Sharpening narrow chisels

[Bill Miltner]

Anyone got any pointers on how the best hone narrow chisels, 2-3mm, 1/16-1/8"? I seem to always gouge my waterstones when I try to hone these babies.

[Chris Friesen]

A honing guide with a light touch and only stroking away from the edge seems to work for me.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Bill

For narrow chisels I use the small Kell guide (blades up to 1" wide). Only pull the blade backwards, never forwards.

They are available from Tools For Working Wood ...

http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/prodimg/ee/big/EE-HGRKXX_big.gif

Regards from Perth

Derek

[David Keller NC]

"They are available from Tools For Working Wood ..."

And from The Best Things. They're very nice - the cadillac of honing guides.

One comment about sharpening very narrow chisels - your question presumably was about the bevel since you mentioned gouging your stones, but one tip on the backs of these guys is not to go side-to-side on the stone to flatten the back as you might with a wider chisel. Doing so makes it very easy to slightly round the back, which then makes further sharpening difficult and destoys the "self-jigging" nataure of a flat chisel.

Instead, move the back of the blade in and out on the stone in a motion that parallels the length of the chisel - this is covered by David Charlesworth in the DVD "Precision Preparation of Chisels for Accurate Joinery"

This technique is also very useful for narrow plow plane irons (at least the types that go in wooden planes). Because these irons are very thick, they're taller than they are wide in the 1/8" and 3/16" sizes, and so rounding the back is very easy if you're not careful.

[Richard Jones]

Bill,

I also sharpen skinny chisels, i.e., smaller than 3/8" or so, on the pull stroke only, so as not to make La Canyon de la Grande on my 8000 Norton......

Has worked fine so far, and I don't use a honing guide anymore.

Rich

[Mike Henderson]

On narrow chisels I always use a honing guide because I tend to round the chisel side-to-side when I do them free hand.

I don't have any problem honing forward as well as back, however, when I use a guide.

Mike

[Frank Drew]

I agree with Mike -- if you're using a guide and a light touch there's no reason not to hone in both directions. IMO.

[Brent Smith]

Yet another vote for the Kell. I also go back and forth with it. I usually do final honing on a piece of MDF with green compound. A lite touch is neccessary, but if you do groove the MDF, well, it's only MDF throw it out.

[Bill Miltner]

Thanks everyone for your experiences.

[philip marcou]

For anything that narrow I prefer to place it in a vice and use a slip stone or small diamond plate- then I can see exactly what I am doing-get a burr then do the back in the usual way.