How to Sharpen Serrated Knives

Serrated knives tend to hold their edge longer than straight-edged knives, and are more difficult to restore without changing their shape. For these reasons, it's best to sharpen your serrated knives only when you notice them becoming less effective. That said, if you're willing to put in the labor, a cheap handheld tool will do the job.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Using a Sharpening Rod

  1. Image titled Sharpen Serrated Knives Step 1
    1
    Purchase a serrated knife sharpening tool. Serrated knives need different sharpeners than straight-edged blades. Most serrated knife sharpeners are rod-shaped, usually with a taper to accommodate different sized serrations.
  2. Image titled Sharpen Serrated Knives Step 2
    2
    Locate the side of your knife with a beveled edge. Serrated knives generally do not look the same from both sides. On one side, the face of the blade will continue at the same angle until the blade's edge. On the other, the face of the blade will angle down slightly just before the serrated edge; this is called the bevel. Only apply a sharpening tool to the beveled edge.
    Advertisement
  3. Image titled Sharpen Serrated Knives Step 3
    3
    Place the sharpening rod in one of the serrated scallops ("gullets"). Choosing an angle is easier for serrated blades, because you can use the angle of the bevel as a guide. This is typically between 13 and 17 degrees compared to the edge of the blade, which is shallower than you may be used to sharpening knives.[1]
    • If the knife also has a straight edge portion, the bevels are usually ground to the same angle — about 20 to 25 degrees.[2]
    • If you want a better guide, draw on the gullets with permanent marker. You'll know you're hitting them at the right angle if the marker is removed.
  4. Image titled Sharpen Serrated Knives Step 4
    4
    Move the rod to match the gullet's diameter. If your sharpening rod is tapered, locate the rod in the gullet at the point where the rod's diameter is the same size as the gullet's, or slightly smaller.
  5. Image titled Sharpen Serrated Knives Step 5
    5
    Sharpen the first gullet. Run the sharpening rod along the first groove in several short strokes. Push in one direction away from the edge of the blade, toward the spine. Rotate the rod as you push it for a more even grind.[3]
    • Push only to the point of the rod with the same diameter as the gullet, to avoid enlarging the gullet.
  6. Image titled Sharpen Serrated Knives Step 6
    6
    Check for a burr. Run your fingers along the backside of the groove to check for a "burr," or metal shavings. As soon as you can feel a burr, you have sharpened the groove sufficiently. This often only takes a few strokes.
    • Try running your fingernail along the back edge. If you feel it catch, there's a burr.[4]
  7. Image titled Sharpen Serrated Knives Step 7
    7
    Continue sharpening each groove on the blade. If the knife's serrations are different sizes, adjust the position of the tapered sharpening rod so that the rod just fills the groove.
  8. Image titled Sharpen Serrated Knives Step 8
    8
    File away all the burrs. The burrs are the metal shavings that you filed off when sharpening the blade. To remove them, rub the back of the knife against a sheet of fine-grit sandpaper. As an alternative, you could lightly run the sharpening rod against the backside of each groove, being careful not to apply more pressure than necessary to remove the shavings.
  9. Image titled Sharpen Serrated Knives Step 9
    9
    Sharpen any straight-edged portion of the blade. If your knife is only serrated along a part of the blade's length, sharpen the remaining length with a whetstone or other sharpening tool. Don't attempt to use the serrated knife sharpener on the straight portion of the blade.
    10. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Using Other Tools

  1. Image titled Sharpen Serrated Knives Step 10
    1
    Use a triangle-shaped sharpener. Like the rods, these tapered triangles are designed specifically for serrated knives. Due to the shape, they tend to work best on knives with V-shaped gullets. The process is almost identical to the rod-shaped method described above, except that you rock the edge of the tool back and forth along the bevel instead of rotating it.[5]
  2. Image titled Sharpen Serrated Knives Step 11
    2
    Make your own tool from emery cloth and dowels. If you would rather not buy a single-purpose tool, you can buy a few cheap dowels from a hardware store instead. Find a dowel that sits in the knife's first scallop without wobbling, then wrap a piece of emery cloth most of the way around the dowel. Hold the cloth in place with your finger, and sharpen carefully and slowly. Switch dowels to match the size of the scallops as you move along the knife.
    • Use a round dowel for a knife with round scallops, or a square dowel for V-shaped scallops.
  3. Image titled Sharpen Serrated Knives Step 12
    3
    Sharpen with a square stone. This is a difficult and unreliable last resort, but it is possible. Hold the knife spine securely against a hard surface and tilt the blade so the beveled edge is on top. Bring the corner of the sharpening stone to the scalloped edge and use it to sharpen the edge, rocking it back and forth to cover the full area of each scallop.[6]
    4. Advertisement

