Chisel sharpening - do we have a beginner guide?

[johnnyb]

I've seen unbelievable quality work done with one stone(an india stone) and stropping on the palm(don't do that for heavens sake) its mostly about the abrasive reaching the end sharp bit tbh.
the above level of sharp is fairly simple to achieve but extremely effective. for most joinery work that is plenty sharp tbh. chisels being narrower(and less fussy about the edge shape tend to be easier than plane irons.

 

[Jacob]

Don't forget that since the stone age (or earlier) until only very recently, freehand honing (usually with a slightly rounded bevel) has been the norm, and is still the easiest and quickest.
But don't let that put you off buying shiny expensive gadgets if that's what turns you on! Caution; brass knobs and diamond dust can be addictive.

 

[Doug71]

I always feel such a heathen when people are discussing sharpening.

I just freehand on a double sided diamond plate and regrind when needed, always sharp enough for what I do.

 

[Jacob]

I always feel such a heathen when people are discussing sharpening.

I just freehand on a double sided diamond plate and regrind when needed, always sharp enough for what I do.

Too easy!
n.b. narrow chisels, say below 3/4" don't need grinding. Hone alone. Unless they are great thick morticers.

 

[Jacob]

I've never really seen the point of diamond stones. Yes they cut well but there is only a thin layer of dust, which will go eventually.
Non-diamond grit stones also cut well but although the grit pieces themselves won't last as long they are there 100 or more times the depth of the diamond dust. They tend to last for life.
I bought 3 eze laps some years ago in a moment of madness. I see they'd be £250 ish now. Can't sell them on as there is no way of demonstrating how much life is left in them

 

[Ttrees]

I like diamonds as I don't have to mess about with oil, and give everything a dab with a rag in a can type deal, and can keep hands cleaner that way.

I vote for diamonds mainly for messier plane irons though, not chisels.
I've got 2 of the cheapest ones you can get on the web, DMD are the brand, the thin ones, a 400 grit and a thousand, cost about a fiver for both of them, freepost.
I used them for a while to see if they were any good, and they seem to be impressive, but annoyingly thin.
Eventually I decided to bond them to some granite off cuts with some Lidl epoxy, thinking the rubber might not bond being probably filthy, even if scraped.
Way more usable now
They have held up for me just fine, and do the hard work, and can hone a mean profile to a strimmer blade as well as a chisel.

ITS/Ultex do a very frequent half price sale on the hones bonded to some thick plate, and I seen that similar priced ones to that are on the bay now.

The diamonds are far more aggressive when new, and can take some time to settle in, so you would need to strop afterwards.
I've got a fancier wee plate, $50 Dia-sharp for that.

Tom

 

[Rorton]

Well it didn’t quite go to plan.

The whetstone I had seemed to wear quite quickly, definitely not flat any more, and generated a lot of slurry.

not sure if poor quality stone (it’s wusthof for the expensive knives I have ) or poor technique but another 20 sessions and it won’t be much use.

any suggestions then on what to buy to get a beginner to sharpening up and running.

 

[Jacob]

Well it didn’t quite go to plan.

The whetstone I had seemed to wear quite quickly, definitely not flat any more, and generated a lot of slurry.

not sure if poor quality stone (it’s wusthof for the expensive knives I have ) or poor technique but another 20 sessions and it won’t be much use.

any suggestions then on what to buy to get a beginner to sharpening up and running.

An absolute beginner couldn't do better than the Norton India IB8. Medium and coarse. Once he's got the hang of it he could add one more finer stone and get into polishing on leather, or disc, with autosol or similar.
PS not from Axminster they have it on at a silly price. I guess they don't want to encourage sharpening cheapskates!

 

[Rorton]

Thank you, looking at that now. It says can be used with oil or dry, assuming oil is best

 

[Jacob]

Thank you, looking at that now. It says can be used with oil or dry, assuming oil is best

Definitely oil. I use half and half with white spirit. Keep it well flooded, not just a smear.
A magnet is good for lifting off swarf and keeping it clean. Wipe after use and put lid back on box so it doesn't dry out (you need a wooden box - trad woodworker project No 1)
Will need occasionally refreshing with a light scrub over - SS pan scrubber, coarse bit of stone etc. I use a 3M diapad because I've got one but they are not cheap

 

[Rorton]

And is mineral oil ok, ie liquid paraffin?

 

[Jacob]

And is mineral oil ok, ie liquid paraffin?

Probably - as long as it is non setting and not too thick - don't use linseed oil! I use 3in1

 

[Jacob]

Come to think - if you do go the freehand oil stone way you are saving a huge amount of money so investing in a 3M Diapad is more affordable and would be a good investment. I use the black grade. About £20 sometimes cheaper on ebay.
They last forever, very good quality - I bought a set about 20 years ago for cleaning up a stone fireplace and I've still got them. Good for glazing too and other processes.

 

[Rorton]

Thanks, I’ve ordered an IB8 from eBay for £30 so that’s on its way, I’m going to make one of those boxes from solid timber and then route the hole out for the stone to sit in I think. Use some magnets to keep it closed. A mini project

will check out the 3m pads too. Black is 120grit from what I read

all this is ending up costing me more than a new set of chisels, will have to buy better ones now to justify the sharpening gear

 

[Jacob]

Hope I'm not leading you up the garden path!
The medium grit is good for beginners because it produces a result good enough for most purposes, but mainly because you get a result fast and can see where you've been and how things are going. A very fine stone can be very frustrating as nothing seems to be happening for a long time, so best left until later when you've got a working system going and have more of a feel for it

 

[Rorton]

I dont mind if it will do the job and I dont have to keep buying, lots of reviews seem to favour the IB8 so happy enough with that.

Do you mix oil/whitespirit in a little bottle and keep it handy when sharpening? im guessing Id be better off with a guide too, I seemed to think that the top of the chisels were not level if that makes sense, the top isn't 90 degrees to the sides, as thought I may have added an angle with my poor effort today.

 

[Awac]

I don’t have the time or patience to get hooked yet on sharpening!

I seen a Draper honing guide on Amazon so will get one of them and see how I go!

I think you mean the Draper which is a copy of the eclipse.
Do yourself a favour and watch "Modifying an inexpensive honing guide" on you tube by fine woodworking. It makes it much more accurate for a few minutes of your time.

 

[Rorton]

Yes that’s the one, will check the video, thanks!

 

[Awac]

I dont mind if it will do the job and I dont have to keep buying, lots of reviews seem to favour the IB8 so happy enough with that.

Do you mix oil/whitespirit in a little bottle and keep it handy when sharpening? im guessing Id be better off with a guide too, I seemed to think that the top of the chisels were not level if that makes sense, the top isn't 90 degrees to the sides, as thought I may have added an angle with my poor effort today.

White spirit or kerosene oil mixtures are good and do work, but I find they irritate my skin if I use it to much, you might be lucky.
If not, personally I have found sewing machine oil bought by the litre lasts a long time and does not irritate. The most important thing about sewing machine oil is it is made not to gum up, think about a sewing machine with all the fabric fluff around it (speak to any sewing machine engineer, and ask what he thinks of 3-in-1.....after expletives, he will explain it clogs). I use India oil stones, they are good. My only suggestion is buy a cheap and I mean cheap coarse diamond stone, (like an amtech £6 with postage eBay) to refresh your oilstone surface and occasionally flatten.

 

[Rorton]

Thank you. Will look into the coarse stone.

How often do you find you need to refresh your India surface with the diamond?