There are a lot of guides on the market for honing chisels and plane irons. Trying to decide if i really need one and if so which one to buy. Going to be sharpening using the "scary sharp sandpaper" method. Have sharpened chisels this way before without a guide and it works well. But a plane iron is a little bigger. So any suggestions will help.

thanks

russ

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No greater Loves than God, Family, Friends, country, the sight of flying chips and the smell of saw dust.

I have always had struggles sharpening by hand even with jigs until I got the Work Sharp 3000. That is one tool that has been a game changer for me on my chisels and plane blades. I tried the scary sharp method but it took a long time to get just one chisel done while I could get all of my chisels done in less time than it took to do 1 chisel. This may not be what you are looking for, but for me it is one tool that I would buy again in a heart beat.

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Allen Worsham
Corona, CA

allenworsham@earthlink.net

http://www.awcreationsandwoodcrafts.com

'Graze in every man's field, but always give your own milk' J. Vernon McGee

  Veritas Mark II honing guide.     I have the Mark I, and use it for most of my sharpening.     MarkII is their "improved version".

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'and may the road raise up to meet ye'

I never used one. Never  needed one. 

Such things didn't exist when I got into wood so nobody considered that they needed 'em. They just figured out how to do it by hand and it worked out just fine.

 I sort of think that the idea of a  sharpening guide is more of a marketing phenomena than it is a bona fide solution to any need.    

Great point Cliff, there are many diehards that don't use guides and they get great results. I can't remember but I watched a video by a well known woodworker who showed some tips on free hand sharpening. I free handed for years just like you and Paul until saw a honing guide, I bought it and I have used it since. It is the Veritas Mark II. I love it.

But that being said, I would have no problem at all going back to free hand. There is allot to be said about marketing a product as you said. Manufactures can jam down our throats so much technical BS that we think we really need to get our tools to the tolerance they are telling us, when in reality, can you really tell the difference? Does it really matter if your plane blade is not sharpened to exactly 35 degrees? Did the craftsmen of yesteryear really care when he or she was building their Windsors, or Pennsylvania High Boy that their planes blades were at a specific degree? I don't know, I highly doubt it. I am with you Cliff. Nothing wrong with freehand, if it works for ya stay with it.

You have re-kindled my thoughts on this, I might have to give my honing jig a rest for awhile and see what I come up with. I love bucking the system.

Now for the Worksharp folks out there, that has to do with results and results quickly. This is one tool I still want to include in my arsenal of tools. The idea of sharpening every woodworking tool, kitchen knife, and pockets knives we own, and being able to do it in an hour, is really appealing to me. I have heard nothing but rave reviews about them.

But to answer your question Paul, the Veritas Mark II Honing Guide is great!

 
Cliff R said:

I never used one. Never  needed one. 

Such things didn't exist when I got into wood so nobody considered that they needed 'em. They just figured out how to do it by hand and it worked out just fine.

I sort of think that the idea of a  sharpening guide is more of a marketing phenomena than it is a bona fide solution to any need.

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

John Morris said:

 Does it really matter if your plane blade is not sharpened to exactly 35 degrees?

Indeed not. 

But then, all things exist on a continuum  so  a  more  or less acute the angle  might lend itself to one or another element of  performance and different people might  lean more to one or the other variously for reasons they learned from practice.

Maybe 35 is a good middle ground.  Best of all worlds sort of thing. 

I have never been a fan of the back bevel, though I suppose that the people who use it find that there is sufficient benefit to justify the loss of steel and extra effort.

I did  learn the benefit of that mirror polished  super sharp edge.

I made fun of those guys for years and finally tried it and was flabbergasted at how much difference it made in planes and chisels.  I get the edge by applying auto body polishing compound to a long piece of wood and stroking my edge across that  in long steady strokes a few times  The result is  an edge that is much  smoother cutting and longer lasting  than the edge I got just using stones.

Allen,

I do not think i need another Power grinder. lol I have a 8" slow turn wet wheel and a standard bench grinder which i use when needed. But have to agree that Work sharp looks like a great machine. I just like the idea of hand honing i think it gets the best results.

 russ

Allen Worsham said:

I have always had struggles sharpening by hand even with jigs until I got the Work Sharp 3000. That is one tool that has been a game changer for me on my chisels and plane blades. I tried the scary sharp method but it took a long time to get just one chisel done while I could get all of my chisels done in less time than it took to do 1 chisel. This may not be what you are looking for, but for me it is one tool that I would buy again in a heart beat.

---

Allen Worsham
Corona, CA

allenworsham@earthlink.net

http://www.awcreationsandwoodcrafts.com

'Graze in every man's field, but always give your own milk' J. Vernon McGee

Cliff,

You could be right, maybe i do not really need one, and i already understand the principle behind it. Just never tried it on wider plane irons.

You also might have the right idea about the marketing aspect of things.

russ

Cliff R said:

I never used one. Never  needed one. 

