sharpening narrow chisels

[Prashun Patel]

My Robert Larsen honing guide does a poor job of holding narrow chisels. I have to play with it a lot to get the blade to set parallel to the plane of the roller.

Does anyone have a solution to this? Or can you recommend a better jig? I've heard a lot about Veritas MKII, but there are complaints that even that doesn't do well with narrow chisels.

Any help appreciated.

[Sean Hughto]

The Kell guide is one option:

http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/So...uide-P5C2.aspx

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Shawn

You may not like my answer

I hollow grind the face on a Tormek or 8" grinder, and then freehand on waterstones.

This is easier than you realise. The hollow grind creates two edges on which you can rest the bevel face. Press down until balanced, then pull the chisel backwards with firm downward pressure. Lift it up and place it again at the end of the stone (or any medium), and firmly pull back as a single stroke. Do not attempt to push the chosel front and back.

After about 3 - 5 strokes on each stone are all that will be needed.

Otherwise use a side clamping guide such as the Kell #1.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Steve Hamlin]

I have no trouble with the honing guide handed down through the many generations of my family.
Originally used for napping flint, works well for even the weirdest shaped blade.
Throw away your crutches - you may stagger and sway a bit at first, but you'll be running in no time.

[Roy Lindberry]

Have you considered scrapping the jigs altogether and sharpening freehand? I've recently done so and have found that sharpening is now faster and better (and more enjoyable).

It takes a little practice, and just like with a jig, the narrow chisels are more difficult, but I'll never go back to jigs.

[Steve Hamlin]

LOL - three replies posted at the same time, all with the same solution

[Kent A Bathurst]

The Kell guide is one option:

http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/So...uide-P5C2.aspx

+1




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[Roger Benton]

i have the veritas mkll and have no issues with my smallest chisels (1/4").

don't have a grinder to dedicate to sharpening so haven't wandered down the hollow ground/freehand honing path yet.

[David Weaver]

Any western chisel with a flat on top, except for a mortise chisel, hollow grind.

Narrow chisels with no flats on the top, completely freehand (they're not big enough for it to be a pain to maintain them without grinding like a bigger chisel would be).

Dump the guide for narrow stuff, it's a waste of time unless you have a moral objection to hollow grinding.

[Sam Takeuchi]

My smallest chisel currently is 1/16" and at this point, I'm not concerned about jig, honing guide, hollow grind or even flat bevel. It's fidgety and free hand is difficult at best, so I just rub it on the stone until it seems square, edge is worked. Slight skew doesn't concern me as long as I get the work done.

Something like 1/8" is more reasonable, but I suggest side clamping type of honing guide if you want to use one. Like others say, hollow grind and free hand hone might be the easiest path. Veritas Mk.II doesn't do too well clamping narrow chisels unfortunately.

Don't get too obsessed with perfectly flat or square bevel if you are dealing with chisels narrower than 1/8". 1/4" is easily do-able even with Mk.II and also free hand.

[Tony Shea]

Nice to see all the free hand advocates about. Seems like we are a dying breed. A hollow grind is def helpful but not absolutely neccessary to free hand. As long as your bevel remains flat you should have no trouble at all. The place where I and others end up in trouble is when attempting micro-bevels free hand. To maintain a consistant micro-bevel after consecutive sharpenings is next to impossible and will ultimately result in a rounded bevel. Others may disagree about the micro-bevel but this is my experience.

[James Owen]

My Robert Larsen honing guide does a poor job of holding narrow chisels. I have to play with it a lot to get the blade to set parallel to the plane of the roller.

Does anyone have a solution to this? Or can you recommend a better jig? I've heard a lot about Veritas MKII, but there are complaints that even that doesn't do well with narrow chisels.

Any help appreciated.

Learn to free-hand it!

[Richard Gillespie]

Initially learned to sharpen chisels and plane irons free hand. That is the superior method for narrow pieces.

[lowell holmes]

I agree with the posts about sharpening free hand, but no one states how to do it.

The Norton video I bought when I bought my waterstones shows a technique that is really easy. Mike Dunbar also shows it in some of his demonstrations. Check the video at this link. It makes freehand sharpening incredibly easy.

http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/i...=NO-SVIDEO-OIL

[David Weaver]

There's no need to pay to find out how to do it, it's not that hard or involved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Hm4HiN2Lww

And if that gets pulled, go to youtube and look up "grinding and honing a chisel freehand"

Just pay attention to what you're doing to keep the steel from burning.

Note that the guy in the video spends a lot of time talking, but he could grind and hone in probably a minute.

He does a little more work to the fresh grind than I'd do on the diamond hone, and I wouldn't wipe the back across a diamond hone because it leaves deep grooves, but it really doesn't make much of a difference, I guess.

I like the use of the tormek honing paste on MDF, not necessarily if you have a good stone already, but if you don't have a good finishing stone, it stands in for one just fine.