Alright folks, now you don't have an excuse for not having razor-sharp edges on your boning knives. Save money by buying "bone-in" butts and cut your own. Hey, sharp knives don't cut your fingers... dull knives will because you have to force them to cut as they become dull. Invest in a good "butcher's steel" to use frequently while you are cutting. Remember, "steels" don't sharpen the knife - they "set up" the edge again. When the edge wears down, you'll have to remove a little "relief" steel on the edge to produce a sharp cutting edge again. This is done with an abrasive.
Are you wondering how to find a constant angle of less than 25 degrees? Fold a piece of typing paper in half. The angle at a corner is now 90°. If you fold any two adjoining (contiguous) edges together, the angle becomes 45°. Folded once more, the angle becomes 22-1/2 degrees - just right for the edge on a kitchen knife. Hold your knife next to the folded paper and place it on the sharpening stone to view and remember the proper angle. In the knife shop, we used huge, turning, abrasive wheels to remove the steel. At home, there`s just nothing wrong with using a good abrasive stone. Keep grindin', stuffin', and for goodness sakes... keep your edges sharpened! Good luck wranglers!
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
