Looking for a high-quality chisel sharpening service (in US)

I guess I'll have to echo what everyone else seems to be saying (DIY). And there's no magic in having a polished chisel, whats important is the first inch from the edge.

What I'm wondering is whether the chisels got that way due to a cumulative error in your honing technique. Perhaps that is worth looking at rather than sending them out maybe you'll be back in the same boat after a few sharpenings?

I freehand sharpen but I have used jigs and I found you can easily and quickly get in trouble on narrow chisels if you don't apply even pressure.

As for fixing your issue, its really not that difficult to re-establish a bevel square and hollow with a grinder and a jig. In fact, if the skew isn't bad you can correct it with only a honing jig.

Once you've got that done, you're half way there all (all...) that's left is flattening the backs. But if you're chisels are decent quality they shouldn't be that far off.

Knowing how to sharpen your own tools is NOT a measure of your craftsmanship. I see nothing wrong with sending out your chisels or gouges to be professionally sharpened. Who sharpens their own saw blades, jointer or planer knives? It boils down to time and how much you are actually using those tools.

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Originally Posted by John Sincerbeaux

Knowing how to sharpen your own tools is NOT a measure of your craftsmanship. I see nothing wrong with sending out your chisels or gouges to be professionally sharpened. Who sharpens their own saw blades, jointer or planer knives? It boils down to time and how much you are actually using those tools.

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The difference is that things like jointer, planer, or saw blades do not need to be sharpened very often. Saw blades, for example, are carbide and last a long time.

But when you're working with a chisel or plane blade - even ones with the best quality steel - you need to hone them fairly often. For example, if you were to use a chisel to chop out a dovetail, you'd surely have to touch up that chisel after doing a few of the dovetail elements. You can keep going - beating a rounded edge into the wood - but your work won't be very good, nor will you get much satisfaction from the work.

Carving tools are even worse. You have to hone them very often because you're pushing the tool with your hand, and a degraded edge shows up in the work as fine white lines. It's a truism in carving that "if you can't sharpen, you can't carve." And I think that's true in bench chisels and plane blades also.

Mike

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Originally Posted by Dennis Leahy

Allow me to start by saying, yes, I know I need to be able to sharpen my own woodworking chisels, and I have, and I do. I have the "Veritas Mk.II Honing Guide System" a slab of granite, and various grits of carborundum paper. After a number of self-sharpenings, using several different sharpening guides (before I bought the Veritas MK. II), some of my chisel tips are slightly skewed, and none of them have ever truly had the backsides ground down and polished properly.

So, I would like to start over on a few of my chisels, and don't want to spend the hours doing that manually - especially if a sharpening service can do for around $5 what would take me hours to accomplish, manually.

I want a service that can completely flatten and literally mirror polish the backs of the chisels, as well as sharpen the tips to at least the level that I can "scary sharp" do with sandpaper. Then, I can touch-up the tips as needed.

A lot of places say they can sharpen chisels, but I'm looking for a service that does an exceptional job of sharpening, and actually can flatten and mirror polish the backs.

Suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

-Dennis

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A quick google search to actually respond to your question and not berate you on your skill or frustration you are having with re-establishing the original reference on your chisels:

http://www.sharpeningshack.net/price_list.html

http://www.fastsharp.com/turning---carving-tools.html

I have not used any of these and I do all my own sharpening, but there seems to be a few places you can turn to. I would call them to see if they can return them as "scary-sharp."

Rob

Dennis,

Where do you live? You can set that in your profile so that it shows. I am in Columbus Ohio (or close enough it makes no difference). If you live close to me, come on over and we can fix up some of those chisels. I have a Tormek and it does a very good job. Also, it leaves a hollow grind making it very easy to free hand your touch-ups.

I have never done this with an "angled" chisel and I have not yet worked on a chisel that is not flat across the cutting edge. Steven Newman gave me a chisel that is curved, which means that now I need to learn to sharpen those, so eventually I will be able to do it.

After I have the initial edge, it is pretty easy to maintain it for a while before I need to get serious with it again. Another friend of mine from here has brought some things over a couple of times to get the edge in good shape and then he will show up again after he has used and abused it a while and it requires a refresh greater than a quick touch-up.

Just wanted to make the offer.

