Beginner sharpening kit

[AndrewC]

I know this is a can of worms and yes I have searched this forum and elsewhere on the www, but what is a recommended sharpening kit for an intermittent beginner woodworker with a couple of bench planes, a scraper and a few chisels ?

I'm thinking an Eclipse guide (or Axminster lookalike) but then I start to flounder. Scary sharp with paper seems relatively easy but for some reason doesn't enthuse me - to much hassle getting it together everytime I want to use it ?

Is there any kind of low maintenance, easily stored kit that gives acceptable results at a reasonable price ? I guess it would probably be a couple of DMT diamond stones ?

Any input welcome

Andrew

 

[Oryxdesign]

Have you looked at the Veritas Mk2 honing guide? I find it give good repeatability so I gave one to my apprentice and he is getting good results. We both use a piece of float glass with various grades of ordinary wet and dry and WD40 down to 2000 grit. I've tried waterstones and haven't really go on with them, I do use diamond stones and they are fine but I get the best edge on wet and dry.
There will be some along imminently with completely different experiences perhaps you could find someone local to demonstrate their methods and let you have a go. If you are ever past my door you're welcome to pop in, you bring the choc's I'll put the kettle on. Simon

 

[MikeG.]

I'm with Oryx on this one.........sandpaper on glass, with a honing guide. This is after nearly 30 years of sharpening on an oil-stone. When I first tried "scary-sharpening" as the Americans call it, it was a revelation. I reground all my edge tools, then sharpened all of them on the glass.....it is so easy, and gives great results.....with no danger of the sharpening surface hollowing with use.

It can be a bit mucky, though.....particularly if you use WD40.

As fo low maintenaince and easily stored........fairly, and yes. The paper sticks to the glass without fail, and so all you have to do is change it occasionally when it takes too long to sharpen. Its a piece of cake!!

Mike

 

[AndrewC]

How do you guys stick the paper down - spray on contact adhesive ? - or do you have self adhesive paper ?

Andrew

 

[woodbloke]

'Scary sharp' is easy and economic in the short term but using ordinary w/d paper can become expensive in the long run. Mathew at Workshop Heaven sells some stuff for this sort of honing (in fact a whole kit, or kits) where the paper used is a much higher quality and so much longer lasting. Might be worth a peek on the site to see what's on offer or even PM him - Rob

 

[MikeG.]

Yes, a spray mount adhesive works well...........I think mine came from an art shop. But Rob is also right.........there is better stuff, I'm told, than wet & dry, and Matthew sells it. I think he even sells the glass.

Mike

 

[Oryxdesign]

I don't stick it down, when its et it self adheres to the glass.

 

[wizer]

Despite my recent purchases, I also agree. Scary Sharp should have been my initial route before moving on to stones.

 

[AndrewC]

I'll give Scary Sharp a go then - just need to work out where to get a suitable piece of glass from. Though I think there is a stone shop nearby which might have some polished marble or granite tiles.

So how do you all rate Richard Kell's guide vs the Veritas Mk II ?

 

[Woodwould]

How do you guys stick the paper down - spray on contact adhesive ? - or do you have self adhesive paper ?

Andrew

Try a good quality hand cream or skin repair lotion! It will stick the paper down, provide lubrication for the sharpening process and give your hands a bit of relief into the bargain.

 

[Ironballs]

Veritas Mk2 and waterstones for me. Very easy and good results, finishing on the 8000 grit stone will have the hairs on the back of my hand off

 

[bugbear]

I'll give Scary Sharp a go then - just need to work out where to get a suitable piece of glass from. Though I think there is a stone shop nearby which might have some polished marble or granite tiles.

Tiles, glass, MDF will all work; use whatever is convenient, available or cheap.

It's worth starting with scary sharp, since it will give you edges pretty much the match of any other system, at a stupidly low entry price. Believe me, you will be astounded at how a blade taken to (at least) 2000 grit on both back and bevel will cut. You can then decide between the more expensive systems that claim to give easier/better edges at your leisure.

I would recommend an Eclipse style guide. They are cheap and effective, and easy to use. They work for all blades you're likely to have, except for very narrow chisels. Again you may supplement the Eclipse with other jigs (e.g. Veritas mk II)

Don't forget a projection gauge.

