 100, and the hardness, i.e., resistance to dents or scratches, and toughness, i.e., resistance to breaking, of the steel from which the blade is made. From the standpoint of cutting efficiency, the smaller the angle B, the better. A small-angle blade cuts more easily and with less force than a large-angle blade. However, as angle B is reduced, the amount of metal supporting the edge 106 diminishes, making the edge weaker than one with a larger angle. The blade will tend to dull more quickly, and require more frequent sharpening. A practical limit is therefore imposed by how frequently a typical user is willing to resharpen a blade. This limit will vary, depending on the intended use. If the knife is to be used to cut relatively softer materials, the blade will not wear as fast, and can therefore be made with a smaller angle.

A hard steel will hold an edge longer than a relatively softer steel, and so, a blade made from the harder steel can be sharpened to a smaller angle. However, typically, as a given steel is made harder, it also loses toughness, becoming progressively more brittle. Such a blade has a greater tendency to chip or break. Additionally, a blade of harder steel is usually more difficult to sharpen, so when such a knife becomes dull, it requires more time and effort to sharpen. Thus, another practical limit is imposed by how hard a steel can be made before it becomes too brittle for its intended use, or too difficult to sharpen. Typically, Asian style knives, whether beveled on one side or both, are ground to a smaller angle than western style knives, and are made from harder steel. This results in a more efficient cutting edge than comparable western knives, but that are more fragile, and require more maintenance. Manufacturers typically provide what they consider the appropriate angle for a given knife, as determined by the material of the blade, the advertised use of the knife, and the perceived consumer expectation, with regard to maintenance and edge retention.

Given the steel formulations that have been available to manufacturers over recent decades, and referring to western knives in particular, a range of about 20-22 degrees has been commonly regarded as an optimum angle for knives made for use in food preparation, and sometimes larger angles for general and outdoor use. However, in recent years, with the development of a number of new steel formulations for blades that can be hardened to a higher degree while retaining toughness, some knives are available for which the sharpening angle recommended by the manufacturer is at 16 degrees or less. Thus, depending on the style, intended use, dimensions, and material of a given knife, the critical angle can vary from as small as about 10 degrees to as high as around 35 degrees, but most are between about 15 degrees and 25 degrees.

Even though most adults regularly use knives, few actually understand some of the most basic technical elements that influence their design and maintenance, like those briefly discussed above. Consequently, it is quite common for a person to buy an expensive knife, and after sharpening the knife a few times, to find that it no longer cuts as well as it did when it was new.

FIGS. 3A-3C are diagrammatic illustrations of the edge 106 showing a very common error in sharpening knives. As mentioned above, when sharpening a double-beveled edge, material is removed from the faces of the second bevels 110. It is important that the material be removed evenly from the entire face. This is done by positioning the blade 104 so that the second bevel is flat against a sharpening stone or hone, so that the angle B of the second bevel is not altered. However, the second bevel 110 typically is very narrow, usually less than about 1 mm, so the user may not be able to see or feel the correct angle on the stone. Additionally, the user may find that it is very easy to sharpen the edge by holding the blade at a slightly larger angle. Finally, the user may be unaccustomed to sharpening a small-angle blade, having become accustomed to sharpening blades made from softer steel, at a higher angle. If, for any of these reasons, the user holds the blade at an angle that is larger than the original angle B, material will be removed from the blade only at the extreme edge, as shown in FIG. 3A. By increasing the angle a few degrees, the shaded portion 112 is removed. This is a very small amount of material, and requires only a few strokes on the stone to remove. The result, as shown in FIG. 3B, is an edge 106a on which a third bevel 114 is formed, with a new angle B₁, which is larger than the original angle B. The user may initially be quite pleased, because results are obtained very quickly, and may initially be indistinguishable from the original edge. However, over time and repeated sharpenings, the angle B₁ can continue to increase, until the knife no longer cuts well, and no amount of sharpening seems to be effective.

Alternatively, the user may sharpen the knife at the primary bevel angle 108, which is also less then optimum because, unless a large amount of material is removed, the actual edge of the blade will not be sharpened, so the knife will remain dull, in spite of much time and effort by the user.

