Sam, what do you use for sharpening? Those roller things are handy if you're lazy (Fiskars has a pretty decent model), but if you want to do it properly, you'll get a diamond sharpener. The angle you should use depends on the material of the knife, as a rule of thumb, Japanese knives have a higher carbon content and will hold an edge for longer. Sharpen these to about 10-15 degrees. European knives are slightly softer, and will need a slightly duller angle, about 20 degrees. I'm guessing American knives are pretty similar to the European ones. The sharper the angle, the quicker it will dull, and the higher the carbon content, the longer it will hold an edge.
The technique you use for sharpening probably doesn't matter that much, you can sharpen along the edge, or at an right angle, the angle you hold the sharpening stone/file at is more important. I like to work with long motions, starting at the blade and simultaneously moving towards the tip and the direction the cutting edge points towards, working the full length of the blade and moving about 2 inches in the direction the cutting edge with each motion.
You shouldn't wash knives in the dishwasher, the detergent basically works as a sand blaster and will quickly kill the edge of your blade.
