The Comprehensive Single Bevel Knife Sharpening Guide

The Comprehensive Single Bevel Knife Sharpening Guide - Yanagiba, Deba, Usuba

Рет қаралды 52,034

Күн бұрын

How do you sharpen a single bevel knife? Sharpening a yanagiba, usuba, or deba is much different than sharpening a regular double bevel knife. Today, head sharpener Naoto is here to show us his extensive whetstone sharpening technique for traditional Japanese single bevel knives.
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Single Bevel Anatomy 0:00
Professional Gear List 1:27
At-Home Gear 4:22
Straightening the Blade 4:35
Setting the Bevel 7:32
Polishing on 500 grit 13:10
Deburring 14:14
Evening out the Bevel 15:10
Polishing on 1,000 grit 18:15
Creating Kasumi Finish 19:39
Creating the Koba (Secondary Bevel) 20:53
Deburring & Stropping 26:00
Common Mistakes 27:22
Tips for Deba & Usuba 29:39

Пікірлер: 109

@SteveSSBB 5 күн бұрын

Finally someone talking about the importance of making sure the knife is straight!!

@owlwoodworks Жыл бұрын

Other than his obviously ravishing good looks, my favourite part about sharpening videos with Naoto is how approachable and chill he makes his craft. There is never an air of superiority or judgement, I feel like I could ask him stupid questions all day and he would always have time for me. Well done as always guys. Love what you do

@kevinkent627 Жыл бұрын

He has endless patience for my dumb questions.

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! I ask Naoto dumb questions every day 😅

@zionpsyfer Ай бұрын

Seconded on all points. Chill, knowledgable without condescension, feels friendly & enthusiastic about his craft to the point where you could easily imagine nerding out for an afternoon on sharpening. This video was a huge help for me. Thanks to the team for this!

@vycogh Жыл бұрын

"Comprehensive" is truly the right word to describe this guide. Thank you Naoto!

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Happy to hear it!

@o_hobbista Жыл бұрын

one of the best videos about sharpening knifes I've ever watched! thank you.

@vorpalbits7720 3 күн бұрын

I hand sharpen wood chisles, plane blades etc. Glad to see there is aolt of overlap. Just got my first Deba, I learned important things here, thanks

@KnifewearKnives 3 күн бұрын

Glad I could help!

@maq3396 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comprehensive and practical how to video. I am about to sharpen my yanagiba for the first time and your video is instrumental. Hats off to the entire Knifewear group for their expertise, excellent service and ongoing support of our "hobby". Cheers!

@KnifewearKnives 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the love!

@sipette17 9 ай бұрын

Hello Naoto, I'm watching you from France, and this is the best video I've ever seen!! Thank you so much for sharing. In France, we use a lot of European knives. One day, I would really like to see a video about sharpening a European chef's knife and get lots of advice on which stones to use. Thanks again."

@KnifewearKnives 9 ай бұрын

Absolutely, will do!

@ben94_ Жыл бұрын

Thank you naoto i got good results sharpening a deba following your guide im going to try a yanagiba next

@sonkekoster3105 Жыл бұрын

As always - great sharpening video. Thank you!

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Happy to hear it!

@oracleocp Жыл бұрын

Great video with lots of detailed information and important technique. Thank you Naoto.

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@petergluck556 10 ай бұрын

Fantastic!

@trevor9606 Жыл бұрын

Not sure I’ll be brave enough to sharpen one but I so enjoyed learning about it. Naoto is the best!

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@teemukurkela5956 3 ай бұрын

Oh MAN! This is poetry.

@miroslavuradnik2234 4 ай бұрын

Thank you very much!!!❤❤

@Mr.pink_ Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much for this video so much information🙏

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@Haganeaffutage Жыл бұрын

Great vidéo very well explain. I learn a lot Thanks Nato 🔥 🔥

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@lukebellamy3057 Жыл бұрын

best one to date

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@Zeus-ly6od Жыл бұрын

Great video with a lot of professioal details. So far it is the most detailed yanagi sharpening viedo I had seen. The "straightening the blade part" was very important. But it was not mentioned much by others.