The problem is that once the angle B has been changed, either increased or decreased by even a few degrees, sharpening at the correct angle will have no immediate effect at the cutting edge, and sharpening at the new angle B₁ will never produce an edge that cuts as well as the knife did at the original angle B. FIG. 3C shows the material, in the shaded area 116, that would need to be removed from the edge 106 of FIG. 2B to restore the edge to the original angle B. Comparing FIG. 3C with FIG. 3A, it can be seen that much more material, across a wider surface, must be removed to correct the error. This requires that the blade 104 be held at an angle, with respect to the surface of the stone, that is equal to the correct angle B, and stroked across the stone at that angle repeatedly until all of the material 116 is removed. While a very little effort is required to significantly increase the angle B, it can take a great deal of work to restore the correct angle, provided the user even recognizes the problem.

There are many sharpening systems that can assist a user in sharpening a knife at a selected angle, but they are often expensive, some are impractical, and most require specialized stones or abrasive rods that are themselves expensive and not easily adaptable for use in other applications.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to an embodiment, a knife sharpening system is provided, which includes a substantially planar bed defining a first plane, and a support base rigidly coupled to the bed and defining a second plane lying at a selected angle with respect to the first plane. First and second end rails are rigidly coupled to respective ends of the bed and extend outward therefrom, and define a bed surface. A reference surface is provided on an end of the second end rail, defining a plane that lies parallel to the second plane. A bench stone is received on the bed, and supported thereby so that a surface of the bench stone is parallel to the bed, and lies at the selected angle, relative to the second plane. Apertures formed in the first and second end rails form a cradle configured to receive a sharpening steel, and support the sharpening steel at the selected angle, relative to the second plane.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a chef knife, according to known art.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the knife of FIG. 1, taken along lines 2A-2A.

FIG. 2B is an enlarged detail of the sectional view of 2A from the location indicated at 2B.

FIGS. 3A-3C show diagrammatical representations of a cutting edge of a knife, according to known art.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a knife sharpening system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a stand of the system of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the rack of FIG. 5, taken along lines 6-6, and also including a bench stone.

FIGS. 7A and 7B show the system of FIG. 4 in use.

FIG. 8 shows a cross section of the system of FIG. 4, taken along the same lines as the view of FIG. 6.

FIGS. 9 and 12 show cross-sectional views of a knife sharpening system according to another embodiment, taken along lines that correspond to the lines 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIGS. 10A-10C show angled shims of the embodiment of FIGS. 9 and 12.

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatical view of a knife edge, illustrating one method of use of the embodiment of FIGS. 9 and 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 4 shows a knife sharpening system 200 according to one embodiment. The system 200 includes a stand 202, a bench stone 204, and a sharpening steel 206 which sits on a support 201, such as a table or kitchen cabinet.

The sharpening steel 206 comprises a handle 207, a rod 208, and a guard 209. According to one embodiment, the sharpening steel 206 is a general-purpose steel such as is commonly manufactured for use with cutlery. According to another embodiment, the sharpening steel 206 is manufactured for use with knives of a specific type, grade of steel, or manufacturer. In use, typically, a user holds the steel in one hand and a knife in the other, and strokes the cutting edge of the knife across the rod of the sharpening steel while holding the blade at approximately the critical angle, with respect to the longitudinal axis of the rod. This action can realign a wire edge or micro-teeth along the blade, and burnish the final bevel, to restore the cutting edge. In some cases, depending on the design of the sharpening steel, a small amount of material is removed from the blade, to restore the final bevel.

The bench stone 204 includes a first surface 232 having an abrasive whose hardness and grit are selected to impart a desired acuity to a knife blade. According to an embodiment, the stone includes a second side of a coarser grit, for preliminary sharpening of a knife. The bench stone 204 can be a standard size bench stone, such as is available from many manufacturers, or can be made to a specific, non-standard size to fit the stand 202.

Referring jointly to FIGS. 4 and 5, the stand 202 comprises a base 211, a bed 210 sized to receive the bench stone 204, a cradle 224 sized to receive the sharpening steel 206, and a reference face 218. Side rails 216 extend outward from respective long sides of the bed 210, and define thereby its width, and the maximum width bench stone that can be accommodated therein. A first end rail 213 is coupled to the base 211 and includes a face 212 that extends outward from a first short side of the bed 210, approximately perpendicularly thereto. A second end rail 215 is coupled to the base 211 and includes a face 214 that extends outward from a second short side of the bed 210, also approximately perpendicularly thereto. The faces 212, 214 of the first and second end rails 213, 215 define a length of the bed 210, and the maximum length bench stone that can be accommodated therein.

The cradle 224 is defined by first and second apertures 220, 222 formed, respectively, in the first and second end rails 213, 215. The first and second apertures 220, 222 comprise respective semi-cylindrical terminations that lie coaxial to each other, and that are sized to receive the rod 208 of the sharpening steel 206. The reference face 218 comprises a planar surface formed on the second end rail 215. In the embodiment shown, the second aperture 222 extends through the reference face 218, dividing the face into two surfaces lying in a common plane.

