Chisel Questions . . .

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Ok, so here is what I did . . .

Norton Waterstone Kit

Veritas MK.II


Now I guess I still need leather for final polishing. I have heard shoe repair shop can hook you up. Any other thoughts?

Jeff ($170 deep in equipment to sharpen $50 chisels)

I did manage to pull the low angle block plane out of my basket before checking out at LV!

[rlah]

Ok, so here is what I did . . .
Norton Waterstone Kit
Veritas MK.II

And I bought those MHG chisels - couldn't pass it up.
I'll be interested your experience with the Norton waterstone set... looks like a well rounded set to do the roughing and finishing. That 220 stone might save a lot of time flattening the backs of plane irons and old chisels. But the MHG chisels should not need flattening by what the ad says... just a little honing is all... are they already sharp from the factory?

rlah

[JR]

I did manage to pull the low angle block plane out of my basket before checking out at LV!

LOL! Your knuckles will be dragging before you know it.

[cabinetman]

My technique is to have a piece of wood, usually maple, right where I'm sharpening. When I think I'm close to shave off a sliver. From the feel and how effortlessly clean the cut is made, is when I know I'm done.

[SARGE..g-47]

Morning Jeff...

A little late here, but I will add my thoughts anyway. I cut my teeth on Arkansas black stones, but the supply of the real deal has dwindled. Went to the waterstones (and wisb I had read this sooner as I would have just sent them to you for a very reasonable price.. very reasonable ).. The stones do a nice job.. but it's a messy process and be sure to keep them flat as running your tips back and forth will groove them.

I tried the Scary Sharp and everything else got put in a box and stored. I use the adhesive backed sand-paper on a piece of tempered glass I had cut and this system is the quickest.. cleanest and produces as good an edge as any that is available IMO. I have 5 Veritas hand planes.. several Sargeants and a few Record.. along with a 35 yr. old set of Marples bench chisels purchased in the days they were quality (1973).. a set of Ashley Isles and several mortise chisels along with a few timber-framers. With that much iron around, I would probably have to wear a life preserver with water stones and become a full time sharpener. The SS has eliminated that.

Be sure to get the back of your chisels flat before you bother with the fronts. Without a flat back.. you'll never hold an edge on the front regardless of how much time and effort you put into it. And you don't have to flatten the entire back on the first go around. 1" to 1 1/2" is enough. You can catch the rest latter years down the road when you get to the point your chisels are called "stubbies" from years of sharpening. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha...

Regards...

[linear]

I did manage to pull the low angle block plane out of my basket before checking out at LV!

You need to read this thread before it's too late:
http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=26208

[mschrank]

Now I guess I still need leather for final polishing. I have heard shoe repair shop can hook you up. Any other thoughts?

Check out the latest issue of Woodsmith...I was flipping through it last night and I remember reading something about using a block of MDF and some stropping compound(?) instead of the pricey "leather on a stick"

Sorry, I wasn't paying too close attention so I can't give more details.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Check out the latest issue of Woodsmith...I was flipping through it last night and I remember reading something about using a block of MDF and some stropping compound(?) instead of the pricey "leather on a stick"

Sorry, I wasn't paying too close attention so I can't give more details.

Is this Woodsmith availible at the big box stores?

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Morning Jeff...

A little late here, but I will add my thoughts anyway. I cut my teeth on Arkansas black stones, but the supply of the real deal has dwindled. Went to the waterstones (and wisb I had read this sooner as I would have just sent them to you for a very reasonable price.. very reasonable ).. The stones do a nice job.. but it's a messy process and be sure to keep them flat as running your tips back and forth will groove them.

I tried the Scary Sharp and everything else got put in a box and stored. I use the adhesive backed sand-paper on a piece of tempered glass I had cut and this system is the quickest.. cleanest and produces as good an edge as any that is available IMO. I have 5 Veritas hand planes.. several Sargeants and a few Record.. along with a 35 yr. old set of Marples bench chisels purchased in the days they were quality (1973).. a set of Ashley Isles and several mortise chisels along with a few timber-framers. With that much iron around, I would probably have to wear a life preserver with water stones and become a full time sharpener. The SS has eliminated that.

Be sure to get the back of your chisels flat before you bother with the fronts. Without a flat back.. you'll never hold an edge on the front regardless of how much time and effort you put into it. And you don't have to flatten the entire back on the first go around. 1" to 1 1/2" is enough. You can catch the rest latter years down the road when you get to the point your chisels are called "stubbies" from years of sharpening. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha...

Regards...

Oh man I hate you! LOL! I was feeling real confident about the waterstones. You hand tool folks are an odd bunch. Can't you agree on anything?

[Jeffrey Schronce]

You need to read this thread before it's too late:
http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=26208

That thread was great. I remember that one. I too feel it coming. In fact I am so not busy today and the weather is so poor I could really see myself at WC just to see what LN they have on sale.

[cabinetman]

I use the adhesive backed sand-paper on a piece of tempered glass I had cut and this system is the quickest..

Just a note about the glass. It doesn't have to be tempered, and if it is tempered, don't even attempt to cut it. If it's tempered, there should be a small label on a corner somewhere signifying that it's tempered. Cutting it will destroy it into smithereens. Scoring and attempting to break it like plate glass may produce an explosive disintegration of tiny pieces.

[Slik Geek]

If it's tempered, there should be a small label on a corner somewhere signifying that it's tempered. Cutting it will destroy it into smithereens. Scoring and attempting to break it like plate glass may produce an explosive disintegration of tiny pieces.

IIRC, the edges of tempered glass are also vulnerable damage from impact, in contrast the surfaces.

[Slik Geek]

Oh man I hate you! LOL! I was feeling real confident about the waterstones. You hand tool folks are an odd bunch. Can't you agree on anything?

As Sarge says, waterstones are "a messy process". My experience with Scary Sharp (SS) is that it is messy too. While the quantity of the mess is less, I find that waterstone mess cleans up easily, while SS mess "stains" my hands (and anything that the sandpaper grit slurry drips on).

I initially avoided waterstones because I didn't want to deal with keeping them flat. In reality, it hasn't been a problem. When I am rinsing off the stones after the sharpening is done, I do a quick flattening of the stones. It takes just a few moments if you do it regularly, and the stones are ready to go next time.

I'm puzzled by claims that SS is faster. Perhaps I didn't change sandpaper often enough and I used it after it was too worn out - but that changing process slows things down too. It seemed like the SS method cut faster for a couple seconds, then it was quickly down hill from there. The part about waterstones that I like is that the sharpening surface stays sharp and productive during the entire process.