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Happy to hear it!

@Alex25CoB Жыл бұрын

Great video, very informative! Also love the camera closeups! Great job I want to get into single bevel knives but I wouldn't know which one to get (which would be the most universal?) LOVE the new haircut!!❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I would purchase based on what you expect to do with your knife most. The Yanagiba is excellent for slicing fish and meat, while the deba is just for butchering fish and birds. The usuba is for fine vegetable cutting, but behaves much differently than a nakiri. I hope that helps!

@miroslavuradnik2234 4 ай бұрын

❤❤.....Super!!!

@jasonhale7126 11 ай бұрын

Having declared my dissatisfaction with this sharpener last night kzfaq.infoUgkxDcr-y2Pf6xdnrFHrSP7dl9kpKaCozcSQ I thought about the problem some more. It occurred to me that I might be undoing each attempt at achieving a sharp edge by the repeated attempts. So, I tried to clean up the unsatisfactory result by honing with only positions 3 and 4.Miracle!! A really nicely sharpened chef's knife, more than enough to handle my needs. Admittedly, it did not reach professionally sharpened razor-fineness, but it is now significantly sharper than it was. A bout of breaking down carrots convinced me. So, major apologies to the manufacturer, Amazon, and all happy and potential owners! Follow the directions: don't buy it if you have ceramic blades; and don't overwork your knife blade.

@kosickybrusic 25 күн бұрын

I Like Your Channel!

@KnifewearKnives 24 күн бұрын

Thank you!

@petervanvliet6747 Жыл бұрын

Thought i could do it on my own with my 3 stone setup, but it looks a little complex for right now. lol It's safer to get it done by you guys 😆

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

We'd be happy to do it, but you can do a good job with a coarse stone, 1,000 grit, and a fine stone!

@davesmith5656 Жыл бұрын

Very useful demonstration with the scale and the amount of pressure you apply, Naoto. As in previous videos, the higher grit, the lighter the pressure, yes?

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

That's correct, finer stone equals less pressure!

@Sushimane714 10 ай бұрын

Damn I’ve been sharpening my single bevels wrong the whole time. Mainly sharpened my micro bevel… guess I need to reset the bevels and start fresh. Thank you for this wonderful video!

@KnifewearKnives 10 ай бұрын

Glad it helped!

@Cid_1 5 ай бұрын

Do you have any videos of the Naniwa Hibiki 3000? I see that stone is recommended a lot but can't find a single video of the stone being used on KZfaq. All I find is the Chosera & Professional stones. So a video about that stone would be wonderful, I'm sure it would be helpful to a lot of people to help decide a stone.

@MyNiftyJourney Жыл бұрын

Can you do a video on multi-faceted single bevels?

@user-io7sw4xj5z 4 ай бұрын

We need a Deba video !

@KnifewearKnives 4 ай бұрын

We'll make it happen!

@rickhersom223 Жыл бұрын

The best video I have seen on single bevel sharpening. Out of curiosity which brand of yanagiba and steel type were you using in this video?

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Hey, this was a Ginsan yanagiba, forged by Nakagawa-san in Sakai!

@TocilarulTimisorean Жыл бұрын

Then you have'nt seen the right one yet 😉

@mozgvision Жыл бұрын

Many thanks for your video. A great and informative one as always. I have a question though. I've recently bought a new Yanagiba made by a well regarded blacksmith in the Sanjo region. When I put the knife on a flat stone to check if the ura touches the stone evenly I can see a lot of gaps in the marks on the stone. I can see that the knife doesn't look straight in all areas. The shop where I got the knife told me that the Sanjo knives are made differently and should be sharpened differently. Does it make any sense to you? I am a bit lost on how to sharpen it.