Turning now to FIG. 6, a cross-sectional view of the stand 202 is shown, taken along the lines 6-6 of FIG. 5, with the bench stone 204 positioned on the bed 210. In the pictured embodiment, the base 211 comprises first and second support faces 228, 230 that define a base plane C. The base 211 supports the bed 210 at a selected angle D with respect to the base plane C. As shown in FIG. 6, the angle D is 16 degrees. However, this is merely provided as an example, and can be any appropriate angle, as will be discussed later. The reference face 218 is in a plane that lies parallel to the base plane C. The terminations of the first and second apertures 220, 222, lie on a common axis G, that itself lies parallel to the bed 210.

A bottom face of the bench stone 204 is in face-to-face contact with the bed 210, and so lies at the same angle D, relative to the base plane C. Opposing faces of the bench stone 204 are parallel to each other, so the upper face 232 lies parallel to the bed 210, and at the same angle D with respect to the base plane C. When a knife blade 104 is placed with one side 105 in face-to-face contact with the reference face 218, the angle E of the central plane A of the blade, relative to the face 232 of the bench stone 204, is equal to the angle D.

According to one embodiment, the angle D is selected to be equal to a selected critical angle B of the edge 106 of the knife blade 104. In operation, the user places the knife 100 with the blade 104 resting against the reference face 218, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7A, thereby establishing the correct angle of the blade with respect to the face 232 of the bench stone 204. Holding the blade in that position—which is parallel to the surface on which the stand 202 is positioned—the user then moves the knife laterally, as indicated by the arrow H, until the edge 106 contacts the face 232 of the bench stone 204, thereby positioning the blade against the stone at the selected angle B relative to the face of the stone. The then draws the blade 104 up the slope of the stone in an arc, as indicated by the arrow J, so that the entire length of the edge, from the heel 103 to the point 107, is pulled across the face (shown also in phantom lines in FIG. 6). After a few strokes on one side of the blade 104, the user reverses the orientation of the stand 202, and repeats the action on the other side of the blade. In this way, the blade is sharpened at substantially the correct critical angle, on both sides.

It has been found that most people are able to hold an object such as a knife at a substantially horizontal position with a relatively high degree of accuracy and repeatability. This is especially true when a reference is provided, such as the reference face 218, by which the user can periodically confirm the proper position as being exactly horizontal while sharpening a blade. In contrast, it is generally very difficult to consistently maintain an object at a specific angle that is neither horizontal nor vertical, through many repetitions of movement. In contrast, if the stone 204 is positioned on a flat surface, the user must hold the knife at the correct angle to properly sharpen the blade. If the correct angle is, for example, 22.5 degrees, the user must hold the knife edge exactly or very nearly at 22.5 degrees for the entire sharpening stroke and also for repeated sharpening strokes. If the knife tips slightly, for example, to 25 degrees, then the angle B is changed and the problems described in the background occur, and, if the angle is too shallow, for example, 20 degrees, the knife if not sharpened and the movement on the stone has no affect on sharpening the cutting edge. It is very difficult for a person to hold a knife edge at exactly 22.5 degrees, as compared to 20 degrees or 25 degrees. The inventors have realized, however, that nearly all users have the skill to hold and move a knife blade at very nearly 0 degrees. This is especially true if assisted by a reference surface 108 that is exactly horizontal, at 0 degrees. A person can more easily move the knife exactly horizontal to within, e.g., 0.5 degrees of tolerance as compared to moving the knife at exactly 22.5 degrees within the same 0.5 degrees of tolerance.

Referring again to FIG. 6, the total surface area of the support faces 228, 230 of the base 211 that contact the support 201 is selected to limit the amount of force that can be applied by the user while sharpening the blade.

It is sometimes desirable to limit the force that the user will apply when sharpening a knife because there can be a tendency to change the angle of the blade against the stone when one is pressing down with excessive force. This can result in the user inadvertently changing the critical angle of the blade.

When the stand 202 is positioned on support 201, such as a table or counter top, the amount of static friction that is generated between the base 211 and the underlying support 201 is a function of the mass of the device, and the vector and degree of force applied, as well as the coefficient of friction between the base 211 and the upper face of support 201. When the static friction is overcome, the stand 204 will begin to slide across the surface of support 201. Thus, the user is compelled to limit the force applied to avoid exceeding the static friction so that the stand remains stationary.

