[Mark N. Akers]

Rick:
I seen a few weeks ago you spoke of a Sisal buffing wheel.I ordered 3 to put on my burke system,what rpm do you recommend,and do you recommend the 925 compound they recommend?Also I have some of the German green compound from Koch,are you aware what the grit is in this?

[rick-in-seattle]

I run my sisal wheels at 1725 rpm.

Yes, the 925 compound is what I am using on my sisal wheels.

It is difficult to say what grit the German Green might be.

[Anthony Filetti]

Mark, Rick,
Guys I don't quite need a Burke at this point as I have been sending my tools to Rick, but I would like to know what type of machine would you recommend for just knives? I'm hooked on having my knives flat ground and pulling out my Arkansas stones can be time consuming especially when trying to correct a knife that is "tracking"...any advice would be helpful...

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

try the scary sharp method, its quick and the cheapest....you're not out much if you do something else later......I use 400 grit, 800, 1200 and 2000.............you could go to a coarser grit if you thought you needed to but just takes a lot longer to get the stryations out of the blade when you use a really coarse grit. imho 90% of the time I just need a strop and if a hand strop doesn't do it, 10 seconds on the burke does!

[buckbeans]

what do you mean by tracking?

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

probably means light colored streaks in the cut, which indicates a nick......guessing

[Mark N. Akers]

Yes Dave:
Thats what tracking means,you can see marks in the wood and if you feel the knife,you will feel the burrs.Tony I use a Burke,3600 rpm
floppy wheel,and a chipping away
up right leather belt.As far as which is best I use them all,they have different functions.I would get rid of any of them.

[Anthony Filetti]

Mark, Dave hit it right on the head when he said you can see light lines through the wood caused by a tooth thats folded over, the knife can be sharp but if that tooth is folded over you will the lines in your cuts.

Thanks for all the info guys, I'll keep it in mind. Dave when you mention your scary sharp system are you referring to a piece of glass and sandpaper?

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

yep....or plexiglass (heavy) or marble slab, anything hard and flat that will not flex as you stroke the knife blade across it

[Anthony Filetti]

Thanks Dave, I have a hand Strop but it doesn't help correct tracking so I might just have to try your method.