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Hey, great question! This technique will work for any Japanese single bevel blade, so I wouldn't sweat that. Some single bevels are made without a concave surface on the back, so just check to ensure there is an uraoshi. As far as straightness, single bevel knives have a tendency to bend over time. As the steel settles, internal stressed can cause the hard and soft steel to expand or contract at diffferent rates, bending the blade.

@alexandrerodrigues2590 Жыл бұрын

Hi! Great video! I have a deba that seems to have a compound bevel (hamaguri). Does the technique of the different angles at the tip and heel also applies? If so, How to do that in a knife with hamaguri instead of beta-togi?

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

It definitely does apply, you could do a more exaggerated technique for a deba.

@grantlauinger8663 4 ай бұрын

Thanks, great video. The only thing I don't understand is why work the back on a 6000 and then later on a 4000? Are you just showing different stone options, or is that how you would normally work a single bevel knife?

@KnifewearKnives 3 ай бұрын

Hey! The 6,000 at the beginning is to check the flatness of the back side of the knife, as it will only polish the spots that contact the stone. The 4,000 later is to remove the burr. I hope that helps!

@MrLoam910 Жыл бұрын

Great explanation! I don't have a 4k stone. I have a 3k Naniwa Pro and a 6k Arashiyama. Which one should I use for the microbevel?

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Either! I love the finish the 6,000 gives the edge.

@ben94_ Жыл бұрын

If you are sharpening the kireha and move to a finer stone and the scratch pattern looks uneven, should you go back to the previous stone or keep going?

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

It depends on the hardness of the stone. On harder stones it will look uneven, but a softer stone will blend the scratch pattern better!

@MBR843 9 ай бұрын

Hi, was this yanagiba sharpened with the beta-togi method? Also comparing a hamaguri edge with a koba vs beta-togi edge with a koba, which would hold its edge for a longer period of time and why? Thanks.

@KnifewearKnives 9 ай бұрын

Good question! We pretty much always sharpen Hamaguri. As it's next to impossible for a bevel to be perfectly flat, we find that Hamaguri gives a stronger, longer lasting edge. With some practice, it's also fairly straightforward to do!

@danhip2442 Жыл бұрын

Recently I watched some old Japanese videos on sharpening knives, they recommend making uraoshi strictly perpendicular to the stone, how true is this? Thank you

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

If they mean strictly perpendicular as in having the back of the knife flat against the stone, it is pretty important! That flat back also acts as one half of the cutting edge, and needs to stay consistent to keep your angle correct.

@danielgross6183 11 ай бұрын

Can you make videos of you talking about sharping a Deba and a usuba so that I can understand how it’s done correctly please and thank you for your time

@KnifewearKnives 11 ай бұрын

We will definitely add it to our list!

@danielgross6183 11 ай бұрын

@@KnifewearKnives thank you very much

@richardbarrios8132 7 ай бұрын

Naoto, last year I acquired a set of three single bevel knives from a young lady who was selling them to head back to culinary school in France and needed to sell. These knives are Sabatier International Yanigaba, Deba, and Petty with Na handles, individual sheaths and chef's knife wrap. I later puchase a two sided 1000/5000 grit "king" stone to teach myself the sharpening technique. I have attempted to sharpen them after watching your video, but i do not do very well with them. I think i may send them off for sharpening. Do you have any advice? I live in North Dakota, USA

@KnifewearKnives 7 ай бұрын

Hey! You're welcome to send some photos to hello@ knifewear.com for Naoto to have a look, or send them in with our mail in service! knifewear.com/products/knife-sharpening-mail-in-service

@allinski 7 ай бұрын

With the leather stropper do you run the knife on the compound side first and then flip the stropper and finish on the bare leather side? Thanks

@KnifewearKnives 7 ай бұрын

Yup, that's exactly how I do it!

@allinski 7 ай бұрын

@@KnifewearKnives thank you

@dgpdgpdgp Жыл бұрын

haircut is fire!!

