Sharpening chisels

[Alf]

Honing guides give constantly repeatable results; something which freehand can't give you without a lot of practice.

I use the Veritas Mk2 - takes 20 seconds to mount the blade and then you're away with the sharpening. I find that if you try and freehand, the temptation is to raise the angle of the blade in relation to the "stone", resulting in an ever increasing bevel angle. Result - an inevitable "re-grind".

Cheers

Karl

Good job i've had lots of practice then isn't it :wink:

Whereas a woodworker doing it for love rather than money may find their opportunities few and far between, thus not giving them the opportunity to develop the necessary muscle memory. Would you deny them a sharp chisel simply because their time is limited?

 

[woodbloke]

Nicely said Jimi. The other thing that a guide will do, if used correctly (apart from a consistent, repeatable angle) is to produce a dead square edge, important for something like a very close mouth on a smoothing plane or in a shoulder plane - Rob

Depends on the guide. Any of the guides that have a narrow wheel or roller don't do this - it's mainly up to the operator.

BugBear

That's why, at the very last instant, I added the little caveat...'if used correctly' :wink: - Rob

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry to cause upset, its just far quicker and easier for me to put an edge on without the use of a guide. I was taught to use the quickest method to a sharp edge, which in this case is free hand honing. setting up a guide is a waste of time and money in my opinion. Nothing to do with Rambo or Rocky, or Captain Robert Hash.

 

[Jacob]

Sorry to cause upset, its just far quicker and easier for me to put an edge on without the use of a guide. I was taught to use the quickest method to a sharp edge, which in this case is free hand honing. setting up a guide is a waste of time and money in my opinion. Nothing to do with Rambo or Rocky, or Captain Robert Hash.

:lol:
In any case Rambo would be the tooly of toolies! I imagine him charging through a burning building clutching a huge MKIII honing jig - all brass knobs and glittering steel.

Here he is adjusting his jig prior to a sharpening session on his 25 piece marking knife set (A2 steel, cryogenically hardened, cocobolo handles):

 

[Jacob]

... Would you deny them a sharp chisel simply because their time is limited?

Nobody is denying anybody anything. Just making helpful suggestions!
If time is limited then free-hand is the way to go IMHO. Just stick with one double-sided stone, a tin of oil and some rags. That'll do you for the first 10 years of your woodwork career!

 

[mtt.tr]

I have to say i grind free hand and hone free only becuase it is the way i have been taught and now i can so im unlikely to take to jigs but i dont disagree with them

 

[bugbear]

Just stick with one double-sided stone...

Your Arkansas not working out for you? Your initial report was quite positive.

BugBear

 

[Jacob]

Just stick with one double-sided stone...

Your Arkansas not working out for you? Your initial report was quite positive.

BugBear

The above intended as advice for a beginner. No doubt he would acquire a few more stones later.
Ark stones seem fine. Too fine in fact. The black one that is. The white one is more use but still a bit on the fine side for me.

 

[Colarris]

I managed to get hold of a Stanley honing guide but its a little hard to use as the blade keeps moving. Will probably invest in the Axminster one plus their waterstone as my dads got a stone but hasn't a clue what it is!(?)

 

[Anonymous]

Best jig there is

 

[Dibs-h]

I managed to get hold of a Stanley honing guide but its a little hard to use as the blade keeps moving. Will probably invest in the Axminster one plus their waterstone as my dads got a stone but hasn't a clue what it is!(?)

I'd just go and buy the Veritas gauge - it really is very good and will save a lot of hassle. The cheap ones are a bit of a pain to use.

I'd also ignore the jig vs freehand "discussions" (even tho they aren't that) as they are about as useful as the hand cut vs machine cut dovetails "discussions" for most of us. Best left to those that find something useful in them

Dibs

 

[woodbloke]

Best jig there is

...and which, if not done with due care and attention, will ultimately lead to and edge like this. I know how to freehand sharpen, having been a woodwork teacher for 20 years, but using a jig means that it's a lot harder to achieve the sort of skewed, **** eyed edge shown in the Jap chisel.
Would you want your best shoulder plane blade looking like that as well?..probably not. Jigs have their faults, but in general, they ensure that a square, repeatable angle at an edge can be made and they take only a while longer (with practice) to set up and use - Rob

 

[Anonymous]

I am sorry, but I was always always taught that any joiner/cabinet maker who is worth is salt should be able hone free hand - Every one has their opinions........................ But honing free hand should be practiced like you would practice a joint; till perfection.

