How did your sharpening system develop?

[Tony Wilkins]

Tell me your sharpening story. I see what some of your stories are in answer to the myriad questions on sharpening. I've been trying to refine my sharpening technique and I'm hoping to learn from your journey. SO, please tell, what was the evolution of your trip to the sharp end of a tool?

[Don Dorn]

I can't lay claim to any of my own methods. First, I used the LN (Deneb Pulchalkski) method - worked fine, but opted to lose the guide and went to the Cosman method. That worked well and I didn't change for any other reason than Paul Sellers method looked inviting, so that's what I use now. I don't know that the irons are any sharper than the other methods, but it's fast, nearly eliminates grinding time and gives a convex bevel which I believe gives additional strength to the cutting edge.

[Roy Lindberry]

Tell me your sharpening story. I see what some of your stories are in answer to the myriad questions on sharpening. I've been trying to refine my sharpening technique and I'm hoping to learn from your journey. SO, please tell, what was the evolution of your trip to the sharp end of a tool?

I began with Cosman's method, but on oilstones, since I was only using O1 at the time. Eventually, I got a few A2 blades, picked up some Nortons, and continued his method. I've since started using Paul Sellers' method, since it seemed quicker, and less accuracy was required. Both are true. I'm tired of the mess of waterstones, and the continued need to flatten, so I am planning to buy some diamond stones in the very near future.

As of now, I have absolutely zero desire to find a method other than the one that I'm currently using (Sellers'). It is freehand, quick, easy, and consistent. I don't know if the convex bevel makes the edge any stronger or not, but I like it for the other reasons.

[Mike Henderson]

I did a lot of experimentation with various techniques. What I found was the easiest is to use the WorkSharp 3000 to establish the primary bevel at 25 degrees, and then to put a secondary bevel on with Shapton stones.

Just recently, I bought a 6" diamond disk for the WorkSharp and it seems to be working well. Hopefully, it'll last longer than the sandpaper I was using previously.

Mike

[Jim Koepke]

My first big expense in the saga of tool sharpening was for a Veritas Mk II power sharpening system. It was a review in Fine Woodworking that sold me on the product and I still feel it was money well spent.

After that investing in some water stones got me to sharp by hand.

I have had oilstones for years, but didn't get good at using them until after using abrasive sheets and water stones.

Each media has its own little quirks that need to be finessed in a different manner.

For most plane or chisel blades my water stones are the preferred sharpening media.

jtk

[Archie England]

Tell me your sharpening story. I see what some of your stories are in answer to the myriad questions on sharpening. I've been trying to refine my sharpening technique and I'm hoping to learn from your journey. SO, please tell, what was the evolution of your trip to the sharp end of a tool?

Such a sad, sad story it is.... Used a terrible oil stone (dished, etc) growing up. Too cheap to buy right, I started with that el cheapo method of sandpaper. Got mixed to terrible results. Bought thick glass, more sandpaper, spray adhesive, etc. and realized this wasn't very cheap anymore. Bought a Horror Freight grinder and buffing wheel for rehabbing tools. Liked it, but thought a variable speed with better wheels would be better: bought a Delta 6". Eck gads that puppy could dance. Got the wheels balanced but had lost considerable diameter. Gave said, sad grinder to young friend just getting starting and bought an 8". Repeat same experience (when will I learn that cheap is not necessarily cheap?) on balancing 8". Get a NICE Christmas present from aged Grandmother (who's tired of me wasting my money) so that I can invest in a Tormek 2000. Ah, sweet success!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I learned how to get chisels, plane blades, and turning tools really sharp. I'm satisfied....Well, until I have trouble with blade backs that are terrible. Added an India stone (sounded to much like nails on a chalk board), bought a nice oil stones (slowwwwwwwwwly did it work), tried a DMT (got mixed results), and then met Schtoo at Tools from Japan. Okay, so I bought a few Sigma Pro stones. Not at first, no, I bought cheap: used Nortons. And they worked better than oil--but that wasn't too great. Wow, now the Sigmas taught me sharp beyond Tormek. I'm set for life and will soon open a museum for discarded sharpening systems. I learned how to freehand along the way. Now, I can achieve sharp by any of these means. My favorite, most used, and most bullet proof are the Sigma Power stones (along with an occasional Chosera and Bester). And, I'm not really stuck on any one method.

[Winton Applegate]

Well you asked for it. I am banished where ever I go because of my sharpening "faith". Well facts and physics actually. Faith comes in when I take the blade across the last stone and rinse it and dry it. I have faith there is nothing I can do to make it cut gnarly wood any better and pretty darn sure nobody else on the planet can either.

In short attention to detail and facts coming off the blade.
A.D.D. and hear say is the enemy of a properly sharpened plane blade.
Maybe you mean my sharpening media.
I started with a 1200 red water stone. After much effort and study I learned it was too fine to get rid of dull and too coarse to get a blade really sharp.
Before that as a kid I wasted many a session with cheep poorly selected Arkansas stones.
Then I went to my first Woodcraft store and discovered Norton water stones and then diamond plates.
Able to produce a decent edge.
Bought a few sharpening jigs and that was eye opening.
The difference between free hand sharpening and jig sharpening is the difference between making round things by holding the stock in your hand and going at it with a cutting tool held in the other
OR
Turning the round thing on a lathe.
Yah, yah don't start guys I've heard it before.


T H E N N N N N
Oh yah dog
I discovered Shapton Pro stones.
the Nortons were reassigned to door stop duty ESPECIALLY that absolute piece of pooooo the 220 gray Norton. I have heard people have good ones. Mine is soft and crumbly and useless.


NOW
along the way I experimented with "holding" the stones by various means. Fairly early on I had that eureka moment that I am very thankful for. You may have seen the sticky pad that comes with something or other I forget what now; must be the diamond plate.


Anyway I have this 1/8 inch thick sheet neoprene I cover bench tops used for mechanical rebuild work. Can get it by the yard at the local pneumatic and bearing supply store. This stuff is not soft at all it is like shiny finished hard rubber.


I took a two foot by one foot hunk of it
spritzed a bit of water on the linoleum counter and rubbed it around and back and forth.
Capillary action causes it to stick fast like a suction cup.
Then
I wet the stone and rub it around and it too sticks fast.
Too simple huh ?

If it gets too wet it may move but that is a lot of water. By that point water is running down the side of the counter anyway.
Take a wash rag and wipe the excess up and it sticks again.
I rinse my stones under a running facet between blades so that is when I take a quick wipe at the neoprene to get the excess water and slurry off.
Now . . . well now my blades are so sharp when I approach my arm hair with a sharpened blade the hair pull themselves out and run away rather than be cut by the blade.

We are talking shaving curls off a single hair verified by optical magnification. No I am not kidding (except about the running away bit) (they escape quietly while I am still sharpening).
Of coarse this means nothing to planing wood.
Planing rowed and reversing grain and figured purple heart with zero tear out.
Well
That was my goal and that is what I have achieved.
Oh and strops
Been there in every which direction.
Forget strops whether wheels or flat.
For plane blades.
Carving chisels strops are good for but not plane blades.
THE END

[Brian Ashton]

I went off on a different tangent to pretty much anyone I know or have come across. I discovered the true virtues of slow speed grinding back in the early eighties when I bought my first lathe. To cut costs (at that time there were no cheap chinese crap grinders) I added a mandrel and grinding wheel to the outboard side of the lathe. What I discovered was that I could grind in a much more controlled way and not worry about over heating the edge simply by turning the speed down to 300rpm. Fast forward 20 years I hadn't forgotten the lesson learned about slow speed grinding and I wanted to expand upon it... At that time I had my own shop thus I was in a position where I could do what I wanted... So I revisited the concept of slow speed grinding by incorporating a VFD to a 3ph motor attached to a double ended mandrel bought from Lee Valley... A number of years later I added a multi layered disk of MDF to the other end of the mandrel that was coated in a liberal layer of white buffing compound... With that I was able to go from the grinding wheel straight to the MDF disk and produce an edge that was exceptionally sharp. I could hone the ground edge as well has polish the backs while maintaining a nice flat surface... For the most part I my stones have been sitting idle for the last 10 years.

I've attached an old pic of the sharpening set up. I have a new set up that has bevels on either side of the MDF wheel that allows me to sharpen knives now on both sides so my kitchen knives are surgically sharp - tomatoes don't stand a chance...

I've recently added a secondary wheel that allows me to hone the inside of gouges. So for the most part I've done away with stones and slip stones. Because the speeds are around 300 rpm swapping wheels, even wheels that are out of round, is fine because the rpms are well below any critical level of balance... Over all the process produces a mirror edge that is more than sharp enough.

[Kees Heiden]

First an India combination stone from the hardware store. I was not impressed. So I tried scary sharp and wasn't impressed with that either. I got serious with planes so a solution had to be found and I ordered some Naniwa Superstones. That was seriously good stuff. Also bought an Eclipse style jig and was happy for a while. And a DMT coarse/xcoarse for flattening the stones. I tried a LV jig for a while but foudn it clumsy heavy, slow and too complicated.

A dry grinder came into the shop, sometime later I bought a Norton blue wheel and a diamond dresser for this thing. Still use it a lot.

But the 800 Naniwa wears at an alarming rate and I wanted some extra stones. So I went to Stu in Japan and bought a Sigma 1000 and 120. Bought a Bester 400 and 4000 overhere in Europe, because shipping costs from Japan are quite high. This is the set now and I am very happy with it.

The eclipse is now living a quiet life in a dusty dark corner, because I went freehand.

Because I am starting to dabble a bit into the world of gouges, I dug out the India stone again, bought a secondhand translucent Arkansas and found some leather. That's what I am playing with at the moment when I have some time.

Freehand means: Making a hollow grind on the grinder, almost to the edge. Finish on the 400 stone to raise a wireedge, resting the iron on the hollow. Do the same on the 1000 stone. Flaten the back a bit to remove the wireedge and any wearbevel on the back. Then on to the 8000 stone, raise the iron a little above the hollow and polish a very small secondairy angle and do the back again. On subsequent sharpenings I do the 1000 and 8000 dance again until it takes too much time to raise a wireedge again and go back to the grinder.
Sometimes I use the 4000 in between for an especially sharp edge. Error I made until recently is making the secondairy bevel too large so it takes too much time in the next sharpening to raise a wireedge again.

[Joe Mioux]

Scary sharp method, to water stone/veritas jig, to slow speed grinder/oneway jigs, to tormek.

i like water stones

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I began with a large flat stone (purchased from Woodcraft), sandpaper, and a honing guide. Had good results and sharp tools. Somewhere in there I purchased some diamond stones because I heard they were faster.

When I had a bunch of chisels in serious need of rehab, I purchased a Worksharp system for a bundle of money. I had mixed results with the worksharp, so I purchased a used Tormek and I had immediate excellent results and it is my go-to machine to put a hollow-grind onto a chisel or plane blade. I was not happy with the knife jig and I have not found any powered system that helped flatten the back with success by me.

Because I was not happy with how my knives turned out, I chatted with a fellow Creeker who learned to sharpen knives in cullinary school, and I purchased a couple of waterstones. I won't even bother discussing what I had tried with knives before that. Well, it was the sharpest I had ever made a knife. I will admit to using a Worksharp knife sharpening setup that also works very well.

My current (typical) sharpening attack is to flatten the backs on a diamond stone followed by a water stone. After that it is on to the Tormek for a hollow grind and initial polish on the hollow-grind. I then free hand my chisels while working to keep them very sharp. I am not as good at free-handing with a plane blade and may drag out a guide, but I expect I will get better at that as I use more hand planes.

So, I use a 5000 Shapton Pro stone with a final polish with a Shapton 16000 glass stone.

I purchased some leather, which I will eventually use to create some strops, but, with the 16000 stone, I could not convince myself it was worth the time to figure out how to glue the leather to some wood (or the time to make a nice handle).

[Jim Matthews]

I started with the previously mentioned honing guide plus Shapton stone method as recommended by LN.
It really works, but is dependent on maintaining the stone to keep it flat.

I used a diamond stone to dress them, and dealt with extensive cleanup aftewards.
While the finish was exemplary, I don't have a sink in my basement shop.

I've converted to the freehand convex bevel as recommended by Paul Sellers.
I use a coarse DMT, fine and super-fine Atoma.

If I need to grind or flatten steel, I use sandpaper on a granite substrate.
It's VERY messy and I can't find a better way to perform those tasks, without electricity.

I find that the combination of steel, abrasive and machine oil I use is indelible on wood - and transfers from one surface to another.

Even with gloves on - this step leaves a trail of sooty fingerprints.

It's worth noting that I don't have the hardest steel in either my planes or chisels.
I expect that most of my tools go "off" faster than the current offerings,
but I can also get them back to work quickly ( about 90 seconds, running through all the grits ).

Every edge tool gets stropped.

The strop is the only part I keep on my workbench, as it doesn't generate any appreciable mess.
I believe my work in wood has improved with a sharper set of cutting tools.

It bears mentioning, that I neither turn on a lathe or cut with any fine gouges - most of my edges are straight.

I'm unsure that my method would be equally effective on harder steels, such as the LV and Blue Spruce chisels.

[Mark Dorman]

I started with Scary sharp and a MKII honing guide. Got the PSA sandpaper from Tools for Working Wood.
It worked great and I feel it was a good way to get started sharpening. After using sandpaper for a couple years and reading everything I could find here on Sawmill Creek I made the switch to Shapton pros and a DMT duo sharp and don't use the guide much anymore.

[Winton Applegate]

Scary sharp method, to water stone/veritas jig, to slow speed grinder/oneway jigs, to tormek.

i like water stones

Joe Mioux,

Obviously yours a master piece of info and brevity. I bow to you sir.
Nice to see we ended up on the same or similar destination.

[Joe Mioux]

Joe Mioux,

Obviously yours a master piece of info and brevity. I bow to you sir.
Nice to see we ended up on the same or similar destination.

Thanks,