Reccomend me a whetstone/sharpening setup under £50

[Seascaper]

I am looking for a cheap-ish sharpening setup for my planes and chisels. I was planning to buy the Axi Honing Guide (Link) and then a whetstone, just trying to decide what one.

I looked at the axminster sharpening set, Link to Kit, but this seems to be mostly for knives.

I would be really grateful if anyone could reccomend something suitable!

Thanks

Hello,
For many years I just used an Eclipse 36 honing guide for all my chisels and plane blades. It works to a razor. The stone is double sided in a wooden box. You can get the honing guide from someone like Oldhandtools even the stones. It might take a bit longer than but the edge is good.
Regards

 

[imageel]

I'll second the Eclipse jig, or any of the Chinese knock-offs on Ebay or this Screwfix one Magnusson Honing Guide, I use a couple of different aluminium oxide grit (from rolls) glued to a sheet of float glass intended for a cantilever style shelf. Glue is Screwfix spray contact adhesive, then finish with 320/1200 grit wet-n-dry by laying the sheet on the finer grit - it will hold the paper sufficiently and you can go from a badly nicked blade to mirror finish in 5-10mins with only ~£30 investment.
Occasionally will use a leather belt to finish off if doing really fine work but after 1200 grit you get a mirror finish that easily shaves hairs -

 

[pgrbff]

In theory you want to be able to sharpen freehand, it will speed up your work. In practise it is more about what you want. Learning to sharpen well freehand takes time, bit like cutting dovetails. Oil or water is also up to you, whichever you think suits you better. Quality of stones will make a difference, depends how sharp you want your tools.

 

[kinverkid]

I can help out with a strop free of charge from my off-cuts. In fact, I have quite a bit lying around at the moment if anyone would like to message me and be prepared to pay the postage. It would probably only need to be around 200 x100 or less so would fit a standard envelope.

Edited. As pointed out by Homeless Squirrel I originally put 800x100.
I've just priced up the postage. £1.65 for a second class letter.

 

[Jacob]

.... Learning to sharpen well freehand takes time, bit like cutting dovetails.....

True - but modern sharpening takes even longer to learn and involves a bewildering array of alternative and often expensive kit, as we see in every thread in the topic, including this.
It'd make sense to get to grips with the old and simple ways as a cheap and reliable fall back, and only then experiment with the modern alternative fashions, if you really want to.

 

[pgrbff]

True - but modern sharpening takes even longer to learn and involves a bewildering array of alternative and often expensive kit, as we see in every thread in the topic, including this.
It'd make sense to get to grips with the old and simple ways as a cheap and reliable fall back, and only then experiment with the modern alternative fashions, if you really want to.

I think we are all different. I have never owned an oil stone and wouldn’t dream of sharpening freehand, my way takes longer but is far from complicated. I have worked as a woodworker but I’m self taught and not a professional. The professionals I have worked with all asked me to do their sharpening for them. You call it modern sharpening but waterstones are no more modern than oilstones and I imagine people have been making jigs to help them sharpen for as long as sharpening itself.

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

I can help out with a strop free of charge from my off-cuts. In fact, I have quite a bit lying around at the moment if anyone would like to message me and be prepared to pay the postage. It would probably only need to be around 800 x100 or less so would fit a standard envelope.

800 is nearly a metre!

 

[Jacob]

I..... waterstones are no more modern than oilstones

But relatively unknown in UK until fairly recently, when a lot of Japanese stuff started being trendy.

and I imagine people have been making jigs to help them sharpen for as long as sharpening itself.

Well no. They've been around as an accessory for amateurs but were little used until recently.
You'd be hard pressed to find an "antique" sharpening jig as they hardly existed.
I don't think people realise how different things were even just 40 years ago!
Typically Robt Wearing in "The Essential Woodworker" 1988, has the usual few brief paragraphs on sharpening and recommends the Eclipse jig just for beginners, only to be retained as useful for very narrow chisels. Makes sense, but you could pass on the jig altogether. 1988 and modern sharpening had hardly begun!

