First time sharpening experience... bit of a read!

[bob blakeborough]

So after wigging out and buying a whack of hand tools at once rather than taking the slow decent down the slope, I have been spending the last few weeks researching and studying sharpening, and today I finally cleaned out my shop and decided to start putting what I have been learning to practice...

Well I have been reading a ton, I found I was still a bit unsure of how best to proceed so I figured I would start with the set of Narex chisels I picked up (quite reasonably priced I might add). I started with the widest one (40mm) by lapping the back. First thing I used was a 600x diamond bench stone and found that it was taking a lot longer than I thought it would. I went at it for probably a good 20/30 minutes before I finally was able to get rid of what seemed like a slight hollow right up near the cutting edge and back about 1/8th inch. I was losing faith but perseverance paid off. I moved up to a 1200x diamond after that and it took barely any work at all. I went as far as using a 4000x Norton water stone and tried the 8000x just to see how shiny it would get and I was pretty impressed.

So with the lapping of the chisel back finished, I proceeded by pulling out my new MKII Veritas Honing Guide and fiddle-farted around with it for a bit trying to figure it out. Turned out to be pretty simple and with the blade registration gauge it was pretty easy to set up so I went with the 25 degree setting. I was a little hesitant about how tight to be cranking down on the knobs but in the end just wound them as snug as my fingers would take them and it seemed to be fine.

I pulled out the 1200x diamond stone and started in. I stop every 15/20 strokes or so to observe what was happening and quickly started to notice that it seemed to be sharpening slightly uneven... Higher up the primary bevel on the left size than the right by about 1/8th inch. Not sure if it was normal or if I was messing it up, I re-examined the honing guide and noticed that one of the knobs was tightened down a fair bit further than the other knob, so I figured that might be causing the unevenness in the back of the primary bevel. After adjusting the tightness I went back it it. Shortly after everything seemed to catch up and look normal.

Then I moved up to the 4000x Norton water stone and continued my work. It didn't take long at all to get nice and smooth looking when I remembered reading about needing to lap the back again slightly to remove any wire buildup. Did that with just a few strokes and moved onto the 8000x side of the water stone. Again, it quickly came to a shiny mirror finish. A couple strokes on the back again and a couple more on the primary bevel and I was ready to turn the knob that lets you easily put on a secondary micro bevel.

Well to my dismay I realized I didn't check "that" knob when I started and found it was already on the micro bevel setting! :mad: So I cranked it over to the ACTUAL primary bevel setting and started all over... This time after finishing with the 8000x on the primary bevel and setting it to work the secondary bevel, I just continued on the 8000x side. Micro bevel done I examined my work and everything looked really great! I proceeded to test its shaving abilities on my arm and was amazed at how easily the hair just came off! :eek: I swear I heard angels playing harps!!! :D

So I spent the rest of the afternoon sharpening my chisels with a giant smile on my face. Had a mishap with the 6mm chisel while working the primary bevel where I took a bit of a gouge out of the 8000x water stone, but the 325x diamond stone cleaned it right up with a bit of effort. Also, while sharpening one of the middle sized chisels I somehow slipped and sliced a thin layer of flesh off the pad of my middle finger, which bled like a stuck pig! Funny, but I was actually proud I made it sharp enough to do that!

All in all a great day! Something most people might find less than enjoyable, but I was really impressed with what I was able to accomplish being that this is literally my first experience ever in trying to sharpen something other than a lawnmower blade or what-not on a bench grinder. Hope I didn't bore you all with my story, and please feel free to offer any advice and suggestions that might make things easier for me in the future!

[Charlie Buchanan]

"I realized I didn't check "that" knob when I started and found it was already on the micro bevel setting! :mad: So I cranked it over to the ACTUAL primary bevel setting and started all over.."

I feel your pain on this. I have been bitten by the same mistake. I have almost formed the habit of checking when I snug up the tool.
You might find as I do that the narrower chisels 6mm are very difficult to keep straight in the Veritas tool. I have to really crank down on the pressure and I double check with a small square as I go through the grits. It sounds like you have a good start on sharpening.

