Freehand Sharpening - which technique?

[bugbear]

Since the techniques of freehand sharpening vary, I wondered which the various freehanders amongst us chose.

If I've missed any techniques (and editing polls is allows) mention them, and I'll add them.

 

[Corneel]

Hollow grind, but I polish at a slightly higher angle.

 

[pedder]

When I sharpen freehand (I don't do this all the time) I try to get a flat bevel, because the is theoreticaly the fastest, but I don't care so much tu "under"round it, because that doesn't hurt.

 

[Racers]

I do a mixture of hollow ground and double bevel, and sometimes use a jig!

I have ticked double bevel as it my most used one.

Pete

 

[Droogs]

for me with a slight convex bevel, Though sub-consciously I think I'm trying for a micro bevel

 

[MIGNAL]

The poll needs another option, as I use the same method as corneel - hollow ground, sharpened at a slightly higher angle.

 

[bugbear]

The poll needs another option, as I use the same method as corneel - hollow ground, sharpened at a slightly higher angle.

Added for you - vote away. I'd rather we didn't dive down a rabbit hole of micro-variations though.

EDIT; It now appears that adding an option has reset all the counts, so I won't be doing that again.

If people want their vote to count, could they (sorry :-( ) re-vote?

BugBear

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Ah yes. The forum has been a bit quiet of late hasn't it :wink:

 

[lurker]

Ah yes. The forum has been a bit quiet of late hasn't it :wink:

On the subject of sharpening you mean?
You would think woodworkers would want to discuss this subject, but no one seems to have an opinion on the right way of doing this.

Personally I always hand sharpen with the stone strapped to the handlebars of my bike whilst riding down the middle of A6 dual carriageway near my home.
Am looking for like minded individuals to join me.

 

[AJB Temple]

I use a Japanese stye flat primary bevel with a secondary bevel and final strop on knives, chisels and anything that I want really sharp. That does not really appear in your vote options. For turning gouges and chisels I just use a flat bevel on a Sorby pro grinder with various belts and don't mess about with hand sharpening. I tend to do this with plane irons too, though I may give them a secondary bevel and strop if I am feeling keen.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You appear to have forgotten the N0legs method.

 

[MIGNAL]

Actually I could quite easily select two, maybe even three options. Perhaps I'm awkward. In the end I selected the option I use for the majority of my sharpening. It's not the only one I use and I reserve the right to change my technique sometime in the future! Doubt I'll be the only one.

 

[AndyT]

Sorry BB, I want to redesign your poll. I use more than one of those options so need check boxes not radio buttons.

A bench plane iron is not the same as a moulding plane iron or a mortice chisel!

(I see Mignal agrees with me. )

 

[BearTricks]

Flat bevel with one of Axminster's just about serviceable sharpening guides, on a budget(ish) ice bear waterstone. Honed with some autosol on mdf or a bit of leather if I can figure out what I did with it. MDF seems to work better if I'm completely honest.

Works fine. I'm getting some serious full length shavings on some difficult sapele. I'm after a pro-edge for turning tools so I'll probably switch to that for everything soon. There's something nice about a waterstone though, despite it's drawbacks.

 

[bugbear]

Sorry BB, I want to redesign your poll. I use more than one of those options so need check boxes not radio buttons.

A bench plane iron is not the same as a moulding plane iron or a mortice chisel!

(I see Mignal agrees with me. )

Editing the poll resets deletes all the existing votes, so I won't be doing that again.

I did have the sharpening of bench planes and chisels in mind though, since that's by far the commonest sharpening task for most people.

BugBear

 

[Jacob]

Other.
I produce a slightly convex bevel but it's not "deliberate" in the sense of serving any purpose. It's "accidental" in that if you take a relaxed approach to freehand sharpening, without trying pointlessly to keep a bevel flat, you will end up convex, but get it done much faster. Rather like pedder (post above) though he is wrong about flat being theoretically faster (check "volume of a prism")

NB there's nothing particularly japanese about flat bevels. Some of them do it - they do like to ritualise many ordinary things, but many don't, especially if they just want to get on with the job..

 

[lurker]

Other.

NB there's nothing particularly japanese about flat bevels. Some of them do it - they do like to ritualise many ordinary things, but many don't, especially if they just want to get on with the job..

It must be at least a week since you last wound BB up by saying that :roll:

 

[D_W]

Hollow grind and bevel at a slightly higher angle, as corneel states.

 

[MIGNAL]

Poor sideways blade. No one has voted for it. I occasionally use it though!

 

[essexalan]

Flat single bevel on Japanese chisels, flat primary plus honed secondary on old steel chisels and plane irons. Waterstones only and flat really means "flattish".