Both of those are too steep in my opinion.
I wasn’t sure if SpyderCo’s Sharpmarker options are considered for a ‘fat angle’ (for double-beveled knifes i mean) so 30 degrees would really equal 15 degrees on both sides. Does anyone know?
If so, then i can just use the 30 option as that would really just be 15 on the single bevel
For a single bevel the tip will be twice as sharp (and proportionally fragile) than if you applied the angle to each side.
15 degrees double bevel is pretty aggressively sharp and typically only used on very hard steel like in Japanese blades. More typical for European kitchen knife would be 20 or higher.
A single bevel at 30 degrees may be a good starting point. A single 15 is very aggressive. Maybe good if you are cutting really soft material.
Scott, the site creator, is the only one I know who sharpens a single bevel grafting blade that acutely.
After his posts, I put my Tina 605 to 20 degrees on its single bevel. It’s with a belt system so it isn’t a chisel point like you’ll get with the Sharpmaker, so probably a little stronger.
If you have to choose between 40 and 30 (20 or 15 for single bevel) I’d start at 40. That’s almost certainly more acute than the factory edge and you will probably need to do some work to get the initial burr. Did you say what knife you are sharpening?
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In principle I do find a more acute angle is better but I don’t always do it… I keep losing knives and some just have the factory angle on them more or less.
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The few grafts I do warrant more than just parafilm. And I think a really tight wrap with appropriately sized budding rubber makes up for some lack of fit. I want my feeble attempts wrapped up tight.
With a tight strong wrap, the splice is good enough. I start the wrap on the splice and then make sure the positioning is right before finishing.
I’m amazed that some people get takes with their feeble wrapping. They’re better, more experienced, than me.
The other thing is you can do a splice on bigger wood than you can W&T. The latter is for small, but not too small, wood.
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If used budding/grafting rubbers before.
And they are nice. It takes some practice to ty them down after wrapping.
Parafilm properly applied for 5+ layers gives me a similar tight fit/strength. A W&T wrapped with parafilm M (multiple layers) is strong enough to be picked up by the scion. and you can even swing the rootstock around just holding the scion. Or pull them up just by the scion.
I would not do that after just 1 or 2 wraps of parafilm M though.
the trick is to stretch the parafilm while wrapping. And not stretch it to it’s maximum but 1/2 to 2/3 of max. That way it stays quite elastic.
i liked the budding rubbers more than vinyl tape. Since they can degrade or fall off and stretch more. So you don’t have to be as diligent in cutting them loose.
But in the end it’s faster and easier for me to just exclusively use parafilm. I’m mostly chip budding or grafting <1/2" material though. If you where to graft thicker rootstock with W&T i can imagine you need a lot more force for a tight contact wrap.
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I’m not sure I believe that, but maybe I’m not picturing your splice correctly. How big are you talking about? On thick wood you can make a relatively smaller tongue if it helps. I seldom, if ever, have scions larger than 1/2" diameter. If I can cut the splice I assume I can cut the tongue too.
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Well I mostly have the usual red grafting/budding Victorinox knives (stainless steel?) … I can’t find my usual ones somehow (usually in my garden toolbox but i must have lost them taking them somewhere to help someone graft last year) … so I re-ordered them last week along with some cheap options like the Zenport one I saw on Amazon …Then I went a little crazy past few days thinking it would be nice to have some of the ‘nice’ ones, and ordered a slightly-used Tina 640-10 on ebay ($80) and some other carbon steel options like:
P. Kamphaus (Solingen), OTTER Budding Knife (Solingen), Eye Brand Carl Schlieper (Solingen), and some lightly used $20 Schrade 175 knives which also might be carbon steel if they are before 1980 I heard. I am going to keep a few up at my friend’s farm in NY so he and i can graft up there and a few here in PA where I usually graft.
So sounds like if I’m mostly doing grafting on apple wood, I would use the 40 option on the Sharpmaker system (since that is really 20 degrees using a single side/bevel). If I wanted to experiment and try a 30 degree option, what knife sharpening system would you recommend to get an exact 30 degrees (and other options). I feel like I wouldn’t be good using my own judgement on just stones :).
and for my own reference, what is the default angle on Victorinox grafting/budding knives? They seem like a nice angle to me.
Thanks!
To answer my last question above…
I asked them:
“I was wondering for the grafting and budding knives (like “3.90 10” and “3.90 20” models), what is the default edge angle the knife comes with?”
Felco/Victorinox said this (so closer to 20 deg, so i’ll use that on my Sharpmarker):
I think it’s a “beginners error” to focus to much on exact angle.
