Knife-edge sharpening apparatus

Abstract

Two counter-rotating, intermeshing, sharpening wheels simultaneously grind opposite sides of a blade edge to form a sharp, burrless knife-edge. Each wheel includes a stack of toothed disks, concentrically aligned, the teeth of each succeeding disk angularly offset in a common direction from the teeth of the next preceding disk to create a wheel having a plurality of uniform composite teeth, each oriented at an angle from the wheel's axis. A coating is applied to at least the apexes of the composite teeth to enhance their cutting ability. A pair of sharpening wheels, one with teeth aligned in the opposite direction, can be counter-rotated and because of the oppositely aligned teeth, are capable of intermeshing. Intermeshing can be varied, creating a range of included sharpening angles. The profile of the composite teeth can be shaped to various patterns, allowing a knife-edge to be sharpened in a variety of serrated fashions.

1 . A blade sharpening wheel comprising a plurality of concentrically stacked, circular disks, each disk including a plurality of radially projecting grinding teeth spaced around its circumference, the disks being in fixed relation to each other.  
     
     
         2 . The wheel according to    claim 1    wherein the disks are in angular offset relation to each other.  
     
     
         3 . The wheel according to    claim 1    wherein each disk includes a plurality of radially projecting teeth uniformly spaced around its circumference, the disks being aligned concentrically but progressively angularly offset one from another.  
     
     
         4 . The wheel according to    claim 3    wherein the teeth of the disks are aligned in rows which are angled with respect to the wheel's axis.  
     
     
         5 . The wheel according to    claim 4    wherein there is no axial gap between the tail end of a row of teeth and the front end of a preceding row of teeth.  
     
     
         6 . The wheel according to    claim 1    further comprising a coating adhered to the apexes of the teeth to enhance their cutting ability.  
     
     
         7 . The wheel according to    claim 6    wherein the coating comprises cubic boron nitride.  
     
     
         8 . The wheel according to    claim 1    wherein the lengths of the teeth are not uniform.  
     
     
         9 . The wheel according to    claim 8    wherein the apexes of each row of teeth define a curve.  
     
     
         10 . A blade sharpening device comprising: 
 (a) first and second radially toothed wheels, the wheels being in tangential intermeshing relation to each other,    (b) means for counter-rotating wheels, and    (c) each tooth including an abrasive apex for scraping contact with a blade being sharpened.    
     
     
         11 . The wheel according to    claim 10    wherein: 
 (a) the first wheel comprises a plurality of stacked circular disks, each disk, after the first, being concentrically stacked at an angular offset from a preceding disk, the offsets being in one direction; and  
 (b) the second wheel comprises a plurality of stacked circular disks, each disk, after the first, being concentrically stacked at an angular offset from a preceding disk but in an offset direction opposite from the first wheel.  
 
     
     
         12 . The wheel according to    claim 10    wherein the amount the wheels' mesh is selectable over a range to vary accordingly the included angle of the sharpened edge of a blade.  
     
     
         13 . The wheel according to    claim 10    wherein the lengths of the teeth of the wheels are such that in cooperation they can sharpen a blade in serrated fashion.  
     
     
         14 . A blade sharpening apparatus comprising: 
 (a) a first toothed wheel;    (b) a second toothed wheel; and    (c) a pair of counter-rotating axles for rotating the wheels, each wheel affixed to one of the axles with the teeth of the first wheel adjustably enmeshed with the teeth of the second wheel for sharpening both sides of a blade drawn against the teeth of the rotating wheels.