 

[Bigbadmarky]

I don't want to be "that guy" but I would advise going on a course to learn sharpening techniques. I did a weekend course in Bristol and learned loads. My biggest take-away was you have to learn a technique that suits you. This allowed me to make a more informed choice when buying my sharpening stuff.
I use a cheap wheel jig to establish a single bevel angle (I'm not particularly precious what angle it is) on a coarse grit diamond plate, then I use higher grit whetstones and muscle memory to refine it. It works for me and, while costing me a bit for the course, probably saved me hours of faffing about with different techniques and money buying various gadgets and doo-hickeys.

 

[Jacob]

I don't want to be "that guy" but I would advise going on a course to learn sharpening techniques. I did a weekend course in Bristol and learned loads. My biggest take-away was you have to learn a technique that suits you. This allowed me to make a more informed choice when buying my sharpening stuff.
I use a cheap wheel jig to establish a single bevel angle (I'm not particularly precious what angle it is) on a coarse grit diamond plate, then I use higher grit whetstones and muscle memory to refine it. It works for me and, while costing me a bit for the course, probably saved me hours of faffing about with different techniques and money buying various gadgets and doo-hickeys.

My point really. In the old days there no courses and not much in the way of different techniques or gadgets and doo-hickeys. For the working woodworker that is - tool making/servicing etc a different thing.

 

[kinverkid]

800 is nearly a metre!

Haha. 200x100mm. Slip of the swipe text. Just edited it and added the postage cost.

 

[Dave Moore]

Each to their own- I’ve never been consistent sharpening by hand -using a jig - this one or any similar gives me the confidence that my tools are sharp and at the correct bevel for the type of work I’m doing . Changing the subject - many years ago if I wanted to join a length copper pipe to a lead pipe I would do a wiped lead joint but nowadays I use a lead loc- different technique but same result only quicker.

I thought lead was illegal now and had to be ripped out when discovered?

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

Haha. 200x100mm. Slip of the swipe text. Just edited it and added the postage cost.

I can mail £5 odd via paypal for some bits

 

[Bingy man]

I thought lead was illegal now and had to be ripped out when discovered?

Thousands pre 1970 homes still have lead water mains .there is no legal requirement to change lead pipes within the boundary of your property. It’s up to the homeowner to replace it should they wish to . Some water authorities will reconnect your new mdpe to the main for free but the homeowner pays for the service to their property.

 

[Pabs]

You can adapt knife sharpening fixed angle devices with a bit of jiggery pokery or even make your own.
The rather large sharpening angle of most chisels and plane irons makes it challenging for the edge to be presented to the stone at the right attitude.

I use a peice of float glass with self adhesive grit affixed. This goes down to around 1micron using 3M abrasive films. This is a really cheap way of flattening the back of the iron but can also be used to sharpen the main bevel with care. a rolling wheel using a peice of dowel with trakcs either side can help guide things.

I've attached a picture of my sharpening set up. the TSPROF is expensive and you can probably make a workable copy - the main issue will probably be flex as you use your stones.

That said getting good at using whetstones freehand is a real lifeskill although some say that you can't hope to hold the right angle consistently enough without the use of guides.

Hope this helps, I'm learning myself so may not be the best method.

edit - the use of a sharpie is also extremely useful to figure how close your angle is to the primary bevel of the iron / blade

 

[Jacob]

.....s.

That said getting good at using whetstones freehand is a real lifeskill

It's easy - you just have to avoid talking yourself out of it. 20 minutes and you've got it.

 

[Pabs]

It's easy - you just have to avoid talking yourself out of it. 20 minutes and you've got it.

not if you're an obsessive perfectionist! Been sharpening for years and still room for improvement!

 

[Jacob]

not if you're an obsessive perfectionist! Been sharpening for years and still room for improvement!

But is your woodwork improving in step with your sharpening skills?

 

[Pabs]

But is your woodwork improving in step with your sharpening skills?

time will tell!

 

[Pabs]

Hand me down from grandpa, RIP.
Just trying to learn the basics of using it.
Already love making shavings with it!