shopsmith magazine sharpening system

[toolguy1000]

i had seen a sandpaper based sharpening system in shopnotes for sharpening chisels and plane irons a while back and always wanted to build one. finally got a scrap of 1/4" plate glass from a local glazier for $10 and some scrap plywood and 1x. got a 5 pack of wet/dry paper from autozone that was from 1000 to 2500. cobbled it together with dry paper (100 and 220, first two, front left) and wet/dry paper (400, 1000, 1500, 2000 front row, lower right and counterclockwise to rear row). worked well, even without the honing guide i got from woodcraft. the first two chisel pics are what i started with. the circle in the bevel pic's reflection is the camera lens. the reflection in the flat back of the chisel is part of the shop. the chisel is razor sharp and will slice end grain just like they do in the video woodsmith did of the technique.

[Pappy]

AKA, Scary Sharp System. It can be time consuming, but the results are fantastic!

[chopnhack]

:-" That's some good sharpening right there!! That's the kind of sharp where the chisel doesn't actually do any cutting.... its so sharp the wood jumps out of the way

Nice job! Now you can strop them a few times to keep them razor sharp in the middle of a project without missing a beat. If you rabbet the glass into the side supports, you could probably hang that somewhere to keep it handy but off the floor so the glass doesn't get damaged.

[bmyers]

Nice setup.. How long did it take to go from before to after ?

-B

[toolguy1000]

bmyers.........about 15 minutes of easy movement. i cheated a bit by starting with a separate piece of 60 grit, as the set that chisel is part of were really cheap and the backs weren't anywhere near flat.

here's an abbreviated version of the woodsmith shop video:

http://www.woodsmith.com/magazine/extras/165/sandpaper-sharpening/

chopnhack.......the cleats are rabbeted. the unit sits next to my drill press with a crude shop made catch that keeps it from toppling over.

[gsmittle]

What's the dark spot in the middle of the bevel in photo 4? I hope it's a reflection of some sort and not cast iron.

Been using Scary Sharp for years, on a granite slab. Works for me, and a little cheaper than a Tormek. I have much more time than money.

g.

[greenacres2]

What's the dark spot in the middle of the bevel in photo 4? I hope it's a reflection of some sort and not cast iron.

g.

He says it's a reflection of the camera lens in the first post. Kinda made me a believer when i saw that.
earl

[gsmittle]

He says it's a reflection of the camera lens in the first post. Kinda made me a believer when i saw that.
earl

Oops, musta missed that. I better learn to read someday.

g.