Hello, I was watching tutorial video by Garret Hack, “how to hone a chisel”. https://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesArticle.aspx?id=28819
I was impressed by the easiness Garret is honing the chisel. No jigs used. He is just sitting and very easily he just grabs the chisel, and starts honing. No sign of rounding the blade. He can do this because he is really good? Why most people need a honing jig? What’s his trick? Probably he did it so many times that he is so good at it. I really cant’ understand.
Replies
ESC,
I have not seen the Hack video. When I sharpen a chisel/plane, the hollow ground edge provides two points of contact , which makes it easy to hone without rounding over the bevel. The hollow grind also minimizes the amount of material that has to be removed, which contributes to speed, since it only takes 2-3 strokes per grit to make larger scratches, smaller. With chisels, I like to drag the bevel over the stone, with the cutting edge trailing.
I have never liked honing jigs; for me they just get in the way, of what needs to be an effortless, second nature procedure.
Rob Millard
http://www.americanfederalperiod.com
http://www.rlmillard.typepad.com
If you're maintaining flat backs, it shouldn't take more than four or five strokes on each stone to raise the wire edge. It's very easy to maintain a pretty consistant angle for four or five strokes and pretty difficult to get much rounding. The real secret is to manage the size of the honed bevel through grinding. Don't grind all the way to the edge, just enough to keep the honed bevel small. The difficult part is initially getting the back flat. Maintaining a flat back requires only a few passes on flat stones.
You could be doing less work than that in a week..
..I think that's about all the longer it takes to prepare a couple of chisels and master using a dry grinder.
I think most people on here do less work and time than that to hone a chisel, but I would imagine garrett when he's working by himself also spends less time than that, considerably less.
Larry's commentary is a good one - five quick swipes if you have the right stones, less than a minute to hone. Back to the grinder for a couple of very quick passes if it takes more work than that.
I see the value of a honing guide for beginners controlling very delicate camber on smoothers or trying to repurpose a common pitch plane by putting a precise 10 or 20 degree back bevel on an iron, but not for chisels.
What I failed to say was to make sure and maintain the flat back every time you hone. A flat back is the key to repeatable success.
What I failed to say was to make sure and maintain the flat back every time you hone. A flat back is the key to repeatable success.
Larry, I agree and would like to amplify this point.
It may be good practice to think of a Japanese blade each time one hones a chisel (or any blade for that matter). The Japanese blade has a hollowed back and the hollow will reach the edge of the blade unless the back is also honed. Honing the back lowers the hollow.
All chisel blades wear not only on the face but on the back. It is interesting to consider that most of the time chisels are used bevel up ... I thought that you would like that one, Larry! :) So the back of the blade needs to be swiped across the stone as much as the bevel face ... otherwise the back is not flat .. yes?
Regards from Perth
Derek
You shouldn't need to work the back equally with the bevel. In fact, after the initial flattening, backs will remain flat and only need honing with your finest stone. You can work only on the bevel until you have achieved the wire edge and have refined that by progressing to your finest stone. The you "chase" that edge by honing flat on the back, reducing it to the point of being stropped away, by alternating bevel and back a few times, being sure to keep the back flat on the (flat) stone.
Hi Steve
The bevel and the back of the chisel blade need to be worked according to their needs. Generally all the back needs is to be smoothed . I find it sufficient to use my finishing stone only, or a leather strop with green rouge. This may only take a few swipes.
I just wanted to point out the importance of addressing the back of the blade as many only appear to consider the bevel face. It is not just about removing a wire edge either. It is possible to see a faint wear bevel on the back that needs to be smoothed out.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Yes, as you say, if there is a wear bevel on the back it must be addressed. But that will occur naturally in the process of chasing the wire edge. If there is such wear then honing the back flat on a flat stone will not move the wire edge to the bevel side. It will only "move" when the back has become flat again. Usually that doesn't take much but may take more effort on occasion. If such wear is very significant is is usually easier to just work on the bevel side taking the edge back past the wear.
The flat face always wears in use. Because the honed area is so small on the bevel and so big on the flat face, I almost always spend more time maintaining the flat face. That's one of the big reasons I don't care for honing guides, they get people to concentrate on the bevel and ignore the difficult part. Nearly every sharpening problem I see or read about people having comes from not maintaining the flat face--it's never about the bevel.
That is how I work too
Steve,
Other than Japanese chisels, that is what I do too. When I get a new tool, the back is flattened and polished to mirror finish and from then on only the 2000 grit paper and diamond paste is used on the back. Most of my bench planes have a back bevel, so I don't even bother with polishing the back to a mirror finish, it just gets flattened.
Rob Millard
http://www.americanfederalperiod.com
http://www.rlmillard.typepad.com
I agree..
Larry's commentary is a good one - five quick swipes if you have the right stones, less than a minute to hone. Back to the grinder for a couple of very quick passes if it takes more work than that.
I keep a fine diamond stone on my bench. I take a swipe or two when needed. My diamond stone is NOT the very expensives ones. It works for my needs... I hardly ever have to go back to the bench grinder.....
My favorite dry stone is a cheap diamond stone, too. One from china that has outlasted my "expensive" ones, and is flat enough even if it's off a few thousandths.
That and some aggressive metal polishing paste on something flat will sharpen anything.
Question, when you say you don't go to the grinder often - do you just do the flat bevel, or do you hollow grind and just go back less than someone with less aggressive stones would have to because of the cutting speed of the diamonds?
Yep, his technique has been refined in the crucible and context of what appears to be a busy woodworking shop. You could find worse woodworkers to emulate with regard to your honing technique.
I'm sure the wonks could find plenty 'wrong' with how he hones. Their instant problem, however, is matching his woodworking prowess - presupposing that woodworking is the natural and end result of having a set of sharp tools on hand which seems to be a bit of a stretch these days.
Practice, practice, practice.....
I started out grinding tools in a metal shop. I'd bet I ruined 1000 drills of various sizes before I became 'sort of usefull' in the tool shop... Life is full of challenges!
I can now sharpen a drill to perfection.. I rely on my Tormek to do my other blades. I still sharpen drills on my slow speed grinder.
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