Well, to start with, I sharpen over 1,000 blades/cutters a year. Speed is essential for me. I use a Norton pink wheel (fine, I think) on a high speed grinder & keep a Cool Whip tub of water on the stand for constant dunking. Then I use 220 aluminum oxide paper on a marble floor tile, followed by 400. The paper is not glued down because I change it too frequently. Does not seem to make a difference. I also do this freehanded and rarely spend more than 3 min per blade. They end up sharp enough to shave with.
Practice should help you develop a feel for proper angle and should also help you develop a technique for consistency. I like long diagonal swipes on the paper. One or two swipes raises a wire that a short back rub will remove. Works for me. I graduated from a Tormek which taught me what a sharp edge looked like. These days I hardly use the old T.