Sharpen Your Serrated Kitchen Knife With This Basic Power Tool

While a dull blade is not ideal, it needn't be taken as a sign that you need to replace your kitchen knife. The obvious solution is to sharpen it, and fortunately, there are several tools that can be added to your arsenal in order to keep your knives nice and keen. Where things get a little trickier is if you're trying to sharpen a serrated knife. Unlike regular blades, serrated knives have uneven "toothed" edges, which means they cannot easily be sharpened with a standard tool. But that's not to say that they can't be sharpened at all. It just means that a more specialized approach is required. In fact, there are several sharpening tools that are designed to handle serrations. But if you'd prefer to avoid the expense of buying another sharpener, and you already have a rotary tool in your workshop, then you could simply use that instead.

If you're unfamiliar with this piece of equipment, you may still be familiar with the term "Dremel." Known for producing some of the best rotary tools on the market, Dremel is actually a brand name. It invented the concept of the rotary tool back in 1935, and now, just like some people say "Coke" to mean cola, or "Scotch tape" to mean sticky tape, rotary tools are often simply referred to as "Dremels" — regardless of the manufacturer. When the tool was first invented, it quickly became established as one of the most versatile power tools ever made. And while they're often associated with specialized crafts like jewelry making, there are actually plenty of reasons for homeowners to invest in a rotary tool – including sharpening your knives.

Like a power drill, rotary tools use high-speed rotation to spin a variety of handy attachments. There are lots of genius ways you can use a rotary tool around the house, from sanding your woodwork to polishing your kitchen hardware. In fact, Dremel alone offers over 140 accessories that can be paired with its rotary tools, covering everything from cutting and engraving to sanding, drilling, and even pet grooming. They also cover sharpening attachments, and it's one of these that you'll need in order to sharpen your serrated knife. Specifically, look for an aluminum oxide grinding stone attachment, which is perfect for general-purpose sharpening on things like stainless steel. Try to find the smallest attachment you can, and look for one that's conical in shape, as this will make it easier to sharpen your knife's teeth and the tiny little grooves between them.

Next, and this is important, you need to ensure you have the right safety gear. Since any type of sharpening requires grinding away tiny particles of metal, a reliable pair of safety goggles is paramount to ensure nothing accidentally flies up and into your eyes. For that same reason, a dust mask is also important in order to prevent accidental inhalation. For the actual sharpening, it's best to use a vise or something sturdy to hold the knife in place, which will allow you to operate the tool with both hands.