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@danhip2442 Жыл бұрын

Hello. I can't seem to get an even finish on the kasumi on my deba. Could you explain what I'm doing wrong? I can email a photo

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

Definitely! Feel free to email hello@knifewear.com, we can give you some pointers.

@dfunckt 8 ай бұрын

I'm watchin this to learn and already imagining how many times I'm going to cut myself when I try it on my own.

@slipperysteve2513 2 ай бұрын

I am new to Japanese knives so all due respect to your experience, I don’t understand why you would sharpen the whole bevel down until a burr forms. You’re dropping the bevel down past the original edge angle so that means each time you’re sharpening, you’re having to reset your edge angle. I know thinning the behind the edge material is necessary maintenance over time but this appears to be significantly thinning each time you sharpen. Would you ever simply stop the flattening process once you begin to approach your original edge angle?

@KnifewearKnives 2 ай бұрын

Hey, good question! You don't have to thin it that much, but it's pretty typical. The micro bevel is exceptionally small on a yanagiba, so we're not grind a ton of steel.

@vorpalbits7720 3 күн бұрын

OK, low grit on the Deba makes sense. I want some feedback from the knife so I don't destroy flesh. Like feedback from a sport car's steering as opposed to a luxury car. God I hope I am making sense here. cheers

@KnifewearKnives 3 күн бұрын

Exactly!

@josemaricarag7502 3 ай бұрын

Are all the stones mentioned really required? What is the bare minimum in stones to sharpen a Usuba?

@KnifewearKnives 3 ай бұрын

Hey! Depending on your desired outcome and the condition of the knife, you can use fewer. If it's quite sharp, you could use 1,000 and 3,000. You could also use an inexpensive kit like this: knifewear.com/collections/sharpening-stone-sets/products/copy-of-knifewear-knife-sharpening-starter-kit

@andreasjonsson8075 4 ай бұрын

Please bring back the kyosuo diamond lapping plate

@KnifewearKnives 4 ай бұрын

Hey, I think for the foreseeable future, we'll be carrying this one: knifewear.com/products/atoma-diamond-plate-140-grit-210x75x2mm

@andreasjonsson8075 4 ай бұрын

@@KnifewearKnives Ok. Thank you

@stephenminohara2519 10 ай бұрын

Looks like your stone 'holder' does not grip the stone!, the stone is just resting on the top, what is stopping the stone from moving

@KnifewearKnives 10 ай бұрын

Great question! It has a grip on the other side but Naoto likes to just use it as a platform to raise the stone. The rubber on it is enough to stop slipping!

@FiishOn Жыл бұрын

Sérieusement... Honte à moi et j'en suis désolé. Je ne savais pas qu'il fallait un micro biseau sur les biseaux d'un seul coté, comme les Deba etc... C'est la raison pour laquelle mon Deba en acier Shiromagi s'ébrèche ! Je me disais aussi... Mais pourquoi un fil si fin, si de toutes ces petites arrêtes de poissons ébrèches légèrement ma lame... J'ai 3 pierre Naniwa Professional, 400, 2000, et 5000. Vous me conseiller plutôt la 2000 ou 5000 pour la finition micro biseau ? Concernant les couteaux de chef style Japonais biseau en "V" je trouve que c'est très fin aussi et s'ébrèche pour pas grand chose, il ne faudrait pas un micro biseau aussi par hasard ? Car j'ai bien l'impression qu'on est a "+ ou -" 20 degrés au total voir moins... Ce serait pas mieux à 30 degrés, soit 15 de chaque coté ?

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

For a deba, I would say 2000 grit is definitely best to finish! For the chef's knife, a secondary bevel around 15 degrees is definitely best.

@FiishOn Жыл бұрын

@@KnifewearKnives Super, vraiment merci ! C'est noté, 15 degrés et grain 2000. Pour le Deba quel angle secondaire dois-je faire car la lame s'ébrèche à la moindre arrête de poisson ? Finition au cuir ou pas ? J'entends dire que les micros dents sur le fil de la lame est éphémère... C'est uniquement pour du poisson je précise. Du genre Sea bass, dorade etc.

