Veritas - Veritas Narrow-blade Honing Guide
Honing guide made for chisels
Jul 29, 2015
Honing Guide Made for Chisels
For years I’ve relied on honing guides to help sharpen my hand tools. But many honing guides have a hard time gripping chisels—especially short or narrow chisels, and those with square sidewalls. So when Veritas introduced the Mk. II narrow-blade honing guide, I was eager to see if it could tackle my tough-to-sharpen chisels.
The narrow guide is identical to the original Mk. II standard honing guide, except for the clamping head that holds the blade. While the standard guide uses a head that clamps a blade (from 1⁄2 in. to 27⁄8 in. wide) tightly between two horizontal bars, the narrow guide pinches the blade (from 1⁄8 in. to 11⁄2 in. wide) between two sliding jaws.
I started my evaluation with a short-bladed chisel. The jaws held the chisel securely and made honing a breeze. From there I tried a wide chisel, followed by a square-walled chisel. The guide gripped them all with ease. Finally, I pulled out my worst offender, a 1⁄8-in.-wide dovetail chisel, whose size and narrow profile make it impossible to hold securely in most honing guides. As with the other chisels, it clamped up tight, and I was able to hone a square, sharp edge on that nasty little tool for the first time ever.
The Mk. II narrow honing guide is a great addition to my sharpening kit. The set includes the clamp head, roller base, and registration jig. But if you already own the standard Mk. II, you can simply add
the narrow clamping head to that set for $49. If you don’t own a honing guide, I’d recommend springing for the Mk. II Deluxe Honing Guide set ($119), which includes both clamping head styles, plus straight
and cambered rollers.
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
Mist Coolant System
Honing Compound
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