Apparatus for sharpening a cutting tool. In some embodiments, a powered sharpener has a main drive assembly with an electric motor, and a sharpening assembly with belt support surfaces to provide a routing path for the belt to define first and second belt segments. A first blade guide is configured
Apparatus for sharpening a cutting tool. In some embodiments, a powered sharpener has a main drive assembly with an electric motor, and a sharpening assembly with belt support surfaces to provide a routing path for the belt to define first and second belt segments. A first blade guide is configured to position a blade of the cutting tool at a first guide angle to sharpen a cutting edge of the blade against the first belt segment. A second blade guide is configured to position the blade at a second guide angle to sharpen the cutting edge of the blade against the second belt segment. The first and second belt segments may be parallel or non-parallel. As desired, anti-torsion members may be provided to contactingly engage a backing layer of the belt to resist torsional twisting of the belt during sharpening against the first and second belt segments.
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1. An apparatus for sharpening a blade having opposing first and second side surfaces that converge to a cutting edge, the apparatus comprising: a main drive assembly comprising: an electric motor configured to drive a flexible abrasive belt at a selected speed and direction, the flexible abrasive b
1. An apparatus for sharpening a blade having opposing first and second side surfaces that converge to a cutting edge, the apparatus comprising: a main drive assembly comprising: an electric motor configured to drive a flexible abrasive belt at a selected speed and direction, the flexible abrasive belt having an abrasive outer surface and a backing layer inner surface; anda base structure configured to support the apparatus on a horizontal surface; anda sharpening assembly coupled to the main drive assembly and comprising: a plurality of belt support surfaces to provide a routing path for the flexible abrasive belt, the belt support surfaces comprising multiple first support surfaces and multiple second support surfaces configured to contactingly engage the backing layer inner surface to provide first and second belt segments that extend between the multiple first support surfaces and the multiple second support surfaces; anda first blade guide adjacent the first belt segment and a second blade guide adjacent the second belt segment, the first blade guide configured to position the first side of the blade at a first guide angle with respect to the first belt segment with the cutting edge in contact with the abrasive outer surface along the first belt segment, the second blade guide configured to subsequently position the second side of the blade at a second guide angle with respect to the second belt segment with the cutting edge in contact with the abrasive outer surface along the second belt segment. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least a selected one of the first or second belt support surfaces comprises at least a portion of an outer surface of a rotatable roller. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a selected one of the first or second belt support surfaces comprises an outer surface of a drive roller coupled to the electric motor using a torque transfer mechanism to advance the flexible abrasive belt along the routing path at a selected speed and in a selected direction such that material is removed from a portion of the blade held in contact with the flexible abrasive belt. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the torque transfer mechanism is further configured to alternately advance the flexible abrasive belt along the routing path in an opposing second direction. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the torque transfer mechanism is further configured to advance the flexible abrasive belt in the selected direction when the blade is placed in the first guide and to advance the flexible abrasive belt in the second selected direction when the blade is placed in the second guide. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first guide angle is nominally equal to the second guide angle. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second belt segments are characterized as non-parallel belt segments. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second belt segments are characterized as parallel belt segments. 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second blade guides are removably attachable to remaining portions of the sharpening assembly. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sharpening assembly further comprises a spring that exerts a bias force to at least a selected one of the belt support surfaces to place the flexible abrasive belt in tension along the routing path. 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second blade guides comprises at least one side support surface configured to contactingly engage a selected side of the blade and a cutting edge support surface configured to contactingly engage a first portion of the cutting edge of the blade while a second portion of the cutting edge of the blade contactingly engages the flexible abrasive belt. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the first and second blade guides are characterized as substantially u-shaped slots. 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the first and second blade guides are characterized as substantially v-shaped slots. 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sharpening assembly is further configured to support the belt adjacent the first and second belt segments to contactingly engage the backing layer inner surface of the flexible abrasive surface to prevent torsion of the respective first and second belt segments as the blade is respectively placed in the first and second blade guides. 15. An apparatus for sharpening a blade having opposing first and second side surfaces that converge to a cutting edge, the apparatus comprising: a flexible abrasive belt having an abrasive outer surface and a backing layer inner surface;a main drive assembly comprising an electric motor configured to move the flexible abrasive belt along a routing path; anda sharpening assembly coupled to the main drive assembly, comprising: a plurality of spaced apart belt support surfaces comprising multiple upper support surfaces and multiple lower support surfaces, the belt support surfaces configured to contactingly engage the backing layer inner surface of the flexible abrasive belt to provide the routing path for the flexible abrasive belt with respective first and second planar extents that extend from the multiple upper support surface to the multiple lower support surfaces;a first blade guide adjacent the first planar extent configured to position the first side of the blade at a first guide angle with respect to the first planar extent as the cutting edge contacts the abrasive outer surface along the first planar extent;a first support member adjacent the first planar extent configured to contactingly engage the backing layer inner surface of the flexible abrasive belt to prevent torsion of the first planar extent during presentation of the cutting edge against the abrasive outer surface along the first planar extent using the first blade guide;a second blade guide adjacent the second planar extent configured to position the second side of the blade at a second guide angle with respect to the second planar extent as the cutting edge contacts the abrasive outer surface along the second planar extent;a second support member adjacent the second planar extent configured to contactingly engage the backing layer inner surface of the flexible abrasive belt to prevent torsion of the second planar extent during presentation of the cutting edge against the abrasive outer surface along the second planar extent using the first blade guide. