the perfick bevel

[neilyweely]

Last week I got my hands on a stanley 200, which as some of you will know is a sharpening jig thingy. I have tried it out and it works well. However I do not seem to be getting the results I want.

I bought a Sorby mortice chisel last month, which was RAZOR sharp out of the pack. Since then I have been trying to reproduce this edge on my other chisels. I have some really nice chisels in the collection, but am loathe to experiment with these on my sharpening system so have been using the draper blue chisels, and a marple 'unbreakable' one to try and get the edge I need. Guess what, no dartchee. I cannot get close.

I have tried a wetstone, diamond system, oil stone, bench grinder and all various combinations of these four. Don't get me wrong I am getting a bloody sharp edge, but not quite.

So, without having to watch hours of video, and cutting all corners possible, can anyone give me a hand? I know you guys are all in possession of positively illegal blades, so whats the trick. I know all about 30' and 25', and to be honest I think I do already know the theory, I just seem to be missing one final factor. I did wonder if it was the cheap chisels that would not even take a good edge, but surely they would take it, just not keep it - right?

Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks. And have a great weekend one and all (Bedford River Festival this weekend, might be good?)

Cheers

Neil

 

[Karl]

Hi Neil

Can you shave hairs off the back of your arm (with a light stroke!), like this ?

If so, it's sharp enough. If not, sharpening is dead simple - what do you sharpen with normally?

Cheers

Karl

 

[mikebarnes0_0]

Go to youtube and search for sharpening. There are several short videos. This not bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDoRLdR4zC0

mike

 

[DaveL]

Go to youtube and search for sharpening. There are several short videos. This not bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDoRLdR4zC0

Of course its not bad, it was made and posted by Gidon, one of our members here. 8)

 

[neilyweely]

i can get hairs off the back of my arm if i use a mallet as well! And some skin!

No, I am not that sharp yet. So, I have a sealey bench grinder with a medium stone, which I only use if the steel is in BAD shape, otherwise its a couple of diamond stones, or a standard old wetstone.

I have a cloth-ish wheel which can be hooked up to a drill, that i use to take off burrs, but i tend to use manual methods as i feel more in control, and i do not like the speed the power tools take the edge off - it is too easy, and too quick, to make a mistake.

I have, as I said, an oold stanley 200, which is a guide in the same vein as the cheaper guides you get with the sets. It allows me to set the blade at an angle but still run it straight and level across the stone. However this still doesn't seem to be doing the business.

I think the common denominator in all this is the stones i am using. I think it may be time to bite the bullet and spend some proper money on one or two new, and better quality, diamond stones. Tell the truth the ones I am using are from my Dad, and were probly 1.99 a set.

I am considering a class in sharpening, and am hoping my college tutor will give me some help and guidance. Otherwise I fear it is gonna be a long road to perfection for me and my chisels!!!

Thanks folks! Any advice on budget-ish stones much appreciated.

Neil

 

[DaveL]

I have a cloth-ish wheel which can be hooked up to a drill, that i use to take off burrs, but i tend to use manual methods as i feel more in control, and i do not like the speed the power tools take the edge off - it is too easy, and too quick, to make a mistake.

Ah, if you use the polishing mop to take the burr of the back of the blade, you stand a good chance of rounding the edge. :x You end up with a very bright and shiny looking edge but its not sharp. #-o

 

[marcus]

To get that last bit of sharpness (the thing with the hairs) you will need an extra fine stone - 1200 grit minimum. This could be a diamond stone, japenese water stone, ceramic stone - or a piece of 1200 grit wet and dry paper on a bit of glass. If you're feeling patient, you could get an old fashioned arkansas stone. All work well. The wet and dry paper is your best bet if you want to save money. The diamond stone is more expensive, but worth it for the convenience (but needs to be a good quality one from someone like DMT). You will also need a decent 600 grit stone, and some coarser ones still for lapping the back of the blade flat (a process you should only ever need to do once with each blade). Again the cheap way to go is to use different grades of sandpaper on a piece of glass.

Don't loose heart! Sharpening is not rocket science and is really not difficult. I'm guessing that 90% of your troubles are down to inadequate equipment. Keep it simple: so long as you use a fine enough stone, the back of the blade is polished flat and you hone the bevel at a reasonably consistent angle you will end up with a beautifully sharp blade!

Marcus

... by the way, talking of splitting hairs, the hair cutting level of sharpness is not actually necessary much of the time. I was taught to use a 600 grit (fine) india oil stone, and take the burr off on the corner of the bench, which is perfectly adequate to cut neat joinery and plane well in many hard and soft woods. Traditionally many very fine woodworkers have been quite content with this level of sharpness, and produced good, solid work with it. That extra bit of sharpness is nice though, and sometimes you do need it - in timber which has a tendency to crumble, or tear out badly for example... Perhaps the reason we are more obsessed with sharpening nowadays is that the quality of much commonly available timber is declining, so we need to compensate with sharper tools....

 

[jonbikebod]

I am considering a class in sharpening, and am hoping my college tutor will give me some help and guidance. Otherwise I fear it is gonna be a long road to perfection for me and my chisels!!!
Neil

Have you considered a course with our very own David C? A wonderful way to spend a week in Devon, learn huge amount and enjoy the company of some like minded enthusiasts?
Jon.

 

[George_N]

The polishing mop will definitely round over the edge. I use a piece of MDF smeared with a thin film of Autosol metal polish, available from your local Halfords or other other supplier of motoring accesories.

 

[woodbloke]

Neil - PM sent - Rob

 

[bugbear]

I think the common denominator in all this is the stones i am using. I think it may be time to bite the bullet and spend some proper money on one or two new, and better quality, diamond stones. Tell the truth the ones I am using are from my Dad, and were probly 1.99 a set.

Ah. You probably just need better abrasives.

As an experiment, I suggest going to your local autostore and buying wet 'n' dry in the following grits:

* 400
* 800
* 1200
* 2400 (or the finest you can get)

Cut a 3" strip from each, and glue it down (spray glue is best, but use whatever you have) on a flattish surface; good quality ply, MDF, formica covered shelf material, glass, marble tiles all work.

Then work your tool, using your jig, from the coarsest to the finest, ensuring that at each stage the scratches from the previous grit have been removed (a cheap loupe is VERY helpful when checking sharpening progress).

That *should* work, and give you a way better edge than your Sorby came with.

If it doesn't report back here.

Sharpening with SiC paper is not a magic answer, but it does have VERY low capital costs, which is helpful.

BugBear