In operation, the user first places the knife edge against the face 232 of the bench stone 204, using the reference face 218 to establish the angle, then applies a force against the blade in a forward and slightly downward direction to slide the knife along the stone. The force of the blade against the angled surface 232 of the stone creates a vector of force in the downward direction, pressing the base 211 with more force into the underlying support 201. The downward force effectively increases the apparent mass of the stand on the underlying surface, as well as of the knife against the stone. The coefficient of friction between the blade and the stone is higher than that between the base of the stand and the underlying surface, so as the user increases the downward force, friction between the blade and stone increases faster than between the base and the underlying surface. Thus, the user must find a balance between the forces that will permit the blade to slide on the stone and be sharpened, while the stand remains stationary and does not move with respect to support 201. If the user applies too much downward force, static friction between the blade and the stone will rise beyond that between the stand and the surface, so that the friction at the base 202 with the support 201 is overcome first, and the base slides. A larger surface area of the base will produce a greater increase of friction as downward force increases, meaning that greater downward force can be applied without overcoming the friction at the base. Thus, by selecting the surface area of the base 211, and the material of the base, the maximum force a user is permitted to apply when sharpening the knife can be selected, at least to an approximate amount. Of course, the actual maximum value will also depend on the material and texture of the underlying surface 201, which will vary. On a hard, smooth surface, such as ceramic tile, the maximum force will be relatively smaller, while on an unfinished wood bench top, it will be relatively greater, but even at these extremes, the difference is not great, and the maximum value can be approximated to a sufficient degree.

Turning now to FIG. 8, the view is the same as that of FIG. 6, except that the sharpening steel 206 is also shown, positioned in the cradle 224. It can be seen that the steel 206 is held at the same angle as the surface 232 of the bench stone 204, so that, with the blade 104 in a horizontal position, as shown, the central angle A of the blade is equal to the angle D established by the base 211. Thus, the user can more accurately control the angle while stroking the blade across the steel, enabling the user to more quickly and effectively bring the edge 106 to a desired degree of acuity.

The sharpening system 200 of the embodiment of FIGS. 4-8 provides a number of benefits. Unlike many prior art systems, which employ abrasive rods or stones that are customized for the specific system, and that are often quite expensive, the present system employs a bench stone. Bench stones are commonly available in a wide range of sizes and configurations, and can be used for many different tasks. Even where the bench stone is provided by a manufacturer for a specific line of knives, it is still able to be used for other purposes and tasks.

In the embodiment disclosed with reference to FIGS. 4-8, it can be seen that the angle D is fixed by the stand. This is of particular benefit where a manufacturer produces a line of knives for which the material and design are selected for a specific critical angle. As previously noted, some manufacturers produce knives whose critical angle is substantially smaller than the angles used on traditional knives made by other makers and owned by many users. Thus, a user who is accustomed to a 22 degree edge might buy a knife made with a harder steel and provided with an edge at 16 degrees. It has not been uncommon for a consumer to purchase a knife and to ruin the cutting edge by inadvertently sharpening the blade at too large an angle.

According to an embodiment, a manufacturer provides a sharpening system with the angle D set to the specific critical angle of particular set of knives. This can be indicated by an indicia, writing or marking on the bed 210 that clearly states the angle D to which the bed is set, the type knife, or even the brand and style of knife to be sharpened on that particular stand. In this embodiment, an angle D is set by the maker of the stand 202 for a particular set of knives, with both often made or distributed by the same company.

Additionally, according to an embodiment, the material and grade of the stone 204 are selected according to the material of the knives to be sharpened. For example, where a knife is made from a particularly hard steel, some commercially available bench stones may be too soft to effectively sharpen the knife. In other cases, a knife intended for a particular purpose might require a particularly fine edge, so that a stone of a commonly available grade would be too coarse to properly sharpen the knife. In such cases, the knife manufacturer provides a sharpening system that includes a stone with a material and grade that are selected to provide the desired edge on the knife.

According to an embodiment, the dimensions of the bed 210 are selected to be incompatible with most commercially available bench stones, i.e., slightly shorter or narrower than typical stones of about the same size range. Of course, the bench stone 204 provided by the manufacturer, which is designed and formulated to meet the requirements of the knives for which it was intended, is sized to properly fit the bed 210. Thus, a user is encouraged to obtain replacement stones from the manufacturer or other authorized sources, and discouraged from replacing the stone 204 with another commercially available stone, which might be incapable of sharpening the knives for which it was designed, or, worse, might damage them. As noted above, even if the bench stone 204 is specifically designed for optimal performance with a particular line of knives, it will still remain widely useful for many unrelated tasks in a shop or kitchen.