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least a selected one of the upper or lower belt support surfaces comprises an outer surface of a rotatable roller. 17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein a selected one of the belt support surfaces comprises an outer surface of a drive roller coupled to the electric motor using a torque transfer mechanism to advance the flexible abrasive belt along the routing path at a selected speed and in a selected direction such that material is removed from a portion of the blade held in contact with the flexible abrasive belt. 18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first guide angle is nominally equal to the second guide angle. 19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plurality of spaced apart belt support surfaces comprise outer surfaces of a plurality of rotatable rollers comprising an upper first roller and spaced apart lower second and third rollers, wherein the first planar extent extends tangentially from the first roller to the second roller, and wherein the second planar extent extends tangentially from the first roller to the third roller so that the first and second planar extents are non-parallel. 20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plurality of spaced apart belt support surfaces comprise outer surfaces of a plurality of rotatable rollers comprising an upper first roller and a lower second roller, wherein the first planar extent extends tangentially from a first side of the first roller to a first side of the second roller, and wherein the second planar extent extends tangentially from an opposing second side of the first roller to an opposing second side of the second roller so that the first and second planar extents are parallel. 21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first and second blade guides are removably attachable to remaining portions of the sharpening assembly. 22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the sharpening assembly further comprises a spring that exerts a bias force to at least a selected one of the belt support surfaces to place the flexible abrasive belt in tension along the routing path. 23. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the first and second blade guides comprises at least one side support surface configured to contactingly engage a selected side of the blade and a cutting edge support surface configured to contactingly engage a first portion of the cutting edge of the blade while a second portion of the cutting edge of the blade contactingly engages the flexible abrasive belt. 24. An apparatus for sharpening cutting tool having a handle adapted to be grasped by a user and a blade extending from the handle with opposing first and second side surfaces intersecting at a cutting edge therebetween, the apparatus comprising: an abrasive belt configured for advancement in at least one belt direction along a belt path about a plurality of spaced apart rollers, the abrasive belt comprising an outer abrasive surface, an inner backing surface, a first edge and an opposing second edge;a first blade guide comprising a first side support surface that extends at a first angle with respect to the abrasive surface of the flexible belt and a plunge depth limiting surface adjacent the first side support surface, the plunge depth limiting surface configured to contactingly engage a portion of the cutting edge as the first side support surface contactingly maintains the blade at the first angle to abrade the first side surface of the blade in a first abrasion direction relative to the cutting edge as the user grasps the handle and inserts the blade into the first blade guide with the handle nearer the first edge than the second edge of the flexible belt;a second blade guide comprising a second side support surface that extends at a second angle with respect to the abrasive surface of the flexible belt and a plunge depth limiting surface adjacent the second side support surface, the plunge depth limiting surface configured to contactingly engage a portion of the cutting edge as the second side support surface contactingly maintains the blade at the second angle to abrade the second side surface of the blade in a second abrasion direction relative to the cutting edge as the user grasps the handle and inserts the blade into the second blade guide with the handle nearer the first edge than the second edge of the flexible belt, the second angle mirrored with respect to the first angle about a centerline that passes through the abrasive belt equidistant between the first blade guide and the second blade guide. 25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first abrasion direction is opposite the second abrasion direction so that the first abrasion direction is towards the cutting edge and across the second side of the blade and the second abrasion direction is across the first side of the blade and away from the cutting edge. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first abrasion direction is equal to the second abrasion direction so that each of the first and second abrasion directions are either towards the cutting edge and across the associated first or second side of the blade or across the associated first or second side of the blade and away from the cutting edge. 27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the at least one belt direction comprises a first belt direction when the blade is placed in the first blade guide and a second belt direction when the blade is placed in the second blade guide, the second belt direction opposite the first belt direction. 28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the plurality of rollers define tangentially extending first and second belt segments, the first belt segment adjacent the first blade guide, the second belt segment adjacent the second blade guide, the first belt segment parallel to the second belt segment. 29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the plurality of rollers define tangentially extending first and second belt segments, the first belt segment adjacent the first blade guide, the second belt segment adjacent the second blade guide, the first belt segment parallel to the second belt segment. 30. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising a first belt support member configured to contactingly engage the backing surface of the abrasive belt to reduce torsion of the abrasive belt adjacent the first blade guide as the blade is inserted therein, and a second belt support member to contactingly engage the backing surface of the abrasive belt to reduce torsion of the abrasive belt adjacent the second blade guide as the blade is inserted therein.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (27)
Havins William H., Abrading machine with indexing tool carrier.
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