The slightly annoying thing about this and the ensuing debate is its far easier and quicker to get an edge without a jig. The 2/4/6/8 hours it took you to earn the money to buy a decent jig you could have had free hand honing perfected!!

 

[woodbloke]

I am sorry, but I was always always taught that any joiner/cabinet maker who is worth is salt should be able hone free hand - Every one has their opinions........................ But honing free hand should be practiced like you would practice a joint; till perfection.

The slightly annoying thing about this and the ensuing debate is its far easier and quicker to get an edge without a jig. The 2/4/6/8 hours it took you to earn the money to buy a decent jig you could have had free hand honing perfected!!

Sorry, read what wrote...I can free hand sharpen and was doing it for twenty years as a woodwork teacher in mainstream education. As for 'easier and quicker' that's a matter of debate, which as you'll no doubt have realised, tend to go on for rather a long time! :lol: Quicker it certainly is, easier is a very moot point. As I pointed out, if you don't get it just right every time, you very soon end up with an edge as shown in the ebay pics...it's the old chestnut, the workmanship of 'risk' vs the workmanship of 'certainty' - Rob

 

[Anonymous]

I am sorry, but I was always always taught that any joiner/cabinet maker who is worth is salt should be able hone free hand - Every one has their opinions........................ But honing free hand should be practiced like you would practice a joint; till perfection.

The slightly annoying thing about this and the ensuing debate is its far easier and quicker to get an edge without a jig. The 2/4/6/8 hours it took you to earn the money to buy a decent jig you could have had free hand honing perfected!!

Sorry, read what wrote...I can free hand sharpen and was doing it for twenty years as a woodwork teacher in mainstream education. As for 'easier and quicker' that's a matter of debate, which as you'll no doubt have realised, tend to go on for rather a long time! :lol: Quicker it certainly is, easier is a very moot point. As I pointed out, if you don't get it just right every time, you very soon end up with an edge as shown in the ebay pics...it's the old chestnut, the workmanship of 'risk' vs the workmanship of 'certainty' - Rob

I think we'll have to agree to disagree as even my college tutors from all those years back wouldn't allow a honing jig to be used.

 

[bosshogg]

Just a note...I bought 3 yes three diamond sharpening stones (£2.99) from Lidl recently, thinking they must be rubbish, I opened the first compartment holding the course stone, it turned out to be a diamond sintered, thin metal plate covering a piece of coloured plastic...what did I expect (homer)
I tried to use it out of the box, it went slip sliding away (to quote Paul Simon's song) my never say die attitude coming to the fore (or should that be my "Fagan" like penny pinching attitude) -however- I siliconed it to a block of 1/2" mahogany, placed it on a non slip mat and worked a weary, multi faceted chisel edge on it. WOW unbelievable results, soon I had a single facet, honed and absolutely square angle, imperfections on the flat of the blade were quickly (relatively speaking) removed and one of the most pleasant experiences gained. I have gone on to re-establish perfect single facet angles on lots of my chisels and planes reducing the course marks down on a medium grit diamond honing plate bought years ago for a piffle, then on to a waterstone...scary sharp.

Lidl's tend to repeat offers like this every few months, IMHO you could do much worse than give these stones a try, at that price I also use the course one for keeping my waterstone absolutely flat and with a cutting surface second to none...bosshogg

You can't fix a problem using the same thinking that created it...A.E. 8)

 

[Dibs-h]

taught that any joiner/cabinet maker who is worth is salt should be able hone free hand -

It's about profit at the end of the day.

Not intended at you Mark - those sorts of statements (and there's more) are easily seen as the realm of those those that couldn't or can't cut it out there. And were no doubt even more prevalent before mechanisation.

My 2euros worth

Dibs

 

[bosshogg]

Betcha you wished you'd never asked eh! this just happens to be one of the most emotive subjects on this forum, if you want a one to one PM me and I'll try to guide you with whatever equipment you have at hand...bosshogg

No man is an island

 

[Anonymous]

I'm going to ask this question

Who here when they get a new chisel or plane blade and flatten the back of it on a sharpening stone until you achieve an almost mirror like finish and who doesn't?

 

[Peter T]

I'm going to ask this question

Who here when they get a new chisel or plane blade and flatten the back of it on a sharpening stone until you achieve an almost mirror like finish and who doesn't?

I try to!

Doesn't always work but I try.