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Originally Posted by Mike Henderson

The difference is that things like jointer, planer, or saw blades do not need to be sharpened very often. Saw blades, for example, are carbide and last a long time.

But whey you're working with a chisel or plane blade - even ones with the best quality steel - you need to hone them fairly often. For example, if you were to use a chisel to chop out a dovetail, you'd surely have to touch up that chisel after doing a few of the dovetail elements. You can keep going - beating a rounded edge into the wood - but your work won't be very good, nor will you get much satisfaction from the work.

Carving tools are even worse. You have to hone them very often because you're pushing the tool with your hand, and a degraded edge shows up in the work as fine white lines. It's a truism in carving that "if you can't sharpen, you can't carve." And I think that's true in bench chisels and plane blades also.

Mike

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Totally agree Mike,
That's why I said it depends on what you're doing and how much time you have.

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Originally Posted by Andrew Pitonyak

... I have a Tormek and it does a very good job. Also, it leaves a hollow grind making it very easy to free hand your touch-ups.....

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Andrew, have you tried and had success flattening the backs of chisels on a Tormak? Using the side of the wheel?

I have a new set of Narex chisels that need their initial flattening.

+1 more on the Worksharp 3000. Doing hand chisels is a easy task and very repeatable. In fact I don't know that for flat chisels anything is better.Definitely not at that price point.

Here is a national publication that caters to people in the sharpening business. https://sharpeners-report.com/

This is a group of sharpeners from all over the United States. They can help you find a sharpener in your area.

Bill

I would never think about sharpening my circular saw or bandsaw blades ... I use a service
I might think about sharpening and setting my handsaw blades .. and yet ultimately would use a service (I have a good one locally)
I would never consider using a service to sharpen my chisels. Maybe I need to find that service!

In reality Dennis ... it is hard, but not that hard, to learn to sharpen. I'm sort of a hack. I have three of the Veritas Honing guides (all the same ... the one circled in the attached photo) and can therefore mount three chisels at a time. I then use automotive wet/dry sandpaper cut into 2-3" wide strips. I sharpen in a sink with running water and a granite slab. I work down the grits one grit at a time sharpening all three of the mounted chisels or plane blades. I occasionally micro-bevel but typically just run through grits from 240 to 1200. Once past the initial cut, the finer grits take very little time. It is really the initial setup - making sure the cut is square - that takes care and thus time. In two hours I can sharpen about eight to ten chisels or blades. It is miserable work but necessary and ultimately satisfying.

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Originally Posted by mark mcfarlane

Andrew, have you tried and had success flattening the backs of chisels on a Tormak? Using the side of the wheel?

I have a new set of Narex chisels that need their initial flattening.

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I was not able to do it on a Worksharp and I was not able to do it on the Tormek. I had trouble getting the blade to go down without catching an edge while it was spinning. I probably should have just put it there then turned it on. I found a post on the Tormek forum, don't think I am allowed to link to it so I won't, but someone had good luck with using a foot operated switch to turn it off and on so that he could use two hands to register the chisel against the side of the wheel.

If you go here:
http://www.tormek.com/en/accessories...grindstone.php

They have a picture of handling the back of a plane blade.

At http://markswoodchips.com, his first looks includes doing this.

Also: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...ng-on-a-Tormek

I saw a demonstration and I asked about it and the demonstrator had no trouble doing this.

Highland woodworking says yes:
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/w...TEW/dtew2.html


Now that I have had much more experience, I might give it a try again.

I only tried it once on a Tormek but I wasn't successful. (flattening the back, that is)

Mike

I think the OP asserted a dichotomy that is being ignored. He said that he's looking for a service to establish the initial geometry and then take up the task of honing the chisels himself. If such a service existed, I'd gladly be a customer as I have dozens of flea market chisels that I never seem to get around to tuning up. I can and have rehabbed many chisels and plane irons over the year but it is laborious to me and cuts into my already very limited shop time. That doesn't however keep me from accumulating more and more tools :D

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Originally Posted by Andrew Pitonyak

I was not able to do it on a Worksharp and I was not able to do it on the Tormek. I had trouble getting the blade to go down without catching an edge while it was spinning. ...

Also: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...ng-on-a-Tormek

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Thanks Andrew, Mike and others for sharing your experience on 'sharpening the back of chisels'. That SMC thread is a great reference.

It'd be nice if the OP would visit his thread and see the nice offerings made here.