I have intentionally experimented with wildly varying the angle while freehand sharpening to get a convex edge. And i did not notice a sharpness difference between that knife and the same knife sharpened with a jig to an exact angle.
inconsistency in angle during sharpening does not noticeably effect end result. It does however lead to you having to sharpen slightly longer.
proper deburring, and polishing of the edge (ie alternating side of edge trailing strokes on the finest stone as the last step in sharpening) all play a way larger effect in sharpness than an exact angle.
Inconsistency’s in angle during sharpening lead to an convex edge. Convex edge has better “support” for the edge and thus gives more strength. Not a bad thing to have on a blade that’s cutting trough harder material.
the sharpmaker system seems to be equipped with 1000-3000 as it’s finest option. Together with a small contact surface. And dry sharpening (no slurry) i suspect you won’t achieve a high polish. (although that’s also steel/tempering dependent. Some steels easily get a mirror finish, while others don’t)
an quality 5k or 8k stone would be a good option to polish the edge with. Or to use for a micro bevel.
these 2 knifes i have used jigs on to get exact angles (both secondary and primary/micro)
And my freehand convex knife just feels better during grafting and feels sharper for longer.
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Thankyou for asking the question. And that’s great customer service from Felco.
I’m another that uses very flat angles preferring 17 degrees. I also use a very hard high carbon steel blade that takes a very fine edge. For use and care, I keep a bottle of grapeseed oil handy to lubricate hinges on cutters and loppers and for general care of steel knives. A very sharp blade will cut through pecan quickly and easily. Pear is the only other wood I’ve cut that is close to the same density. How do I sharpen knives? That depends on how much sharpening is needed. For badly damaged blades that need a lot of shaping first, I put a 240 grit belt on a belt sander and flip it upside down, then use the sander to take enough metal off to get the blade ready for serious sharpening. From there, it depends on the blade. Cheap stainless gets a 1000 grit stone for a few minutes to bring out a fine edge. Harder steel gets the 1000 and then 8000 to make a super fine edge that is sharp enough to shave with. I use a leather strop to maintain the edge.
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I gave up. I have used the little red handled Victrionox knives and pretty much hated the experience. Tried to follow sharpening advice from others on the Forum . . . ? Just can’t get it right.
This past weekend my brother-in-law, (who rarely shows any interest in my grafting), wandered out to where I was working in the orchard and handed me a knife to try. He had given me one like it - as a birthday gift - several years ago . . . but at that time I was sticking with an ‘official’ grafting knife and never gave it a try.
That’s a shame . . . because this Sunday I tried the knife he handed to me and got the very first clean, long, in one swipe CUT that I’ve ever made.
Yea! Finally! This is the knife.
No wiggle in the razor blade, as in ‘common’ box cutting knives. Big Plus - I don’t have to sharpen anything and can have a sharp blade every time.
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Take them to your hardware store to be sharpened.
I use those blades,but in an anvil type cutter.
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I will add that I got difference answers from their FB messenger vs website contact/email form.
This was the latter answer:
“Thank you for your inquiry. After consulting with FELCO’s repair shop, I have learned that there is not really a set bevel angle for these knives other than a “slight bevel”. I hope this helps.”
But i’ll go with the more detailed 23 degree answer is the true answer 
.
I’d say 23 degrees is more plausible, but whether its true is another story.
I think the “slight bevel” answer is from somebody who has no clue, and should have said so.
Can you take a pic, Brady - to show me what your anvil cutter looks like?
I don’t think I know what that is?
those Felco grafting knifes from my experience have the same steel as the Victorinox pocket knives. Stainless and quite soft. Feels a bit like plastic while sharpening. I think 23 degrees is quite optimistic. Or would need re-sharpening often during grafting with harder woods.
Although angle definitely makes a difference. I generally think a small difference in angle is much less noticeable than proper sharpening. Or sharpening to a higher grit stone.
The “slight bevel” answer might have been from a very experienced person. Mostly when sharpening i don’t measure angles. And freehand you won’t get an exact angle anyway. You just pick a rough angle and sharpen. If it gets dull real fast you sharpen at a sharper angle. If it doesn’t get dull fast, next time you sharpen at a steeper angle.
Here is the one that is most used.It can make long straight cuts.In a pinch,I made some tongues also.
Two of these came in a pack.The one shown and another bigger model,that takes about a 4 inch blade,which is almost impossible to find.They were sold at Lowe’s Hardware.I bought them at close out,for about $6.Now about the only place to get them is on Ebay.A common name might be multi-cutter.
The second pic is a Craftsman model.
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