# Plane and chisel sharpening jigs



## 59405 (May 15, 2011)

I would appreciate the experienced people if they would give me some guidance or advice on what sharpening jig works best with minimum skew and easily adjustable angle settings. I'm sort of deteriorating and I'm trying to get two sons set up with at least minimum shops before I am forced to quit. Jack:


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## MikeMa (Jul 27, 2006)

The one that I have had my eye is the Veritas MK II. I have the cheap-o one that both Lie-Nielsen and Woodcraft sell, and I have found it is easier to do it by hand.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Jack

It's hard to beat the 
Work Sharp™ WS3000 Tool Sharpener
It's a bit high in price but it works, now I don't have one dull tool in the shop, I was lucky and I got the one I have for 20.oo bucks, miss print on the add on the net, I think Gene got one also If I recall..but it's worth it at the high price ,I just made my own extra disks about a week ago (8 ea.out of 1/2" thick MDF ) cheap old SOB I am..

Work Sharpâ„¢ WS3000 Tool Sharpener - Rockler Woodworking Tools

OR
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18052&rrt=1

don't take my word for it,,,Check out the reviews on the web page.
==








Gravytrain said:


> I would appreciate the experienced people if they would give me some guidance or advice on what sharpening jig works best with minimum skew and easily adjustable angle settings. I'm sort of deteriorating and I'm trying to get two sons set up with at least minimum shops before I am forced to quit. Jack:


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Howdy Jack... 

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the ole which jig to use question . The correct answer is that there is NO correct answer!! As with pretty much all aspects of woodworking there is no one right answer. When it comes to putting an edge on steel there are alot of ways to go about it. I've tried several and here are a few thoughts...

First is freehanding. Not using any kind of jig. This is an art form if you ask me. Sharpening freehand takes a great deal of practice and patience. The only real advantage I see to learning to do it this way is if you have a shop where you are constantly 'tweaking' your irons and need to do so regularly. Most hobbyist or even avid woodworkers don't have this kind of need. However, if so inclined to it is a skill most craftsman admire. 

Use of a jig. I've tried several over the years and have found the Veritas MK II honing jig system to be the best. Again, this is just a personnel opinion. 

Veritas® Mk.II Honing Guide - Lee Valley Tools

With ease of setup, repeatability and several optional attachments at affordable pricing its hard to beat for getting your irons ready to sharpen. 

I do have and had used a worksharp 3000 for several years with excellent results. I really can't give you a good reason why I stopped using it and went back to using the MK II system. I found setting the primary angles to be tiresome with the 3000. With a limited number of available grits getting down to where I want to be took too much time. I've since learned that there are now several suppliers that have PSA paper that will work on the 3000 and offer many more grits. 

Which medium??? Now this is where it gets to be alot of fun. Sandpaper/PSA paper/water stones/wet stones/diamond plates/diamond paste etc, etc...it doesn't seem to end anymore. I pretty much settled in with a modified scary sharp method. I use PSA (adhesive backed) sand paper placed on a 1/4" glass sheet, using a good honing oil to remove the scarf. When I need to change a primary angle I'll use standard wet/dry sandpaper from a local auto parts store. With this set up I've gotten results I'm most pleased with. 
Recently I picked up some diamond lapping film to try and have found it to be just outstanding but expensive. Something I think I'll use for touch up work/micro bevels etc. 
I gave water stones a run 10-15 yrs ago and found em to be just to messy. Since then advances in technique and the stones themselves have made water stones a favorite among many established wood workers. Just another consideration. However, quality stones can be quite expensive and you do get what you pay for!!!
Diamond plates I've never really give a fair chance. Just couldn't see the investment. If you read around, mostly in a few other wood working forums you will find pro's and cons for just about every system out there. 
There really is no right way, just a whole bunch of different approaches to the same end result. And this does not even start getting into the types of steel you'll be attempting to put an edge on. There are several new steels making their way into the market and with that, I'm sure new methods to sharpen them will soon follow. The very best advise I could give you would be to do your homework. Do a good bit of reading and research it will be time well spent. If you have an opportunity to 'give a system a try' prior to investing in it , do so... Ask alot of questions... there are some folks in here who are very well versed in many different aspects of this process...

bill


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## denniswoody (Dec 11, 2011)

I use the Veritas and find it works very well.