FIG. 9 shows a sharpening system according to another embodiment. A shim 240 is provided, positioned on the bed 210, and the bench stone 204 is positioned on the shim. The shim 240 is wedge-shaped, having top and bottom surfaces that lie at an angle with respect to each other. In the example shown, the surfaces of the shim 240 have an angle of 3 degrees, with respect to each other. Thus, the angle M of the bench stone 204 relative to the base plane C is equal to the sum of the angle D and the angle of the shim 240. This permits a user to sharpen a knife that has a critical angle other than the angle D of the sharpening system. For example, the stand 202 may have an angle D of 16 degrees, for sharpening knives of a particular type or from a particular manufacturer, but the user may also have knives that perform better with a larger critical angle. By selecting a shim of the appropriate angle, the user can sharpen knives at any angle necessary.

Turning to FIG. 10A, the shim 240 is shown together with another shim 242. The shim 242 has an angle of 2 degrees, which permits a user to change the sharpening angle by that amount. By using the shims 240, 242 in combination, several angles can be achieved. FIG. 10B shows the shims 240, 242 in a position that modifies the angle of the stand by the sum of the angles of shims, i.e., 5 degrees, while FIG. 100 shows the shims in a position that modifies the angle of the stand by the difference of the angles, i.e., 1 degree. Thus, by using one or the other or both shims, modifying angles of 1, 2, 3, and 5 degrees can be achieved. The values are merely exemplary, and any number of shims, at any desired angles, can be used. According to an embodiment, the shims are made of a non-skid material, such as a relatively hard rubber. This will tend to prevent the bench stone from slipping from the stand while in use, inasmuch as the use of a shim can lift the stone above the level of the side rails, which would otherwise prevent excessive movement of the stone. In one embodiment, the shim has indicia thereon, such as the change in degree or the type of knife it is to be used with that will indicate the proper use of that particular shim with the basic stand 202.

As noted with respect to FIGS. 3A-3C, it is relatively easy to accidentally apply too large an angle to the cutting edge of a knife, but once done can be very difficult to correct. The edge geometry that produces this result is sometimes exploited beneficially to create what is often referred to as a back bevel. Turning to FIG. 11, it is assumed, as an example, that the blade shown is to be sharpened to a critical angle B of 16 degrees. The primary bevel 108 provides the initial taper from the sides of the blade to near the edge, and is usually at a very small angle, such as 10 degrees. In this case, the secondary bevel 110b is ground to an angle that is smaller than the critical angle B, forming the back bevel. A tertiary, or third bevel 114a is then ground to the critical angle B across a very small width. Bearing in mind that the secondary bevel 110b can be narrower than one millimeter, the third bevel 114a is very narrow, and may be visible only under magnification. It is only necessary to remove material from the surface of the third bevel 114a to sharpen the blade, which, as explained with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3C, is much easier than removing material from across the entire secondary bevel 110. Thus, there are instances in which the critical angle is 16 degrees or 22.5 degrees, but it is desired to form a back bevel at a lower angle, such as 13.5 degrees or 20 degrees, respectively.

FIG. 12 shows the stand 202 with the shim 240 positioned so that the angle S of the bench stone 204 relative to the base plane C is equal to the difference of the angle D and the shim 240. The angle S is now lower than D by an amount appropriate for a back bevel, such as, e.g., 2.5 degrees. This places the bench stone in a position appropriate to forming a back bevel on a blade, after which the shim 240 is removed, for formation of the cutting bevel at the critical angle.

According to an alternate embodiment, blind apertures are provided on the surface 210 of the bed, at each end. When it is necessary to change the sharpening angle, pegs of the appropriate length are placed in the apertures at one end of the bed, to raise that end of the stone a desired distance. This is one acceptable way to change the angle instead of using a shim. There are other ways that the sharpening angle can be changed besides pegs and shims, for example, steps or ledges may be provided in the end walls or other structure provided that will permit a user to easily modify the angle D as needed for a particular sharpening need.

In describing the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, directional references, such as right, left, top, bottom, etc., are used to refer to elements or movements as they are appear in the figures. Such terms are used to simplify the description and are not to be construed as limiting the claims in any way.

