Knives:

-How They Work:
First off, before you go and pick a knife for the kitchen or start comparing brands there is a little bit of informations to get. In order to get the right knife and keep it working for you, its necessary to know how a knife works. A knife works by being both a lever and a wedge. It spreads the food, or whatever you are cutting, by creating a crack and as the knife slides through it wedges it apart. The difference on how well and knife cuts has a lot to do with the angle of the edge. 

-The Right Angle For the Job:
Knowing which edge angle is right for what you want is a big part of how the knife performs. The two main angle  types, at least in the kitchen, are what is called "a slicing angle" and "a general use" angle. A slicing angle glides through food much easier but it dulls faster. A general use angle, much like a common chef's knife, does well for many jobs like cutting meat and vegetables, and lasts longer however; it doesn't make as clean of a cut.

-How They Get Dull: 
On a sharp knife the edge comes to a fine point along ridge but as the knife is used the ridge wears and becomes rounded.

​(Figure 1: A Newly Sharpened Knife)

​(Figure 2 : A Heavily Used Knife)

​-(FAQ)- What Is The Difference Between The Sharpening and Honing?:
When you sharpen a knife you actually take steel off the blade and reshape it, to establish a fine edge. 
Honing is when you remolding the existing edge by removing very little steel and rolling the edge back into position.

-(FAQ)- How Can I Test To See If My Knife Is Really Sharp?:
A good way to test the sharpness of the knife is to do an old-fashioned "paper test". To do this take a piece of scrap paper and hold the corner with your thumb and index finger. In one motion cut the paper with very little pressure if it glides through the paper easily than you have a sharp knife.

-(FAQ)-What Can I Do To Touch Up A Blade Between Sharpenings?:
Probably one of the quickest ways to touch up a blade is to run the knife over a Chef Steel. 

Saw Blades:

Common Types of Blades:
-Wood Blades: For woodworking there are a few common types of saw blades.
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​Ripping Blades- are for cutting with the grain of the wood. This is called, "ripping". These blades tend to have a fewer number of teeth in order to allow for having larger gullets. Gullets are the spaces in between the teeth to remove larger wood fibers from the cut. 

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​Cross Cutting Saw Blades- are designed to cut perpendicular to the grain of the wood. These blades tend to have smaller teeth and gullets which take smaller chips from the wood; this requires a slower feed rate this gives you a smoother cut.

​Combination Saw Blades- these types of blades excel in cutting composite materials such as: plywoods, OSBs, MDFs, etc. They typically have sets of cross-cutting teeth, followed by larger gullets to remove larger fibers when ripping. Common on saw tables where there is a need for ripping and cross-cutting without changing the blade.

Simple, Cheap, and Easy Saw Blade Cleaning:

Barber/Stylist Shears:

How To Clean Them and Keep Them Working Properly :
​We always recommend cleaning your shears after each use no matter what type they are. Failure to clean scissors and shears can lead to rusting and corrosion. This can damage the washers and tensioning mechanisms inside the shear. A simple way to prevent this is to rinse and dry after each use; and before they are put away, use a touch of scissor lubricator ensure that they stay working like new. If there is debris between the blade of the shear you can use a can of compressed air to remove hair and other matter from the pivot point.

How to Test Them To See If They Were Sharpened Well:
A simple way to test the sharpness of shears can be to use perm paper, which cuts very similarly to hair. However the best test that we have found is to wet a tissue and cut it with the shears. After you cut, pull the shears backward gently; if the tissue tears then there could be an issue with the tips or the overall sharpness of the scissors. If there is no tearing or pulling you have a well tuned, sharp set of shears. 

Need some help figuring out how to clean and take your shears apart correctly?

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