I have the jig where my plane irons fit on top of my jig and the chisels fit into a groove below it and you determine the bevel by the distance the blade protrudes out, and it rolls on a wheel. I can sharpen the plane irons ok but my chisels have a thick bevel on the side of them ( old Craftsman and old Stanleys) and they do not fit the portion of the jig designed for chisels. I looked at the Veritas model in the Woodcraft catalog but I am not sure how the chisel can be put into it and held straight so that it would not skew as I am sharpening. I did not see any way of making sure it would not move around and I was curious to see if someone has a home made jig that registers the chisels straight throughout the whole process, any help will be appreciated.
Mike
Replies
I have the Veritas II which sets the blade/ tool straight and holds it there without any skew. So fas it has worked on all tools including the 1/4' chisel and spokeshave blade; I just haven't figured out of it can handle butt chisels yet. The feature that allows angle setting is fantastic.
If you have a "sandwich" guide you can draw a line on the edge of your bench or on a small board with a square. Line up the chisel parallel to the line and press the guide against the edge before you tighten it down. This is Leonard Lee's suggestion, and he also shows a nice jig with pegs at the appropriate blade projections for common angles in his excellent book on sharpening.
You can make a guide with two short pieces of wood which sandwich the blade between them, held with a nut and bolt at either end, and a small bearing between two right angle brackets on the bottom to roll on the stone.
I have had good success with a 10" MDF disc mounted on a bolt in the drill press. I lightly sanded the top to loosen it a bit, put a light coat of raw linseed oil on the top, and dressed it with honing compound. When run at the slowest drill speed, I can hone blades straight from the stone, running the guide on the disc surface, so I don't lose that angle. I can also hone the burr off the back near the edge of the stone. A light touch will give a great edge very quickly and easily.
I used to have a lot of trouble sharpening my chisels - no one ever showed me how. I'm not sure I've ever worked with anyone that really knew. One day I discovered this link and I've been freehanding razor honed edges ever since. http://www.antiquetools.com/sharp/index.html
Once you get where you can feel the bevel click flat under your finger pressure it's pretty easy to just hold that pressure and keep it at that angle while you hone. You might try grabbing your cheapest chisel and giving it a try. If you surprise yourself half as much as I did, you may relegate your sharpening guides to setting the rough bevel angle, freehand from there, and find that you get back to work in half the time. Good luck!
I used to use an older Veritas jig but I did have trouble keeping the blade edge square to the sides. I have been sharping free hand for the last 6 months or so and I am starting to get better at it. I think it is a matter of lots of practice. Also stay relaxed it does help.
Good luck Troy
I have started to do my chisels free handed and it is not to bad except for the 1/4" which is a little harder to do but I think time will help me. I plan on getting the Veritas II later for the smaller blades like my spokeshave and odd shaped blades, thanks for all the input!
Mike- Toolfreak
The smaller chisels are always a challenge if you are trying to do it free hand use smaller strokes. Troy
Mike you may have an Eclipse or similar honing jig. There is a V groove on each side, where the iron fits into the V groove ,use it. In the case of the chisels, disregard the V groove and tighten the jig up on the sides. The reason for the V groove is thin irons like plane irons grip better in the V than flat against the sides.The V isn't necessary for thicker tools such as chisels.
mike
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