Such things didn't exist when I got into wood so nobody considered that they needed 'em. They just figured out how to do it by hand and it worked out just fine.

 I sort of think that the idea of a  sharpening guide is more of a marketing phenomena than it is a bona fide solution to any need. 

John,

The Veritas Mark II is the one that caught my eye also. Just trying to decide if it is really necessary. And thought this would be just the place to get feed back.

And i sure got that part right.

Thanks again sir, for this wonderful site.

russ

PS. who it Paul??? lol

John Morris said:

Great point Cliff, there are many diehards that don't use guides and they get great results. I can't remember but I watched a video by a well known woodworker who showed some tips on free hand sharpening. I free handed for years just like you and Paul until saw a honing guide, I bought it and I have used it since. It is the Veritas Mark II. I love it.

But that being said, I would have no problem at all going back to free hand. There is allot to be said about marketing a product as you said. Manufactures can jam down our throats so much technical BS that we think we really need to get our tools to the tolerance they are telling us, when in reality, can you really tell the difference? Does it really matter if your plane blade is not sharpened to exactly 35 degrees? Did the craftsmen of yesteryear really care when he or she was building their Windsors, or Pennsylvania High Boy that their planes blades were at a specific degree? I don't know, I highly doubt it. I am with you Cliff. Nothing wrong with freehand, if it works for ya stay with it.

You have re-kindled my thoughts on this, I might have to give my honing jig a rest for awhile and see what I come up with. I love bucking the system.

Now for the Worksharp folks out there, that has to do with results and results quickly. This is one tool I still want to include in my arsenal of tools. The idea of sharpening every woodworking tool, kitchen knife, and pockets knives we own, and being able to do it in an hour, is really appealing to me. I have heard nothing but rave reviews about them.

But to answer your question Paul, the Veritas Mark II Honing Guide is great!

 
Cliff R said:

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

Sorry Russ, Paul is one of our big honchos at work, his name is Paul Russell, and I was thinking of my day job this morning, sorry!

I would highly recommend the Mark II it's a great honing guide!

Russell Brechlin said:

John,

The Veritas Mark II is the one that caught my eye also. Just trying to decide if it is really necessary. And thought this would be just the place to get feed back.

And i sure got that part right.

Thanks again sir, for this wonderful site.

russ

PS. who it Paul??? lol

John Morris said:

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No greater Loves than God, Family, Friends, country, the sight of flying chips and the smell of saw dust.

---

John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

Russell, if I was going to use a guide and do them by hand I would get the Veritas Mark II that was mentioned. I have and still will do them on the waterstone occasionally, but since I got the WorkSharp 3000, I do all of my chisels, but hand and planes on the WorkSharp. It has a guide to put them at the correct angle and it really fast when you get them all ready.

Of course for years I used the scary sharp method and still will touch one up with the sandpaper if I am working on a project.

Best of luck with which ever one you go with.

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John Moody
John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

Like others above I have the Worksharp 3000 and I love it. I hated sharpening tools until I got it and now I only spend seconds touching up tools.

   When I have a worn down belt on the beltsander, I've been known to clamp the sander in a vise, upside down, with the belt running away from me.    I set the "victum' in the honing guide at the angle it needs to be.     A few minutes on the spinning belt is enough.  I hold things with my finger-tips, that way if things get too warm for a finger to hold, it is getting too hot for steel.   Belt I used last time was a 100 grit, until a few hundred board feet of oak went by.   I have also been known to belt sand the soles of my handplanes with this method.      I just hold on like i am using the plane.   After the beltsander is done, I leave the blade in the honing guide, and go to my oil stones.     usually that is all I need to do. 

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'and may the road raise up to meet ye'

I have and use Veritas Mark II. I really enjoy it and find spending time sharpening my tools is a great way to relax and still get something accomplished. Waiting to get a worksharp but will still finish with 8000 water stone. Just something about doing it by hand, with or with out guide.

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Wayne Mahler
God bless and protect our troops that serve so we can be free.

I use both the MK II and a cheap old "eclipse" guide. They are 15 bucks and work great. That said, the scary Sharp method is what I used for years until I realized how much money I was wasting on paper. After 2 years of buying paper i spent enough to buy quality waterstones that last a lifetime. They are an investment if you plan to work wood the rest of your life. Quality oil stones are an excellent option as well and were what I used as a teenager when i first got serious about the craft. $300 on 3 waterstones and a flattening stone and you are set for at least 7 or8 years.

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Adam Welker
Red Car Construction and Fine Woodworking

I personally believe that a honing guide is a good thing. I do not do it often enough to gain the necessary muscle memory to be consistent at it. I started with the Veritas guide and the sandpaper. I quickly realized the scary sharp method with the paper was a PITA. I have since upgraded to the MKII Veritas and Norton waterstones. I can now do a quick hone and touch up in just a couple of minutes and the edge is really sharp. I will never go back to sandpaper

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My job is to give my kids things to discuss with their therapist