Here's my version

The important thing about the gauge is NOT that it sets the angle accurately (it doesn't, but it's near enough) but that it sets the same angle every time, minimising labour (and metal removal) since you're reworking the existing bevel, not making a new one.

When using a jig, try to let the jig guide you (so that you're doing the sharpening) as opposed to considering the jig to be a machine where you simply provide the power.

BugBear

 

[ByronBlack]

Workshop Heaven do an excellent 'scary sharp' kit with all the papers, glass etc that you need. I'll be picking one up soon as well while I save for some DMT's.

 

[Peter T]

Veritas Mk2 and waterstones for me. Very easy and good results, finishing on the 8000 grit stone will have the hairs on the back of my hand off

I agree, this setup works well for me, although I do find that the coarser stones don't stay flat for very long.

Also, I've found that the roller on the Veritas Mk2 needs to be lubricated. I use lithium grease as it stays put and doesn't run out and contaminate the water.

I've also got a cheapo granite surface plate that I got off e bay. This is great for flattening things and it's much more durable than glass. Only downside is that it weighs a ton!!

 

[woodbloke]

Bugbear is right about the Eclipse Jig and the projection bench hook. If you work out the angles accurately, you can get pretty much any exact angle you like and they're repeatable every time you hone. On my board I've got projected angles for chisels, BD blades, BU blades and the LN No9. Each blade type has two settings as I use a honed and micro-bevel edge (2 deg higher)...trouble is the board in now about 2' long! Use the jig just as a guide to hold the blade at the required angle, finger pressure at the edge determines what the blade will look like - Rob

 

[lurker]

Wow :shock: :shock: :shock:

A edge sharpening thread were everyone agrees :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[wizer]

Well ok, I'll disagree if you like. I wouldn't go the eclipse route initially. It sounds easy to setup a guide like that. But sharpening is a secondary part of the hobby. You do it because you have to, to get on with the job. So I would say go for the Mk.II straight off. It's easy to use, repeatable and not too expensive for what you get. I've never heard anyone give it a totaly bad review. You don't want to spend time mucking about setting something up, if it keeps you from the job at hand. That's why I went off waterstones. Constant flattening was not what I wanted to do, I wanted to sharpen the tool and move on.

 

[ByronBlack]

Well ok, I'll disagree if you like. I wouldn't go the eclipse route initially. It sounds easy to setup a guide like that. But sharpening is a secondary part of the hobby. You do it because you have to, to get on with the job. So I would say go for the Mk.II straight off. It's easy to use, repeatable and not too expensive for what you get. I've never heard anyone give it a totaly bad review. You don't want to spend time mucking about setting something up, if it keeps you from the job at hand. That's why I went off waterstones. Constant flattening was not what I wanted to do, I wanted to sharpen the tool and move on.

I might be mis-understanding a bit here Tom, but whats the problem with an eclipse compared to the veritas? I've not used the veritas so i don't understand where the main improvement is from. With the eclipse and a guide board, I can whip a blade in there and start sharpening within a few seconds - does the veritas do something that I'm not understanding?

 

[woodbloke]

Well ok, I'll disagree if you like. I wouldn't go the eclipse route initially. It sounds easy to setup a guide like that. But sharpening is a secondary part of the hobby. You do it because you have to, to get on with the job. So I would say go for the Mk.II straight off. It's easy to use, repeatable and not too expensive for what you get. I've never heard anyone give it a totaly bad review. You don't want to spend time mucking about setting something up, if it keeps you from the job at hand. That's why I went off waterstones. Constant flattening was not what I wanted to do, I wanted to sharpen the tool and move on.

Tom - I used Waka's Veritas MkII the other day and found it good, but overly complicated and it's big lump of material. I was trying to set up an angle of 38deg on a Veritas BU blade (so 50deg effective pitch) There is no setting though (or at least I couldn't find one :? ) for 38deg on the setting-up doohicky thingie so I had to go for 40deg. OK, 2deg is neither here nor there, but it's not what I wanted and that's what irritated me somewhat. The Eclipse guide is cheap, accurate and repeatable every time, plus it's easy to make a cambered blade (it's also easy to skew the camber as well ) and all you need to make is an el-cheapo projection board and not too difficult to make the angles exact either. So far, I've tried Kells and the VII and haven't found anything better than the Eclipse - Rob

 

[newt]

The Eclipes, simple, foolproof, cheap, seems to last forever, one of the best all round jigs ever made IMHO.