Community Q&A

  • Question
    What if the serrations are really small?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    A narrow triangular tool is your best bet. If you can't find one that works, focus on sharpening the tip of the edge rather than the scallops. The result won't be perfect, but it can still make a big difference on a dull knife. If it's important to get the best quality, send your knives to a professional.
  • Question
    What are safe secure storage procedure for knives?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    The best place for kitchen knives is in a knife block. It keeps the edges safe so they don't become dull from contact with other kitchen utensils, and it keeps your hands safe from getting cut when you reach into a drawer filled with random utensils. Make sure your knives are dry before inserting them into the block to avoid unnecessary rusting. The knife block's position is all up to you, but if you are worried about children you can move it to the back of the counter space or in a cabinet with child locks. Another method of storage is a magnetic strip mounted on the wall. It allows for easy access, but keeps the knives well out of reach of small children.
Advertisement

Warnings

  • Compared to a straight knife, serrated knives are more difficult to return to a factory appearance.[8] If you want a perfect edge, you may need to a hire a professional, or send your knives to the manufacturer for re-sharpening. Fortunately, sharpening services are usually quite cheap.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
  • Even a high-quality electric sharpener typically has trouble sharpening the full gullets along a serrated knife edge. It's best to stick to manual sharpeners.[9]
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
Advertisement

Things You'll Need

  • Serrated knife
  • Serrated knife sharpener
  • Fine-grit sandpaper

You Might Also Like

Select Quality Kitchen Knives
How to
Select Quality Kitchen Knives
Sharpen a KnifeHone and Grind a Dull Blade Using These Simple At-Home Techniques
Use a Knife Sharpener
How to
Use a Knife Sharpener
How to
Sharpen a Knife With a Stone
How to
Flip a Butterfly Knife
How to
Sharpen a Pocket Knife
How to
Hold a Knife
How to
Chop Food Like a Pro
How to
Use a Knife
How to
Clean a Knife
How to
Wrap a Knife Handle
Dispose of Knives Safely
How to
Dispose of Knives Safely
Use a Sharpening Steel
How to
Use a Sharpening Steel
Blunt a Sword or Knife
How to
Blunt a Sword or Knife
Advertisement

References

  1. ↑ https://lansky.com/index.php/blog/how-sharpen-serrations/
  2. ↑ https://www.knifecenter.com/info/sharpening-serrations
  3. ↑ http://www.buckknives.com/pdf/WEBKnifeSharpeningDocument.pdf
  4. ↑ https://lansky.com/index.php/blog/how-sharpen-serrations/
  5. ↑ https://lansky.com/index.php/blog/how-sharpen-serrations/
  6. ↑ https://lansky.com/index.php/blog/how-sharpen-serrations/
  7. ↑ https://www.smithsproducts.com/edgesmith-knowledge/
  8. ↑ http://www.buckknives.com/pdf/WEBKnifeSharpeningDocument.pdf
  9. ↑ https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5816-sharpening-serrated-knives

About This Article

VT
Co-authored by:
Vanna Tran
Experienced Cook
This article was co-authored by Vanna Tran, a trusted member of wikiHow's volunteer community. Vanna Tran is a home cook who started cooking with her mother at a very young age. She has catered events and hosted pop-up dinners in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 5 years. This article has been viewed 386,341 times.
80 votes - 89%
Co-authors: 12
Updated: May 8, 2022
Views: 386,341
Categories: Cooking Knives and Blades
Article SummaryX

To sharpen serrated knives, you can use a sharpening rod to individually sharpen each groove on your blade. Like the rods, a triangle-shaped sharpener works great on serrated knives, especially those with V-shaped gullets. If you prefer to make your own tool, you can buy some dowels, wrap them in emery cloth, and sharpen your knife with this homemade kit. For tips on how to sharpen with a square stone, keep reading!

Did this summary help you?
Advertisement