Max Knives MK1705 — Wooden whetstone holder with angle guide

Overview

The MK1705 is the base many whetstones are missing. Made of wood, it offers two seats to keep the stone steady during sharpening, and it comes with a sharpening guide meant to hold a constant angle. It is a quiet item in the range, but it is the one that turns a bare stone lying on a worktop into a proper sharpening station, where both hands can be devoted to the blade instead of to the stone.

A stone that stays put

Sharpening means pushing a blade against an abrasive with even pressure. If the stone slides, the pressure stops being even: you catch it, you lean harder on one side, the angle shifts, and your free hand ends up working as a clamp rather than as a guide. Two seats that hold the stone change the nature of the movement. The holder absorbs the push, the stone stays where it is, and attention goes entirely to the blade and to counting the passes.

Technical specifications

Wooden holder for a sharpening stone, fitted with two seats designed to keep the stone stable during sharpening. A sharpening guide is supplied with the holder; its function is to maintain a constant angle throughout the work. The set suits anyone who already owns a stone and wants to steady it, as well as anyone who prefers a fixed station to a stone resting directly on the worktop.

Care

Wood does not like staying wet: after a session on a water stone, wipe the holder and let it air dry before putting it away rather than shutting it in a cupboard. Lift the stone out of its seat so that both parts dry separately. A wipe across the seats keeps sharpening slurry from building up there and eventually stopping the stone from bedding down truly flat.