I toyed with whether to buy the new Veritas Mk II Honing Guide since I already had the original and the new one was about $48 but I did it and just sharpened some chisels using it today. Very happy to report, it is a significant improvement and anyone considering whether to buy the older version saving $12, just forget it, get the new version. Features I really like are (1) the fence , which makes squaring up a blade so easy (no more fumbling with a square against the carrier); (2) the wider roller on the blade carrier which provides a lot more stability and you can use the full face of the stone without worrying about running off the edge; (3) the blade carrier itself is larger and fits into your hand much better. Of course, the obvious new registration jig makes getting the angle a “no-brainer”.
I figured a few of you might have been contemplating, like I did, whether to try one so I thought I would give you my experience. It is still $48 more to pay when you have the old version sitting there but I like it and glad I did it, for what its worth.
Replies
awarrenj,
Yup, you read my mind, thanks for the input. Did you have to order it or is it available on a shelf somewhere? thanks
Ordered it from the Lee Valley catalog or you can get it from them on line.
I want to thank you also for your post. I've been eyeing that jig since Lee Valley announced it. I've got a generic Eclipse style honing jig. Oh well, another fifty bucks....Ken Werner
Hamilton, NY
I have the new guide from LV also. It is a decided improvement over anything else out there. I have suggested to them that they make two changes in the product for the future:
Change the steel parts to stainless...mine is rusting due to the use with waterstones.
Add something in the jaws to prevent narrow chisels from skewing. Their older guide has a thin rubber pad on the holddown screw.. They need to add this to the new the moveable part of the jaw on the new model.
I understand the skewing chisel comment as I was sharpening some narrow chisels. I don't know whether the pad will help but I found that the knurled hold-down knobs could be a little bigger to allow more leverage. If I used a plastic jaw pliers and tightened the clamp down bar securely, I had no trouble with skewing.
I have both the LV (old) and the LN sharpening jigs. Both are good, but I find the LN especially nice as it is much easier to put a very slight curvature in a plane blade. The much narrower wheel makes rocking the blade from side to side much easier.
The David Charlesworth series of videos convinced me to drop the coin on the LN even though I already had the LV. Still use the LV on chisiles.
Chris
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled