LV Sharpening System Mk.II & Skew Chisels - Opinions

[Michael Cody]

Anyone sharpening skew chisels with this. I've never found a good way to handle them.. I don't like the Wolverine, I don't care for my Tormek jig either. I usually do them by hand since I want a flat grind. I don't see a jig on the Veritas MK.II for skews so I figure you use the std chisel tool holder. I use my Tormek to mid sharpen everything ... I rough on 60g white wheel on 6" grinder, mid-sharpen/shape on Tormek and finish up on 5000g Shapton, then hone on MDF w/CRO2 paste.. but I am thinking the Veritas could replace them all! I mean most of the work on any chisel or turning tool unless it's really bad is Shapton to MDF anyway. Rarely do I have to reshape once it's done ...

I can sell the Tormek easy for enough to pay for the Veritas .... have see how it does for kitchen knives, it's the only reason my wife doesn't bitch about the Tormek .. she loves the sharp knives! maybe I should worry eh?

Wadda ya'all think?

[Steven Wilson]

Our Woodworking guild has the original Veritas and it's a fine machine but it's basically motorized scary sharp; a bit finer than the Tormek but not like going on the Shapton. I shape the skew, or repair it, on the Tormek and then finish it on Shaptons. The Shaptons cut very quick, I don't see where the Veritas would be an improvement.

[Michael Perata]

If your budget will allow http://www.woodartistry.com/Products-LapSharp200.htm, it will blow away the Veritas for ease and sharpness.

I can barely get close with my Norton's compared to the honed backs and edges with this machine.

[Michael Cody]

Our Woodworking guild has the original Veritas and it's a fine machine but it's basically motorized scary sharp; a bit finer than the Tormek but not like going on the Shapton. I shape the skew, or repair it, on the Tormek and then finish it on Shaptons. The Shaptons cut very quick, I don't see where the Veritas would be an improvement.

Question -- on your Tormek are using a jig or do you freehand the skew??

I might still finish on the Shapton, but with the fine grit for the Veritas I hoped maybe to go straight to MDF hone. For reshaping though I thought the Veritas might be faster because you can go to a lower grit .. ie 80g pad. I find it can take 20-30 minutes to get the bevel fully shaped on the Tormek, even if I do rough work on dry grinder, then I go to the Shapton to finish and hone on MDF wheel mounted on my lathe outboard section.

Actually the hone is where most of my sharpening is done, I don't grind often, just hone the edge every couple of pens, pepper mills, candlesticks etc.. depending on the wood. This doesn't work as well for the skew though compared to other tools.

As I am doing so much more spindle turning now I really use the skew more than any tool in my collection. I also wonder if the flat bevel of the Veritas would be better for the skew as I don't fully flatten the bevel on the Shapton, just micro-bevel the edge .. which might be a problem too. For most all other turning tools I just go straight off 120g white wheel on the grinder, hitting the honing wheel 30-50 times twixt grindings so it's not that often I grind. But the Skew needs a better edge in my opinion.. more like a regular wood chisel.

[Steven Wilson]

Question -- on your Tormek are using a jig or do you freehand the skew??

Most of my skews are not radiused so I use the Tormek jig. To setup the jigs faster I have protrusion stops setup next to the Tormek. When I'm using the skew a lot I keep my Shapton stones close and just free hand it every once and awhile. For a final cut I may quickly hone it on a 12000 grit Shapton. As for flat vs hollow grind, the diameter of the Tormek wheel is large enough that I don't find much of a difference between a flat or hollow grind on most tools. Of course with a smaller diameter grinding wheel the hollow grind becomes more pronounced. The hollow grind of the Tormek does make it quite easy to register the bevel on the sharpening stone (two points instead of a flat face). Since the hollow grind of the Tormek gives you two registration points I don't hone a microbevel on the skew. If I were to flat grind it (like the Veritas) then I would probably give it a microbevel.