How to Sharpen a Serrated Knife With a Dremel

Serrated knives are very effective kitchen tools. They can cut things that have tough outer skins like tomatoes or cut through bread without crushing the fluffy interior of a loaf of bread.

You might find that there are many tasks that a serrated knife can do in the kitchen that other knives are not suited for.

If you have serrated knives, you might not be sure how to sharpen them. Some people replace their serrated knives each time they get dull or send them out to a professional to be sharpened.

If you have ever wanted to sharpen your serrated knives, there are some easy ways to take care of this process at home whenever it needs to be done!

If you are ready to learn more about how to sharpen a serrated knife with a Dremel, read on!

Serrated knives on the dark gray background

What is a Dremel?

You might not have ever used a Dremel before, but these handy devices can do a lot of different things that other sharpening tools cannot.

Dremel tools are essentially small power drills that can have different heads attached to them for different purposes. You might need a polishing head for some silver that you own, or maybe you are trying to sand paint off a new dresser you bought.

A Dremel is a powerful little tool that can generate some big results for different kinds of processes that need to be done around your home.

If you do not have one, investing in a Dremel will make it easy to take care of a variety of home care needs with ease.

What is a Serrated Knife Used for?

Serrated knives are used for cutting bread or for cutting things like fruits and vegetables that have a tough exterior layer and a soft interior layer.

You will not be able to cut bread or tomatoes without this kind of knife unless you don’t mind if the inside of each slice of bread is flattened or all the pulp has been squished out of your tomatoes.

Serrated knives are handy tools for many cooking functions, but they are harder to sharpen than regular knives due to the notched points on the cutting blade.

For many people, contemplating sharpening a blade with many small unique points that need attention is overwhelming.

Thankfully, there are some easy ways to care for the serrated knives that you might not have been familiar with before now.

How to Sharpen a Serrated Knife With a Dremel

Serrated knives require a slightly different sharpening process than a regular knife blade.

You will need to work through the sharpening steps for your serrated knife to make sure that you get a good outcome for your sharpening efforts.

1. Clean the Knife

Make sure that there is no debris or any other kind of material on the knife blade that could fly off and get in your eyes, or that might cause the blade to be bent or to break.

You should make sure that the knife is clean and dry before you do any work toward sharpening it.

2. Use a Vise

Make sure that you have a small vise on hand to hold the knife still as you use the Dremel. There is no way to hold the knife securely while also controlling the Dremel without a vise.

This is an important safety step that should not be missed when you are working with a knife and a Dremel.

3. Wear Safety Glasses

Make sure that you use safety glasses when you sharpen any knife with a Dremel.

Getting any kind of metal shavings or other debris in your eye that has been lifted off the knife by the Dremel could permanently injure your eyes.

4. Put the Grinding Attachment on the Dremel

Attach the grinding tool to your Dremel and make sure that it is securely affixed. You do not want to have it rotate off the Dremel with speed and cut you.

5. Sharpen the Smooth Side of the Blade

Start the sharpening process by running the Dremel tool across the back or smooth side of the blade. You will want to be sure that you match the angle of the blade and that you use even light strokes. Make sure that you do not miss sharpening the tip of the blade as well.

At a 25-degree angle, you will sharpen both sides and at a 12.5-degree angle, you will only sharpen one side. Start each stroke at the handle and work out to the tip.

6. Sharpen Between the Points

Once the backside of the knife is sharp, you will need to sharpen between the pointed spots on the serrated side of the blade.

Go slowly and work carefully on this process so that you do not break off the points or cause damage to the knife blade.

7. Polish

Apply a honing tool or a polishing tool and smooth out the entire blade.

You will need to work in between the points on the serrated side again, but you do not need to be quite as cautious as you work over the serrated side with the polishing or honing tool.

8. Make Sure it Works

Check that your knife blade is straight and free from burrs, then give it a test run. If it is cutting the way you want it to, you are all done!

If you think it needs just a little more work, rinse it off and finish cleaning up the spots that need attention.

Sharpening a Serrated Knife With a Dremel is Easy

Once you get used to using a Dremel to sharpen your serrated knives, you will wonder why you did not learn this process sooner!

This is an easy way to maintain your serrated knives without having to struggle with honing tools and knife-specific sharpening tools.

Plus, your Dremel will be able to do other tasks and functions for you when you are done sharpening your serrated knives!

Leave a Comment