[george wilson]

Do be careful with chisels. They are the most dangerous of hand tools as they can stab your hand and cut a nerve,doing permanent damage.

I hardly ever cut myself on a machine,but hand tools in general can easily injure you. Many times over the years,I've shaved a potato chip off my thumb while block planing a small piece held in the hand. I tend to usually do small work,like violins or guitars.

You can also get a good gash out of a tenon saw if it slips out of a cut you are starting and saws your other hand.

At least,you won't amputate something like you can on machines,but will get hurt more often.

[Ryan Griffey]

I was in your same position about a year ago. After rehabing several old chisels and planes I haven't picked up the honing guide in quite awhile. Good luck.

[Andrae Covington]

"I realized I didn't check "that" knob when I started and found it was already on the micro bevel setting! :mad: So I cranked it over to the ACTUAL primary bevel setting and started all over.."

I feel your pain on this. I have been bitten by the same mistake. I have almost formed the habit of checking when I snug up the tool.
You might find as I do that the narrower chisels 6mm are very difficult to keep straight in the Veritas tool. I have to really crank down on the pressure and I double check with a small square as I go through the grits. It sounds like you have a good start on sharpening.


That microbevel knob gets me just about every time. I have been thinking about painting it bright red to remind myself.

I crank the knobs that hold the blade in place as hard as I can. If I am pushing heavily on a blade that really needs work - especially if the bevel end is not relatively close to square in the first place - I find that the blade can skew in the honing guide. And not just the really narrow ones. Also it is important to set the registration jig so that your blade ends up as close to centered as possible. Tightening the screws with the blade off-center can also cause it to slip and skew.

[Jim Koepke]

Bob,

Reading your tale is like a stroll down memory lane in some ways.

I try to exercise the extreme caution when working with edged tools, but still sometimes I will get myself. Just the other day when I was marking with a knife I cut a callous off the end of my finger. No blood thank the Lord, but something just did not feel right. I didn't really notice what happened until later when washing my hands.

One place to be real careful is when clearing shavings from a plane. Sometimes one of my fingers is under the plane and hits the blade. I have been trying to remember to work from heal to toe when pulling shavings out of a plane, but sometimes I forget.

Always think about where a tool can go if the work all of a sudden gives away. Always remember to keep all body parts behind the work.

I even find a way to hold small pieces when I am planing them, even though it is tempting to just give a swipe or two with a plane. It is temptations that lead to mishap.

Sounds like you are getting off to a good start. Wait until you get an old blade to rehab from pits or other poor handling. You will wish it only took a half an hour.

jim

[Ryan Griffey]

I will also caution you on using the diamond stone to flatten plane irons and chisel backs. It will wear the stone out. If your using the combo DMT stone I think a new one is about $110. There are cheaper and faster ways to flatten. Keep the diamond stone for flattening your water stones.

[bob blakeborough]

I will also caution you on using the diamond stone to flatten plane irons and chisel backs. It will wear the stone out. If your using the combo DMT stone I think a new one is about $110. There are cheaper and faster ways to flatten. Keep the diamond stone for flattening your water stones.

What would be a better way to flatten them? From what I read, the DMT stone are supposed to last quite a while, but I definitely do not want to wear them out super fast as there are pretty pricey...

[Dan Carroll]

Do be careful with chisels. They are the most dangerous of hand tools as they can stab your hand and cut a nerve,doing permanent damage.

I hardly ever cut myself on a machine,but hand tools in general can easily injure you. Many times over the years,I've shaved a potato chip off my thumb while block planing a small piece held in the hand. I tend to usually do small work,like violins or guitars.

You can also get a good gash out of a tenon saw if it slips out of a cut you are starting and saws your other hand.

At least,you won't amputate something like you can on machines,but will get hurt more often.


