This was a quick design project that was borne of necessity. I had purchased some Henckels knives from Value Village and needed to sharpen them. I tried a pull-through sharpener I had but it gave poor results. According to the internet, those styles of sharpeners aren’t particularly effective, so I know it wasn’t something I was doing wrong.
One trip to Lee Valley later and I had a set of ceramic honing rods. They included instructions on how to make a wooden base, but I thought this would be a fun 3D printing project, as I could add some of my own features that would be difficult to do with the woodworking skills I have.
Using the instructions Lee Valley provides as a guide, I modeled a base in Solidworks. I was able to fit four angles (20°, 30°, 40°, and 50°) so I could sharpen thin Japanese style knives that require a narrow angle, or tools that will see rougher use and require a wide angle. Embossed text beside each set of holes makes it easy to know which angle is being used. The rods are stored within the base, and a cap seals it. The base and cap have holes for 6mmx3mm magnets to be glued in, allowing for the cap to hold on tight.
I printed both parts on my Prusa i3 Mk3 using white PLA. Unsurprisingly, many of the holes came out smaller than they were supposed to be. I expected that to happen and reamed the holes with a power drill, allowing for a perfect fit for the ceramic rods. The magnets were glued in with Gorilla Glue (Not ideal because of how much it expands, but I had it on hand) and everything was ready to go.