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## sourdough (Jan 31, 2010)

I have a bin full of sharpening stuff. I will say without hesitation the Veritas "guide" is a well engineered device and it DOES allow you to set a perfect angle. I have a BOX of so-called "sharpening guides" but the one I USE is the Veritas. And I'm also a stone and then paper man; papers at 600 800 1200 2000.
Been thinking about couple diamond stones but Jeeeezzze!...the prices.
To the point: you asked about guides. I vote for the Veritas.
And it is built like everything they make.......quality with a capital Q.


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

I use the Veritas Mk II. They also offer a couple of accessories for it.

The first is a skew angle setting jig which I use for my skew block plane although it'd work well with skew chisels too. I use a fishtail instead of a skew chisel.

The second is a camber roller for plane blades. I don't really need it for a smoother but it's really handy when I'm going for an ~8" radius on a jack plane as it lets you "lean" the blade once it's been ground to the camber.

With small chisels you have to be careful with the MKII to place the chisel dead-center in the bracket where the blade clamping pressure is exerted. Otherwise it twists. With an 1/8" chisel I still take extra care to use a light pressure. That's OK though because with that small of a blade it doesn't take many ounces of force to get pretty high psi.

Jim


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

The only thing I would add to the above is that I finish my chisels and plane blades off with a hard felt wheel and green honing compound both of which came from Lee Valley but can also be purchased elsewhere. I consider my edges sharp enough when they shave the hair off my forearm with no effort.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

TwoSkies57 said:


> Howdy Jack...
> 
> Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the ole which jig to use question . The correct answer is that there is NO correct answer!! As with pretty much all aspects of woodworking there is no one right answer. When it comes to putting an edge on steel there are alot of ways to go about it. I've tried several and here are a few thoughts...
> 
> ...


I pretty much agree 100% with Bill.

I have all the methods above. Which one I choose depends on the weather, my mood, which way the wood sprites are swinging......:haha:

Once I retire in April, I will have more time to work on my technique - but I favour the Veritas MkII with sand paper up to 2000 grit.


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## 59405 (May 15, 2011)

Thanks for all of the informative responses. Based on what most of you have said I popped for 2 of the Veritas MKII kits to give to the boys. I've also used the hair on my arm to judge an edge but now I'm getting somewhat shaky and I'm on blood thinners. That test could lead to quite a mess if I slipped. LOL Thanks again for all of the good information and suggestions. Jack


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## wbh1963 (Oct 11, 2011)

Thanks to the whole gang for contributing their time to this thread. I think Jack did well by selecting the Veritas Mk II systems and will most likely end up getting one myself when I get tired of doing it freehand. On the other hand I think about crafting one up myself and have looked at a few different sets of plans.

I suppose the variable that is slowing me down is the best 'jig' to use has everything to do with the 'media' chosen. (stone vs. paper vs. whatever). My mood & attitude shift around enough on that variable, a single one jig does it all solution probably doesn't exist for me.


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## LinuxRandal (Mar 11, 2011)

wbh1963 said:


> My mood & attitude shift around enough on that variable, a single one jig does it all solution probably doesn't exist for me.



I agree with that. I have the Veritas MKII as well and like it, but when I found a bargain on a Tormek, that had the turning jigs for less then either jig kit, I jumped. I still need the hand tool kit, and am planning on that as a possible birthday present. But I like hunting for older tools and cleaning them up to use. Severely damaged blades, just take so long with the Veritas, that I would like to use the Tormek for them, and then I can hone with the Veritas, or use it outside, etc.

I believe in a multi-teered approach.


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## 59405 (May 15, 2011)

*Sharpening*

For Bobj3. Cheap is not the word. I'd say "ingenious", "frugal", "smarter than the average bear"

I have a Worksharp II that is not what I'd hoped it would be. I bought 2 of the Veritas sharpeners and my boys are happy. Jack


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