Sharpening advice

[Tim Geary]

Hello everyone, I'm new here and to woodworking too. I want to learn how to properly sharpen my tools on water stones. What Is the best DVD or book for this.
Thanks

[Hilton Ralphs]

Complete minefield but go to YouTube and look for Paul Sellers. He has a no frills approach to sharpening.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Get Ron Hock's book on sharpening. Excellent book. Sorry, I am moving and the book is packed so I don't know the title but look up Ron Hock Sharpening and you will find it.

[David Weaver]

If you're brand new, find the david charlesworth DVD on plane irons. It's very methodical, but it will get you 100% success to start, and you can work your way to less methodical.

[Chris Griggs]

These free videos will get you going. I believe they are pretty much the same thing David Charlesworth teaches...though his video is probably a good idea if you just getting started as I'm sure its more detailed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F7q5...E69422F61CEE64

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfX7T6qRut0

[bridger berdel]

a few more search terms:
leonard lee
Brent Beach
kato and kawai
Ron hock

[Tim Geary]

If you're brand new, find the david charlesworth DVD on plane irons. It's very methodical, but it will get you 100% success to start, and you can work your way to less methodical.

Ill look for this one. I have already watched the Lie Nielsen videos I just want more details. Thanks everyone.

[Jim Koepke]

Tim,

Welcome to the Creek.

Paul Sellers method is more for diamond plates. My feeling is it could leave some big divots in water stones.

The videos Chris linked to are a good place to start.

There is also the difference of starting with fairly new tools or starting with old tools that need a bit of rehabilitation. Newer tools do not require the wide range of metal removing material as a rust hunt find needs.

Sharpening is one of those "millions of ways to do it" topics. One thing you will find is your sharpening will improve with experience.

My suggestion is to first work on your accuracy, speed will come with experience.

If you free hand, another help might be, if you can, to set up a camera to video your sharpening. This will let you see how well you are holding your angle. There is no better critique than self critique using real evidence.

There are all kinds of techniques others may advise you to try. My advise is to keep it simple and first work toward getting a basic sharp edge.

Once you have the skill of getting a straight sharp edge you can progress to the ruler trick, cambered edges, multiple bevels and back bevels. Trying to do it all from the start will likely leave you wit a blade that doesn't perform and you won't know what step may have caused the problem.

Some may disagree with my approach, but then the world would be a boring place if everyone was in agreement.

So, how about a little information on you experience so far...
Do you have any powered sharpening equipment like a grinder?
What stones do you have?
What tools are you sharpening?

My power sharpening is mostly done on a Veritas Mk II power sharpening system. Recently bought a hand crank grinder and have a large grinding wheel that needs to be mounted.

My stones are both water and oil. My shop is unheated so in the winter my water stones would be ice stones. Most of my tools sharpen well on oil stones.

My sharpening needs include chisels, plane blades, gouges, a couple of scythes, garden tools, drill bits, kitchen knives and various other items.

jtk

[paul cottingham]

I like Charlesworth a lot, and his sharpening video is great. I would also consider Schwarz' video on sharpening. I think it's pretty minimalist, pretty easy and works well. He is also pretty clear that sharp is a journey, not a destination. The video is called "The Last Word On Sharpening."

[Archie England]

Also, check out the entire video series of Paul Sellers...

http://paulsellers.com/videos/

[Winton Applegate]

I just have my tool valet sharpen for me.
all that water mess and keeping track of grits and angles and things . .

Kidding !
Welcome to the ward !
let us know about specific questions for sure once you get a chance to try on your own.
Remember think on the micro level, just the hair's breath right at the edge is what does the cutting.

[Tim Geary]

Tim,

So, how about a little information on you experience so far...
Do you have any powered sharpening equipment like a grinder?
What stones do you have?
What tools are you sharpening?

My power sharpening is mostly done on a Veritas Mk II power sharpening system. Recently bought a hand crank grinder and have a large grinding wheel that needs to be mounted.

My stones are both water and oil. My shop is unheated so in the winter my water stones would be ice stones. Most of my tools sharpen well on oil stones.

My sharpening needs include chisels, plane blades, gouges, a couple of scythes, garden tools, drill bits, kitchen knives and various other items.

jtk

well I'm taking a beginners woodworking course and I'm really enjoying it. So far I've made a wooden mallet, a little step with dovetails and I'm in the middle of making 9 end grain cutting boards. Tools I have to sharpen are the narex bevel edge chisels and paring chisels. I also have a veritas low angle block plane and a bevel up jack plane. I have one cheap oil stone that doesn't work that well but I guess you get what you pay for. I sent someone an email about some water stones and will hopefully be buying them soon.

[Winton Applegate]

One of the very best things you could do is go take a class from some one really high in the woodworking world that you see in the best magazines. Not so much to learn how to sharpen but to use some of their sharp tools to get a feel for what a sharp plane feels like, what a sharp chisel feels like, what a sharp saw feels like (notice how you can't hardly help but cut a straight line with the sharp saw.
THEN ! ! ! !
you will know what you are aiming for.
There is "sharp", meaning better than your dull kitchen knives, and there is OH MY GOSH I never realized.
Hard to get that without having actually experienced it first. I went the hard rout because I am out here in the Wild, Wild, West and there wasn't much opportunity for cool guy seminars.

[Clay Fails]

Get Ron Hock's book on sharpening. Excellent book. Sorry, I am moving and the book is packed so I don't know the title but look up Ron Hock Sharpening and you will find it.

I second the suggestion for Ron Hock's book. It is excellent.

[Jacob Reverb]

Best book I've come across is "Complete Guide to Sharpening" by Leonard Lee. He really breaks it down to the essentials and does a good job of de-mystifying some ideas.

Might be worth checking your local library – that's where I found it.