Well, I've had my guide for a couple hours now and have used it for the past hour and a half. The reason for my intensive work is because of some "work" I did while fettling the plane on my LV smoother. I had done about ten strokes on the wet/dry with my smoother when I realized that I hadn't retracted the blade. doh! ](*,) One piece of sand paper shot and one blade buggered. Time to remove that backbevel from my bevel up blade. My fingers are sore and I'm ready with some initial comments.
I've never used the mkI sharpener, but I have used an eclipse style guide for the past three years. I must say, it's a world of difference. Not having to squat down in front of my bench, guessing whether or not I'm keeping the same angle that's on the blade while I try to make sure that my blade stays square to that crappy eclipse casting (shuddering at the memories)
The mkII can almost be used without reading the directions. I only had to refer to them to see where the adjustable roller should be set. Other than that, the guide is self explanatory. All of the settings have good detents and are easy to set and repeat. One of the best features about the guide are the many different ways to position your fingers. After using the guide for an hour and a half, I had to change positions a number of times to give my fingers a rest.
Stability with the wide roller is great. What more can you say? But, the roller is so stable, I can see how it might be tough to bevel the edges of the blade.
Overall, the mkII is great. It definitely makes sharpening plane blades easier, especially the initial blade setup.
I've never used the mkI sharpener, but I have used an eclipse style guide for the past three years. I must say, it's a world of difference. Not having to squat down in front of my bench, guessing whether or not I'm keeping the same angle that's on the blade while I try to make sure that my blade stays square to that crappy eclipse casting (shuddering at the memories)
The mkII can almost be used without reading the directions. I only had to refer to them to see where the adjustable roller should be set. Other than that, the guide is self explanatory. All of the settings have good detents and are easy to set and repeat. One of the best features about the guide are the many different ways to position your fingers. After using the guide for an hour and a half, I had to change positions a number of times to give my fingers a rest.
Stability with the wide roller is great. What more can you say? But, the roller is so stable, I can see how it might be tough to bevel the edges of the blade.
Overall, the mkII is great. It definitely makes sharpening plane blades easier, especially the initial blade setup.
