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Honing Guides - which is the best one for TF chisels?

Started by Captain Greenbeard, May 06, 2015, 04:18:54 AM

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Captain Greenbeard

Hello guys and gals!

I'm looking to buy a honing guide for sharpening my Robert Sorby TF chisels and I want to get the best one out there. My initial plan was to buy the Veritas MK.II but after finding a few people who weren't happy with the result I'm a bit skeptical to it. According to some people it is very time consuming and sometimes even impossible to get the chisel fastened correctly, which will result in a skewed bevel. Now, these people were using it with smaller/narrower chisels and perhaps this is problem that doesn't apply when using it with a heavy duty framing chisel?

But, even if that's true I would of course like to use any honing guide I buy for all chisels in my workshop so if this is a recurring problem with the Veritas then perhaps there are better ones out there that I simply don't know about.

So, which honing guide are you using and why do you think it's the best?
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Jim_Rogers

I use the Veritas guide. I square the chisel to the clamp using a mini combination square. This ensure that the tip will be square to the body.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your research and sharpening.

Jim Rogers
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
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Dave Shepard

I built a small fixture to hold my chisels and slicks. I have a digital magnetic angle finder that I stick on the back of the chisel to get the angle I want. I now put the stone on the fixture 90° to the way it is in the picture. If you have a workbench with a vise, you can simply take a 1"x4", or something similar, and carve the notch in the end. You can then clamp the board in the vise and put the stone on the bench. In the case of the slick, with it's knob on the handle, you can adjust the board up or down to get the angle you want, then mark the board so you can always put it back in the same spot. Chisels don't have the knob, so I use the angle finder. I learned this technique from Jack Sobon.



 
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BCsaw

I have only ever used one....the Veritas. As Jim said, mount it square. I have had good luck it on all my chisels except my slick, it is too wide.

I know a guy that uses a jig similar to Dave's and he swears by it. ;D
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Heartwood

We use the Veritas at Heartwood, but Dave's jig is good, too. Traditional Asian carpenters use one like that, I believe. The issue with the Veritas we find is if the chisel has a rounded top surface, like some of the Barr chisels, it can't clamp it down tight enough. For a Sorby that has a flat top it should be good. It's the best commercial guide I've seen.

Brad_bb

Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

Dave V.

Does the Veritas MKII clamp down on old 2" framing chisels with a rounded front?

Dave Shepard

Used mine on 2" chisels, but I find the balance to be awkward when sharpening framing chisels.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Dave V.

I have a cheaper guide that has worked well enough for chisels that are flat on both front and back, but it won't clamp onto the Whitherby I just got. The rounded profile pushes the flat sides of the chisel away from the clamping surface of the guide.

Dave Shepard

I haven't had that problem with the MKII. As you can see in my earlier posts, I've moved away from clamp on guides and use the wooden jig exclusively.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Dan Miller

For the most part, I sharpen freehand. After years of trying various sharpening methods, the one I use most often now is to grind on the Tormek (sometimes on belt sander), then straight to the 8000 grit Norton waterstone. Life's too short to spend too much time sharpening.

I have the Veritas Mk I and Mk II jigs, and use them on rare occasion. If you are going to use the Mk II for framing chisels, you also need the cambered roller.

Haggis

Quote from: Brad_bb on May 08, 2015, 09:28:08 AM
I don't use one.  I use the sandpaper method.

https://youtu.be/_Z3CM1m4weM

I have been using this method but using wet dry with glass cleaner as a cutting agent. I then finish up with a leather strap with a buffing compound and boy do you get the chisels sharp.

Dave V.

OK, thanks guys. I do use the sandpaper on glass for most of my sharpening. What I'm looking to do with a nice honing guide is set a new bevel on some old chisels I've been buying. I don't really trust myself with heavy material removal freehand. I want to make sure I'm developing a square edge at the proper angle to start with. Then for every day sharpening I'll go freehand. It's time I got my own kit going. It's getting old using my boss/teachers tools. Thanks very much for the help.

Dave Shepard: I don't get how your jig works. I see how the vertical board holds the chisel at the proper angle, but then do you move the chisel forward, then back to the rest or do you move the stone, keeping the chisel stationary?

Dave Shepard

I now put the stone on laying across the base. Then I swing the chisel back and forth. The DMT stones have little dots on them, so after I have my angle set, I count the dots in from the edge. That way I can just keep the cutting edge four dots in from the side of the stone. I have an idea for a gadget that would clamp onto the metal ring on the top of the chisel and then catch in a notch on the upright of the jig. That would stop any movement of the chisel away from the proper degree setting.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Dave V.

OK, that makes great sense! I just couldn't see the utility of the jig before. Now it seems like a great idea. Thanks!

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