I had just shapened my chisels anbd I was working on a a drawer a couple of weeks back. I went to shave a little of a pin and was going from poplar to hard maple Ihad glued on the bottom of the drawer. The drawer side was in my end vise and it stated to shake a little going into the harder wood, so the fool that I am, i put my left on the drawer side to hold it still. Just as the thought went through my mind that this was not a good idea, the chisel slipped -- I just about took the third knuckle off my index finger; 8 stiches and after 3 weeks my finger is just now starting to work again. It was a clean cut however.

[Asher Langton]

What would be a better way to flatten them? From what I read, the DMT stone are supposed to last quite a while, but I definitely do not want to wear them out super fast as there are pretty pricey...

I use sandpaper on a granite surface plate.

[Ryan Griffey]

What would be a better way to flatten them? From what I read, the DMT stone are supposed to last quite a while, but I definitely do not want to wear them out super fast as there are pretty pricey...

I can personally guarantee that if you continue to use the diamond stones to flatten steel that you will wear them out in short order.

I use belt sander paper on a surface plate to start. Cut the sandpaper in half and stick it with 3M spray glue. 100 grit is a good start. I use compressed air to clean the paper.

I have flattened some old timber frame chisels and nearly worn out my fingers trying to flatten them. Because of this I started using a dremel with a small grinding tool. I work the center of the blade with a very light touch, as the corners are usually the last part to become flat. This can greatly reduce the amount of flattening time. It takes some practice though.

Use a sharpie and mark the back of the blade. Rub it on the sandpaper with proper technique to find the low spots. Then grind it with a rotary tool. Go back to the sandpaper and check your progress.

This has cut my flattening time from an hour to ten minutes. At times I have spent an entire weekend in the shop practicing my sharpening technique. If you practice it will be second nature.

[Ashwini Kaul]

I can personally guarantee that if you continue to use the diamond stones to flatten steel that you will wear them out in short order.


I invested in the DMT(Black/blue) combo stone and Norton waterstones based upon Chris Schwarz recommedation for a sharpening setup for a beginner about 18months ago. I wished he had cautioned about wearing down the DMT if I keep it for grinding/flattening the backs... if this is indeed true.

I spent 2 hours yesterday in flattening a Jack's Irons' back... my ears are still ringing! Was planning to do the same for the block plane today :confused:

Is there an alternative to the granite sandpaper setup for flattening the backs? Is there a waterstone that will cut as aggressively?

To the OP: I recently had a similar experience, albeit with my vintage chisels. To see those hairs flying off... is such an awesome experience. I also think its an exercise in character building in an age of instant/ondemand everything... to work patiently at a dull iron and making a tool... a sharp tool out of it.

[Tri Hoang]

I invested in the DMT(Black/blue) combo stone and Norton waterstones based upon Chris Schwarz recommedation for a sharpening setup for a beginner about 18months ago. I wished he had cautioned about wearing down the DMT if I keep it for grinding/flattening the backs... if this is indeed true.

I spent 2 hours yesterday in flattening a Jack's Irons' back... my ears are still ringing! Was planning to do the same for the block plane today :confused:

Is there an alternative to the granite sandpaper setup for flattening the backs? Is there a waterstone that will cut as aggressively?


The DMT will wear out but not that fast. Once you get through the initial state of sharpening your tools, you rarely have flatten more steel often. My DMT 10" is about 5 years old & I'm still using it to flatten my bench stones. I also use it to correct minor bevel issues without going back to the grinder.

An alternative to sand paper/diamond stone is silicone carbide lapping grit. Just get a piece of float glass, some plastic transparencies, a 3M 77 spray adhesive can and you've gotten yourself a pretty good surface for loose lapping grits. You can get various silicone carbide loose grits (220, 400...) from a number of online stores (Lee Valley, Hartvilletool...).

Spray the 3M 77 onto a piece of plastic transparency and put it on the glass. Take care to roll out all the bubbles. Pour a little bit of the loose grit on the plastic, at a few shot of water, and lap away your tools. The grits will embed themselves into the plastic & provide a durable lapping surface. Eventually, you'll wear them out. Just peel off the plastic, clean the glass plate, and start again.