10-28-2017, 09:02 AM
Sorry if I misunderstood your post. It seems to me that performance to task would require a different set of tests than just sharpness. Indeed, sharpness testing would be part of it such as establishing initial sharpness and monitoring sharpness along the way, but that would not answer the question of what is the “best edge angle for each cutting task”.
What exactly do you mean by “best”? For example, what angle requires the least cutting pressure, or what has the best edge retention/sharpness after a given number of cuts, or what “feels” the best to most people when cutting. That type of thing.
One type of test might be where a set amount of pressure is applied on a blade and then the number of strokes necessary to cut some specified amount of material is counted. That would answer one question. But then the question of sharpness retention over time could be considered. Maybe it’s better to start with a duller edge because that edge generally performs better, longer and therefore lowers long term sharpening costs in a production environment even though it may require greater pressure to cut at the onset.
So, I would think that it is necessary to define exactly what the initial question is before attempting to design a method of testing for it.
What exactly do you mean by “best”? For example, what angle requires the least cutting pressure, or what has the best edge retention/sharpness after a given number of cuts, or what “feels” the best to most people when cutting. That type of thing.
One type of test might be where a set amount of pressure is applied on a blade and then the number of strokes necessary to cut some specified amount of material is counted. That would answer one question. But then the question of sharpness retention over time could be considered. Maybe it’s better to start with a duller edge because that edge generally performs better, longer and therefore lowers long term sharpening costs in a production environment even though it may require greater pressure to cut at the onset.
So, I would think that it is necessary to define exactly what the initial question is before attempting to design a method of testing for it.