@TocilarulTimisorean Жыл бұрын

Wait, what? Finish Deba on 2k grit? Are'nt we talking about same type of meat wich is raw fish and wich has to be cut with a fine edge so that it does not tear the cellls? I mean i think you understood something wrong about this technique! May i ask where did you learn to sharpen Yanagi, Deba etc.?

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

That's correct! Because the deba mostly works around skin and bones, it needs a stronger edge. The meat is often trimmed before making sashimi, which can be done with the Yanagiba!

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

I've learned from a variety of knife sharpeners in Japan, my own research, and more!

@TocilarulTimisorean Жыл бұрын

@@KnifewearKnives Then would you tell what would be the difference between working the Uraoshi perpendicular 90° to the stone all the way along the length of the blade VS doing it at 45° or less, except the obvious fact that when you get near the handle you can't sharpen it at other than 90° angle tward the stone ? What do the pro sharpeners in japan say about this? Looking for this explication for a long time now!

@nathangareau278 Жыл бұрын

@@TocilarulTimisorean Ah, good question! If you sharpen at an angle, you may get some very fine teeth pointing in that direction, but generally when you sharpen uraoshi you should only do so minimally on a fine grit stone, so they likely won't be very noticeable.

@alvarobarrera6014 7 ай бұрын

Why don't you use diamond sharpening stones?

@KnifewearKnives 7 ай бұрын

We do use some Diamond stones from Naniwa! We use a mix of Japanese whetstones with different abrasives, just personal preference.

@Anderware 3 ай бұрын

What is the technique for maintaining the edge of a single bevel knife with a ceramic rod? Do you only take strokes on the bevel side and do you need to do anything on the uraoshi side? Thanks, great video.

@KnifewearKnives 3 ай бұрын

Hey, sometimes a ceramic rod can be a bit much for a single bevel knife, but if you're gentle it should be okay. I hone at 10-15 degrees on the bevelled side, and 0 degrees on the uraoshi side. You can also try a leather strop, as they're a lot more gentle!

@LGPaulo88 8 ай бұрын

If i copy the movement of your hand while sharpening my knife, will my knife be ok? I mean im imagiging my knife to cut on the stone and instead of making it sharp...the tip might get ruined...(I just got a second hand deba knife. saw it in a second hand store..love it..) I dont want to accidentally ruin the edge. When I was a kid I was told that to sharpen a knife there's a proper stroke... watching you just push back and forth... their not professional at knife sharppening

@KnifewearKnives 8 ай бұрын

As long as your angle is correct and consistent, you don't need a specific motion! Just keep your pressure light and take your time. Naoto's sharpened thousands of knives, so he makes it look easy.

@LGPaulo88 8 ай бұрын

@@KnifewearKnives when i was a kid i was told to drag the knife backwards..dont push forward..so im imagining if i push the knife..it would be the same as trying to chop the stone.... is this belief that i created wrong?

@user-xs3db6ox3q 6 ай бұрын

You'd want to keep less than 1mm of the back part touching the stone, if you have wider than that, you are not doing it properly!

@chaniefar5820 Жыл бұрын

Terlalu banyak bicara

@vincentbettex2528 Жыл бұрын

You cut your hair... is it time ?

@davesmith5656 Жыл бұрын

Please, lose the "loop music" in the background. We want to hear every nuance of the sound of the knife on the stone. The audio feedback from a stone is important. It would be nice if we could somehow get the tactile feedback you get (!!), but there's no reason to take away our audio feedback. It's all a part of getting proficient. How many here put on "loop music" before starting a sharpening session at home? I tried it with a stray cat that started hanging around - it worked, she ran away.

@KnifewearKnives Жыл бұрын

That's a great point, thanks!