Drill-Powered Knife Sharpener! | DIY Woodworking Tools #9

There is one thing that is in common with almost all of my tools, and all of our kitchen knives - They are dull.

Very dull. They are about a sharp as a brick.

We always buy the highest quality knives that we can afford, yet we pretty much never sharpen them. Ignoring the fact that Dull knives are more dangerous,it just makes no sense. Pure waste of money!

So in this Instructable, I'm going to show you how to make a super cheap knife sharpener, that can sharpen all of your tools and knives to INSANELY sharp levels.

This homemade tool can be used sharpen and polish all sorts of: Knives (Utility knives, X-Acto Blades, Pocket Knives, kitchen knives...), Hand-Planes, Chisels, Drill-Bits, Woodturning Gouges, Scissors, jewelry, and many more!

Let's get started!

*Pssst! Don't forget to check out more info about the giveaway in the comments!

Step 1: What You'll Need:

Hardware & Materials:

~1" Thick MDF

Sharpening/Buffing Compound

Bolt +2 Hex-nuts

2 Small Washers

Some Hardwood

Chemicals & Adhesives:

CG-90 Spray Lubricant

Tools (+Attachments):

Several Clamps

89mm Hole Saw (3.5")

Drill-Bit Set

File

Electric/Power Tools:

Drill

Drill-Press

6-in-1 Woodworking Machine (It contains the Mini Bench-Grinder)

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Why: RAZOR sharp tools within seconds!

Recommended Safety Equipment: Earmuffs, Respirator, Safety Goggles

Cost (for me): Several cents per knife/tool

Difficulty: Fairly Easy

Approximate Time: 1 Hour

Step 2: Drill the Hole for Making the Wheel

To start this project, I started by cutting through some thick MDF with an 89mm Hole-Saw in my Drill-Press. MDF is really heavy, so I made sure to clamp it down tightly onto the table.

After drilling, you should be able to pop out the plug.

Why did my plug burn? I'll explain more about this later in the Instructable...

Step 3: Grind Off Part of the The Threads of the Screw

I quickly assembled my 6-in-1 woodworking machine into the bench grinder, and clamped it down to the table. This is the same machine that I used for turning The Finger Mallet.

I used it to remove the threads that were close to the head of the screw. You'll understand why I did this in the next steps. I put some water on the screw once in awhile to help eliminate the airborne dust.

Step 4: Measure, & Drill a Hole for the Wooden Bushing

I planned to make this project with a bearing, but later found out that I didn't have one that's the right size, so I had to change my plan.

I first measured the height between the bolt and the table, when my drill was on a scrap piece of wood, and the bolt was secured firmly in the chuck. It measure about 5cm.

After that, I drilled a hole in a scrap piece of hard plywood, exactly 5 centimeters from the bottom.

Step 5: Assemble All of the Parts

Someone should really turn this into a DIY kit...

Here are all of the steps:

1. Insert the bolt through the hole in the plywood

2. Add a nut and a washer

3. Insert the wheel

4. Add another washer and nut

5. Secure the end of the bolt in the drill's chuck

6. Put a scrap piece of wood under the drill

7. Clamp everything tightly on to the table

8. Lubricate the bolt to reduce friction between the plywood

Step 6: Remove Burn Mark, and Turn the Wheel True

So... Why did the wheel (plug) burn?

While drilling, I started to smell the smell of burnt wood. Burnt MDF smells absolutely horrible, so I stopped.

I noticed that the teeth of the saw were totally clogged with MDF dust, so all they didn't cut, and stayed at the same height (place), while creating a lot of friction because of the high speed.

After noticing this, All I did was push the Drill-Press's handle down for half a second, and tapped on the side of the Hole-Saw twice, while drilling. This helped remove all of the dust so the teeth wouldn't get clogged.

I had to remove the burn mark, but in case you did this with a Bandsaw, turning it true can easily be done with a file.

Step 7: Add Sharpening Compund

I held the green sharpening compound in one hand, while turning the wheel with the other hand. This step is really easy, and should be done frequently while sharpening.