The term sharp, and related terms, do not refer to the critical angle of a cutting edge, but instead to the degree to which the final bevels of both sides of the blade meet at a straight and smooth line. Likewise, a blade is not made dull by changing the critical angle of the blade, but by rounding or deforming the edge. To resharpen the blade, material from the sides is removed until the rounded edge is eliminated and the edges meet at a straight lines from their respective beveled edges.

Ordinal numbers are used in the specification and claims to distinguish between elements so referenced. There is no necessary significance to the value of a number assigned to one element with respect to other numbered elements. Furthermore, an ordinal number used to refer to an element in the claims does not necessarily correlate to a number used to refer to an element in the specification on which the claim reads.

Where a claim limitation recites a structure as an object of the limitation, that structure itself is not an element of the claim, but is a modifier of the subject. For example, in a limitation that recites “a plurality of probe pins configured to make contact with respective terminals of a wafer of semiconductor material,” the wafer is not an element of the claim, but instead serves to define the scope of the term probe pins. Additionally, subsequent limitations or claims that recite or characterize additional elements relative to the wafer do not render the wafer an element of the claim.

The abstract of the present disclosure is provided as a brief outline of some of the principles of the invention according to one embodiment, and is not intended as a complete or definitive description of any embodiment thereof, nor should it be relied upon to define terms used in the specification or claims. The abstract does not limit the scope of the claims.

Elements of the various embodiments described above can be combined, and further modifications can be made, to provide further embodiments without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet, are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.

Claims

1. A knife sharpening system, comprising: a substantially planar bed having a first surface and first and second ends, the first surface defining a first plane;a support base rigidly coupled to the bed and defining a second plane lying at a selected angle, greater than zero, with respect to the first plane defined by the first surface of bed;a first end rail having first and second ends, the first end rail being rigidly coupled to the first end of the bed and extending outward from the bed, the first end having at least a part of the support base positioned thereat; anda second end rail rigidly coupled to the second end of the bed and extending outward from the first end of the bed; the first and second end rails defining first and second ends of the bed.

2. The system of claim 1, comprising first and second side rails, coupled to respective sides of the first surface of the bed and extending outward therefrom and defining, between them, a width of the bed of the first surface.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second end rails includes an aperture extending through the respective end rail along a common axis lying parallel to, and a selected distance from, the first surface.

4. The system of claim 1, comprising a reference surface on the second end of the first end rail, the reference surface lying substantially parallel to the first plane.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first leg and the first end rail are elements of a common element coupled to the first end of the bed plate.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the selected angle is between 10 and 25 degrees.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the selected angle is between 15 and 20 degrees.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the selected angle is 16 degrees.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein a length of the bed, between the first and second end rails, is greater than 6 inches and less than 14 inches.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein a length of the bed, between the first and second end rails, is greater than 6 inches and less than 14 inches.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein a length of the bed, between the first and second end rails, is greater than 6 inches and less than 14 inches.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein a length of the bed, between the first and second end rails, is greater than 8 inches and less than 9 inches.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein a length of the bed, between the first and second end rails, is between about 7¼ inches and about 7¾ inches.

14. The system of claim 1, comprising a shim plate sized to be removably received between the first and second end rails, and having first and second substantially planar opposing surfaces defining respective planes that lie, with respect to each other, at an angle of greater than about one degree and less than about five degrees.

15. The system of claim 1, comprising a shim plate sized to be removably received between the first and second end rails, and having first and second substantially planar opposing surfaces defining respective planes that lie, with respect to each other, at an angle of about two degrees.

16. The system of claim 1, comprising a shim plate sized to be removably received between the first and second end rails, and having first and second substantially planar opposing surfaces defining respective planes that lie, with respect to each other, at an angle of about three degrees.

17. The system of claim 1, comprising: a first shim plate sized to be removably received between the first and second end rails, and having first and second substantially planar opposing surfaces defining respective planes that lie, with respect to each other, at an angle of about two degrees; anda second shim plate sized to be removably received between the first and second end rails, and having first and second substantially planar opposing surfaces defining respective planes that lie, with respect to each other, at an angle of about three degrees.

18. A system for sharpening knives, comprising: a stand having: a base defining a first plane and configured to support the stand on a planar surface so that the first plane is coplanar with the planar surface,a bed defining a second plane lying at an angle with respect to a the first plane, sized to receive a bench stone thereon, anda reference surface positioned at an end of the bed, lying parallel to and spaced away from the first plane.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the stand comprises a cradle defining an axis that lies parallel to and spaced away from the second plane.

20. The system of claim 18, comprising a bench stone sized to be received by the bed of the stand.